Here's a list of my top 5 favorite martial arts movies:
Before I start, lemme just mention that I haven't really watched that all that many "kung-fu" flix. I'd love to be able to, but I just can't seem to find the time. As much as I love movies, I don't get to watch as many as I would like to. I've heard that there are quite a few quality martial arts films out there ( like Drunken Master, Fist Of Legend, etc.) & I hope someday to be able catch a few of 'em. 'Til then, this is what I like:
5. Karate Kid/ Matrix/ Game Of Death - Okay, I'm gonna cheat here & put these 3 titles tied for 5th place. Despite all of the martial arts in 'em, I don't necessarily regard them specifically as full martial arts films. But, b'cuz it's still impossible not to notice all of the "kung fu fighting", plus add on top of that the high level of enjoyment I got from watching 'em, & there you have the reason why I felt the need to include 'em bunched together on this list.
The Karate Kid, I view more as a rite of passsage & as a sports movie. I see the Matrix as a neo-special-effects pioneer film that contains some great martial arts action. And Game of Death, is just part of a movie, with the last 15 minutes being the "meat" of it. I love the concept that Bruce came up for this. Plus he's looks almost like a superhero in the the yellow suit.
4. Heroic Trio - While I realize that this isn't really considered a maverick of this field, but for me, the charisma between these well-rounded & distinct characters was enuff to hook me in. Plus, I defy any one not to like the villianous Kau & his "skull-cage" on a chain which, when thrown, encircles a victim’s head and decapitates them. And, I LOVE Maggie Cheung as the Thief-Catcher. One my all-time favorite female characters on film. IMO, she deserved an entire movie based on this one character alone.
3. Kill Bill - Only two words can be used to describe this movie: Bad ass.
Not only is this Quentin's homage to martial arts flix, but it also includes homage's to anime & those funky, grainy 70's Bruce Lee's wannabe's that made us laugh with their unsychronized voice-overs, jagged camera movements & b-level musical sound effects. And yet, he was able to combine all this in a manner that was just plain...
well....
... bad-ass.
Oh, & by the way,
out of sheer curiosity, I just performed the Five Point Palm Exploding Heart technique on myself, just to see if it works. Now, as I post this, I'm taking the 5 steps forward, to see if anything will actually happ
"Criticism is the laziest form of expression ." - some deep dude.