Member Kadaver Posted February 20, 2011 Member Share Posted February 20, 2011 So recently Ive been getting really into Kung Fu movies and before long I was searching to find which ones could be the best or which ones were good. Some of my search results ended badly, while some ended up good. When I found this site I was greatly pleased to see your list of best classic martial arts films. This led me to the Prodigal Son (One of my favorites now) and many others. But my question is this. Seeing as Im new to actively going to watch these awesome movies, are there any ones I should deffinetly watch? Which ones must be seen by anyone that calls themselves a fan of the Kung Fu genre? And what happened to Jackie Chan? How did he go from Drunken Master to Shanghai Noon?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted February 20, 2011 Moderator Share Posted February 20, 2011 Hi Kadaver...welcome to the forum! Great to see somebody who discovered the kung-fu movie world! These threads are normally dangerous though as, without offending anyone, there are people on these forums who have seen so many hundreds of thousands of kung-fu movies, that when I`ve seen these threads appear in the past some of the movies being suggested to watch for newcomers have just been complete head-scratchers for me, or on a mission to mention movies others haven`t, more minor movies of performers like Jackie Chan & Sammo Hung mysteriouly appear on lists. Based on you enjoyng `Prodigal Son`, I`ll try to recommend 5 of the best for you to check out by actor or director. I`ll point out that they`re not in any particular order. 1. Warriors Two - This is from the same guys that brought you `Prodigal Son`, and the main martial art being used is also Wing Chun. Sammo Hung directs and also co-stars, and Yuen Biao is replaced with Korean superkicker Cassanova Wong, hard to go wrong! 2. Drunken Master 2 - Trust me, many people are wondering how Jackie Chan went from `Drunken Master` to `Shanghai Noon` as well, but this 1994 effort for many of his fans, including myself, is Chan at the absolute top of his game. Great from start to finish. 3. Martial Club - If you haven`t watched any Shaw Brothers yet, this is as good a place to start as any. Featuring the art of Hung Gar over Wing Chun, as practiced by the movies director Lau Kar Leung, the movie features an amazing end fight with Gordon Liu vs Johnny Wang Lung Wei. 4. Dragons Forever - The last movie to feature Jackie Chan, Yuen Biao, and Sammo Hung onscreen together. The movie is like a who`s who of 80`s action stars...as well as the three little dragons, you also get Billy Chow, Philip Ko Fei, Benny Urquidez & Yuen Wah...as well as Chan & Sammo`s respective stunt teams both being on top of their game. 5. Project A - The first movie to feature Chan, Biao, & Hung together, and they`re chemistry has never been better than here. Chan pulls off his amazing clock tower fall, Hung gets into some great fights, and Biao is as acrobatic as ever. On top of that, you get taekwondo expert Dick Wei playing a bad ass pirate, difficult to beat. For your next 5 viewings, I don`t think you can really go wrong with these choices in my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Tosh Posted February 20, 2011 Member Share Posted February 20, 2011 Well as I think everyone has different tastes, your just as well off to go to the best classic and best shaw threads and start from there, and that's part of the fun of getting into these movies, now you have thousands of movies to get to:wink: and your going to have to sit through a few stinkers:xd: you may not like the "Venom" movies, but your going to get half the board tell you they're their favorites. For me I'm more of a Shaw Brother fan but Golden Harvest have some true classics, Prodigal Son being one of my favorites to, then many of the Indys like Mystery of Chess Boxing and Hot, Cool, and the Vicious, if you like these two check out the directors other output. Then I also like the Japanese stuff, any Chiba movie is must see in my book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member ShaOW!linDude Posted February 20, 2011 Member Share Posted February 20, 2011 That's a really good list, OAB. Kadaver, I'll pitch in 5 more: Heroes of the East --- a must see Gordon Liu film. This film contains a series of duels which exhibit the martial spirit rather than fights to the death. There is some of the best weapons choreography you'll ever see IMO. Twinkle Twinkle Lucky Stars --- another Chan, Hung, Biao vehicle with some good comedy and fantastic fighting. Miracles --- no hockey team here. Chan's a gangster. This has some great fights and is in the vein of Project A and A2. Ong Bak --- Thai martial artist Tony Jaa will fry your brain. The fights have a progressions that gets better and better. Born To Fight --- Thai actioner starring Dan Chupong. There's fighting and stunts in this that will astound you. The plot's a little crazy but worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted February 20, 2011 Moderator Share Posted February 20, 2011 Thanks ShaOW!linDude....yeah it`s completely subjective. Personally for a newcomer I wouldn`t recommend `Twinkle Twinkle Lucky Stars` because the balance of wacky Cantonese lunar new year style comedy to actual fighting leans heavily towards comedy...although yeah I agree what fighting is there is great. Every other suggestion though I`m behind you 100%, great choices. I`ve actually never seen `Mystery of Chessboxing`...but I feel similarly about `The Hot, The Cool, & The Vicious`....yeah it`s a good movie once you`ve seen all of the classics, but for a newcomer to watch, I don`t think it would particularly impress. Just my opinion though, and you know what they say about those... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member kungfusamurai Posted February 20, 2011 Member Share Posted February 20, 2011 There's a sticky at the top with lots of recommendations. Also, you can use Youtube as a resource to see clips of films and their fight scenes. Personally, I judge a kung fu film based on the quality of the fight scenes. Many if not most are pretty basic and derivative in the story and acting department. The reason I would recommend a movie is if I think the fights were really well done. Before youtube, I'd search based on either actor or director. If I saw a movie by a director I thought was really good, then I searched out other films by him and also read the feedback or reviews to see which one to check out next. Same with actors. Process of elimination. KFS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Morgoth Bauglir Posted February 20, 2011 Member Share Posted February 20, 2011 Legend of a Fighter aka Secret Master. Best movie ever made! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member AbeRudder Posted February 20, 2011 Member Share Posted February 20, 2011 Yeah the list of kung to watch is pretty overwhelming at first but after a while you get to know all the actors and what not. A good way to find more movies is to look up who was behind your favourite movies on hkcinemagic.com then check a few reviews maybe. My recs would be Old school Magnificent Butcher Knockabout Young Master Rebellious Reign 7 Grand Masters Ninja in the Dragons Den Snake in the Eagles Shadow 8 Diagram Pole Fighter 36th Chambers of Shaolin Modern Police story 1-3 Eastern Condors Wheels on Meals Dragons Forever Project A 1 and 2 Ip Man SPL Crime Story Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator KUNG FU BOB Posted February 20, 2011 Administrator Share Posted February 20, 2011 Welcome to the forum Kadaver! These guys have really mentioned some great stuff. Though I have to agree on the comments about TWINKLE maybe not being a good "starter" movie. The action is awesome, but the vast amounts of silly comedy are really an aquired taste. Anyway, here's some recommendations from me, including seconds and thirds on some previously mentioned titles. HEROES OF THE EAST - In my top 10. THE KILLING MACHINE - Sonny Chiba is a great actor and karateka and gets to show off both skills here. Awesome film! ENTER THE DRAGON - Bruce Lee's most accessible, and perhaps most iconic film. FIST OF FURY (aka. THE CHINESE CONNECTION) - Classic! INVINCIBLE SHAOLIN - A ton of amazing stars, a wide variety of kung fu styles, great training scenes, and lots of incredible action. ONG-BAK 2 - It's not really a sequel, so you can watch it on it's own. One of the greatest martial arts movies ever made in my opinion. SHAOLIN TEMPLE - Jet Li's first film, filled with super kung fu demos and fights. LEGENDARY WEAPONS OF CHINA - Real-life kung fu master Lau Kar-Leung directed and stars in this incredible film. Cool story, though there are some comedy bits which could have been trimmed, and some of the best weapons work ever committed to film. The final duel between real-life brothers using three-piece staff, hook swords, 9 section steel whip, daggers, sword and shield, tiger fork and more, is jaw-dropping. DRAGONS FOREVER EIGHT DIAGRAM POLE FIGHTER - Simply astonishing pole fighting, and film. WARRIORS TWO AVENGING EAGLE - Another great story with two of the genre's most amazing stars. FEARLESS - Jet Li plays master Huo in this masterpiece. DRUNKEN MASTER 1 and 2 FIST OF LEGEND - Jet Li's take on FISTS OF FURY LEGEND OF A FIGHTER Enjoy! And can't wait to hear what you think of any of these. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Kadaver Posted February 20, 2011 Author Member Share Posted February 20, 2011 Wow! Thanks a lot for all these suggestions! They should keep me busy for a while . I actually just watched Warriors Two, which was awesome. Ive also seen Ong Bak 1 and 2, which are also very awesome. I like Tony Jaa's drunken fighting style so much, just rolling round and breakin knees. Also, One Armed Boxer, your name reminds me of the Kung Fu master in Master of the Flying Guillotine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator KUNG FU BOB Posted February 20, 2011 Administrator Share Posted February 20, 2011 Also, One Armed Boxer, your name reminds me of the Kung Fu master in Master of the Flying Guillotine. Yeah, our very own One-Armed Boxer has taken over for the original (Jimmy Wang Yu), and has made some improvements to the model... 1. Unlike the original, the new O-AB is a friend to the people of Japan. 2. He is friendlier (having less enemies makes him better to hang out with... less stressful)3. He has mad knowledge of Asian cinema (the original was more of a rural cat). 4. And, er... Well, he has both arms! One as a backup. But he does keep one tucked away on special ocassions. All kidding aside, did you know that MASTER OF THE FLYING GUILLOTINE (love that film!) is also the unofficial sequel to the film THE ONE-ARMED BOXER from Shaw Brothers? The star, Jimmy Wang Yu, also played the lead in the classics THE ONE-ARMED SWORDSMAN and the (against the usual odds) even more action-packed RETURN OF THE ONE-ARMED SWORDSMAN. They are all great movies. And though THE ONE-ARMED BOXER has really aged, and has ridiculous exaggerrated Japanese stereotypes (yes... one guy has fangs!), it's a cheesy good time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted February 21, 2011 Moderator Share Posted February 21, 2011 I actually just watched Warriors Two, which was awesome Glad to hear you enjoyed it, I should really re-visit this one sometime soon as well, outstanding from start to finish. For more top-notch Sammo I'd say a natural progression after 'Prodigal Son' & 'Warriors Two' would be to check out 'The Odd Couple' & 'The Victim'. 'The Victim' actually has the guy that plays Yuen Biao's teacher in 'Prodigal Son', Leung Kar Yan (or 'Beardy' as he's known to his fans, although like me if the 'Prodigal Son' was the first movie you saw him in, you'd never guess that his trademark was his beard, on the account of his aged make-up job!), as the main character, and the finale is simply pure kung-fu cinema gold, as is the finale of 'The Odd Couple', while both have plentiful fights scattered throughout the running time so you never get bored. Legend of a Fighter aka Secret Master. Best movie ever made! SHAOLIN TEMPLE - Jet Li's first film, filled with super kung fu demos and fights. Ah!...it's a crime that I forgot these 2, 100% agree! Actually Jet Li's 'Shaolin Temple' was one of the first kung-fu movies I saw, I remember being simply amazed at the way these guys moved, highly recommended! Be careful to make sure it's the Jet Li version though, there is a Shaw Brothers movie that shares the same title. Same with 'Legend of a Fighter', amazing choreography, and a great introduction to Yasuaki Kurata. The main man Leung Kar Yan has the starring role once again, also minus the beard! Also, One Armed Boxer, your name reminds me of the Kung Fu master in Master of the Flying Guillotine. Ha ha...you're right! Similar story with 'Shaolin Temple', 'Master of the Flying Guillotine' was also one of the first kung-fu movies I watched, and it got me hooked on the more "out there" side of kung-fu movies...the type where you tend to just sit there for 90 minutes asking yourself "what the hell just happened!?"...in the best possible way! All kidding aside, did you know that MASTER OF THE FLYING GUILLOTINE (love that film!) is also the unofficial sequel to the film THE ONE-ARMED BOXER from Shaw Brothers? Thanks for the kind words Kung Fu Bob...sorry to be nit picky, but 'One Armed Boxer' is actually a Golden Harvest movie, and yes 'Master of the Flying Guillotine' was a sequel to it. I think the Shaw Brothers movie that you're thinking of is actually 'The Chinese Boxer', which Wang Yu did make a sequel to called 'Return of the Chinese Boxer'. Then as you mentioned, you have the 'One Armed Swordsman' and 'Return of the One Armed Swordsman' movies. Unbelievably, his one armed movies don't stop there, off the top of my head I can think of 4 more, but as a newcomer they're not even worth going near until long down the line when you've exhausted everything else. The above mentioned 6 movies though, 2 of which feature him with both arms, are all worth a watch! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member northern b Posted February 21, 2011 Member Share Posted February 21, 2011 Lots has been said that I agree with. Once you've seen a few films you'll gravitate towards certain styles - I'm a fan of the intricate complex fight choreography. There's a sticky thread so you should read through that as certain films will appear a lot (not to say you'll like them but at least you get an idea of whats popular) Some I would say definitely check are The Victim Legend of a Fighter Buddhist Fist Drunken Master 1 &2 Fatal Needles v Fatal Fists Snake in the Eagles shadow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member prinnysquad Posted February 21, 2011 Member Share Posted February 21, 2011 While I largely agree with the comments, re, easing people into the genre via the classics, rather than thrusting obscure/more challenging/etc stuff in front of them from scratch, I have to note that my experience was quite different. I watched Snake in the Eagle's Shadow and Drunken Master years ago, and enjoyed them, but more as cultural curios than anything else. I enjoyed the rhythm of the action and was amused by the sound effects. Neither, though, particularly prompted me to investigate the genre. Fast forward a few years, and I happened to catch Duel of 7 Tigers late one night on satellite. It was like a switch was flicked on. In retrospect, it's not as good a film as SITES or DM, but there was something about the raw settings, varied fighting styles, and totally straightforward stories that appealed. I've no idea why I felt more entralled and sucked in by this little known film with no stars that I recognised. Maybe my mind was older and open to more possibilities. Maybe I liked the unpretentious nature of the film - this was a film about fighting, it seemed, first and foremost. Obviously it has an undercurrent about patriotism, but I kept wathcing for the action. Casanova's kicking against Cliff Lok, Phillip Ko owning allcomers, Yeung Pan Pan and the entrallingly ridiculous plate scene ... it just all worked. The films I watched after that were Eight Strikes of the Wildcat, North Shaolin vs South Shaolin, Invincible Armour, Hells Windstaff and Hitman in the Hand of Buddha. I followed that with a swordplay or two and a Godfrey Ho. It's basically allowed me to sit through most kung fu films without badly judging them against an initially-watched set of mega-classics. I still got a load of classics to watch, and usually recognise them as such, but I think the level of 'tolerance' I built up to start with has allowed me to watch, and often enjoy, films I would have switched off after five minutes a few years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member TibetanWhiteCrane Posted February 21, 2011 Member Share Posted February 21, 2011 Well, by that rationale, he should probably start out with Bruce Li Goes To New Guinea or something:smile: And to me, Duel Of The 7 Tigers IS a better movie than both DM and SITES:neutral: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member prinnysquad Posted February 21, 2011 Member Share Posted February 21, 2011 Well, by that rationale, he should probably start out with Bruce Li Goes To New Guinea or something:smile: The only way is up! It's just the way it's panned out for me, not a prescription or anything. And to me, Duel Of The 7 Tigers IS a better movie than both DM and SITES:neutral: Cool. I'd rather watch it than the other two, for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Idiot Posted February 21, 2011 Member Share Posted February 21, 2011 Hong Kong cinema has a variety of styles & companies to choose from so in the end, it all comes down to preference. Some want movies with as much fighting as possible, some like the comedic element while some like the costumes, sets & imagery that the genre has to offer. I enjoy Jackie Chan's stuff from Police Story to Rumble In The Bronx for the action sequences alone but for me, the movies themselves are kinda weak. My preference is with the classic Shaw Brothers stuff for all the above reasons. Not just great fighting sequences but they are also beautiful to watch. I'd start out with a mix until you find what an area that you like. (If you haven't already) try... 8 Diagram Pole Fighter (Invincible Pole Fighter) With the death of Alexander Fu Sheng happening in the middle of this movie, the tension & emotions in this movie seem all too real. No comedic overtones in this one. Killer Constable Another bleak Shaw with some of the best sets I've seen in any movie (some seem almost like a Western at times) Thundering Mantis An indy Fu movie with one of the more bizarre end sequences you'll ever see. Worth watching for that scene alone. First Strike Jackie Chan at his life-risking best. The ladder scene may be one of the greatest things you'll ever see. Shaolin vs Wu-Tang If you don't stop rewinding the intro scene, you'll find that this has some of the best sword play you will find in any movie (although finding a good print is difficult) http://www.kungfucinema.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13506 Crippled Avengers This movie has it all, good comedic moments, excellent cast & sets, mutilated outcasts seeking revenge. What else could anyone want? If you enjoy gore check out Riki-oh (Story Of Ricky) & Shogun Assassin even though it's more of a Samuri flick & not so much of a Kung Fu. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted February 22, 2011 Moderator Share Posted February 22, 2011 It's basically allowed me to sit through most kung fu films without badly judging them against an initially-watched set of mega-classics. Really interesting point prinnysquad...and I agree, I think a lot of what people end up enjoying ultimately relates to which movie it was that got them into the genre. In this case Kadaver mentioned he watched and loved 'Prodigal Son' and 'Warriors Two', which are both high level top class kung-fu movies, and also follow a similar kind of path I myself took into the kung-fu movie world. In that regard I think some independent movies don't stand up so well against what was then Golden Harvest's high quality output. This thread is actually making me want to go back and re-watch a few movies. I also viewed 'The Hot, The Cool, & The Vicious' around the time period when I was watching the best stuff of Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao, Jet Li, Donnie Yen etc., and my memory of it is of a pretty forgettable movie of which the fighting did nothing for me...but perhaps now if I go back with more subjective eyes I'd enjoy it more, as I see it popping up on peoples 'must see' lists more than once. But as a starter, I wouldn't recommend it. First Strike Jackie Chan at his life-risking best. The ladder scene may be one of the greatest things you'll ever see. This is one of the head-scratchers for me.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator KUNG FU BOB Posted February 22, 2011 Administrator Share Posted February 22, 2011 For more top-notch Sammo I'd say a natural progression after 'Prodigal Son' & 'Warriors Two' would be to check out 'The Odd Couple' & 'The Victim'. 'The Victim' actually has the guy that plays Yuen Biao's teacher in 'Prodigal Son', Leung Kar Yan (or 'Beardy' as he's know to his fans, although like me if the 'Prodigal Son' was the first movie you saw him in, you'd never guess that his trademark was his beard, on the account of his aged make-up job!), as the main character, and the finale is simply pure kung-fu cinema gold, as is the finale of 'The Odd Couple', while both have plentiful fights scattered throughout the running time so you never get bored. Agreed! ODD COUPLE features Sammo and Lau Kar-Wing each playing two characters, and it's got phenomenal weapons work- funny too. THE VICTIM is a really good story, AND the kung fu fights are incredible. Another fave from Sammo is IRON-FISTED MONK. Wow! Am I alone in my love for this classic? Sammo Hung, since we all keep mentioning him, in case you're not familiar, is not your typical kung fu hero. He's a very chubby guy, but he fights as fiercely as Bruce Lee and has jaw-dropping acrobatic skills. He was trained at the same (Peking opera) school as Jackie Chan, and is considered JC's "older brother". Thanks for the kind words Kung Fu Bob...sorry to be nit picky, but 'One Armed Boxer' is actually a Golden Harvest movie, and yes 'Master of the Flying Guillotine' was a sequel to it. I think the Shaw Brothers movie that you're thinking of is actually 'The Chinese Boxer', which Wang Yu did make a sequel to called 'Return of the Chinese Boxer'. Then as you mentioned, you have the 'One Armed Swordsman' and 'Return of the One Armed Swordsman' movies.! Why you nit picky little... No, I'm glad you corrected me. For some reason I always do that with that film! I should remember by now, but nooooooooooooooo! Lots has been said that I agree with. Once you've seen a few films you'll gravitate towards certain styles - I'm a fan of the intricate complex fight choreography. There's a sticky thread so you should read through that as certain films will appear a lot (not to say you'll like them but at least you get an idea of whats popular) Good call. While I largely agree with the comments, re, easing people into the genre via the classics, rather than thrusting obscure/more challenging/etc stuff in front of them from scratch, I have to note that my experience was quite different... ...It's basically allowed me to sit through most kung fu films without badly judging them against an initially-watched set of mega-classics. I still got a load of classics to watch, and usually recognise them as such, but I think the level of 'tolerance' I built up to start with has allowed me to watch, and often enjoy, films I would have switched off after five minutes a few years ago. True! LOL After a while it becomes harder and harder to see that same level of mind-blowing acion. Mixing it up with stuff you've never heard of can bring interesting surprises. Well, by that rationale, he should probably start out with Bruce Li Goes To New Guinea or something:smile: And to me, Duel Of The 7 Tigers IS a better movie than both DM and SITES:neutral: Funny dude. DUEL OF THE 7 TIGERS is so damn good! Off topic, but... When I first met Tony Leung, my friend Rick had brought along his DVD of DUEL OF THE 7 TIGERS and was playing it on his laptop for Tony, who hadn't seen it since it came out in the theaters! He seemed slightly embarrassed by all of our fuss over his skills, but also very amused watching his much younger self (and that we American dudes owned this old Chinese movie). It was a surreal experience watching it with him. And every time I've seen it since, I of course can't help but think of that day. Thought you guys would get a kick out of that story. I'd start out with a mix until you find what an area that you like. (If you haven't already) try... True true. When I started out I saw a Shaw Brothers flick, EXECUTIONERS FROM SHAOLIN, and I thought- that's all I want to see from now on- serious kung fu in a period setting. Then I saw Sonny Chiba's THE STREETFIGHTER, and I only wanted to see modern day karate movies. LOL After going through all different phases (Hong Kong action comedies, samurai, Taiwanese swordplay, modern day HK gun fu, horror, art films, et.) I realized that I was actually open to most Asian cinema, and would check out anything! If you enjoy gore check out Riki-oh (Story Of Ricky) & Shogun Assassin even though it's more of a Samuri flick & not so much of a Kung Fu. I would rephrase that to- If you enjoy movies that are INCREDIBLE in every way check out Shogun Assassin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator KUNG FU BOB Posted February 22, 2011 Administrator Share Posted February 22, 2011 Regarding FIRST STRIKE... This is one of the head-scratchers for me.... Really? Overall, I think the movie is very uneven, but fun. Most of it works (the opening), and some doesn't (the underwater fight). But the ladder scene always makes me smile! I used to show this sequence to people that weren't interested in Asian cinema, and it got many people interested enough to borrow stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted February 22, 2011 Moderator Share Posted February 22, 2011 Another fave from Sammo is IRON-FISTED MONK. Wow! Am I alone in my love for this classic? No! I love this movie! If anything this thread serves as a reminder that there's so much out there it even becomes easy to forget the classics! Sammo's body of work is pretty impressive from his golden era...it's hard to go wrong with so many of his movies (although it is possible)...but right now if you've only viewed 'Prodigal Son' & 'Warriors Two', you're in the enviable position of being able to experience all of these movies for the first time. More Sammo favorites for me would be 'Eastern Condors', 'Encounters of the Spooky Kind', & 'Millionaires Express'...all of them strike the perfect balance between story/comedy/kung-fu, sometimes factors that his movies don't always balance favorably...but with these you're pretty much guaranteed to enjoy! Really? Overall, I think the movie is very uneven, but fun. Most of it works (the opening), and some doesn't (the underwater fight). But the ladder scene always makes me smile! I used to show this sequence to people that weren't interested in Asian cinema, and it got many people interested enough to borrow stuff. Yeah...the hotel escape from the 2 over-sized thugs in suits and the ladder scene are the two highlight sequences, and yeah I would definitely show them to people unfamiliar with Asian cinema as good examples of HK action....but the whole movie? No way, I remember seeing those 2 scenes and then thinking what stunts & fighting crazyness are they going to pull out of the bag for the finale...and all we get is the dumb underwater fight, I walked away dissapointed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator KUNG FU BOB Posted February 22, 2011 Administrator Share Posted February 22, 2011 IRON-FISTED MONK... No! I love this movie! I love the monk praising Buddha after he kicks each guys ass! Sammo's body of work is pretty impressive from his golden era...it's hard to go wrong with so many of his movies (although it is possible)...but right now if you've only viewed 'Prodigal Son' & 'Warriors Two', you're in the enviable position of being able to experience all of these movies for the first time. More Sammo favorites for me would be 'Eastern Condors', 'Encounters of the Spooky Kind', & 'Millionaires Express'...all of them strike the perfect balance between story/comedy/kung-fu for me, sometimes factors that his movies don't always balance favorably...but with these you're pretty much guaranteed to enjoy! Ah yes... to experience these for the first time again! I would add PEDICAB DRIVER to the "must-see" list of Sammo movies. Speaking of balance... There are parts of DIRTY TIGER, CRAZY FROG (like the title) that I love, and parts like... eh. But the three-piece staff duel at the end is out-of-sight! Yeah...the hotel escape from the 2 over-sized thugs in suits and the ladder scene are the two highlight sequences for me, and yeah I would definitely show them to people unfamiliar with Asian cinema as good examples of HK action....but the whole movie? No way, I remember seeing those 2 scenes and then thinking what stunts & fighting crazyness are they going to pull out of the bag for the finale...and all we get is the dumb underwater fight, I walked away dissapointed. Oh yeah, I get ya. Some amazing sequences in an okay movie. After the finales of POLICE STORY, DRAGONS FOREVER, YOUNG MASTER, PROJECT A, WHEELS ON MEALS, DRUNKEN MASTERS 1 and 2, then we get... FIRST STRIKE's underwater fight????!!! Um... oh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Idiot Posted February 22, 2011 Member Share Posted February 22, 2011 Regarding FIRST STRIKE... Really? Overall, I think the movie is very uneven, but fun. Most of it works (the opening), and some doesn't (the underwater fight). But the ladder scene always makes me smile! I used to show this sequence to people that weren't interested in Asian cinema, and it got many people interested enough to borrow stuff. This. Also, I love threads like this end up having some of my favorite movies on them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member ShaOW!linDude Posted February 22, 2011 Member Share Posted February 22, 2011 A personally Sammo fave of mine is Carry On Pickpocket. I love the beginning sequence showing he and his fellow thieves practicing on a mannequin and then plying their trade. Not much action until the last 15-20 minutes and then it gets absolutely brutal, man. Skinny Tiger and Fatty Dragon is another of his I love. He has a really good fight with a couple of chicks in a market alley. Owl Vs Bombo has the best dance routine ever committed to film in an action/MA movie. I can watch Sammo do that over and over. ............oh. alright, I confess......I really like Iron-Fisted Monk, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Sheng Posted February 22, 2011 Member Share Posted February 22, 2011 “I also viewed 'The Hot, The Cool, & The Vicious'… and my memory of it is of a pretty forgettable movie of which the fighting did nothing for me... but perhaps now if I go back with more subjective eyes I'd enjoy it more, as I see it popping up on peoples 'must see' lists more than once.” Well, I could imagine this being a candidate for my eternal “Fu Classics” list. Problem is that there isn’t a subtitled DVD of THE HOT, THE COOL AND THE VICIOUS around. Meaning you’re stuck with a shoddy English dub. Not just in terms of the silly accents - even though they managed to find one for Tommy Lee that was somehow resembling his Mandarin voice - but also because of the mistranslations and omissions that abound here. In all fairness, its difficult to take people serious who attribute “bonafide classic” status to any movie that’s horrendously dubbed (And / or full-screen; Example: I would have never called Joseph Kuo’s THE SWORDSMAN OF ALL SWORDSMEN an all-time classic – and his best movie by far! – if I would have only seen a mutilated, i.e. badly cropped VHS copy of it). I remember when IVL started to pump out their Shaws I began to see those movies with different eyes. Yes, some kept their “classic” status, others lost it and a good number that I remember as being merely mediocre were elevated to that rank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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