Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Storm Shadow: The best thing about GI Joe

Please don't ask why I was at G.I. Joe. Long story short, know that Lee Byoung-Hun is the strongest actor in the movie. He doesn't say much, but he has an intensity in his eyes through the entire film. Lee's fight scenes, especially those with martial artist Ray Park (who plays Snake Eyes), were razor sharp and quite convincing. This is from an actor known for his emotional range, not his physical prowess. But speaking of his physique, Lee rips off his shirt at one point. I've seen Lee in numerous projects, but never have seen him in the buff. I was so impressed I wanted to do high kicks in the movie theater.

Here is Lee working his buns off for Hollywood. I enjoyed watching him sprint like Carl Lewis in white dress shoes up several floors, while holding an uzi.

I'm not giving Lee a good review because he's Korean or because he's a beefcake. Lee Byoung-Hun has a more natural screen presence using English than Jet Li. And unlike fellow Korean actor Rain, who is also breaking into Hollywood, Lee's English is nearly flawless. Hopefully we'll see more of Lee Byoung-Hun in American films. Aja aja!