Shannon Lee's Breakthrough role for her father's studio Golden Harvest, is titled And Now You're Dead!, a.k.a 'Enter the Eagles', (let's hope the latter title is used in the USA & Europe).It's a promising international actioner starring Michael Wong, Yuen and Jordan Chan. Shannon Lee, daughter of the Little dragon himself, makes her 'official' film debut (if you ignore Dragon and Cage 2)and hopes to build on the family action tradition. Benny "The Jet" Urquidez, the former kickboxing champ who went toe-to-toe with Jackie Chan in Wheels on Meals and Dragons Forever. features as a heavy in the movie filmed in Prague early in 1998. Holding this impressive line up together is director Corey Yuen Kwai, luminary of Jackie Chan and company. With over fifty film credits to his name,Corey Yuen has done it all from helming Michelle Yeo's first action flick (Yes Madam) to giving Jean Claude Van Damme his signature role in No Retreat,No Surrender. Establishing himself with Win's Film Entertainment for a series of high profile efforts with Jet Li (Bodyguard from Beijing, My Father is a Hero), Yuen is finally back with Golden Harvest. Coming off his success of Hero, this could be the one-two punch that he needs to affirm his talents for a Hollywood breakthrough. As mentioned, Shot in Prague (in the Czech Republic) and Hong Kong, Michael Wong heads the cast as a professional thief who undertakes a scheme to steal the biggest diamond in Prague for well-to-do gangster Benny Urquidez. But first, Wong and his team must bring in hired gun Shannon Lee, who acts as a backup for their heists and has managed to fall in love with the dashing leader along the way. Enter husband and wife pickpockets Jordan Chan and Anita Yuen, drawn to the caper after lifting a palm-sized computer from one of Wong's men. The comical duo want a piece of the action, but get sent on their way after Lee takes care of them mano a mano. Vowing to steal the diamond themselves, a hilarious setup is forged at the museum where Wong's men and the couple meet for an unexpected night time rendezvous. Things get even more interesting when Chan is left behind for the police, and swallows the evidence in the process. 

Urquidez and his lackeys soon find that they would rather have the diamond free of charge, ultimately forcing Wong's team and the couple to band together. The finale pits Lee against Urquidez in a no-holds-barred brawl that took over a month to shoot.With her commentator role on WMAC Masters, Shannon Lee has made a career as a successful singer, keeping out of the limelight shared by her father and brother. With the formation of the Jun Fan / JKD 'Bruce Lee' Nucleus and the re-release of Enter the Dragon for its 25th anniversary, it was inevitable that Shannon should make her own unique interpretation of the Lee legacy on film. Her only other 'official' credits are a cameo as the 'wrap party' singer in Dragon, superbly rendering California Dreaming, and a small role in the Cage2, and direct-to-cable flick High Voltage. Shooting a Hong Kong action film was a challenge. Director Yuen picked taekwondo expert Delon Tan Tao-liang (a veteran of dozens of fight flicks during the seventies) to train Shannon who had no prior martial arts film experience. Coupled with a fitness trainer, she trimmed some weight to become a lean, mean fighting machine. But her training was far from over. "They asked me to train Shannon, for a month in between shooting in Prague and Hong Kong," said Urquidez in interview. Urqidez worked her on everything from tumbling and kicking to hand movements. Their work paid off when the two met up with the rest of the crew in Hong Kong. Urquidez was supposed to pair off with Wong, but he left for another film giving Shannon the final fight finale. "Our fight was supposed to be little, but it just kept getting bigger and bigger. It was awesome; we fought like cats and dogs." So how did Shannon come off on-screen? "I think she definitely earned their (the Hong Kong people) respect. The audience is going to love it because they will be very surprised at what she can do," remarked Urquidez. It's been a dry well for Hong Kong fight flicks, but the end of this one should literally be a drop in the bucket. While the Hong Kong release date for And Now You're Dead! (Enter the Eagles) remains sketchy,it was re-dubbed for the American market and could receive limited theatrical distribution. Here's Hoping!.. 

Credit: bleejunfan.demon.co.uk