I have to be quicker than flash!
Then I survive...

Dwight H. Little's american movie "Rapid Fire" makes a successful trip through the czech cinemas. The screenplay was written by Cindy Cirile and Alan McElroy. The drug maffia led by a "swell" Serrano is moving from China to Chicago. The Chinese emigrant Jake Lo who studies painting in the USA is invited to a party by an attractive model from the course and there he is involved into the drug maffia's gun battle. There are more scenes with maffia hitmen and corrupted Chicago cops and even erotic adventures with a beautiful female-cop. The tough drug business is marked by a shameless greediness for money but also by a contempt of the human life. Jake Lo performs brilliant exhibits of martial arts and he is able to convince the spectator for a moment that the life of criminal maffias has its limits if the law protectors are well prepared.

In the leading part of Jake Lo we can watch a handsome 27-years-old Hollywood actor Brandon Lee. The best journalists wrote about his first star-part in superlatives. Scott McKain from CBS-TV Indianapolis called: "He is better than Jean Claude van Damme!" The editor of the "Scene and the Movies" magazine James Grant wrote that Brandon Lee was as exciting and perfect as his legendary father Bruce Lee. Yes, young Brandon is the son of famous actor and martial arts expert Bruce Lee. Native from California he lived in Hong Kong at first and when his 33-years-old father died in the 1973 he moved with his mother (American of Swedish descent) and sister Shannon to Los Angeles where they have lived up to the present day. He started in the TV movie "Kung Fu" and motion pictures "Legacy of Rage" and "Showdow in Little Tokyo" and his career started to shoot up. He is single and he looks like his father.

I had a chance to meet him for a few moments in the Rafael hotel in Munchen.

Premiera: What is your relationship to Schwarzenegger and Stallone?
Brandon Lee: I'm afraid that in the sense you mean I haven't any relation to them. I've never met them.

Prem: What kind of music do you like?
Lee: Eddie James and Stevie Wonder.

Prem: Do you have any idea what should be the image of a modern young man?
Lee: Healthy, strong, smart? I don't know... I can't answer this.

Prem: What sort of movies do you prefer?
Lee: I like movies about people, their lives, about question of mankind which are really important for the life like love, responsibily, beauty, evil...

Prem: Do you have a girlfriend?
Lee: Yes, I have. Her name is Lisa Hutton and she is a writer. We live together.

Prem: Do you like to drive a car?
Lee: That's right, I like it very much but we bought a car only two years ago. I was riding a motorbike most of my life.

Prem: And what about working with Kate Hodge? Did you like it?
Lee: It was great. She is very good actress and I like to work with her. But I have to say that we haven't met since then.

Prem: Do you want to try your luck in a political career? This is quite popular among actors not only in our country.
Lee: No, no, I wouldn't have enough money to be a politician. I even wouldn't find enough money for the election campaign.

Prem: What did you respect most about your father?
Lee: I admired him very much. I think he proceed his time. It was him who restored the old martial art techniques. He was also a great philosopher, brilliant actor, and the man who knew how to behave in the public.

Prem: Does it seems to you that the Asian way of life prefers violence? The life seems to be worthless there and on contrary we, in Europe, really stick to the life very much. What do you think about it?
Lee: I know what you mean. Martial arts really came from Asia and hiding inside strong philosophical and human aspect. Studying them helps me to understand myself. It's about responsibity of every man familiar with martial arts to avoid any conflicts if possible and keep the peace.

Prem: How often do you practice?
Lee: I practice one hour and a half five days a week no matter where I am.

Prem: What are you doing in Hollywood when you don't work on a movie?
Lee: I teach at the Martial arts academy where I have studied since I was 13.

Prem: Are you satisfied with movies like "Rapid Fire" or are you longing for something more psychological?
Lee: Right now I'm satisfied with what I'm doing. I would like to get a chance to act in movies of various genres in the future.

Prem: How tall are you and what is your weight?
Lee: I'm 182 cm tall and my weight is 76 kg.

Prem: What do you eat?
Lee: Mixed eggs, cereals, root celery, toasts, grapefruits, cornflakes. I prefer tuna sandwich and spaghetti with sauce for lunch and fish for dinner. I am used to changing that.

Prem: Do drugs and alcohol means anything to you?
Lee: No. I have nothing to say about it.

The actor got up, walked to a window and complained about the time difference between America and Europe. Then he lay down on the hotel bed with a fight scream.

Jaroslav Holoubek
Premiera 4/1993

Translated by Arwen with kind help of Monika.


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