Kung Fu/Ninja/Samurai movies

[Ghost Train]

Speaking of Bruce Lee, i recently found the full 36 min fight scenes in the pagoda from Game of Death. If you remember the original cut (hack job) of Game of Death only spliced in 11 min of Bruce's filmed fights. Looks like this footage is almost the complete final act of the film.

Bruce Lee vs. Kareem Abdul Jabbar is one of the best movie fights ever imo. The big guy was actually supposed to represent Jeet Kune Do and its lack-of-style fluidity, hence the ultimate opponent at the top of the pagoda. By today's standards though, the whole sensitivity to light thing is a bit corny... just a minor complaint .

[buffalostyle]

I really like Donnie Yen's stuff so I must see Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen. I just recently saw Ip Man as well as An Empress and the Warriors.

I found Ip Man to be extremely good whereas Empress left me a little disappointed.

Edited October 21, 2010 by buffalostyle

[Noriko Takaya]

ICHI

[Vepariga]

ICHI

yeah Ichi wasnt too bad,the end fight was alil lackluster tho. I recently watched two korean films 'Blades of Blood' and 'The Sword in the Moon' both are great and deliver some really moody and atmospheric scenes with great action pieces.

[buffalostyle]

Yeah. Ichi wasn't half bad. We got a screening of it last year at NDK and it seemed to do well with the crowd. I do agree with Vepariga about the final fight. After all of the stuff leading up to it, the end fight was a little bit of a letdown...

[areaseven]

Blood and Bone
Remarkable Pictures/Sony Pictures Entertainment, 2009
Directed by Ben Ramsey
Running Time: 93 minutes
Rated R for graphic martial arts violence, drug use and profanity.

Cast
Michael Jai White (Black Dynamite, Spawn) as Isaiah Bone
Eamonn Walker (Dr. Mathison in Unbreakable) as James
Julian Sands (Warlock) as Franklin McVeigh
Dante Basco (Prince Zuko in Avatar: The Last Airbender) as Pinball
Michelle Belegrin as Angela Soto
Matt Mullins (Johnny Cage in Mortal Kombat: Rebirth, Len/Kamen Rider Wing Knight in Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight) as Pretty Boy Price
Nona Gaye (Zee in The Matrix Reloaded/Revolutions) as Tamara
Ron Yuan (Crown Prince Tatsu in Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3) as Teddy D
Bob Sapp (Switowski in The Longest Yard, Ukafa in Conan) as Hammerman
Dick Anthony Williams as Roberto
Kimbo Slice as JC
Gina Carano (Natasha in Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3) as Veretta Vendetta
Maurice Smith (former UFC Champion) as Fast Hands
Tanoai Reed (The Rock's stunt double) as Gold Tooth

Synopsis
Fresh out of prison, Isaiah Bone moves to Los Angeles to participate in the underground fighting circuit run by a league of rich, powerful men known as the "Consortium". After defeating local champion Hammerman, he is given an offer by mob leader James to fight the Consortium's champion Pretty Boy Price for fame and fortune, but when Bone declines the offer, he becomes a marked man.

Lowdown
It's been a while since I watched a decent martial arts film, especially after being disappointed by Ong Bak 3, Never Back Down and The Kung Fu Kid. After watching the trailer for Blood and Bone in my Black Dynamite DVD, I decided to pick this movie up. Blood and Bone is everything you need in a martial arts film: a minimalist plot and excellent fight scenes. The movie features some MMA fighters, but they mostly fight in the background. That's good, as background fights have to be just as good as those involving the main cast.

As for the acting, there isn't much to clamor about. All of the actors have their proper roles. But the obvious highlight is Michael Jai White, who is cool and calculating with a no-nonsense attitude. His character is essentially Black Dynamite without the glam and flair. From his prison fight in the beginning to the final match in the end, White delivers every bone-crunching punch and kick with much gusto.

Perhaps the only downside of the film is its shallow plot. Aside from the fact that Bone is a skilled fighter, not much is known about him. It's never explained why he went to prison in the first place. Nevertheless, if you just want a straightforward martial arts film, Blood and Bone is the perfect solution.

Rating: B

DVD Extras: B+
The DVD comes with a behind-the-scenes featurette, which shows the fight choreography and interviews with White and other cast members, along with the production staff.

Links
Official Site

References
The Internet Movie Database

Edited December 22, 2015 by areaseven

[Agent ONE]

Loved Black Dynamite... Really didn't care for Blood and Bone. That asian guy was JarJar Binks. Michael Jai White was WAY over acting in this. There were a few good fight scenes, but other than that, eh. I would have given it a D.

[EXO]

Black Dynamite 2 FTW! I hope they keep making those.

Who's interruptin' mah kung fu!?

[Repiv_Onex]

I really like Donnie Yen's stuff so I must see Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen.

Maybe my expectation was too high, I found this show dissappointing; weak in storyline with loopholes.

Donnie Yen's 14 Blades still not yet shown in the states/west? I love that show, but it wasn't really a kungfu show but a wuxia(what's it call in English?) film.

[areaseven]

Just found out that Michael Jai White will direct and star in Never Back Down 2. But unlike the first film, this will have an actual MMA fighter: the currently undefeated Scott Epstein. And since Black Dynamite himself will be directing, it should be good. Still, it's just plain silly to choreograph MMA.

It also looks like that Tom Cruise clone Sean Faris (who committed career suicide with The King of Failures), who was the star of the first film, won't be in it.

[Agent ONE]

ICHI

That movie sucked. It was weird, but forced weird. Like the director said "we are going to make a movie that is crazy weird, it will be so weird that kids will think its good because its so weird."

[peter]

Anyone seen this yet?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDVvKgJAb-c

[EXO]

Not a big fan of Takashi Miike, but this looks interesting. Anyone see 13 Assassins? I feel like I saw it but it must have been forgettable.

[eugimon]

I saw 13 assassins after all the gushing reviews critics gave it but I thought it was solidly "meh".

[BeyondTheGrave]

I'm kinda looking forward to the raid

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWlmhMSnVdM

[reddsun1]

Blood and Bone

Remarkable Pictures/Sony Pictures Entertainment, 2009

Directed by Ben Ramsey

Running Time: 93 minutes

Rated R for graphic martial arts violence, drug use and profanity.

Oh, so that's the project this was from...

[RDClip]

Glad to see my topic is still alive after all this time.

I've really been on this Japanese 70's exploitation Katate movie kick. Stuff with Sonny Chiba and Etsuko Shihomi. Can anyone give me some suggestions within the genre? (think The Streetfighter)

[Einherjar]

Anyone remember Kung Pow: Enter the Fist? Here's the original movie.

[Duke Togo]

I'm not sure this exactly fits into the scope of this thread, but Yoji Yamada's "Twilight Samurai" is simply brilliant. All three of the films in Yoji Yamada's samurai trilogy are excellent, but Twilight Samurai stands head and shoulders above the other two. It's a crime that it's not available on Blu-ray in the US.

What is perhaps more fitting for this thread is Miike's 13 Assassins. I thought the praise for it was a bit overblown (this doesn't compare to Seven Samurai), but it's a good movie nonetheless.

[Golden Arms]

I watched True Legend last week and Loved it. Next, is Bodyguards and assassins and Ip Man2. If you like Donnie Yen and want to see some MMA, check out Flashpoint.

[PetarB]

I really liked 13 Assassins. It was a slow burn for the first half, but the second half was awesome! I think the fight choroegraphy could have been a little more inventive, but it was a 'realistic' movie rather than a stylising one. The Raid looks very interesting. I saw the previous MA movie from The Raid's director - Merantau. It was a bit rough, but quite interesting, and I had not been exposed to Indonesian life/culture before like this. Certainly the action scenes were quite amazing, I'm sure The Raid will be awesome.

[EXO]

I'm not sure this exactly fits into the scope of this thread, but Yoji Yamada's "Twilight Samurai" is simply brilliant. All three of the films in Yoji Yamada's samurai trilogy are excellent, but Twilight Samurai stands head and shoulders above the other two. It's a crime that it's not available on Blu-ray in the US.

What is perhaps more fitting for this thread is Miike's 13 Assassins. I thought the praise for it was a bit overblown (this doesn't compare to Seven Samurai), but it's a good movie nonetheless.

LOL. Look at the second post on this thread.

[areaseven]

Throw the popcorn bag in the microwave and get this movie loaded.

Edited January 4, 2013 by areaseven

[PetarB]

Has anyone seen Flying Swords of Dragon Gate yet? I've heard it's quite good, but would be happy to hear a review from the hoi polloi.

[areaseven]

Ninja
Nu Image/First Look Studios, 2009
Directed by Isaac Florentine (Undisputed II: Last Man Standing, Undisputed III: Redemption)
Running Time: 86 minutes
Rated R for graphic martial arts violence and profanity.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTOMS-zaXXU

Cast
Scott Adkins (Boyka in Undisputed II-III, Agent Kiley in The Bourne Ultimatum) as Casey Bowman
Tsuyoshi Ihara (Baron Nishi in Letters from Iwo Jima, Hirayama in 13 Assassins) as Masazuka
Mika Hijii (Kaoru in Garo, Rin in AvN: Alien vs. Ninja) as Namiko Takeda
Todd Jensen as Detective Traxler
Miles Anderson as Temple
Garrick Hagon as Professor Garrison
Togo Igawa as Sensei

Synopsis
Casey Bowman is an orphaned American who was adopted into a martial arts dojo in Japan. Because of his devotion to the dojo's teachings, he has won the respect of the Sensei and his students. But when former disciple Masazuka becomes a hired killer and threatens to take the dojo's sacred treasure, Casey and the Sensei's daughter Namiko must ensure the protection of the treasure and their school's legacy.

Lowdown
Remember the old days when you rented those cheesy American Ninja movies just to kill time? Well, Ninja relives those days of glory. Just like American Ninja, this film has a very shallow plot with a white guy as the main protagonist. Why strain yourself over a lack of storyline when you can just appreciate the impressive fight scenes that nearly rival those of Tony Jaa? And just as an added incentive, you have that Japanese hottie Mika Hijii, who is a famous face in a lot of tokusatsu and Japanese martial arts films.

Apart from all this, the fights are outstanding as I mentioned earlier, and the ninja outfits are badass. Again, you don't watch this sort of film for Oscar-winning material. If you want a no-nonsense martial arts film, add Ninja to your rental queue.

I haven't seen Ninja Assassin (and I don't intend to for the meantime), but I've read that this movie is much better. I can imagine.

Rating: B+

References
The Internet Movie Database

Edited December 22, 2015 by areaseven

[PetarB]

Thank you for the review. I found Ninja Assassin to be quite enjoyable... but it could have been a LOT better.

I'm currently half way through Flying Swords of Dragons Gate. Very good fun so far - and I love Wuxia! - but not as good as the last Jet Li movie I saw which was Fearless.

[RD Blade]

I'd rate Ninja at about the same level as Ninja Assassin. They both have the same mindless violence that I expect (and enjoy) in a sword slashing ninja flick. And they both have not-so-great acting.

I agree with the assessment above. Ninja Assassin could have been great if the Interpol parallel plot had either been scrapped or revamped.

[Agent ONE]

A Ninja movie without Sho Kosugi is not a ninja movie.

[Ghost Train]

With all these remakes/reboots the one re-do that I'd like to see another take at Bloodsport. There was that other JCVD more recent movie, The Quest, but it sucked. However, not sure how well the tournament with traditional martial arts thing will jive with younger audiences, as everyone thinks MMA is the one and only martial art now.

[RD Blade]

The problem with a Bloodsport remake, even if done well, is that the star of the movie will most likely be an unknown. The same was true with the original, but I doubt lightning will strike twice.

[GMANIFESS]

Slight off topic:

Black Dynamite animated hits Adult Swim, JULY 15th. 11:30pm.

Edited July 12, 2012 by GMANIFESS

[renegadeleader1]

I just recently watched The Legend of Fong Sai Yuk starring Jet Li. Great action and story. I especially love the humor it carried throughout the film. I highly recommend it!

[PetarB]

A Ninja movie without Sho Kosugi is not a ninja movie.

It was extremely cool to see him in Ninja Assassin. His acting for the part was spot-on! His role as the leader of the ninja clan - and acting - were critical to the whole movie, really.

[Frogze]

Has anyone seen Flying Swords of Dragon Gate yet? I've heard it's quite good, but would be happy to hear a review from the hoi polloi.

I tried to watch it but stopped halfway because while it had some great production values I quickly lost interest in the story and felt that the main characters were flat boring. It has some nice shots though and the usual modern day kung fu cgi fare which I'm not so fond of too...

There's a very strange kung fu flick I'd like to recommend although it might not be for everyone : Jade Warrior (2006).

It's got some sort of a northern gods meet kung fu world feel, and a fresh mystical feel which is why I enjoyed it very much. Here's the finnish trailer :

It's the first finnish Kung Fu film ever, directed by Antti-Jussi Annila. It is his first film too, the second and last to this date being Sauna (2008) which is in my opinion a masterpiece horror movie.

[areaseven]

I just finished watching Ninja Assassin, and I must say that I'm a bit disappointed by it. Whereas Ninja is a textbook martial arts film that gives what is promised to viewers, Ninja Assassin relies too much on blood and gore, plus CG effects and shaky camera work that take away the whole point of it being a martial arts film. Hell, the storyline feels too derivative of Batman Begins. On top of that, it merely serves as a stepping stone for K-Pop sensation Rain. Even the title is redundant, as ninjas are already assassins. The film's only redeeming factor is Sho Kosugi, but he actually doesn't do much here.

So between Ninja and Ninja Assassin, one is a proper martial arts film while the other is just another overhyped Hollywood bomb.