Speaking in conversation at the Red Sea Film Festival in Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong director and producer Stanley Tong (“Rumble in the Bronx”) traced the unlikely, injury-filled route that led him from stunt work to one of the most consequential collaborations in Jackie Chan ’s career.

Tong began at the beginning, recalling how he first entered the film industry not behind a camera, but directly inside the action. After meeting Bruce Lee at age 11 through his brother-in-law, an actor, Tong began training in martial arts and gymnastics before becoming a stuntman in 1980. “I broke my shoulders, my ribs, my back, and my kneecap,” he said. “It’s not easy work. I had many stitches. My ankles got twisted many times on both sides.”

After a severe shoulder injury, Tong said his mother pushed

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