RoskiRambles

Rama (Iko Uwais) is about to be a father. It's ever present in the back of his head as he's sent as part of a special police squad lead by captain Jaka(Joe Taslim) in a mission to capture crime lord Tama Riyadi (Ray Sahetapy), by infiltrationg the delapidated department building in the slums of Jakarta he calls an opperation base. The mission goes wrong. Fast. As most of the squad is unceremoniously gunned down, Rama has to use his wits to move through enemy territory, either to complete the mission or simply get out alive.

Directed by Gareth Evans, this Indonesian film is defined by its intensity. What it brings to the table is a conciliation from the evolution of western action thrillers with the evolution of eastern martial arts films coalescing into something that ranges between adrenaline and anxiety. Even Ong-Bak feels cheerful compared to what we get here; the atmosphere is dreary, the tone is gritty, and the cast is full of morally black AND gray characters. There's little glamour within the dirty, desaturated, oppressive apartment walls that encompass the movie's setting, and the situations within are… dire, to say the least. And so is the action.

For every flashy moment of exaggeration and acrobatics, many of the moves feel relatively grounded and visceral. Characters are tough but hardly invincible, bleeding all over the place and perpetually in survival mode. The Pencak Silat on display doesn't hurt this effect, full of strikes that are quite pragmatic and often intended to be lethal which adds to the sheer ugliness of the fights even with every flourish thrown into it.

If there's one thing that may undercut the tone is that, in sharp contrast to the explicit violence, the original Indonesian dialogue is jarringly soft in vocabulary, but subtitles can fix that one.

In the verges of the criminal underworld there's a secret full contact martial arts tournament called the Kumite. In representation of his sensei Shingo Tanaka (Roy Chiao), Frank Dux (Jean-Claude Van Damme) has chosen to participate once his Ninjutsu training is completed to honor him; he even skipped his military duties in order to join the tournament, for this promise truly means the world to him. Now in Hong Kong, he's met with fellow American Ray Jackson (Donald Gibb), where the two of them might face the fearsome Chong Li (Bolo Yeung), the undefeated champion of the event with blood in his hands.

Directed by Newt Arnold and based on the claims of the real life Frank Dux, this is the movie that put Jean Claude Van Dame on the map to become an action star and… late 80's sex symbol? Sure, why not. It has to be said outright: the historical reality of the Kumite is basically that it's bullshit. Which is funny because the movie is perfectly entertaining if a bit bland on the narrative, with it being yet another story of a white dude getting to learn martial arts to best the native practicioners through sheer determination. If anything, it's kinda insulting they passed it as a "true story". Let an action film be just that.

And as a portrayal of martial arts? It is kinda crummy too, though this is admittedly not Van Damme's fault. Between the questionable narrative foundation, occasionally sloppy sound design and ESPECIALLY a very American style of editing(as well as a slower choreography rythm), many of the styles portrayed in the film hardly get the time and framing required to shine. Which is a shame because the variety highlighted here is actually really cool(including different Kung Fu styles, Hapkido and Shotokan Karate passing as ninjutusu), just somewhat underutilized. It's not revolutionary on the premise alone, but it carries itself on the intense atmosphere of its tournament setting.

No, the fact I'm covering Jean-Claude Van Damme doesn't mean I've run out of films to talk (if I got to talk about Steven Seagal, that would actually mean the well has run dry). Jokes aside, though, while a very popular action star for people who grew up in the 80's, Van Damme is a bit of a weird outlier for martial arts enthusiasts. Kind of a love it or hate it sort of memetic personality: he indeed helped the genre to stay afloat in America (because somehow Americans couldn't appreciate Police Story), but he also got to spawn some embarrassing clout chasers (like the aforementioned Seagal) and burned down his own career for decades.

Compared to even some of the Hong Kong actors I've discussed like Chen Pei Pei, Van Damme actually DOES have martial arts experience and achievements so he isn't faking it, yet a lot of his appeal came from the overlap he could snatch from the hyper-masculine style of 80's American action stars like Sylvester Stallone (even if he is from Brussels). In other words, the martial arts were a plus that didn't make him look like a walking lumber, but didn't cover some of his other weaknesses as an actor (and to some, how much he gets credit for the same reason Eminem does in the world of rap: he's a white guy so he's more easily digestible for westerners).

Still, it's safe to say he's salvaged some terrible films with his brand of charisma and genuine athletic capabilities, even if they didn't always shine because American filmmakers would take another whole decade in learning how to shoot martial arts action sequences… then butcher THAT when their untrained movie stars couldn't keep up.

Seriously though, I cannot but feel MIXED about the fights in this movie. All the involved martial artists clearly ARE skilled in their craft. When the camera is left running quite a lot of it shines. But between editing, the slower pace of some of those sequences, and the lack of full contact hits for most of it, after a while of being used to the sheer impact of other films in the genre, no ammount of fake blood can mask how less inpactful the strikes look.

For generations, the royal family of Thailand's war elephants have been put in the special care of a family. Kham (Tony Jaa) is the last one of those caretakers, and has a close relationship with the elephant Por Yai, and its calf Kohrn. However, when poachers steal them both during the Songkran festival (with the aid of a member of parliament to boot), it's Kham's duty to get the animals back, which drags him into a world trotting rabbithole of corruption, animal trafficking, and just the sheer madness of the criminal underworld.

Once again made by the trio of Jaa, Pinkaew, and Rittikrai, while this movie is not a sequel to Ong-Bak it may as well be a spiritual successor of sorts (specially since the actual sequels went into a… different direction). A rescue plot for the hero to embark into, a different city for him to be a fish out of water (if a cleaner looking one) and a nasty underworld full of crooks for him to fight. However, without a solid supporting cast to Kham's journey it truly feels like the plot is just an excuse to get into crazy fights, and taking its sweet time to do that to boot. It's not only the American cut either (fucked over by the Weinstein Company), the Thai original has some odd pacing and lackluster storytelling.

Fortunately, if the fights are what ultimately matters to you they more than justify the entry ticket, and may even provide a bargain. Once it gets rolling, the action sequences are absolutely crazy. Motorcycle chases, waterbike chases, a duel against a capoerista in a temple set ablaze, and probably the most ambitious uncut fight sequence in film history. Not to mention a plethora of guest martial artists bringing an expansive set of styles to the table, as well as Jaa and Rittikrai developing an entire Muay Thai style more focused on grappling just for the film's character. For all its issues, its a tour de force in the one area they put the most care on.

Not gonna lie, this film is actually a big reason why I wanted to talk about martial art films this March. Is it quite a bit on the dumb side of things? Yes. Somehow it has a less engaging story arc compared to Ong Bak, in spite of having an innocent animal as the target to rescue compared to a statue head. And a lot of the action does reach levels of absurdity that are quite humorous to put it mildly. Yet, for all the finger pointing you can make for this one, they threw it all at it, and it shows.

It features wrestling moves (courtesy of ex WWE member Nathan Jones), Wushu (by stunstman John Foo), whip combat (played by ballerina Jin Xing), and Capoeira (courtesy of Lateef Crowder in one of the best fights on the film). It was supposed to also feature Tae Kwon Do(through Daniel O'Neill and Dean Alexandrou) but the fight got cut… which says a lot about how much fighting footage they had on the editing room. And I thing that's not even all the fighting styles featured in the film. They even wanted a quick cameo of Jackie Chan but schedule conflicts made it unfeasible.

So yeah… I have to highlight not only one, but TWO fights in this movie.

The first involves the aforementioned Lateef Crowder in a fight that makes little sense plot wise but looks so cool it stands out regardless. Capoeira is a fighting style that has seldom any film representation focused on it. Sure, it has been represented in Marvel's Black Panther(2018), but it's rarely the star of the show. It isn't the case here either but it certainly becomes a show stealer: it's mixture of dance moves and acrobatic strikes is always electrifying to watch thanks to a combination where the dance mainly serves to obfsucate the actual strikes and keep the fighter moving, thus making them a more difficult target to predict.

Even more impressive since Crowder was actually injured during the filming of a good chunk of the fight.

The second one has to be this aboslute behemoth of a sequence. Much as Tony Jaa didn't become the next household martial artist like many hoped, this fight against multiple opponents in a single long take DOES rival many of the accomplishments of the very best and should be his biggest legacy to martial arts cinema. The sheer complexity and physicality required to pull this off is hard to describe: it's four minutes of non stop action that required the coordination of many stuntment, some of which are being thrown one or two stories without the camera picking the mats, and a fairly long list of objects that needed to break the right way. Even the cameraman needed to be in top shape with the intricate way the camera follows the action through a special rig across multiple floors. Apparently, the American contractor hired to do this scene fainted after a few takes because of the exertion and they needed someone from Thailand to cover for him.

The small village of Ban Nong Pradu is pretty unasuming for northern Thailand, but their lives are fulfilling and sincere. All under the watchful eye of Ong-Bak, the name of the ancient Buddha statue. So when one of a former villager (Wannakit Sirioput) severs the head of the statue to sell it to a crime lord, it falls into the most promising youth of the village Ting (Tony Jaa), to contact another former villager by the name of Humlae (Petchtai Wongkamlao) as to retrieve their stolen heirloom. Unfortunately, what this country mouse was not expecting is the rotten world he's about to be dragged into.

Directed by Prachya Pinkaew, this film reinvigorated the martial arts genre by modernizing it quite a notch. While there's still some level of reverence to the martial arts tradition upon which the film us built (as well as an assertion of the importance of Buddhism), gone is the cleanliness from Hong Kong's output. The world of the film is quite uninviting, Bangkok being presented as a dirty, grimy, crime-filled haven of prostitution and drugs, where the martial arts are less the tool a superhero cop uses to save the day and more of the means for the main character to survive in a dog eat dog society.

This of course translates to the action itself, which is relatively more grounded down to the sound design. While it still has a good deal of crazy stunts and cinematic flairs, compared to any of the films I've discussed so far there's a general rawness that makes encounters feel less like acrobatic displays and more like street brawls, courtesy of the inventive choreography of Panna Rittikrai. Hits on a Hong Kong flick feel impactful and satisfying, while hits here feel flat out painful. Which in turn makes them even more satisfying.

For a while during the early 2000's, there was some expectation that Tony Jaa would become the next true martial arts superstar. Seeing this film, it's easy to see why.

The drug smuggling ring lead by Khun Chaibat(Kenneth Tsang) has proven an international nightmare. How bad? The DEA is demanding help from the Hong Kong Royal Police; in their own words, they need a "supercop" to handle the situation. Naturally, "Kevin" Chan Kar Kui(Jackie Chan) is the only one up for the task, so he's expected to enter mainland China to infiltrate the smuggling ring by rescuing one of their imprisoned figureheads called Panther (Yuen Wah) in order to gain their trust. Only thing, this time he's not alone. Interpol Captain Yang Chien-Hua (Michelle Yeoh) is sent to assist him on this undercover mission, in hopes to capture Chaibat once and for all.

Directed by Stanley Tong, the third entry in the Police Story series sees a legendary team up at their peak. And both deliver the whole package: not only is their ability to kick ass in full display (with Yeoh's stunts being not remotely less dangerous than Chan's), but so is their comedic prowess as the clashing personalities of the easy going Kar Kui and sternly disciplined Yang lead to some hilarious bickering. While Chan's comedic brilliance is well known, I think Yeoh's has been very underrated (at least until very recently thanks to Everything, everywhere, all at once) and this is a fantastic display of it.

But dang, the action in this film is on a whole league of its own. More than a notch more intense than the prior films (there's effectively a war sequence here, ffs), the movie moves between Hong Kong, Mainliand Chaina, Thailand and Malaysia (though in reality they didn't film in Thailand… but they did in Australia), making use of each locale for different flavors of stunts, each one cooler than the last and culminating in one of the greatest action finales in cinema history. It's thrilling, ingenious, efficiently paced and lets both the leads one up each other in a cinematic chase for the ages.

It goes without saying it would be a CRIME to not talk about this one. It truly is one of the best action films of all time, with more tightly written (if still simple) character arcs that still allow room for a comedic back and forth while punctuating the story with stellar stunt work that moves the plot along. Not only is it structured brilliantly but that last chase is just... damn. Jackie on the helicopter is one thing, but Yeoh's motorbike stunts are a work of art themselves. And it almost feels like the Kung fu itself would take a complete back seat with all the crap I'm describing, but far from it: it still plays into their characters. This one is the whole package. If you had to watch ONLY one movie of either Jackie Chan or Michelle Yeoh, this is not a bad pick for both.

The Armor of God, one of the most treasured relics in Christianity. It's believed if it's destroyed, God himself will die. Or at least an ancient evil cult of seems to think so; that's why they kidnapped Lorelei(Rosamund Kwan), girlfriend of "The Losers" bandmember Alan(Alan Tam). After all, his bandmate and treasure hunter Jackie the "Asian Hawk"(Jackie Chan) might prove an asset to get them the remaining parts. Thus, the duo of adventurers team up with May Bannon (Lola Forner), daughter of a rich European count who owns some of those parts, in hopes of rescuing Lorelei and getting the whole armor set in one swoop.

Directed by Jackie Chan, this movie is quite the curiosity. Effectively acting as his take on the Indiana Jones archetype of archaeologist/treasure hunter, this movie showcases some of the quirks of Chan's approach. Like Dr. Jones, Asian Hawk is searching for a Biblical relic in a world trotting adventure. However, unlike the Ark of the Covenant the relic in this movie was never assumed to be a real physical object… because its a visual metaphor about a set of desired Christian virtues (Oopsie). This means the historical fantasy aspect of the movie is nothing but an excuse to use European locales and imagery for Chan's stunts against a crazy cult.

And that is EXACTLY what you'd pay a ticket for in this one.

For a movie that isn't as influential as some of his other work, this has probably the most stupidly dangerous stunts of Chan's career by a country mile. Between the (quite literally) explosive chases, fistfights in monasteries and even bits of skydiving, when the film picks up it doesn't let go. It has some of the warts of the genre and era (like the use of a tribe of "savages" not unlike what you see on Indy's films), but has such a cartoony air to its everything it's quite frankly more like watching a Saturday morning cartoon in real life.

When it comes to the action, those friar robes aren't particularly comfortable to move in so the effect is strangely more satisfying than expected. The movie was filmed mostly in Croatia so there's plenty of on location stunts (and vistas) even if good chunks of those fights are more obviously in sets.

And I wasn't really kidding when it comes to the danger of these stunts: This movie was the closest Jackie Chan has been to dying on camera, and it isn't even in the skydiving sequence. During a take of one of the opening chase where he was meant to jump and use a tree branch as a means to slow down his descent, the branch broke and left him to fall 8 meters, cracking his skull and getting a bone fragment lodge into his brain, which has given him permanent partial loss of hearing in one of his ears.

Inspector Ng (Michelle Yeoh), is a hard boiled cop, but wants to take her day off to meet her partner, Richard Nornen. She goes to his hotel room for a romantic dinner… only to find him dead. To make matters worse, turns out he was going undercover and had a microfilm on him which has been stolen, ending in the hands not of the assasin but the likeably innept trio of pickpocketers Aspirin(Mang Hoi), Strepsil (John Shum), and Panadol (Tsui Hark). Thus, she teams up with Senior Inspector Carrie Morris (Cynthia Rothrock) from Scottland Yard, and has to keep the three idiots alive before they're caught by the crooks trying to cover a business conspiracy.

Directed by Corey Yuen, this is the debut for both Yeoh and Rothrock as leading ladiesm and allows them to shine as martial artist and stuntmen but hardly gives them great material to work with. Instead of building on the good cop, bad cop dynamic the film sets up to advance their character arcs, the movie chooses to focus on the trio of bumbling idiots and their mishaps in keeping a low profile. The comedy has its high points with Tsui Hark's weaseling as Panadol, but I really, REALLY wanted a higher focus on the lead duo. It's a movie where the fights are the high point but lack the buildup to give them the gravitas they could have, with two tough as nails but ultimately flat lead characters.

Which is a shame because when they ARE on screen, it's a joy to watch. While lower on stunts compared to some of the more explosive of Yeoh's filmography, many of the fights make up for it through the sheer delight of her teamwork with Rothrock, offering a sharp contrast to the comedy through some truly gnarly hits and falls, not to mention the use of the environment. There's just… not enough of it.

Is it a fun time? Sure, but it almost feels like false advertising. You get something entertaining but are left wanting more of the scarce truly juicy bits bits.

So… yeah, this one is a bit awkward on its focus but DANG. Between this and Royal Warriors, there was a small wave of "girls with guns" films in Hong Kong trying to capitalize on the duo of action girls at the helm, kickstarting the stardom of both Yeoh and Rorthrock (one of the few foreigner women to make it big in the region). It's not difficult to see why either: those juicy bits where they are allowed to shine are JUICY.

Even if you pass on the film, they're SO worth checking out.

A flight from Japan to Hong Kong is hijacked by a criminal trying to free a prisoner who's being transported aboard. Unfortunately for them, Michelle Yip (Michelle Yeoh) is an off-duty Hong Kong police officer on the plane: with the aid of Japanese interpol agent Peter Yamamoto (Hiroyuki Sanada), and the quickly smitten sky marshall Michael (Michael Wong), the trio save the day from the terrorists. Only problem, the two criminals were part of a pact between war veterans where they swore loyalty to each other to the death. So now, the remaining ones are set on a crusade to avenge their fallen comrades… and the targets include Peter's family, who are currently residing in Hong Kong.

The second entry of the In the Line of Duty series, this film helmed by David Chung exemplifies the other big 80's Hong Kong action cinema archetype: the so called heroic bloodshed. And appropriately for this tonal direction the movie has a grittier edge. Unlike Jackie Chan's mostly comedic output during this time period, neither the glamour and opulence of the city nor the stylized exaggeration in the action sequences (which extends to the gunplay) detract from the more tragic tone and uglier displays of violence, as the extreme levels of badassery don't mean the heroes are running on invincibility mode, thus increasing the stakes.

Like any great action film worth its weight, not only are chases and fights plentiful and explosive, but strongly motivated by the characters. While Michael Wong doesn't really shine as a martial artist (since his character is mostly a happy going foil to the revenge driven Peter), Michelle Yeoh and ESPECIALLY Hiroyuki Sanada more than make up for it with intense fist fights, gun fights, fist fights that morph into gunfights and viceversa.

It's brisk, compact, has surprisingly effective emotional beats, and the action by itself has some A tier team ups worth the ticket on their own

So, yeah. This one diverges quite a bit from being JUST martial arts focused on its action sequences but I think that only speaks of how versatile their use are on cinema. Either way, the fight inside the plane already establishes the movie's strengths. It isn't even the best one in the film (not by a long shot, that honor probably goes to the bar fight scene) but in five minutes highlights the excellent choreography, the character dynamics and teamwork of the trio as well the bloodier style of the story. It's a great tone setter.

Chu Tao (Chor Yuen) is a crime Lord of particular interest for the Hong Kong Police, so a special mission to capture him is organized. One which goes quite wrong at the last minute, devolving into a very hectic chase through the slums. But managing to arrest the man regardless, sergeant "Kevin" Chan Ka-Kui (Jackie Chan) is considered a police hero. And now, tasked to keep Tao's secretary and niece Salina Fong (Brigitte Lin) so she can testify against him, Kevin will find himself in a pinch between an uncooperative witness and a criminal organization behind his tail... and hers too.

Directed by Jackie Chan, this Hong Kong action comedy is exemplary of the dichotomy its director is iconic for. One one hand, you have a likable yet fairly off beat protagonist who is not above being the butt of the joke or putting his own foot on his mouth(and boy, does he). On the other, once the chips are down he will do what it takes to save the day through sheer determination, guile and agility. The end result is a mostly lighthearted yet high on adrenaline ride, where the comedy is VERY goofy (if a bit… innapropriate at times) but the stakes are so high, and the action payoffs so satisfying.

Speaking of which, this movie has to be a career defining moment on its own. Just the opening 20 minutes are full of some world class stunts that put basically the entire body of American action films of the decade to shame (and depending on your point of view that's not even the craziest the movie has to offer). The martial arts sequences blended with high thrill chases and slapstick are a joy to watch. They're blocked, choreographed and shot with the mastery expected from the capital of badass 80's cinema, and cap off with one of the most spectacular yet stupidly dangerous stunts in the career of a man infamous for that kind of thing.

It kickstarted an entire series that escalated in craziness and it's hard to not love it.

And I wasn't kidding with the stunts. This sequence makes most of what Stallone and Shcwarzenegger pulled in their careers to look pedestrian and dull by comparison. It could be the finale set piece of ANY of their films for how much it eclipses most of them... and it's just the opener. The movie doesn't quite escalate per se, but it does tie the bow with a VERY satisfying fight and chase at a mall. And if you doubt that could be as engaging as a chase like this, you have no idea. It truly delivers.

Taoist priest Kau (Lam Ching Ying) is a renowned memeber of the community, so it's not surrpsing when rich businessman Yam (Huang Ha) asks him about a reburial for his father (Yuen Wah) according to what a Feng Shui master told him. But when checking the grave, Kau realizes the corpse is on the path to becoming a jiangshi: a hopping undead creature that haunts the night. But when his bumbling disciples Man-choi (Ricky Hui) and Chau-sang (Chin Siu-ho) mess up the sealing ritual, Yam's father's corpse is now on the loose. Which is not helped by the fact the two disciples are smitten with Yam's daughter Ting-ting (Moon Lee), who is now a target of the beast.

Yes, this one doubles as horror comedy of the day but give me a break; I wouldn't have it any other way in Friday 13th. And let's be honest, it's more on the comedy side than horror. Directed by Ricku Lau and produced by Sammo Hung, this Hong Kong classic is actually quite a great family horror flick: while it does have specks of blood is not that more gruesome than some 80's American family films like Gremlins (1984), and for all the bits of effectively eerie atmosphere and ingenious (if inconsistent) make up, the badass displays of Master Kau and the sheer, unadulterated stupidity of his disciples break most of the tension into hilarity.

The action, while not as plentiful as other films I've talked about, takes advantage about the jiangshi being defined by their hopping motion and turns many tense situation into slapstick opportunities; the juxtaposition of the music and the actors trying keep it straight while the situations in display being patently ridiculous sealing the whole deal. While not the first to try the mixture of Chinese folklore and kung fu action, the execution of comedy horror immediately spawned an entire subgenre.

Seriously, while jiangshi as a concept existed prior to this film, this one really popularized and codified most of the tropes around it, from the use of Manchu soldier clothes for the creatures to the unibrow Lam Ching Ying wears as Kau as quintessential to the monster fighting Tao master. It didn't just spawn sequels and competitors in China, but got Japan into a craze over these creatures too. We still see modern examples in series like Dandadan, but even the freaking Mario series has references to them in games like Mario Land with the pionpi(which is a similar type of enemy to the Dry Bones in case you're wondering).

The film's use of taoist artifacts to fight evil is... loose, to say the least, but I guess it's the Chinese equivalent of the stylish European vampire hunter which also takes creative liberties with consecrated objects in Christianity. There's kernels of real Feng Shui belief in there (like the use of mirrors to repel evil spirits), but accuracy takes a backseat to entertainment.

And of course, a sample of it's blend of action, comedy and the titular monster.

Aimlessly wandering through life, Sing desires to get respect the only way he knows how: joining the dreaded Axe gang. But when he tries to mug someone from the Pig Sty Alley, he and the gang themselves (who got drawn in by his idiocy) learn the hard way these people are a tough nut to crack. So while Sing is doing his damnedest to be a bad guy he's simply not cut out to be, the war between the Alley and the gang grows to truly outrageous levels. And from afar, a girl from Sing's past looks for the man he was meant to become.

Directed by, co-written by and starring Stephen Chow, this martial arts comedy was once described by Roger Ebert as "Jackie Chan and Buster Keaton meet Quentin Tarantino and Bugs Bunny". And boi, that description somehow undersells the sheer insanity of this film. You have a few splices of fairly visceral, gruesome violence, beats of pitch black comedy playing along cartoony gags that make movies like The Mask (1994) look restrained, and over the top but satisfying action that wouldn't feel out of place in the best of wuxia films, all shot with the same unbound enthusiasm (if not always technical excellence) in a cocktail that has to be seen to be believed

The movie isn't terribly concerned with exploring the most elaborate character arcs as the focus of the plot is all over the place, but this very deliberate choice allows the whole thing to feel like a short season of loosely connected skits, ranging from the fairly dramatic to the hilarious slapstick, all down to the endearingly cheesy but truly badass bits (the heroic if off kilter landlord couple and the villainous Beast steal the show). Its reliance on simple archetypes has led to some characters not aging as gracefully(the tailor being quite the gay stereotype), but they're all presented in a likable, mostly goofy light that makes them memorable.

It's as unserious as they get, but that makes it so fun to watch.

It's the XIXth century. Under unfair treaties with all the superpowers abroad, and about to wage war against the French in Vietnam, the Qing dinasty yields at every turn. The reality cannot be denied anymore; China is changing. So when Liu Yongfu of the Black Flag Army(Lau Shun) entrusts the province of Loshan to master Wong Fei Hung (Jet Li) , the later has to confront a nation where master martial artists starve on the street while westerners feast on their private lands. With the aid of his childhood friend nicknamed 13th Aunt (Rosamund Kwan), and his disciples Leung Foon (Yuen Biao ), Bucktooth So (Jacky Cheung), and Lam Sai-wing (Kent Cheng), he has to find a way to conciliate with the changing world while keeping his traditions in heart.

Directed by Tsui Hark, this historical fiction piece is quite the exploration of China's cultural heritage in the face of westernization. The exploits of its cast are far on the fantastical end yet the background of the plot is rooted on real historical hardships; while advocating for harmony with the west, the film refuses to mince words about the abuses of England, France and especially USA (if you know about Chinese immigration to the Wild West, the movie isn't afraid to get real ugly here), on top of condemning those willing to throw their peers and culture under the bus for a quick buck.

Yes, the conflict on this one is actually rather elaborate. And the choreography by Lau Kar-Wing, Yuen Cheung-yan and Yuen Shun-yee doesn't stand far behind: It incorporates extensive use of wirework stunts to emphasize the borderline mythical nature of the fighters, and the set pieces get increasingly creative, be it fights on multiple sets of ladders or in a local theatre under attack, each still accomplishing a thematically resonant purpose for the story.

A spectauclar star of a longlasting series, it's no wonder it made Jet Li into an international star.

Hoo boy, this one is a lot to unpack. When it comes to historicity it isn't exactly concerned with getting the details right, but the broader brushstrokes still inform it's conflict. Then, there's the matter of the lead character. You've hopefully realized that I've brought up the name Wong Fei-Hung before in the Drunken Master review, and that's because the character is (say it with me) a real life but highly mythified martial artist.

How could it not be: born during some of the most culturally tumultuous and born from one of the best martial artists from Quandong (Wong Kei Ying, who belonged to the so called Ten Tigers of Canton), Wong Fei-Hung was both a medic and a renowned practitioner of the Hung Gar style, as well as someone who preached the use of "moral hands" (ie, using martial arts to protect the weal) as part of his teachings.

Much as many of the details of his life are lost in myth and speculation, it's little wonder why he enjoys such a status. There's over 100 films with his name as the lead character. No, that's not a rabbit hole I will get into but it's telling about the importance this person is given in folk culture, and it's also telling these series of movies are the most popular portrayal of the character at this point.

And while it's a major story beat I'd rather you watch in context, the fight between Hong Fei Hung and Iron Robe Yim steals the show for it's ambitious use of the space, as well as the differences in style highlighting the different standpoints of the two characters. Good martial arts choreography isn't just about flourishes and acrobatics, but communicating character dynamics and you can feel it here. It's a tragedy about to happen with someone trying to move forward while the other cannot do so.

Even crazier this work of beauty came to be because there's a LOT of editing to hide the fact Hung Yan Yan had to act as body double in many of these scenes, as Jet Li had his leg injured during filming.

And yet, even if you can tell in some shot the end result is still phenomenal

Also, a shout out to the folk song now known as "On the General's Orders" (将军令; 將軍令) which was adapted as "A Man Should Better Himself" (男儿当自强; 男兒當自強) and sung by George Lam for this movie.

MAN, that's a kickass main theme for this story.

Zheng Bi-qiu, the son of the local governor has been kidnapped by the nefarious Jade-Faced Tiger, who demands the release of his imprisoned master in exchange for Zheng's life. Leading his rescue is a single woman: Golden Swallow, a mighty warrior on her own right, and his own sibling. But when the band proves a little too underhanded and numerous for her to tackle on her reckless crusade, maybe the aid of the wandering singer known as the Drunk Cat might prove to make a difference, as he's more than the eye meets… and so is the leader of Jade-Faced Tiger himself.

Directed by King Hu, this wuxia classic is a major stepping stone for the back-then flaundering market of martial arts films. There is something to be said about a movie that dared to think outside of the box, be its unusual (for the time) approach to modernize how to represent action sequences or the fact it gave the leading role of a martial arts tale to a woman to great effect.

Soeaking of which, when it comes to the choreography, the film has Cheng Pei-pei command her onscreen presence through her mastery of… ballet? Yep, she had a dance formation instead of a martial arts one, or even a Chinese opera one as incorrectly repoted before. Yet, the end result of her background and desire to try new things is a lot more interesting to watch than it sounds. She was what the director was looking for, as he used her strong sense of rhythm and a good level of flexibility to create drama and elegance in the choreography. Realism took a backseat to elegant yet larger than life movements that were only possible through stylization, just like the characters on screen.

Rudimentary as it might be compared to modern examples (the hidden cuts are not so hidden, and the sword play is more on the editing than in camera) the effect is felt. We're talking about a movie that kickstarted a new visual language in action cinema for a good reason.

During the Qing Dinasty, general Yin(Lau Kar-wing) is executed by the Manchu rule for an act of rebellion, but instead of squashing their efforts it only fires them up. Unfortunately, just as young local student Liu Yu-de (Gordon Liu) joins the resistance by the advice of his teacher(Frankie Wei Hung), they get ratted out. And barely escaping within an inch of his life from the claws of the bloodthirsty General Tien Ta(Lo Lieh), Liu Yu-de goes to find the Shaolin Temple his master once talked about. Now named San Te, he hopes of learning kung fu and bring it to the people of China so they can have the means to fight against the Manchu.

Directed by Lau Kar-leung, this historical piece presents a very interesting and rather ambitious angle to tackle the topic Kung Fu, focusing quite a bit on the philosophical aspects of buddhism in Shaolin tradition as well as the inner turmoil of China during the time period instead of going straight to the fistcuffs. Moreover, while the movie is presented from San Te's perspective, the story is ultimately about the power of martial arts to unite a nation against oppression through quite the engaging journey of self growth.

That said, this is still a 70's Hong Kong martial arts film, so it's not devoid of exaggeration and an emphasis on the mystical for the sake of entertainment, so take it's loosely historically inspired events with a pinch of salt.

That only leaves us to discuss the Kung Fu in display: A good chunk of it is a very creative training montage, with each one of the chambers depicted allowing San Te to develop a different ability, ranging from the bizarre yet entertaining to the fairly grounded but always mesmerizing demonstrations of different weapons. So when the actual fighting actually resumes, it carries a lot of stakes with it.

A very enthralling ride, never let someone tell you a Kung Fu film can't be worth it for the plot.

Hapkido, a martial arts style created in occupied Korea so the citizens have the means to defend themselves, with the patience to bearing hardships and know when to strike as a core to their philosophy. The very master, Shih Kung-chan (Ji Han Jae), sends a trio of his students back to their homeland in China after they had a fight against Japanese occupiers, in order to found a branch of the school in there. But when the hotheaded Fan Wei (Sammo Hung) gets into trouble for defending some locals from the hostile members of the Black Bear school, and the wiser but indecisive Kao Chang (Carter Wong) gets overwhelmed by them while trying to sort the mess out, it rests on Yu Ying (Angela Mao) to keep the order and uphold the name of her school.

Directed by Huang Feng, this film bears many similarities with Fist of Fury (including the unsubtle anti-Japanese sentiment), but the tone, style and ultimate takeaway from the story couldn't be more different. This extends to the cast, too. Angela Mao steals the show as one of the first leading ladies in a Hong Kong martial arts film who actually knew martial arts, and Sammo Hung is not far behind with his portly frame hiding some serious agility. But while portrayed as greatly skilled, none of the trio feels like invincible powerhouses. They all get tired, beat up and feel overwhelmed at different points of the film, so it's only through team work the school finds a light at the end of the tunnel.

Speaking of which, the fights here are quite interesting. While the cast did go to Korea to train in actual hapkido, the way it is portrayed downplays its focus on throws and locks quite a bit to stick to the more familiar visual language of punches and kicks. And the mostly grounded choreography makes some of the instances of wirework feel especially jarring here.

It has some tonal clashes, but it's one hell of a debut for one of Hong Kong's most iconic martial arts actresses.

Wong Fei-hung (played by Jackie Chan) is a potential martial arts prodigy in the making. However, he's also an arrogant, imprudent troublemaker. So when, in the span of a single afternoon he manages to piss off his father, his martial arts tutor, his aunt and a local rich man, he's eventually punished by being sent into a hellish training regime under the renowned Beggar So (played by Yuen Siu-tien), infamous for crippling his students for life. But just as he's trying to run away from his responsibilities, he ends up running into the man himself. Who, drunk as he might be, will train the lad to his satisfaction. And Wong Fei-hung might need it more than ever; an assassin has been sent to take out his father. Directed by Yuen Woo-Ping, while not his first starring role this is the film that put Jackie Chan on the map. Many of the staples of his filmography are already here: the slapstick, the ridiculous improvised weapons, the main character being often the butt of the joke instead of the impossible badass, and the generally lighthearted tone (as well as the grievous injuries behind the scenes). Though it may prove jarring for modern viewers to see an arrogant troublemaker instead of a plucky hero, the back and fort between Wong Fei-hung and Beggar So is a joy to watch.

As for the choreography? Good lord. While it keeps some of the more operatic rhythms of late 60's and early 70's Hong Kong martial arts films, it more than sets itself apart through it's combination of acrobatics with the creative improvisation of elements in the environment, on top of some wacky physical comedy and the lampooning of the body language in the stances of traditional kung fu styles, including the titular drunken fist (which, unlike the film portrays... no, you NEED to be sober to practice it).

While some of the humor is on the dated end of things, it ended popularizing an entire archetype of martial artist for a reason.

During the occupation of Shanghai in 1937, Chen Zhen is an exchange student in Japan and secretly dating Mitsuko Yamada. But when news about the death of Master Huo, he returns to his homeland, in order to sort the unveliebable defeat of the founder of Jingwu against Karate master Akutegawa. With suspicions of foul play from one of the Japanese occupiers, will he find justice by his own hands?

Directed by Gordon Chan, this 1994 retelling of the 1972 Bruce Lee classic stars Jet Li as Chen Zhen. And while he cannot compete with the Little Dragon in terms of on screen charisma, the way this film goes on to help him try to fill such big shoes couldn't make for a more interesting contrast.

Yes, the story is still at it's core about the friction between Japan and China during the second Sino-Japanese war, but the way this is presented is more nuanced, with a richer cast full of honorable people from both sides trying to avert further bloodshed, Chen Zhen himeself becoming a man of conflicted loyalties instead of simply a symbol of strength. Trivial as it might sound, there's merit in there being actual Japanese actors speaking the language proper, and it's not the only aspect where the movie seeks authenticity either; the sets benefit from higher production values and attention to detail, Akutegawa's dojo now looking stunning.

Which leaves us with the fights themselves.

The choreography by Yuen Woo-Ping is certainly more spectacular, with a more extensive use of on wire stuntwork, undercranking to ramp up the speed and a more frenetic editing style that still allows room for visual clarity. Ironically though, the moves in display actually borrow from the real Jingwu style, as the exploration of them is relevant regarding the relationship of Chen Zhen and his comrades. With plenty of stellar fight scenes including a powerful final duel, it more than stands up to the task of remaking an all-star classic.