what are some of the better martial arts/action flicks out there? old/new, english/subtitled/dubbed, doesnt matter. i'm just looking for good consistancy, well choreographed action scenes, and the ability to watch again and again. my top picks are:
1: 5 deadly venoms
2: return of 5 deadly venoms
3: 36th chamber of shaolin
4/5: kill bill - volumes 1 and 2
6: district b-13
7: kung fu hustle
mind you, i only have a small collection, but these are some i watch over and over again and i enjoy them every time. thanks for taking the time to read and respond to this.
Master of the Flying Guillotine (1975) - Kind of a spin-off or sequel to The One-Armed Boxer.
Odd Couple (1979) - Samo Hung and Lau Kar Wing as masters of the Sword and Spear. Excellent choreography... and it's pretty hilarious to boot.
Way of the Dragon (or Return of the Dragon in the U.S.) (1972) - Bruce Lee vs. Chuck Norris... need I say more?
These are the best ones I can think of off the top of my head. Might have more once I have a look at my collection.
Early Jackie chan is always enjoyable, rumble in the Bronx, armour of the gods, the fighter.
Umm, twin dragons was amazing (I think that's the name)
The Ong Bak movies are great too.
Then, there's the legend of Ricky Oh....
All of the above (of course).
Chocolat (Ong Bak with a young girl).
Police Story 1&2: early urban Jackie Chan mixing cop drama and slapstic martial arts.
The Myth: much more recent and underated, mixing historical drama with an indiana jones present day plot.
Shogun Assassin: a "cut to the chase" remix of the Lone Wolf and Cub flicks.
Once Upon a time in China series: historic, dramatic, great fights with Jet Li.
Unleashed: a great story about art taming the savagery of man... and add fistfights to that.
Ip Man: The story of Bruce Li's master. Oh yeah.
Oldboy: not a martial arts movie but has one of the best fight scenes ever.
Anything from the "Dragon Dynasty" series.
Jet Li's "Fearless"
Jet Li's "Contract Killer"
For movies,
The Perfect Weapon
Best of the Best
Enter the Dragon
Big Trouble in Little China
American Ninja
As stars that aren't named Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, or Chuck Norris
Jeff Speakman
Cynthia Rothrock
Sonny Chiba
My favorite recent MA film is Ninja Assassin.
From the past...I'm a Bruce Lee/Jackie Chan fan so I like most their stuff. Especially:
Fist of Fury
Chinese Connection
Rumble in the Bronx
Who Am I
Legend of the Drunken Master (The original)
Rush Hour 1,2,3 (Yes 3)
Now that I live in China I see some really great Kung Fu films....but can't remember all of the names, but heck...even the TV dramas have great KF scenes. So I would recommend watching them.
I'm surprised no one mentioned:
The Last Dragon
The Master (TV series)
The Last Electric Knight (TV series)
Blood Sport
I liked most the ones mentioned here. I remember seeing one not listed that I found entertaining. I believe it was called "The City of Violence." Not nearly as terrible as it sounds. A Korean movie I think.
Enter The Dragon
5 Deadly Venoms
The Big Brawl
Game of Death
Big Trouble in Little China
Gymkata (I'm kidding)
Yeah, I'm a big sonny china fan too.
Good stuff.
I'd also like to point out that Jason Statham has really decent action sequences. The transporter and crank franchises are among my favorites. Clive Owen's shoot em up is pure insanity also if you like gun fetish action. I also dig equilibrium too.
Surprising to say the latest universal soldier isn't that bad. We see jcvd and dolph return and the new breed of universal soldiers fight with the mma/Ufc style that's popular now... It's a pretty cool cultural barometer to think about how popular action has changed over the last twenty years in the west.
wow, alot of good suggestions here guys, thanks.
Oh man Thanoson, Gymkata is the BEST!
Man, I'm getting my butt stomped. If I only had a pair of parallel beams I could use. Well would you look at that?
My faves:
Kiss of the Dragon
Wushu
The One
Time Cop
Universal Soldier 1 & 2
Forbidden Kingdom
I like me some Martial Art/ Sci Fi and if you enjoyed Kung Fu Hustle also check out Shaolin Soccer.
Shaolin Soccer was really good, haven't been able to find it on DVD yet, but hopefully eventually.
Jason Statham is pretty good, as is Donny Yen.
Here are the top three recent martial arts movies.
Ip Man - This is a film about Bruce Lee's master, Ip Man - Played by Donnie Yen who is a really impressive martial artist.
Ip Man - This is a film about Ip Man, a Wing Chun master in China whose village is invaded by Japanese soldiers (who apparently had some kind of war with China at some point)
Ip Man - This is a film about Ip Man punching a guy like forty effing times and he hits the ground spazzing out with his vital organs turned to goop. He kills like 10 guys just because he takes no dren period. It's frickin crazy as nuts. If you haven't seen it, you need to.