Friday
Apr182008
Friday, April 18, 2008 at 5:10AM The Top Five Martial Arts Movies
Though the brand new film The Forbidden Kingdom combines the talents of the two greatest living martial arts movie stars, it isn't exactly up to snuff. Jackie Chan and Jet Li have done much better work, as has the genre.
This Top Five list is interesting in many ways, because it represents so many different ideas of what the genre should represent.
1 - Enter the Dragon
Purists might decry having Enter the Dragon at number one, because it was a Hollywood attempt to cash in on the growing stardom of Bruce Lee.
Still, it's one of the few 35-year-old action movies that is still impressive from that standpoint, it perfectly displays why Bruce Lee would've been the biggest star in the world for his generation had he not died, and while all the combat is hand to hand instead of the more visual wu shu, Enter the Dragon contains the signature fight scene in martial arts movies: Lee's tournament fight against the evil and overmatched Oharra. Lee's hands move so fast that critics alleged that frames were taken out of the scene to make him look faster. In fact, the opposite is true: Frames were added to make it look like frames weren't taken out.
There's not much argument that Crouching Tiger belongs on this list. Directed by Ang Lee, it is clearly looking at martial arts differently than Enter the Dragon. It has a historical and mythical relevance the culture taps into, and an unmatched beauty in its choreography. Throw in the most haunting and lyrical story the genre has seen - and the fact that it's the highest-grossing foreign language film ever - and its place is secure.
3 - Legend of Drunken Master
Jackie Chan's Legend of Drunken Master is perhaps the most respected and imitated Chinese martial arts film. Made in 1994 when Chan was already 40, it's the perfect vehicle for his unparalleled combination of violence, humor, and artistry as a storyteller whose canvas is fight scenes. The final sequence in this film may be the best of its kind.
4 - Shaolin Master Killer
Shaolin Master Killer proves the one thing that is absolutely true about this genre: It doesn't matter where it comes from, be it Hollywood or Hong Kong, or on a big budget or no budget at all, if you fit unending fight scenes the likes of which no one has seen before around any kind of story at all, you too can have a classic. This film has the lowest name recognition on our list, I realize, but a true fan has to spend some time with Chia-Liang Lu's masterwork.
5 - Once Upon a Time in China
Finally, the pivotal number five slot is occupied by a Jet Li movie. I'm not a great fan of Jet's, but there's no way to ignore his first two Once Upon a Time in China films, and the second one, for me, is the best marriage of the kind of martial arts action China has exported so well over the years with the epic historical battle that so many filmmakers have used as the springboard for their action sequences.
I believe I'm correct that the second Once Upon a Time is Jet Li's favorite, too, and I prefer the fights in it a little more.
This Top Five list is interesting in many ways, because it represents so many different ideas of what the genre should represent.
1 - Enter the Dragon
Purists might decry having Enter the Dragon at number one, because it was a Hollywood attempt to cash in on the growing stardom of Bruce Lee.
Still, it's one of the few 35-year-old action movies that is still impressive from that standpoint, it perfectly displays why Bruce Lee would've been the biggest star in the world for his generation had he not died, and while all the combat is hand to hand instead of the more visual wu shu, Enter the Dragon contains the signature fight scene in martial arts movies: Lee's tournament fight against the evil and overmatched Oharra. Lee's hands move so fast that critics alleged that frames were taken out of the scene to make him look faster. In fact, the opposite is true: Frames were added to make it look like frames weren't taken out.
This film is the Elvis of martial arts flicks.
2 - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
There's not much argument that Crouching Tiger belongs on this list. Directed by Ang Lee, it is clearly looking at martial arts differently than Enter the Dragon. It has a historical and mythical relevance the culture taps into, and an unmatched beauty in its choreography. Throw in the most haunting and lyrical story the genre has seen - and the fact that it's the highest-grossing foreign language film ever - and its place is secure.
3 - Legend of Drunken Master
Jackie Chan's Legend of Drunken Master is perhaps the most respected and imitated Chinese martial arts film. Made in 1994 when Chan was already 40, it's the perfect vehicle for his unparalleled combination of violence, humor, and artistry as a storyteller whose canvas is fight scenes. The final sequence in this film may be the best of its kind.
4 - Shaolin Master Killer
Shaolin Master Killer proves the one thing that is absolutely true about this genre: It doesn't matter where it comes from, be it Hollywood or Hong Kong, or on a big budget or no budget at all, if you fit unending fight scenes the likes of which no one has seen before around any kind of story at all, you too can have a classic. This film has the lowest name recognition on our list, I realize, but a true fan has to spend some time with Chia-Liang Lu's masterwork.
5 - Once Upon a Time in China
Finally, the pivotal number five slot is occupied by a Jet Li movie. I'm not a great fan of Jet's, but there's no way to ignore his first two Once Upon a Time in China films, and the second one, for me, is the best marriage of the kind of martial arts action China has exported so well over the years with the epic historical battle that so many filmmakers have used as the springboard for their action sequences.
I believe I'm correct that the second Once Upon a Time is Jet Li's favorite, too, and I prefer the fights in it a little more.
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