WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.540 Welcome to today's deep dive. Before we get started, 00:00:03.600 --> 00:00:05.740 I want you to just take a second and think about 00:00:05.740 --> 00:00:07.620 your own career path and your hobbies. Right. 00:00:07.740 --> 00:00:09.939 Just kind of map it out in your head. Yeah. And 00:00:09.939 --> 00:00:12.599 now I want you to imagine being a Chinese -American 00:00:12.599 --> 00:00:16.399 martial arts pioneer. Okay. And a boxing champion. 00:00:17.460 --> 00:00:21.199 And a cult classic action movie star well into 00:00:21.199 --> 00:00:24.420 your 90s. Which is already a massive list. It 00:00:24.420 --> 00:00:26.859 is. Oh, and on top of that, being a practicing 00:00:26.859 --> 00:00:30.329 Methodist minister. All of that. In one single 00:00:30.329 --> 00:00:33.109 lifetime. It really defies the concept of a 24 00:00:33.109 --> 00:00:35.369 hour day. It absolutely does. I mean, when you 00:00:35.369 --> 00:00:37.469 look at the typical trajectory of a martial arts 00:00:37.469 --> 00:00:40.850 pioneer. You expect a lifetime dedicated solely 00:00:40.850 --> 00:00:42.869 to the dojo. Or if you look at a member of the 00:00:42.869 --> 00:00:45.030 clergy, you expect a life centered around the 00:00:45.030 --> 00:00:47.810 pulpit. Exactly. But the subject of today's deep 00:00:47.810 --> 00:00:51.109 dive, Leo Fong, has a resume that reads like 00:00:51.109 --> 00:00:54.609 five different lifetimes smashed into one. We 00:00:54.609 --> 00:00:56.390 are talking about an immigrant who was a teenage 00:00:56.390 --> 00:00:59.289 boxer, a licensed social worker, a martial arts 00:00:59.289 --> 00:01:01.369 system creator who ran in the same circles as 00:01:01.369 --> 00:01:03.810 Bruce Lee. Incredible circles. Right. And an 00:01:03.810 --> 00:01:06.260 independent movie director. Yeah. Okay, let's 00:01:06.260 --> 00:01:08.959 unpack this. We are exploring the Wikipedia article 00:01:08.959 --> 00:01:11.780 on Leo Fong today and attempting to figure out 00:01:11.780 --> 00:01:15.840 how one human being managed to fit all of this 00:01:15.840 --> 00:01:19.000 into a single existence. really is an extraordinary 00:01:19.000 --> 00:01:21.239 timeline to examine. When we look at someone 00:01:21.239 --> 00:01:23.359 with this level of output, what stands out immediately 00:01:23.359 --> 00:01:26.120 to me is how rare it is to find an individual 00:01:26.120 --> 00:01:29.299 who not only spans so many vastly different fields, 00:01:29.439 --> 00:01:32.659 but genuinely masters them. He wasn't just dabbling. 00:01:32.739 --> 00:01:34.400 No, not at all. He wasn't picking up weekend 00:01:34.400 --> 00:01:36.959 hobbies. He was a true practitioner in every 00:01:36.959 --> 00:01:40.099 sense of the word. His life serves as a masterclass 00:01:40.099 --> 00:01:42.799 in synthesis and resilience. He took elements 00:01:42.799 --> 00:01:45.140 from vastly different spheres of human experience. 00:01:45.140 --> 00:01:47.000 The spiritual, the physical. Yes, the creative. 00:01:47.280 --> 00:01:49.659 the social, and he wove them together. But to 00:01:49.659 --> 00:01:53.459 really grasp how that synthesis occurred, we 00:01:53.459 --> 00:01:55.239 have to look at the pressure cooker he was forged 00:01:55.239 --> 00:01:57.500 in because it was not an easy start. Far from 00:01:57.500 --> 00:02:00.200 it. Leo Fong was born Feng Tin Leon on November 00:02:00.200 --> 00:02:03.500 23rd, 1928 in Chinoise China. But his family 00:02:03.500 --> 00:02:05.939 didn't stay there. They made the journey to the 00:02:05.939 --> 00:02:08.319 United States, specifically arriving in Seattle. 00:02:08.659 --> 00:02:11.460 And the source material notes that upon arrival, 00:02:11.539 --> 00:02:14.169 they were detained. Which was sadly a very common, 00:02:14.250 --> 00:02:16.949 harsh reality for immigrants coming from Asia 00:02:16.949 --> 00:02:19.930 at that time. Yeah, due to the strict exclusionary 00:02:19.930 --> 00:02:22.090 immigration policies. You have a family seeking 00:02:22.090 --> 00:02:24.930 a new life and their very first taste of America 00:02:24.930 --> 00:02:27.430 is being locked up. It's a foundational moment 00:02:27.430 --> 00:02:30.770 of adversity. But they persist. Once they were 00:02:30.770 --> 00:02:32.550 finally released in Seattle, they didn't just 00:02:32.550 --> 00:02:35.340 settle. They made their way to Chicago, where 00:02:35.340 --> 00:02:37.939 Fong's maternal uncle owned a restaurant. Okay. 00:02:38.080 --> 00:02:41.020 His father had a guaranteed job there, and he 00:02:41.020 --> 00:02:43.400 worked grueling hours to save up enough money 00:02:43.400 --> 00:02:46.379 to finally purchase his own business, a small 00:02:46.379 --> 00:02:48.680 grocery store. But they didn't buy this store 00:02:48.680 --> 00:02:51.699 in a major metropolitan area with an established 00:02:51.699 --> 00:02:54.159 Asian community. No. They bought it in Widener, 00:02:54.159 --> 00:02:57.039 Arkansas. That geographic shift is wild. It really 00:02:57.039 --> 00:02:59.659 is. Widener is described as a very small rural 00:02:59.659 --> 00:03:02.240 agricultural community. So now you have a young 00:03:02.240 --> 00:03:04.479 Chinese immigrant living in the deep south of 00:03:04.479 --> 00:03:07.840 rural Arkansas in the 1930s and 40s. I can't 00:03:07.840 --> 00:03:10.819 even imagine the culture shock. And the article 00:03:10.819 --> 00:03:13.500 points out that Fong was the victim of intense 00:03:13.500 --> 00:03:17.199 racial taunts at school, which frequently escalated 00:03:17.199 --> 00:03:20.319 into physical fights. He was a kid in a place 00:03:20.319 --> 00:03:23.000 where he stood out. completely dealing with overt 00:03:23.000 --> 00:03:26.719 prejudice on a daily basis. But instead of withdrawing, 00:03:26.719 --> 00:03:29.139 he takes a completely different path. At the 00:03:29.139 --> 00:03:32.680 age of 15, he takes up Western boxing. That decision 00:03:32.680 --> 00:03:34.560 right there tells you everything you need to 00:03:34.560 --> 00:03:37.259 know about his internal wiring. He was facing 00:03:37.259 --> 00:03:40.159 direct systemic and personal hostility in this 00:03:40.159 --> 00:03:42.759 small town, but he didn't let it turn him into 00:03:42.759 --> 00:03:45.490 a victim. He fought back. He channeled that hostility 00:03:45.490 --> 00:03:48.469 into physical discipline. Taking up boxing wasn't 00:03:48.469 --> 00:03:50.169 just about learning to throw a punch. It was 00:03:50.169 --> 00:03:52.930 a survival mechanism. It was about taking control 00:03:52.930 --> 00:03:54.810 of his environment and his own physical safety. 00:03:55.150 --> 00:03:57.930 Right. He transformed a chaotic, hostile environment 00:03:57.930 --> 00:04:01.240 into a structured discipline practice. Exactly. 00:04:01.240 --> 00:04:03.699 It's the first real glimpse we get of his lifelong 00:04:03.699 --> 00:04:05.900 pattern, taking whatever the world throws at 00:04:05.900 --> 00:04:08.360 him, no matter how harsh, and converting it into 00:04:08.360 --> 00:04:11.020 personal power and forward momentum. And that 00:04:11.020 --> 00:04:13.419 momentum carries him out of Arkansas and into 00:04:13.419 --> 00:04:16.519 an academic journey that honestly gives you whiplash 00:04:16.519 --> 00:04:19.100 when you read it. It really does. After graduating 00:04:19.100 --> 00:04:21.660 from Forest City High School, he stays in Arkansas 00:04:21.660 --> 00:04:24.439 for a bit to attend Hendricks College, where 00:04:24.439 --> 00:04:27.860 he earns a Bachelor of Arts. His major was physical 00:04:27.860 --> 00:04:30.620 education. Which makes total sense for a teenage 00:04:30.620 --> 00:04:33.480 boxer. Totally. But then he pivots entirely. 00:04:34.060 --> 00:04:36.839 He goes to Southern Methodist University and 00:04:36.839 --> 00:04:39.040 earns a master's degree in theology. He actually 00:04:39.040 --> 00:04:43.160 gets ordained. Yes. He begins a career as a Methodist 00:04:43.160 --> 00:04:46.639 minister. But he still isn't done. He heads out 00:04:46.639 --> 00:04:49.079 to Northern California. enrolls at California 00:04:49.079 --> 00:04:51.980 State University Sacramento, and earns a Master 00:04:51.980 --> 00:04:54.040 of Social Work. So we have physical education, 00:04:54.180 --> 00:04:56.600 theology, and social work. On paper, that looks 00:04:56.600 --> 00:04:59.040 completely scattered. If we connect this to the 00:04:59.040 --> 00:05:01.339 bigger picture, it's actually incredibly unified. 00:05:01.579 --> 00:05:03.899 It looks scattered if you view career paths as 00:05:03.899 --> 00:05:06.420 strictly linear. But Fong was building something 00:05:06.420 --> 00:05:08.699 much broader. Well, with physical education, 00:05:09.000 --> 00:05:11.379 he is mastering the mechanics of the human body. 00:05:11.620 --> 00:05:14.439 With theology, he is exploring the spirit, the 00:05:14.439 --> 00:05:16.980 moral framework of human existence, and how we 00:05:16.980 --> 00:05:20.129 find meaning. And with social work, he is mastering 00:05:20.129 --> 00:05:22.810 the understanding of community. Like how society 00:05:22.810 --> 00:05:25.509 functions. Exactly, and how to practically help 00:05:25.509 --> 00:05:28.490 people navigate broken systems. He was simultaneously 00:05:28.490 --> 00:05:30.889 developing his physical, spiritual, and social 00:05:30.889 --> 00:05:33.149 understanding of the world. It's a completely 00:05:33.149 --> 00:05:35.930 holistic approach to life. That holistic approach 00:05:35.930 --> 00:05:38.490 is the perfect lens for viewing his martial arts 00:05:38.490 --> 00:05:41.250 journey, which really takes off in the 1950s 00:05:41.250 --> 00:05:43.370 once he's settled in Northern California. He 00:05:43.370 --> 00:05:45.829 starts exploring Eastern martial arts, specifically 00:05:45.829 --> 00:05:47.579 looking into jiu -jitsu. Judo, and Jiu -Jitsu. 00:05:47.759 --> 00:05:50.300 Yeah. But he didn't stop there. He ends up creating 00:05:50.300 --> 00:05:53.680 his own entire style called Weikundo. Yes. And 00:05:53.680 --> 00:05:55.480 the source material lists the disciplines he 00:05:55.480 --> 00:05:57.379 integrated into this system. Listen to this. 00:05:57.639 --> 00:06:00.980 Jeet Kune Do, Sarada, Eskrima, Western Boxing. 00:06:00.980 --> 00:06:04.160 It's a massive list. Choi, Leifut, Northern Shaolin 00:06:04.160 --> 00:06:07.180 Wrestling, Tang, Sudo, Taekwondo. It just keeps 00:06:07.180 --> 00:06:10.860 going. Karate, Jiu -Jitsu, Arnis, and Wing Chun. 00:06:11.720 --> 00:06:15.079 That is 13 distinct fighting styles. But doesn't 00:06:15.079 --> 00:06:18.120 the phrase jack of all trades usually mean master 00:06:18.120 --> 00:06:21.740 of none? How did he keep Wei Quindou from just 00:06:21.740 --> 00:06:25.000 becoming a messy, unfocused fighting style? 13 00:06:25.000 --> 00:06:28.069 systems sounds like absolute chaos. What's fascinating 00:06:28.069 --> 00:06:30.329 here is that Fong approached martial arts the 00:06:30.329 --> 00:06:33.290 same way he approached his education, as an ultimate 00:06:33.290 --> 00:06:36.149 synthesizer. He wasn't just haphazardly throwing 00:06:36.149 --> 00:06:38.310 punches from one style and kicks from another. 00:06:38.529 --> 00:06:41.990 He was deeply analytical. So he was looking for 00:06:41.990 --> 00:06:44.350 what worked. Right. He looked at the contrasts. 00:06:44.350 --> 00:06:46.610 You have the grounded, heavy grappling elements 00:06:46.610 --> 00:06:49.589 of Japanese judo and jujitsu. You have the fluid 00:06:49.589 --> 00:06:52.069 rapid fire weapon strikes of Filipino Arnis and 00:06:52.069 --> 00:06:54.230 Sarada Esgrima. You have the powerful linear 00:06:54.230 --> 00:06:56.899 striking of Western boxing and the dynamic. dynamic 00:06:56.899 --> 00:06:59.920 high kicks of Korean Tae Kwon Do and Tang Soo 00:06:59.920 --> 00:07:02.019 Do. That's a lot of different philosophies. It 00:07:02.019 --> 00:07:04.420 is, but he stripped away the rigid traditions 00:07:04.420 --> 00:07:06.579 and the performative movements of each, keeping 00:07:06.579 --> 00:07:08.980 only the biomechanics that actually worked in 00:07:08.980 --> 00:07:11.579 a real practical defense situation. Wei Kun Do 00:07:11.579 --> 00:07:14.199 was all about economy of motion. So he essentially 00:07:14.199 --> 00:07:16.680 pressure tested all of these ancient and modern 00:07:16.680 --> 00:07:19.399 systems to find the common kinetic denominators. 00:07:19.819 --> 00:07:22.980 Precisely. To build a cohesive functional system 00:07:22.980 --> 00:07:26.269 out of 13 contrasting philosophies, requires 00:07:26.269 --> 00:07:28.269 a brilliant understanding of human kinetics. 00:07:28.550 --> 00:07:31.610 And he was passionate about codifying this. He 00:07:31.610 --> 00:07:33.990 wrote extensively publishing books with titles 00:07:33.990 --> 00:07:37.269 like Shui Lei Foot Kung Fu and Si Lim Kung Fu, 00:07:37.350 --> 00:07:39.610 The Chinese Art of Self -Defense. You also wrote 00:07:39.610 --> 00:07:42.069 Beyond Kung Fu, Breaking an Opponent's Power 00:07:42.069 --> 00:07:45.250 Through Relaxed Tension. Yes, and Tiger Claw 00:07:45.250 --> 00:07:47.730 Training and Techniques and Modified Wing Chun. 00:07:47.930 --> 00:07:50.850 He also co -authored Power Training in Kung Fu 00:07:50.850 --> 00:07:53.490 with Ron Marcini. And he clearly wanted Wei Kun 00:07:53.490 --> 00:07:56.500 Da to outlast him. The material mentions that 00:07:56.500 --> 00:07:59.600 in 2017, he appointed a three -person board specifically 00:07:59.600 --> 00:08:02.180 to oversee the continued instruction and propagation 00:08:02.180 --> 00:08:04.720 of his system. That board included Klein Wynn 00:08:04.720 --> 00:08:07.839 and Bung Tamar Fong. Right. But before we move 00:08:07.839 --> 00:08:10.339 on from his martial arts years, there was a massive 00:08:10.339 --> 00:08:12.500 connection that we have to talk about. Leo Fong 00:08:12.500 --> 00:08:14.500 was friends with Bruce Lee. Yes, they ran in 00:08:14.500 --> 00:08:16.079 the same circles. They trained together. They 00:08:16.079 --> 00:08:18.319 exchanged ideas. In fact, Bruce Lee actually 00:08:18.319 --> 00:08:20.959 arranged for Fong to appear on the cover of the 00:08:20.959 --> 00:08:22.920 10th anniversary edition of Black Belt magazine. 00:08:23.120 --> 00:08:26.089 Which was huge. That is the absolute pinnacle 00:08:26.089 --> 00:08:28.709 of the martial arts world in America at that 00:08:28.709 --> 00:08:31.430 time. Being in Bruce Lee's inner circle and being 00:08:31.430 --> 00:08:33.990 respected enough by Lee to secure a magazine 00:08:33.990 --> 00:08:37.389 cover validates Fong's status not just as a practitioner, 00:08:37.529 --> 00:08:40.769 but as a true peer among the greats. But Fong's 00:08:40.769 --> 00:08:43.470 trajectory is about to take another wild turn. 00:08:43.669 --> 00:08:46.330 There we go again. Because by the 1970s, he decides 00:08:46.330 --> 00:08:49.009 to take all of this physical mastery and translate 00:08:49.009 --> 00:08:51.649 it to the silver screen. This transition into 00:08:51.649 --> 00:08:55.129 cinema starts in 1974. He takes an acting role 00:08:55.129 --> 00:08:57.330 in a Filipino martial arts exploitation film 00:08:57.330 --> 00:08:59.789 called Murder in the Orient, co -starring his 00:08:59.789 --> 00:09:02.549 co -author Ron Marcini. The following year, in 00:09:02.549 --> 00:09:05.649 1975, he stars in Bamboo Trap alongside actors 00:09:05.649 --> 00:09:08.470 like George Estrigan and Ron Van Cleef. But he 00:09:08.470 --> 00:09:10.240 doesn't just stay in front of the camera. But 00:09:10.240 --> 00:09:12.399 the late 1970s, he starts writing, directing, 00:09:12.440 --> 00:09:14.679 and producing. Here's where it gets really interesting. 00:09:14.740 --> 00:09:17.080 Oh, yeah. Leo Fong's cinematic output became 00:09:17.080 --> 00:09:19.679 so distinct and he became so prolific that it 00:09:19.679 --> 00:09:22.899 spawned its own recognized exploitation film 00:09:22.899 --> 00:09:25.860 subgenre. Film critics and fans actually call 00:09:25.860 --> 00:09:28.159 it Fong -sploitation. That term is fantastic. 00:09:29.080 --> 00:09:32.899 Fong -sploitation. For a bit of context exploitation, 00:09:33.340 --> 00:09:36.220 cinema refers to high energy, low budget independent 00:09:36.220 --> 00:09:39.440 films that try to succeed financially by exploiting 00:09:39.440 --> 00:09:41.879 current trends or niche genres. Like martial 00:09:41.879 --> 00:09:44.440 arts. Exactly. In this case, the massive boom 00:09:44.440 --> 00:09:47.159 in martial arts and gritty urban action. Fong 00:09:47.159 --> 00:09:50.299 carved out his own unique empire within this 00:09:50.299 --> 00:09:52.139 world. Wait, I have to stop and ask about the 00:09:52.139 --> 00:09:54.220 glaring contradiction here. Sure. How does a 00:09:54.220 --> 00:09:57.179 practicing Methodist minister transition into 00:09:57.179 --> 00:10:00.830 starring in and eventually directing? violent, 00:10:00.830 --> 00:10:03.269 low -budget martial arts movies? Did he face 00:10:03.269 --> 00:10:06.169 backlash? It seems like two completely incompatible 00:10:06.169 --> 00:10:08.570 worlds. It does seem contradictory on the surface. 00:10:08.809 --> 00:10:10.649 But if you look closely at the narrative structure 00:10:10.649 --> 00:10:12.590 of Fong's films, they almost always function 00:10:12.590 --> 00:10:15.669 as morality plays. Morality plays. Yeah. Yes, 00:10:15.690 --> 00:10:18.190 they are wrapped in the gritty, low -budget aesthetics 00:10:18.190 --> 00:10:21.409 of 1980s exploitation cinema. There are biker 00:10:21.409 --> 00:10:23.990 gangs, shootouts, and martial arts brawls. But 00:10:23.990 --> 00:10:26.190 the core is almost always about a righteous individual 00:10:26.190 --> 00:10:28.330 standing up to systemic corruption or protecting 00:10:28.330 --> 00:10:30.580 the vulnerable. Oh, wow. He was essentially taking 00:10:30.580 --> 00:10:32.960 the themes of his social work and his ministry, 00:10:33.059 --> 00:10:35.759 like justice redemption, protecting the flock 00:10:35.759 --> 00:10:38.100 and translating them into a cinematic language 00:10:38.100 --> 00:10:41.340 that appealed to the masses. The medium was violent, 00:10:41.480 --> 00:10:44.960 but the message was surprisingly moral. That 00:10:44.960 --> 00:10:46.600 makes a lot of sense when you look at his breakthrough 00:10:46.600 --> 00:10:49.299 films in the 1980s. Let's talk about Kill Point 00:10:49.299 --> 00:10:52.539 from 1984, which was directed by Frank Harris. 00:10:52.740 --> 00:10:55.659 A classic. Fong plays a Los Angeles -based policeman 00:10:55.659 --> 00:10:59.539 named L .T. James Long. The plot is just pure, 00:10:59.659 --> 00:11:03.309 unadulterated 80s action. Long teams up with 00:11:03.309 --> 00:11:05.330 an FBI agent played by the legendary Richard 00:11:05.330 --> 00:11:07.929 Roundtree to hunt down a gang of criminals who 00:11:07.929 --> 00:11:10.029 stole heavy weapons from a National Guard armory. 00:11:10.070 --> 00:11:12.710 Right. Their goal is to stop these guys before 00:11:12.710 --> 00:11:14.570 they can sell the arms to local street gangs. 00:11:15.129 --> 00:11:17.450 It's a classic setup of righteous lawmen trying 00:11:17.450 --> 00:11:19.509 to prevent urban decay. And that partnership 00:11:19.509 --> 00:11:22.070 with director Frank Harris proved very fruitful 00:11:22.070 --> 00:11:24.850 because two years later, in 1986, they released 00:11:24.850 --> 00:11:27.409 Low Blow. This one is a massive cult classic. 00:11:27.690 --> 00:11:30.809 Fong plays Joe Wong, a San Francisco -based private 00:11:30.809 --> 00:11:33.990 investigator operating out of a messy, stereotypical 00:11:33.990 --> 00:11:37.009 P .I. office. He is hired by a wealthy businessman 00:11:37.009 --> 00:11:39.830 to rescue his daughter and heiress, who has been 00:11:39.830 --> 00:11:42.879 brainwashed by a strange religious cult. The 00:11:42.879 --> 00:11:45.659 cast for Low Blow is amazing, too. You have classic 00:11:45.659 --> 00:11:48.019 Hollywood actors like Cameron Mitchell and Troy 00:11:48.019 --> 00:11:50.919 Donahue appearing in this gritty indie flick. 00:11:51.100 --> 00:11:53.539 Yeah, the casting was wild. And Fahm actually 00:11:53.539 --> 00:11:56.139 reprised that Joe Wong characters later that 00:11:56.139 --> 00:11:58.500 same year in a film he co -directed called Blood 00:11:58.500 --> 00:12:01.080 Street. In that one, Joe Wong goes searching 00:12:01.080 --> 00:12:03.620 for a missing husband and ends up crossing paths 00:12:03.620 --> 00:12:06.360 with a ruthless father and son criminal team. 00:12:06.649 --> 00:12:08.769 What's remarkable about this period of his life 00:12:08.769 --> 00:12:11.470 is his sheer resourcefulness. He wasn't waiting 00:12:11.470 --> 00:12:13.990 for major Hollywood studios to cast an Asian 00:12:13.990 --> 00:12:16.350 -American lead. Which was incredibly rare at 00:12:16.350 --> 00:12:18.970 the time. Exactly. He built his own cinematic 00:12:18.970 --> 00:12:21.509 ecosystem from the ground up. He wrote, he directed, 00:12:21.549 --> 00:12:23.850 he produced, and he acted. He also had a real 00:12:23.850 --> 00:12:26.350 knack for creating a recurring ensemble. Like 00:12:26.350 --> 00:12:28.919 a theater troupe almost. Basically, yes. If you 00:12:28.919 --> 00:12:31.480 watch his films from the 70s through the 80s, 00:12:31.480 --> 00:12:33.779 you'll see a stock company of actors he frequently 00:12:33.779 --> 00:12:36.500 reused. People like Cameron Mitchell Hope Holiday 00:12:36.500 --> 00:12:39.399 and Stack Pierce. He figured out how to make 00:12:39.399 --> 00:12:41.799 movies his way completely independently using 00:12:41.799 --> 00:12:44.039 the resources and the people he trusted. And 00:12:44.039 --> 00:12:46.860 his concepts just get better and better. My absolute 00:12:46.860 --> 00:12:50.259 favorite plot has to be the 1993 film Showdown. 00:12:50.590 --> 00:12:52.590 He brings back his character James Long from 00:12:52.590 --> 00:12:55.309 Kill Point, but the setting is just top tier 00:12:55.309 --> 00:12:58.049 indie cinema. It really is. It's about a mafia 00:12:58.049 --> 00:13:00.690 retirement village called Sanctuary that gets 00:13:00.690 --> 00:13:03.549 invaded by a violent biker gang. A mafia retirement 00:13:03.549 --> 00:13:06.570 village under siege by bikers. That is absolute 00:13:06.570 --> 00:13:09.389 cinematic gold. You can completely see why audiences 00:13:09.389 --> 00:13:11.820 and video rental stores. ate these movies up. 00:13:11.879 --> 00:13:14.320 It's wildly inventive. He knew exactly what the 00:13:14.320 --> 00:13:16.399 exploitation market demanded. High concepts, 00:13:16.580 --> 00:13:18.820 distinct characters, and authentic martial arts 00:13:18.820 --> 00:13:21.840 action. And what is so compelling is how long 00:13:21.840 --> 00:13:24.240 he sustained this creative output. He definitely 00:13:24.240 --> 00:13:26.860 didn't quit. He didn't just have a brief stint 00:13:26.860 --> 00:13:29.080 in the 80s and then retire to the golf course. 00:13:29.220 --> 00:13:31.940 He kept going. And as he got older, he started 00:13:31.940 --> 00:13:34.320 to explicitly weave the different threads of 00:13:34.320 --> 00:13:37.179 his life together on screen even more overtly. 00:13:37.340 --> 00:13:40.559 Fast forward to the 2000s. Specifically, the 00:13:40.559 --> 00:13:44.179 year 2005. He releases a film called Transformed. 00:13:44.580 --> 00:13:47.919 Fong stars in it as a character literally named 00:13:47.919 --> 00:13:51.299 The Fist. The Fist. Yes, but he also directed 00:13:51.299 --> 00:13:53.320 it, produced it, was heavily involved in the 00:13:53.320 --> 00:13:55.700 editing, and amazingly, he even composed the 00:13:55.700 --> 00:13:57.620 theme song. This raises an important question. 00:13:57.799 --> 00:14:00.720 What drives a person to keep creating, to keep 00:14:00.720 --> 00:14:02.740 pushing the boundaries of their output at an 00:14:02.740 --> 00:14:05.139 age when society tells them they should be slowing 00:14:05.139 --> 00:14:07.320 down? Yeah, he would have been, what, late 70s 00:14:07.320 --> 00:14:09.200 there? Exactly, because Transformed is where 00:14:09.200 --> 00:14:11.700 we see the ultimate unambiguous blending of his 00:14:11.700 --> 00:14:14.539 life's work. The film explicitly features Christian 00:14:14.539 --> 00:14:17.100 themes and a very strong anti -drug message. 00:14:17.360 --> 00:14:19.539 Bringing it all together. He is taking his theological 00:14:19.539 --> 00:14:22.360 background, his degree in social work, and his 00:14:22.360 --> 00:14:24.919 martial arts cinema expertise and combining them 00:14:24.919 --> 00:14:27.120 into a single film. piece of art he's utilizing 00:14:27.120 --> 00:14:29.620 the trojan horse of the exploitation action film 00:14:29.620 --> 00:14:32.399 to deliver a sermon a guy nicknamed the fist 00:14:32.399 --> 00:14:34.860 delivering an anti -drug sermon through martial 00:14:34.860 --> 00:14:37.000 arts choreography you really can't make it up 00:14:37.000 --> 00:14:40.240 and you mentioned his age leo fong did not slow 00:14:40.240 --> 00:14:42.360 down while most people are looking at retirement 00:14:42.360 --> 00:14:46.379 at 65 leo fong was gearing up for a massive late 00:14:46.379 --> 00:14:48.899 career resurgence. He possessed an unstoppable 00:14:48.899 --> 00:14:51.919 internal engine. He continued to act in action 00:14:51.919 --> 00:14:55.259 films right up until his early 90s. His late 00:14:55.259 --> 00:14:57.299 career work, particularly his collaborations 00:14:57.299 --> 00:14:59.759 with the independent director Len Kabasinski, 00:15:00.100 --> 00:15:02.759 is a testament to that enduring physical and 00:15:02.759 --> 00:15:05.700 creative drive. The Len Kabasinski era is a joy 00:15:05.700 --> 00:15:07.580 to read about because it really highlights how 00:15:07.580 --> 00:15:11.500 beloved Fong was by the fans. In 2018, Fong co 00:15:11.500 --> 00:15:13.740 -starred in Kabasinski's film Challenge of Five 00:15:13.740 --> 00:15:16.279 Gauntlets. And the fans loved it. The reviews 00:15:16.279 --> 00:15:18.100 from the indie film community were incredibly 00:15:18.100 --> 00:15:20.659 warm. One reviewer called it a perfect throwback 00:15:20.659 --> 00:15:22.539 to the great days of the 80s when these kinds 00:15:22.539 --> 00:15:25.620 of films swarmed the video store shelves. Another 00:15:25.620 --> 00:15:27.580 reviewer specifically celebrated his return, 00:15:27.820 --> 00:15:30.039 saying it was great to see the man the myth and 00:15:30.039 --> 00:15:32.820 Mr. Loblo himself kicking ass again. He was a 00:15:32.820 --> 00:15:35.340 living legend to the fans of that genre. And 00:15:35.340 --> 00:15:37.679 incredibly, a movie made in 2018 when he was 00:15:37.679 --> 00:15:40.220 around 90 years old wasn't his final role. No, 00:15:40.220 --> 00:15:42.899 it wasn't. His last film appearance was in another 00:15:42.899 --> 00:15:45.620 Khabisinski project called Pact of Vengeance, 00:15:45.659 --> 00:15:48.200 which was released in 2022. Let's just pause 00:15:48.200 --> 00:15:52.279 on that date. 2022. Leo Fong was 93 years old. 00:15:52.440 --> 00:15:54.980 He played a character named Zien, the owner of 00:15:54.980 --> 00:15:57.779 a local garage who turns to his old Special Forces 00:15:57.779 --> 00:16:01.240 outfit known as the Obliterator. The Obliterators. 00:16:01.240 --> 00:16:03.860 To help deal with a violent extortion gang that 00:16:03.860 --> 00:16:06.840 attacked his granddaughter. Think about the physical 00:16:06.840 --> 00:16:09.639 reality of that. You are 93 years old and your 00:16:09.639 --> 00:16:12.289 job for the day is to go to a movie set. learn 00:16:12.289 --> 00:16:15.190 your lines and play a guy calling in the obliterators 00:16:15.190 --> 00:16:18.250 to fight an extortion gang. The sheer vitality 00:16:18.250 --> 00:16:21.190 required to do that is staggering. It perfectly 00:16:21.190 --> 00:16:24.289 encapsulates his lifelong refusal to be categorized, 00:16:24.330 --> 00:16:26.870 marginalized or limited by external expectations. 00:16:27.840 --> 00:16:29.960 He didn't let the immense adversity in rural 00:16:29.960 --> 00:16:32.240 Arkansas dictate his future. He didn't let the 00:16:32.240 --> 00:16:34.340 rigid traditions of martial arts stop him from 00:16:34.340 --> 00:16:36.659 creating his own practical system. And he certainly 00:16:36.659 --> 00:16:38.840 didn't let age dictate what he could or couldn't 00:16:38.840 --> 00:16:40.820 do creatively and physically. So what does this 00:16:40.820 --> 00:16:42.960 all mean? How do we summarize a life this massive? 00:16:43.600 --> 00:16:46.960 Leo Fong passed away on February 18, 2022, at 00:16:46.960 --> 00:16:50.100 the age of 93 in Los Angeles, California. He 00:16:50.100 --> 00:16:52.320 left behind his wife Minerva, three children, 00:16:52.539 --> 00:16:55.139 his grandchildren, his youngest sister, and a 00:16:55.139 --> 00:16:57.539 sprawling legacy that permanently impacted theology, 00:16:57.879 --> 00:17:00.139 martial arts, and independent cinema. If we look 00:17:00.139 --> 00:17:03.149 at the core philosophy of Leo Fong, He demonstrated 00:17:03.149 --> 00:17:06.450 a profound truth. Knowledge and passion are most 00:17:06.450 --> 00:17:09.130 valuable when they are actively applied and integrated. 00:17:09.589 --> 00:17:12.109 Society constantly tells us to pick a single 00:17:12.109 --> 00:17:14.549 lane. Right. Be the athlete or the scholar. Exactly. 00:17:14.549 --> 00:17:16.769 Or be the artist or be the spiritual leader. 00:17:17.430 --> 00:17:19.509 Leo Fung looked at those lanes and decided to 00:17:19.509 --> 00:17:22.049 drive in all of them simultaneously. He proved 00:17:22.049 --> 00:17:24.309 you can be a minister, a boxer, an author, a 00:17:24.309 --> 00:17:26.630 social worker, and an action star. He lived a 00:17:26.630 --> 00:17:28.769 life of total integration. Total integration. 00:17:28.789 --> 00:17:30.789 And that brings us to our final thought for you, 00:17:30.829 --> 00:17:33.450 the listener, to mull over. Leo Fong was starring 00:17:33.450 --> 00:17:36.470 in action movies at 93 years old. Society heavily 00:17:36.470 --> 00:17:38.470 conditions us to view aging as an inevitable 00:17:38.470 --> 00:17:40.950 period of winding down, of slowly stepping away 00:17:40.950 --> 00:17:43.250 from our passions, our creativity and our physical 00:17:43.250 --> 00:17:45.700 capabilities. Which he completely ignored. He 00:17:45.700 --> 00:17:48.680 completely rejected that premise. He treated 00:17:48.680 --> 00:17:51.180 his 90s with the same creative ferocity as his 00:17:51.180 --> 00:17:54.099 20s. It makes you wonder how many self -imposed 00:17:54.099 --> 00:17:56.440 expiration dates have we placed on our own ambitions, 00:17:56.740 --> 00:18:00.059 our own goals, or our own physical capabilities, 00:18:00.160 --> 00:18:03.359 simply because society tells us that it's too 00:18:03.359 --> 00:18:06.220 late. And more importantly, what completely disparate 00:18:06.220 --> 00:18:08.160 interests or passions do you have that you've 00:18:08.160 --> 00:18:10.519 been keeping in separate boxes, and what incredible 00:18:10.519 --> 00:18:12.960 unique thing might happen if you finally smash 00:18:12.960 --> 00:18:15.390 them together? Something to think about. Thank 00:18:15.390 --> 00:18:17.769 you for joining us on this deep dive. Keep exploring, 00:18:17.910 --> 00:18:19.769 keep questioning, and we'll see you next time.