Donnie Yen wins Mannequin Challenge with action-packed video from 1970s mafia movie set

We’re sure you’re familiar with the massively viral Mannequin Challenge by now; we know we’ve seen at least five dozen different iterations of the fun phenomenon in the last month. While some — like the impactful Black Lives Matter version released after the US presidential election — were incredible, we have to admit the meme’s ubiquity has given us #MannequinFatigue.

Until now, anyway. Trust movie star, martial artist and all-round cool guy Donnie Yen to make us sit up and pay attention with this kickass video, filmed with over 300 actors and crew members from his latest movie, “Chasing the Dragon”:

You’ve got to give it up for this video. Unlike some of the more lacklustre attempts we’ve seen, the people participating actually look frozen mid-movement (rather than just in repose), there’s the added dimension of the film crew, and perhaps most importantly, humour in the form of a cop wearing a wonky cap.

Extra points go to the monitor showing one of the actor’s shirts fluttering at the end before everybody springs back into action. Very nice touch.

The video, which was shared on Yen’s Facebook page yesterday, was filmed on the set of “Chasing the Dragon”, based on real-life figures from 1970s gangland Hong Kong. Yen, 53, is starring as Limpy Ho, a notorious triad member and drug trafficker, opposite Andy Lau’s corrupt police detective Lui Lok (a.k.a. the HKD500 Million Sargeant).

Looking at the film’s production credits, we’re not at all surprised at how impressive this Mannequin Challenge is. Apart from how well versed an action movie crew must be in bullet-time filmography, Yen’s own production house, Bullet Films, is in charge of the action and stunt choreography, which explains the palpably dynamic scene.

Leave it up to Ip Man to show the young’uns how it’s done, right?

 


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