 I watched both of the Kill Bill movies today (for the 14th time). Pai Mei is my favorite character from the series. I wonder if I could train under someone like him. How does one even go about finding an authentic Pai Mei? Would I need to infiltrate an international assassin network first?
This actor is named Gordon Liu. He was also the leader of the Crazy 88’s – (the pack of swordsmen who try to kill Beatrix Kiddo at O-ren Ishii’s compound). Mr. Liu suffered a stroke in 2011 which left him partially paralyzed on his right side, and he’s got a speech impediment now. He isolated himself in a nursing home but he’s working towards recovery. He’s 58 years old. Hope you get better, Pai Mei.
10 comments
Wow, i had no idea… that sucks. Also one of my favorite characters in any movie, ever.
He had quite a long career before the Kill Bill movies. Quentin Tarantino was/is a fan and personally asked him to appear.
Current photos of him are not very flattering. Kinda sucks, not even a martial arts badass is immune from debilitating health issues.
That’s rough, best wishes to the fella. I remember reading about David Carradine and his demise as well. Hm.
I had a Chinese friend back in primary school whose name was (funnily enough) Charlie. Being the new kid, he didn’t say much but I acknowledged him from time to time. Anyway, some Coons went at him on the playground for his ethnic background (ironic, considering they were done for overstaying a year or so later) and tried roughing him up.
I blinked and missed it.
He *literally* struck like lightning with his fist and floored the dude with the force of a half-ton truck. I know one guideline with any style of self defence is to never use it provocatively (I’ve forgotten the term) so it struck me as odd that he’d do so. I asked him why he dropped the fella, to which he replied, “he said I was from Japan”. If Nanking taught me anything, it’s that Sino-Japanese relations will always be at a difference.
Huge respect to the Chinese though. Xie xie. Sorry for making y’all the aggressors in my book, I’ve since changed it to a resurgent Imperial Japan – which makes more sense in the context I’m writing with anyway.
cool story bro. 😉 (and this time, it’s not used sarcastically)
a Chinese kid named “Charlie…”
“he said i was from Japan.” LOL! Awesome.
If he felt aggressed and outnumbered, not to mention insulted, he had justifiable reason to strike first. Sometimes it’s the best way. Had he allowed them to begin attacking first, he might have been accidentally injured and unable to effectively defend himself. It’s a judgment call that needs to be made in each situation.
hahah. So the ultimate insult for a Chinese person is being accused of being Japanese?
Yeah, I was going to mention the David Carradine thing but didn’t. He was one of my idols growing up. Kung Fu (the TV series) really struck a nerve with me.
@clevername – Charlie was the man. I had his back for three years straight and he was still the same quietly-spoken, humble Hainamana I knew from Day 1. I admire that about the Chinese people in particular, I’m not sure what exactly to call it, but I’m sure y’all would understand all the same. You’re right about the judgement part – he definitely made the right (read: tough) calls in situations we’d find ourselves in. Schoolyard bullying/fighting was particularly endemic in early 2000’s NZ.
@Phil – From my experience, yes. I did a lot of studying on both cultures back in school but will always have a bias towards China in regards to almost all my Asian friends being from there, and not to mention how kick arse they are.
I’d never seen Kung Fu but I’d heard a lot about it from family. I found it odd – the circumstances of his death. But such is life, I s’pose.
I guess it’s kind of like the wait Quaero said. Bhudda, or it’s …. spirit or essence, to certain degrees is not something that you look or seek for. It’s something that you do, it is an action. Not passive.
In this case, I was referring to the Pai Mei. It’s not that hard to take out a man with a single blow.
Unless you train hard to prevent that, of course.
Or, I suppose.
He sounds like he has a cooler back story than Bodhidharma did. Stare at a wall for months while some guy stands in the snow outside your cave trying to get your attention before cutting his arm off to prove how dedicated a student he’ll be. I wonder how Bodhidharma responded. Probably he said, “Well, nobody’s ever given me an arm before, but at least someone remembered my birthday!”