If you’re rich, you can do whatever you want.
You can kick Muay Thai movie star Tony Jaa in the nuts, fight a Mongolian sumo wrestler in a barbershop full of girls in lingerie run by a dwarf, have a foot bath with Ip Man, and even give a beatdown to famous martial artists like, but not restricted to, Jet Li.
And, our friends, Jack Ma’s got the money.
The shenanigans described above form part of the, um, plot of the Chinese billionaire’s new short film Gong Shou Dao, or The Art of Attack and Defence, which was released on the internet over the weekend.
The 20-odd minute movie, produced by Jet Li and directed by the Chinese actor Wen Zhang, sees the founder of online retailer Alibaba star as a Tai Chi master and, at one point, yes, he punches a hole through a basketball. No joke.
Ma, who has been practicing the martial art form for three decades, also fights and, surprise, beats an array of famous martial artists including Jaa, champion boxer Zou Shiming, and retired Mongolian sumo champion Asashoryu Akinori.
Oh yeah, and there’s also Donnie Yen (star of the Ip Man kung fu movies) and Li himself, who fights Ma with a broom.
It was launched during Alibaba’s Single’s Day online shopping extravaganza on Saturday and is Ma’s way of showcasing his love for Tai Chi and kung fu culture, or so say some reports.
It also features some pretty shameless product plugs and Ma repeatedly asking his opponents whether they’ve eaten.
According to a report last month in the SCMP, which Ma owns, the shopping event — which smashed the company’s record with more than US$25 billion in sales — and the movie launch were “not linked.” Sure.
Either way, for our money, this is the best film starring a billionaire non-actor since the Montgomery Burns classic A Burns for All Seasons. Jeff Bezos, you’ve been served.
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