Synopsis: Stuntman, action-director, and martial arts legend Mark Houghton tells his story of breaking into the Hong Kong film industry, his struggle with injuries and depression, and the promise he made his teacher, the legendary film-maker Lau Kar Leung. (78 Mins)

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Views: While I feel like I've spent a lifetime watching Mark Houghton fighting all the great action stars of Hong Kong cinema, I have to admit that he's one guy I'd never really knew a lot about. Alongside American wushu whizz Jeff Falcon, Mark has always been one of my favourite western bad-guys who has shown up in around 60 titles since the late 80s – from Godfrey Ho's Angel Enforcers to Frankie Chan's Outlaw Brothers, and Donnie Yen's Cheetah On Fire to Jackie Chan's Drunken Master 2. As a young teen in the UK, Mark got hooked on martial arts after seeing Bruce Lee in action and after a chance encounter with a guy named Willie Wong, soon relocated to Malaysia where he would begin his martial studies. Soon after, Mark took the next step in following his dreams when he moved to Hong Kong in a bid to get into the film industry. It would be here that he would meet his hero Lau Kar Leung during the production of Aces Go Places 5: The Terracotta Hit, who took Mark under his wing in the teachings of Hung Gar kung-fu and guidance in the difficult world of Hong Kong film. Mark came close to death almost a decade later, when he was attacked by a gang of armed men in Malaysia which left him with such severe injuries. It forced him into retirement where he would battle depression and rethink things, eventually finding a new career as a scuba instructor in the Philippines. Many years later, as his Sifu Lau Kar Leung was dying of cancer, Mark was called upon and asked to make two promises to his master. The first was to return to the film industry a fight director and the second was to continue spreading the martial arts he was taught – both of which he has managed to do to this day.

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Although this documentary was far from what I imagined it would have been, I Am The White Tiger is an interesting insight to Mark's life that reveals many dark moments of his life, yet also makes for fascinating character study of this popular 'Hong Kong movie prop' and martial artist. While it is a little uneven at times and shoddily made on a technical level, it still proves to pack enough of an emotional punch here-and-there – which probably comes across stronger to those of us who have tried hard to chase their dreams. It's evident that Mark absolutely loves what he does, as well as worships his late Sifu. In between his antidotes and chats with people such as Willie Wong, Lau Kar Leung's wife, his students, and his daughter Charlene, viewers are treated to snippets of fight scenes from films such as Final Run, Shaolin Popeye, Mad Monkey Kung Fu, Seven Swords, Mad Mad Ghost, Outlaw Brothers, Oh Yes Sir, Angels Project, and Skinny Tiger & Fatty Dragon – of which this documentary accompanies in a limited edition Blu-ray release by Eureka Video...

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The documentary ends with an emotional finish that sees Mark review his promises to Sifa Lau, as he reveals that he has now opened a kung-fu school in Foshan City - the home of Wong Fei Hung – which sees him bring the art of Hung Gar full-circle and is an incredible achievement overall (confirmed with a quick post-credit scene). While he trains a new team of actors and fighters, fans of Mark will have to wait with baited breath to see what may come next from him in the martial arts film world, but I for one hope that the man himself will return in front of the camera one day to entertain us all once again with his legendary Hung Gar fist!

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Overall: While it was not what I expected, I Am The White Tiger was a great insight to the life of Mark Houghton!