Daxtreme Posted May 31, 2018 Author Share Posted May 31, 2018 Next up, a contender for most amazing kick ever! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daxtreme Posted May 31, 2018 Author Share Posted May 31, 2018 (edited) #14 Jackie Chan, Yuen Biao, Andy Lau vs Dick Wei & drug smugglers | Warehouse fight Twinkle, Twinkle, Lucky Stars (1985) Alternative title: My Lucky Stars 2, Winners and Sinner 3 Hong Kong (Cantonese) Directed by: Sammo Hung Fight Choreography: Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao, Yuen Wah, Ching-Ying Lam, Kar Lok Chin Starring: Sammo Hung, Jackie Chan, Richard Ng, Eric Tsang, Rosamund Kwan Box office - HK $28,911,851 / HK $11,078,790 (conflicting reports) Synopsis: The third installment in the Lucky Stars series, following Winners and Sinners (1983) and My Lucky Stars (1985)… The team are released from prison to play detective in order to stop a ruthless gang from ruining their reputations, taking their lives, and that of a key witness in an upcoming trial. They must battle their way through and with the help of Muscles (Jackie Chan), take down the bad guys. My rating for this movie: ★★★½ My rating for this specific fight sequence: ★★★★½ You might remember Sammo Hung and the athletic Yuen Biao from the #16 entry in this list, The Millionaires Express (1986). So this is the third movie from the Lucky Stars series, starring a bunch of middle-aged men doing all sorts of stupid things in 80's Hong Kong. There is no real equivalent to this series in Western cinema, and watching these movies, you quickly understand why. Might have something to do with the fact that on their best day, they are quite funny, but on their worst, really creepy. The worst offender of this, by far, is the 2nd Lucky Stars movie, which missed this top for variety's sake -- the fights are freakin amazing though -- in which the crew find all sorts of imaginative and contrived ways to grope women (specifically Sibelle Hu). She returns in this one with a vengeance. Still, these movies can be enjoyable as well, if you can sort of understand the different cultural and social contexts of the time. They are, after all, action comedies, and shouldn't be taken too seriously. Contrary to what most of the promo posters imply, Jackie Chan is not a part of the gang. In all the Lucky Stars movies, he has a supporting part playing a cop. Here's a review by Invincible Asia I recommend: Quote This features Sammo Hung wielding tennis rackets and delivering the most badass slow motion drop kick of all time, the legendary team up of Jackie Chan, Yuen Biao and Andy Lau as police officers, Michelle Yeoh as a judo instructor in her first martial arts scene on film, Rosamund Kwan in a surprisingly un-annoying role, some funny comedy that works, great stunt work, some goofy comedy that doesn't work and Sibelle Hu showing the boys how to kick ass. All of this makes this a slightly mixed bag worth seeing although the slow start and bits of the comedy during the middle section take away from the awesome stuff. And there is plenty of awesome stuff. The first fight scene with Jackie, Yuen and Andy and the final showdown alone make this worth recommending for fans of any of the actors involved. Watch it for the fights, which are among the best I've ever seen. And that oh so glorious Michelle Yeoh cameo in her very first fighting role on screen, before she was famous And of all people she fights with Sammo Hung! What this fight sequence's all about The warehouse fight near the 30 minutes mark is all kinds of awesome. First, the movie gives an actual proper reason why the cops drop their guns and start fighting with their fists. Second, because Jackie Chan and Yuen Biao together are pretty much the best on-screen martial arts team ever (also with great support in the form of Infernal Affairs' Andy Lau). Third, because in this sequence Yuen Biao performs the single most amazing kick I've ever seen, and fourth, because these guys in 1985 were at the absolute top of their game. They were at their peak in local popularity, releasing hits after hits, peak in physical form like I said, and peak in audacity as they kept one-upping each other. "Oh Jackie did that in x movie? I'm gonna do it too, but more amazing!" A fight sequence that demands an immediate second viewing like this one did for me back then is truly one for the record books. I didn't mention Sammo Hung because he's not in this fight but the final fight sequence in this movie where he joins them and fights with tennis rackets is almost -- almost -- as amazing as this one. Unfortunately the warehouse sequence is not on YouTube. So here's a link to the Sammo Hung fight instead. Terrible editing because the person doing the video cut everything else out. Gif of Yuen Biao's kick: The precision and athleticism required to pull that off... damn Edited May 31, 2018 by Daxtreme 6 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daxtreme Posted May 31, 2018 Author Share Posted May 31, 2018 We're gonna keep up this "1 vs many" theme for the next 2 sequences as well! Smaller scale duels will come back with a vengeance after 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daxtreme Posted May 31, 2018 Author Share Posted May 31, 2018 #13 Tony Jaa vs The Ninja Army Ong-bak 2 (2008) Thailand Directed by: Tony Jaa, Panna Rittikrai Fight Choreography: Tony Jaa, Panna Rittikrai Starring: Tony Jaa Worldwide Box office - $8,936,663 ($102,458 domestic) Synopsis: A young Thai boxer learns the skills and inner meaning of martial arts. My rating for this movie: ★★½ My rating for this specific fight sequence: ★★★★½ A rather confusing sequel to the cult hit Ong-Bak, this movie just doesn't work on a story-telling level as much as the first one worked... but most of the fights are still great! In fact, the ending fight is top tier and features some pretty amazing weapons work. You'll have to accept that as a review There isn't much to say on this movie that's not the last fight sequence. What this sequence's all about Tony Jaa's character arrives back home near the end and it's empty. He's then ambushed by waves after waves of ninjas who are mostly just there to provide cannon fodder for Tony Jaa to display his athletic and martial skills. Spoiler alert: his skills are definitely above average. What's most interesting about this sequence is how violent and long it is, and how Tony Jaa switches between different martial arts and even weapons throughout the fights, adapting to his opponents on sight. It's really impressive that they managed to choreograph all of this, and the fights really pack a punch. Panna Rittikrai has to be commended here for his incredible work. Some of the best weapon work in recent movies that's for sure, but also some great, varied martial arts fighting as well. I recommend just watching the 10-minutes sequence on YouTube. Most of the movie is rubbish. But yes, they fight around an elephant! Start here: You can watch until the end of the playlist, but the last part (8/8 final fight) is a bit dumb. There's also a drunken boxing-style fight by Tony Jaa earlier in the movie that's pretty awesome. Also a good watch, if you can find it. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daxtreme Posted May 31, 2018 Author Share Posted May 31, 2018 Last one for the day! both baumer and @IronJimbo are right to love this one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daxtreme Posted May 31, 2018 Author Share Posted May 31, 2018 #12 Donnie Yen vs 10 black belts Ip Man (2008) Hong Kong (Cantonese & Mandarin) Directed by: Wilson Yip Fight Choreography: Sammo Hung, Donnie Yen, Siu-Hung Leung, Ke Ming Lin Starring: Donnie Yen, Lynn Hung, Siu-Wong Fan Worldwide Box office: $21,888,598 (never released in the US and Europe) Synopsis: During the Japanese invasion of 1937, when a wealthy martial artist is forced to leave his home and work to support his family, he reluctantly agrees to train others in the art of Wing Chun for self-defense. My rating for this movie: ★★★★½ My rating for this specific fight sequence: ★★★★½ The movie responsible for launching Donnie Yen's international fame in the West post-theatrical release, Ip Man is incredibly popular now and as a result, the sequels keep finding an audience not only in China but everywhere. This movie was, until recently, featured in the IMDb top 250. The art direction throughout is lovely and well... so are the fights. @baumer reviewed this movie earlier this week... in this very thread! On 5/28/2018 at 12:43 AM, baumer said: Finished IP Man and wow is it ever good. I had no idea Yen was this charismatic and this good of a martial artist. I also didn't know it was based on a true story. Terrific film with lots of great fighting sequences. My favourite part was when IP Man wants to fight ten men and then destroys all of them. And I also didn't know that this was Bruce Lee's mentor. I had no choice but to link to his review Honestly I would recommend the whole movie at this point, it's a great historical movie and it's among the best martial arts movies ever made, but in case you only want to watch 1 fight, then this is the one. The sequels to this movie have both missed this top, but not my much. They're good martial arts movies in their own right and I would definitely recommend them as well for martial arts or Chinese cinema fans. Ip Man 3 in particular features a great sequence against a Muay-Thai fighter reminiscent of Tony Jaa. And also a fight between Donnie Yen and Mike Tyson! What this fight sequence's all about The classic story of the unknown underdog who arrives and surprises everyone with his immense skill. This is when it happens best. Donnie Yen's character beats on 10 Japanese black belt martial artists all by himself in a mesmerizing sequence, as the commander of the Japanese army watches in awe (and anticipation). Really there isn't much else that can be said of this sequence apart that it's top-tier and well-directed. Love Donnie Yen's intensity here. Sequence: The final fight in this movie is good too, and various other fights throughout as well, especially near the beginning. Great flick! 8 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronJimbo Posted May 31, 2018 Share Posted May 31, 2018 Love the gattaling gun punches 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daxtreme Posted May 31, 2018 Author Share Posted May 31, 2018 1 hour ago, IronJimbo said: Love the gattaling gun punches Haha yeah they really went overboard with the sound effects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asyulus Posted May 31, 2018 Share Posted May 31, 2018 My favorite fight scene is none other than the Titan battle scene. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baumer Posted June 1, 2018 Share Posted June 1, 2018 Fantastic choices today, especially love the IP Man stuff. And Ong Bak 2 looks pretty insane too! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomCruiseTop Posted June 1, 2018 Share Posted June 1, 2018 Final 10 approaching hype... has Enter the Dragon appeared yet? It must be soon surely 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daxtreme Posted June 1, 2018 Author Share Posted June 1, 2018 We're entering the top 10 today! Not sure how many entries exactly I'll be able to do since I'm quite busy right now, but at least a few! The next one is... special to say the least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daxtreme Posted June 1, 2018 Author Share Posted June 1, 2018 (edited) #11 Michelle Yeoh + Cynthia Rothrock vs Dick Wei + Fat Chung | Final fight sequence Yes, Madam! (1985) Alternative titles: Police Assassins, Police Assassins 2, Supercops, In the Line of Duty 2 Hong Kong (Cantonese) Directed by: Corey Yuen Fight Choreography: Corey Yuen, Sammo Hung Starring: Michelle Yeoh, Cynthia Rothrock, Tsui Hark Box office - HK$ 10,019,862 Synopsis: A relentless inspector (Michelle Yeoh) and a Scotland Yard detective (Cynthia Rothrock) investigate murders linked to microfilm in Hong Kong. My rating for this movie: ★★★★ My rating for this specific fight sequence: ★★★★½ Boy, just look at that poster! First of all, yes this movie is simultaneously called Police Assassins and Police Assassins 2. It's also called In the Line of Duty 2 in some territories but was actually made before In the Line of Duty 1. More on that below. So what's better than having Michelle Yeoh kick ass in your movie? Apparently, bringing in another kick-ass chick for a beatdown session of epic proportions! Yes, Madam! is the movie that propelled Michelle Yeoh/Khan to action stardom and launched the kick-ass female cop/Girls With Guns genre that was to become popular during the 80's and 90's in Hong Kong cinema. It also kickstarted a franchise of 7 installments. A few of these movies made this top because the fight sequences as well as the action sequences in pretty much all of them are, quite simply, batshit insane. The kinda high adrenaline stuff you only see in the movies made at that time, even more so in movies directed by Corey Yuen (also more on that below). It also introduced American martial artist and 5-time world champion Cynthia Rothrock to Hong Kong cinema, who trained in China, won several competitions, and achieved Black Belt level in 7 different martial arts. Cynthia became really popular in Hong Kong as a result of this movie and was offered movie roles, and she rocked in them. She even had her own Chinese name, 羅芙洛 (Foo Lok Law). Sadly, she eventually went back to filming American movies after a while where her talents were mostly wasted in dull B-movies. She now owns a martial arts dojo in Los Angeles, which burned to the ground but re-opened 3 days later (different location). The character Sonya Blade from Mortal Kombat was designed after her. The success of this film in Hong Kong resulted in several sequels and spin-offs, and so much confusion as to these movies' titles that it needs a detailed explanation below (source: http://kungfukingdom.com/police-assassins-movie-review/) takes a deep breath Quote This movie was originally released as "Yes, Madam!". Then it was followed up with the similarly themed "Royal Warriors". "Royal Warriors" was originally re-titled "Police Assassins" on VHS in the UK, with "Yes, Madam!" subsequently packaged as a sequel, and becoming "Police Assassins 2". In other territories, they were called "In the Line of Duty 1 & 2". The success of these led to "In the Line of Duty 3", which introduced Yeung Lai-Ching, credited as 'Cynthia Khan' to link her to Cynthia and Michelle Yeoh/Khan. To cash in on the success of "Tiger Cage", Donnie Yen starred with Cynthia Khan in "In the Line of Duty 4". When "Yes, Madam!" made it to DVD on the Hong Kong Legends (HKL) label, it was re-released as "Police Assassins", and similarly, "In the Line of Duty 4" was released as "In the Line of Duty". Did you keep up with all of that?! Here's a popular review by Sean Gilman on letterboxd that summarizes this movie quite well: Quote Take most of the Lucky Stars, the thinnest shred of MacGuffin-driven plot, badass women cops (Michelle Yeoh and Cynthia Rothrock), Tsui Hark as a forger who dresses like Adam Driver and lives in an apartment designed by Buster Keaton and more broken glass than Police Story and throw it all in a blender directed by Corey Yuen at his absolute peak of not giving a fuck and you have the most 1980s Hong Kong movie ever made. This is the kind of movie where the villain is introduced spinning in a swivel chair while laughing maniacally and smoking a pipe. Where the cops hand in their badges and guns before going on an extra-legal rampage. Where Sammo Hung, Richard Ng and David Chiang try to steal chicken from a busty nurse at their nursing home. Complete with an epic synth score. This movie is so weird. If you wanna be flabbergasted at what you're seeing for 1h30 straight in a strange, mesmerizing way, this is the movie for you. If action movies are like driving a racecar, then Yes, Madam! is like driving a podracer in The Phantom Menace. There are very, very few high-octane action movies like this. Corey Yuen in his early days was really one-of-a-kind. It's kinda hard to explain why and how, but watching the first ~4 minutes of this movie should tell you everything you need to know about that. The sequence in the airport in this has to be the biggest surprise of my recent years watching movies. Okay, maybe not as surprising as some of the stuff in The Last Jedi but yeah, it was quite the shock! What this fight sequence's all about It's hard to believe now that the final confrontation in this movie predates Jackie Chan's iconic 1985 movie Police Story that is now a landmark of Hong Kong action cinema. Still, it did, and damn is it impressive. Michelle Yeoh and Cynthia Rothrock are every bit as talented and insane as their male counterparts here and even trade some sexist remarks with them because why not? The stunts pulled in this sequence and the amazing martial arts skills of all the fighters involved coupled with director Corey Yuen's eye for action lead this movie to an explosive finale that I will never forget. I actually watched this one for the first time a few months ago with a few like-minded friends and boy we weren't ready. Clapping and "WAIT, WHAT?"s were standard procedure, if you can forgive a 20-minutes lull near the middle. When Michelle Yeoh crashes through a panel of glass upside down to throw 2 guys down from a balcony I knew without a doubt that I was watching an instant action classic. 80's Hong Kong action cinema... jesus. Every time a sequence blows your mind, the next one tops it! These movies are ruining my grading system. By now I hope I convinced some of you guys in here who've never watched any to at least check out just one of these movies -- my personal recommendation: this one if you're open to a unique experience (a truly unique experience), the original Police Story for something more classic, but still crazy, or any of the Hong Kong movies still left in this top. Yes, Madam! is on iTunes, Police Story is everywhere. Prepare to be not prepared for what's coming if you've never watched an 80's Hong Kong movie. Edited June 1, 2018 by Daxtreme 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brainbug Posted June 1, 2018 Share Posted June 1, 2018 My pick still hasnt shown up. Might be a very good sign - or a very bad one for your taste @Daxtreme 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daxtreme Posted June 1, 2018 Author Share Posted June 1, 2018 And now... to the top 10! Our first entry is a true classic 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daxtreme Posted June 1, 2018 Author Share Posted June 1, 2018 #10 Bruce Lee vs the whole factory Enter the Dragon (1973) USA / Hong Kong co-production (English) Directed by: Robert Clouse Fight Choreography: Bruce Lee Starring: Bruce Lee, John Saxon, Jim Kelly (with Jackie Chan/Sammo Hung cameos!) Worldwide Box office - $90,000,000 ($22,000,000 domestic) Synopsis: A martial artist agrees to spy on a reclusive crime lord using his invitation to a tournament there as cover. My rating for this movie: ★★★½ My rating for this specific fight sequence: ★★★★★ Enter the Dragon is perhaps the most influential martial arts movie ever made. It brought martial arts to worldwide attention in explosive fashion as it was a huge box office success with $90M in 1972 worldwide box office (a loose estimate in today's dollars would be $400-500M, which is insane for a martial arts movie). It's also Bruce Lee's final movie before his unfortunate death at the age of 32, and showcases his immense talent as a martial artist. Without this movie, martial arts movies wouldn't be what they are today. Funny excerpt by Tao A on letterboxd: Quote Belongs in a genre of its own, unless there's another blaxploitation martial arts film starring Bruce Lee as James Bond that I didn't know of. Enter the Dragon is also a very rare USA/Hong Kong co-production. What this fight sequence's all about Bruce Lee enters the factory disguised as a ninja investigator with a snake in his knapsack, so you just know something special is gonna happen eventually. Bruce Lee has always been known for his minimalist approach to martial arts sequences. He strikes hard and fast, and in his signature fashion, takes down all his opponents in one blow. He never does it better than in this movie. This sequence also features Jackie Chan in one of his first movie roles as an extra who gets hit by Bruce Lee. Sequence: My main gripe with the movie is that the antagonist is meh and his final fight sequence with Bruce Lee is a bit underwhelming. But the rest of the movie really works, including of course this sequence. It's an absolute must-watch for martial arts movie fans. Mortal Kombat (1995) basically copied the plot of this movie by the way. More on that: 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hydrogen Posted June 1, 2018 Share Posted June 1, 2018 I have so many Kung Fu movies to watch Geat list dax! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daxtreme Posted June 1, 2018 Author Share Posted June 1, 2018 So that was a very nice #1 guess @ZeeSoh, although Enter the Dragon didn't place #1, it is an incredible sequence! Thanks for participating 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZeeSoh Posted June 1, 2018 Share Posted June 1, 2018 13 minutes ago, Daxtreme said: So that was a very nice #1 guess @ZeeSoh, although Enter the Dragon didn't place #1, it is an incredible sequence! Thanks for participating Aww no #1 for me. But hey top 10 is not too bad. And since IP man 2 has not showed up yet, I hope his fight in that movie on a table and chairs against the other masters show up in the top 10. I really like that fight 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daxtreme Posted June 1, 2018 Author Share Posted June 1, 2018 #9 Jackie Chan vs Benny 'The Jet' Urquidez feat. Yuen Biao & Yuen Wah | Final fight sequence Dragons Forever (1988) Hong Kong (Cantonese) Directed by: Sammo Hung Fight Choreography: Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao, Yuen Wah, Kar Lok Chin Starring: Sammo Hung, Jackie Chan, Yuen Biao Box office - HK $33,578,920 Synopsis: Three successful Hong Kong lawyers are hired by a chemical company of questionable ethics and must eventually make a difficult decision when their employer's motives become clear. My rating for this movie: ★★★★ My rating for this specific fight sequence: ★★★★★ Like Carlo V said on letterboxd: Quote Jackie Chan plays a lawyer who beats up his own clients in court which is a good example of why you want to watch Hong Kong movies. There are many Sammo Hung movies on this list, and none of them are "normal" movies by any Western standards. This is the 3rd one, and is no different, but contrary to many of them, it's actually pretty damn good! They had pretty much figured out the formula by 1988. - Quick action movie review by yours truly - Some thoughts... There's legit a stunt at the end of this movie I was wondering just how the hell do you survive this?! I'm not exaggerating. The judge in court is the most retarded judge to have ever lived that's for sure (and also quite homophobic). Fight Choreography - All the fights in this movie are of the highest caliber. All-star cast -- Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao, Dick Wei, Benny Urquidez, Yuen Wah, James Tien... all incredible martial artists. If you're a fan of Jackie Chan, absolutely don't miss this one. What this fight sequence's all about Lots of Acrobatics, the Jackie Chan - Yuen Biao duo fighting together for the last time in a movie, broken glass, people falling 3 stories and slamming onto everything, a girl swinging a mic around acting as nunchakus, Acrobatics, Benny Urquidez's kicks, more Acrobatics, more broken glass, and Yuen Wah (known for Kung Fu Hustle) lighting up a new cigar for every flip, kick, or move he performs. All of that in a narcotics facility. While Sammo Hung is basically dying on the side. Jesus. I fucking love this sequence. Starts here: Continued here: Oh and Sammo Hung also fights earlier in the movie in the same spot and it's a great sequence too. And Jackie Chan fights a bunch of people on a boat earlier and it's great too. In fact, this whole movie is great if you're a fan of action, especially fights! It's the last movie for the Jackie Chan + Yuen Biao + Sammo Hung trio. They went separate ways after that. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
