Generally, only a single battle – mainly just some minutes of screentime – might be all of the justification you could watch a complete martial arts film. That won’t look like sufficient at first, however the notion is a testomony to only how nice these battle scenes actually are.
That is to not say that the remainder of the film has nothing to supply. Some are high quality martial arts motion pictures with endings so good that they turn into probably the most memorable a part of the movie. In different instances, the ultimate showdown will make sitting by way of a mean plot effectively well worth the wait.
It is a troublesome activity to drag off, after all, but it surely’s been achieved on a number of events. Old style kung fu motion pictures, American-made martial arts cult classics, and even previous Jackie Chan movies characteristic battle scenes that overshadow every part else.
Tiger Cage 2
Starring Donnie Yen, Tiger Cage 2 is a ’90s Hong Kong martial arts cop film with a comedy model paying homage to Jackie Chan’s Police Story. For probably the most half, it appears like an above-average entry within the subgenre – till it will get to the ending. The climax takes it to the subsequent stage, with Donnie Yen’s character partaking in a sequence of battles that really feel very very like “boss fights.”
One in every of these pits the hero in opposition to a sword-wielding minion of the primary villain. Greater than adequate to have labored for a last showdown, the sword battle in Tiger Cage 2 excites from begin to end, with the 2 charging at one another for an epic collision and going at it for 3 minutes. The battle options top-of-the-line choreography from Yuen Woo-ping and excessive vitality from each combatants.
Flash Level
In 2007, Donnie Yen starred in Flash Level, a steadily ignored Hong Kong motion movie the place the actor performs an undercover cop in a battle in opposition to the triads. Although not generally regarded as considered one of Donnie Yen’s finest movies, it does have its justifiable share of highlights, and none stand out greater than the battle on the finish between Yen’s character and Collin Chou’s Tony.
In the case of the finale, Flash Level pulls no punches; the 2 characters unleash onslaughts of brutal assaults in opposition to one another. The grueling grudge match between the 2 stays gritty and grounded all through. It alone makes Flash Level a movie value sitting by way of.
My Younger Auntie
For almost all of the movie, My Younger Auntie is a routine martial arts comedy from Shaw Brothers that stars Hsiao Ho and Kara Hui. However because the plot develops, the motion leans away from the movie’s two youthful leads and permits its director and their co-star, Lau Kar-leung, to successfully take over, battling the primary antagonist in a heated one-on-one showdown on the finish.
It is right here the place My Younger Auntie turns into a really nice Nineteen Eighties old-school kung fu film, in that provides a unprecedented showcase of Lau Kar-leung’s expertise each as a martial artist and in addition as an motion choreographer.
Come Drink With Me
Come Drink With Me was approach forward of its time, because the 1966 wuxia movie informed the story of a seemingly unbeatable feminine swordfighter who arrives into city looking for her brother. A now-iconic scene sees Cheng Pei-Pei’s mysterious heroine sitting casually at her desk in an inn as a curious group of thugs steadily work up the braveness to battle her.
The scene’s affect cannot be overstated, contemplating {that a} lengthy checklist of martial arts movies – and motion motion pictures basically – have clearly taken inspiration from Cheng Pei-Pei’s legendary entrance. The remainder of the film is entertaining as effectively, but it surely hits its peak right here.
Legendary Weapons Of China
Legendary Weapons of China is in the same class to My Younger Auntie, in that the film’s authentic protagonist (performed by Hsiao Ho) winds up ceding the highlight to Lau Kar-leung’s older and extra skilled character by the top of the movie. And maybe solely Lau Kar-leung might have pulled off what got here subsequent, which was a particularly numerous showcase of weapon preventing.
Lau Kar-leung, a martial artist so expert that a lot of Shaw Brothers’ actors had been taken beneath his wing, seems reverse his brother – Lau Kar-wing – in a battle that sees the pair make use of practically each weapon related to Shaolin martial arts. One way or the other, it is simple to imagine that the 2 had really mastered every weapon they took up within the fantastically choreographed battle scene.
Ip Man 3
The third film is arguably the weakest entry within the Ip Man franchise, however a must-watch nonetheless, if for no different purpose than Ip Man’s battle with Frank. One of many issues with the movie is that it feels prefer it was pressured into the story only for the sake of matching up Donnie Yen and Mike Tyson, however that call is simple to forgive after watching the 2 vastly totally different fighters conflict.
The distinction between their sizes and respective preventing kinds is utilized brilliantly. Provided that Ip Man’s opponent is performed by an all-time nice, former heavyweight boxing champion, there was naturally a danger of Ip Man holding his personal coming throughout as untethered from actuality, however Donnie Yen is so convincing in his portrayal of the Wing Chun grandmaster that this state of affairs by no means involves cross.
Means Of The Dragon
Make no mistake, Means of the Dragon is a stable effort from Bruce Lee and fairly presumably his second-best film after Enter the Dragon, but it surely’s unclear if it could nonetheless have that repute if it wasn’t for the closing minutes of the movie, which famously pitted him in opposition to Chuck Norris.
Bruce Lee vs. Chuck Norris is among the many martial arts battle scenes everybody ought to see at the very least as soon as. When making Means of the Dragon, Lee neatly selected Norris as his last opponent, realizing that with two actual martial artists squaring off, it would be simpler to make the battle look life like. The thought paid off splendidly, with their expertise permitting for longer takes, and in flip, a gritty and hard-hitting last bout.
Ong Bak 2
When it comes to total high quality, Ong Bak 2 is a step-down from its predecessor, which is likely one of the finest martial arts motion pictures of the twenty first century. That stated, the sequel – or, extra precisely, the prequel – has considered one of its most thrilling motion sequences. Lasting a number of minutes, a battle performs out the place Tony Jaa’s Tien fights the menacingly creepy Crow Ghost.
Beginning out on the again of an elephant, the battle units up all kinds of wonderful stuntwork, particularly from the lead actor. His athleticism is an asset to all of Tony Jaa’s martial arts motion pictures, and that is notably evident right here, a scene the place the 2 foremost combatants simply by themselves make Ong Bak 2 a movie value testing.
Wheels On Meals
The buddy dynamic and humorous antics of Jackie Chan, Yuen Biao, and Sammo Hung are the driving power of Wheels on Meals, however neither is what the film is remembered for finest. Slightly, that may be the battle between Chan and Benny “The Jet” Urquidez. As Chan and Urquidez have their standoff, Wheels on Meals’ id as a kung fu comedy is swept to the facet.
Wheels on Meals up the ante for his or her battle by taking full benefit of each Jackie Chan and Urquidez’s respective capabilities as martial artists. The back-and-forth nature of the battle, the shortage of cutaways in favor of lengthy takes, and glorious choreography makes Wheels on Meals a crash course in martial arts motion.
Bloodsport
Bloodsport is Jean-Claude Van Damme’s finest film, a notion pushed largely by what happens within the movie’s ending. Within the last spherical of Bloodsport’s martial arts event, Van Damme’s Frank Dux has to defeat Bolo Yeung’s Chong Li. Given how spectacular Van Damme was all through the movie, it took a personality with the physicality of Chong Li to make Frank Dux really feel like an underdog.
There is a particular sense of depth to the large finale, helped largely by Paul Hertzog’s epic rating, which defies the overall expectations of a martial arts showdown because of some welcome shifts within the move. Slightly than begin out dropping, the hero really outclasses his bigger and extra highly effective opponent, spurning him to cheat. Consequently, Frank Dux has to regain the sting, culminating in considered one of Van Damme’s finest film kicks.