Michael Jai White is an Americanactor, martial arts expert and director. He was the very first black American to portrayed a leading comic book super hero in a big motion picture, having played as Al Simmons in the famous 1997 movie, spawning a series of related sequel and reboots. He has since gone on to star in several other action-filled movies and is well known for his work in the martial arts genre. He is currently starring in the Kung Fu Panda movie, as well as the remake of the Japanese animated film Dragonball Z.
White was born in Southern California, where he was educated in the Chinese language, and later in mathematics. He went on to train with several martial arts masters before turning professional. After working in television, White decided that he wanted to make his mark in Hollywood, and so began learning martial arts, both with a teacher and with his own workouts. It was at this time that he would start to hone his skills, and become one of the more notable martial artist martial artists of his time. Eventually, his acting career caught up with him, and he managed to star in a number of martial arts movies, including The Karate Kid and Streetwise.
Of all of the martial artists to have two memorable scenes in Michael Jai White’s movies, the most memorable is his performance as the final man standing in the subway station in Kung Mangai. What makes this scene so iconic is the fact that it is the first time that the audience sees Kim as a complete warrior, completely empowered by his internal strength and the love of his fellow man for his younger daughter, Kay, who has been taken captive by the Tongs. In the ensuing struggle, he wounds Tong Teo badly, but is saved by police officers nonetheless. It then remains a testament to his fighting spirit that he charges on to the stage, totally exhausted, to face Kim in battle yet again, this time armed with a gun.
One of the best films of this year, directed by Woody Allen, is Think Someone Else. This is also the film in which Allen plays the role of the ultimate hero, a former street vigilante who has been reduced to re-learning how to be a vigilante again after being crippled by a car accident. In the meantime, he has formed an unlikely partnership with the much older Charles Bronson, whom he has come to respect since his earlier days, and played by Al Pacino. Together, they plan several acts of terrorism, while Allen also provides some of the best martial arts moves of the movie. This film has an ensemble cast, and almost every member of the cast delivers well, from the acting to the choreography.
Another fantastic movie starring Michael Jai White was Baby By Day. This is the second installment in the Fist Full Of Grace, a series of martial arts movies that the Hong Kong actor starred in before tackling his role as Bruce Lee in the more recent sequel. The movie is about a young girl ( Yi Ming Yeh ) who lives a sheltered existence in China, while attending college in England. She is fascinated by Bruce Lee’s style of fighting, so when he returns to Hong Kong, she follows him there, only to become the new girlfriend of his good friend, martial arts expert Donning.
One of the best movies of the year, this is Fist Full Of Grace, which was directed by Tim Burton and also starred opposite Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter and Al Pacino. This is definitely one of Burton’s better films, which did not receive the reviews it deserved at the time of its release. However, it did become a popular cult hit later, when director Wes Anderson made a sequel, Never Back Down. This film arguably made the original more relevant than ever.
Another fantastic Michael Jai White movie is Triple Threat, which was directed by David Fincher. This time around, Black Tiger (Django), White Tiger (John Treadway) and Pink Eye ( Kali) join forces with a trio of special operations commandos to protect President George Wallace from assassination. The three of them easily take down the president’s bodyguards and escape the airport with him. While the three of them are on the loose, an FBI agent (Kevin Dunn) tracks them down. Together they battle the terrorists and save the president once again, although the terrorists manage to shoot down the US helicopter which is carrying White Tiger and Pink Eye. In the meantime, White Tiger tracks down the remaining terrorists and the FBI agents while Treadway and White Face kill the other two.
No list of Michael Jai White movies would be complete without mention of his Kung Fu Panda movie, Rise of the Panda. This is another great movie, which centres on the story of Panda, who finds himself in the midst of an ancient tribe of pandas who live in the bamboo forest. When he finally grows too big to fit into the cage, he attacks all the other pandas trying to get inside, but gets himself trapped with his new friend, Tai. Tai is the last man standing between Panda and freedom, so he does everything in his power to stop Panda from freeing himself. Watch this fantastic movie; it’s worth it!