Lateef Crowder "The Onslaught"

[kokuryuha]

If there's an unsung hero in today's martial arts cinema that has to have a special mention, it would be Lateef Crowder Dos Santos.As of late,he's become a familiar face in action movies as that guy who comes out of literally nowhere and damn near upstages anyone who he fights with.To describe him would be the expression:"Half man,Half awesome" Born November 23,1977 in Salvador,Bahia,Brazil of Afro-Brazilian ancestry,He began his training in the martial art discipline of Caporeia since he was six years old.

 

It should be noted that in Brazil the most recognizable styles of Caporeia played are the Angola style which is played very close to ground and full of trickery and then there's the flashy Regional style which has acrobatics and flair.The Identity of Lateef's Mestre(Master/Teacher) is uncertain and it is not known if Lateef learned both styles but from his performances it is certain that he definitely knows the Regional style.

 

After acheiving a solid foundation and an already impressive set of skills he moved to San Jose,California and furthered his training with Mestre Bira Almeida aka Mestre Acordeon while eventually getting involved with "Zero Gravity" a southern Californian stunt team in his early twenties and has been a member since the year 2000.Alongside them he has done video shorts and demo reels on the internet that still can be found.(I have the link to the one called "inmate 451"for your viewing pleasure here)http://Inmate 451: http://youtu.be/kZryD0Ds2Bs

 

One of the things that make Lateef stand out from the previous Caporeia practitioners that have demonstrated the art onscreen is that he shows prior to what the naysayers believe, that Caporeia is indeed combat based and not just for show.He is still building his filmography and has done stunt work and made cameo appearances in a dozen movies and productions.One of the most memorable and prominent being the box offce hit Tom Yum Goong aka The Protector(2005)containing what has been considered as an all time fan favorite fight scene with the movie's main star and protagonist Tony Jaa who is also an outstanding martial artist but unlike Lateef has attained mainstream stardom.

 

Both men displayed an unforgettable and jaw dropping exhibition of techniques,acrobatics and a ferocity that set the bar and was a tough act to follow even up until now.It should be noted that the fight duration was originally longer than what was shown in the movie but had to be cut because of an injury sustained by Lateef in his achilles tendon during the course of filming the fight.Despite this though, Lateef had made his mark and was already generating a fan base of his own.That said movie was also the one that brought him to my attention and had left me awestruck as well.

 

Due to his skill display and tremendous physical ability shown in The Protector movie and his uncanny resemblance to the popular video game character Eddy Gordo in the Tekken Franchise,Fans of both the video game and Lateef began an online petition for him to star as Eddy Gordo in the up coming Tekken movie who's martial art discipline in the game was ironically Caporeia as well.As fate would have it,He landed the role and was  cast.Sadly,what looked to be a promising career move wasn't exactly the case.Not only was Tekken(2009) a flop but it didn't allow Lateef to properly showcase his true ability and his role within the movie wasn't even a significant one.

 

Although the Tekken opportunity didn't do what was expected for his resume,Lateef continued to forge ahead and lent his fists,feet,and expertise as a stuntman and bit player to other productions such as The Book of Eli starring Denzel Washington and captured the attention once again in one of his best fight scenes up to date easily rivaling his earlier duel with Tony Jaa from The Protector in director Issac Florentine's Undisputed 3(2010)Starring Scott Atkins who is another budding martial arts actor with superb skills and plays as the lead character.

 

The only thing that's bad about this movie is that it was a straight to video release instead of the big screen.If Hollywood had more top notch quality fights like the match up that took place between Lateef and Scott,I'd frequent the theatre more often.Once again,the bar and the ante were upped as Scott and Lateef exchanged punches,kicks,joint locks,holds,etc...PURE TEXTBOOK AND FLAWLESSLY EXECUTED TECHNIQUES.They even threw in a light dosage of acrobatics but not enough to taint the fight or take away from the realism of it.(A noteworthy nod to the film's choreographer Larnell Stovall)Interestingly enough,Scott Atkins has expressed that he would like to work with Lateef again in the future due to him making an impression on him with not just his  martial ability but with his professionalism and good personality.

 

Lateef is still on the move and is never without work,all credited to his diligence,his dedication,and of course his undeniable proficiency in his craft.Despite this he has yet to be the headliner in own movie whether straight to video,let alone a cinema release.That is crime unto itself.The man has a lot to offer in the way of action and entertainment.All he needs is the right script and some decent financial backing.The rest will fall into place.Lateef isn't the only one in this predicament but he is one of the brightest that stands out from the rest.

 

Lateef's latest effort and notable apperance was in yet another straight to video actioner called Falcon Rising(2014) Starring the incomparable Michael Jai White as the titular character and another powerhouse martial artist and usung hero but still more known than Lateef and has acheived a greater degree of success.This production has however given Lateef his biggest role up to date and has allowed him more screen time than all of his previous endeavors.He even has yet another great fight to add to the growing notch on his belt with Mike himself but in a fashion that you won't expect.There is a link to one of his early fights before that particular one within the movie here along with one of his demo reels with Gravity Zero as well for you to check out also.

 

One thing is truly for certain though...No matter if he's the lead or supporting character in a movie,or even just a stuntman,We haven't seen the full magnitude of Lateef Crowder Dos Santos.Not by a longshot.Prepare yourself for "The Onslaught!"

http://Lateef Crowder capoeira: http://youtu.be/m85Q3FRIVHQ    http://Falcon Rising (2014) Fight Scene - Lateef Crowder…: http://youtu.be/O1xgHj8nCFw

[AlbertV]

I'm a big fan of Lateef's work! He had two brief fight scenes against Jason Yee in The Girl from the Naked Eye, the second which leads up to the Oldboy-inspired fight pitting Yee against a group of security guards set to the music of Pagliacci. I heard Lateef had injured himself in the TYG fight against Tony Jaa and was doubled at times by Aaron Toney. I definitely would love to see Lateef in a Capoeira-inspired film ala Only the Strong.

 

[J.J. Hayden]

On 10/10/2015 at 3:16 PM, kokuryuha said:

If there's an unsung hero in today's martial arts cinema that has to have a special mention, it would be Lateef Crowder Dos Santos.As of late,he's become a familiar face in action movies as that guy who comes out of literally nowhere and damn near upstages anyone who he fights with.To describe him would be the expression:"Half man,Half awesome" Born November 23,1977 in Salvador,Bahia,Brazil of Afro-Brazilian ancestry,He began his training in the martial art discipline of Caporeia since he was six years old.

 

It should be noted that in Brazil the most recognizable styles of Caporeia played are the Angola style which is played very close to ground and full of trickery and then there's the flashy Regional style which has acrobatics and flair.The Identity of Lateef's Mestre(Master/Teacher) is uncertain and it is not known if Lateef learned both styles but from his performances it is certain that he definitely knows the Regional style.

 

After acheiving a solid foundation and an already impressive set of skills he moved to San Jose,California and furthered his training with Mestre Bira Almeida aka Mestre Acordeon while eventually getting involved with "Zero Gravity" a southern Californian stunt team in his early twenties and has been a member since the year 2000.Alongside them he has done video shorts and demo reels on the internet that still can be found.(I have the link to the one called "inmate 451"for your viewing pleasure here)http://Inmate 451: http://youtu.be/kZryD0Ds2Bs

 

One of the things that make Lateef stand out from the previous Caporeia practitioners that have demonstrated the art onscreen is that he shows prior to what the naysayers believe, that Caporeia is indeed combat based and not just for show.He is still building his filmography and has done stunt work and made cameo appearances in a dozen movies and productions.One of the most memorable and prominent being the box offce hit Tom Yum Goong aka The Protector(2005)containing what has been considered as an all time fan favorite fight scene with the movie's main star and protagonist Tony Jaa who is also an outstanding martial artist but unlike Lateef has attained mainstream stardom.

 

Both men displayed an unforgettable and jaw dropping exhibition of techniques,acrobatics and a ferocity that set the bar and was a tough act to follow even up until now.It should be noted that the fight duration was originally longer than what was shown in the movie but had to be cut because of an injury sustained by Lateef in his achilles tendon during the course of filming the fight.Despite this though, Lateef had made his mark and was already generating a fan base of his own.That said movie was also the one that brought him to my attention and had left me awestruck as well.

 

Due to his skill display and tremendous physical ability shown in The Protector movie and his uncanny resemblance to the popular video game character Eddy Gordo in the Tekken Franchise,Fans of both the video game and Lateef began an online petition for him to star as Eddy Gordo in the up coming Tekken movie who's martial art discipline in the game was ironically Caporeia as well.As fate would have it,He landed the role and was  cast.Sadly,what looked to be a promising career move wasn't exactly the case.Not only was Tekken(2009) a flop but it didn't allow Lateef to properly showcase his true ability and his role within the movie wasn't even a significant one.

 

Although the Tekken opportunity didn't do what was expected for his resume,Lateef continued to forge ahead and lent his fists,feet,and expertise as a stuntman and bit player to other productions such as The Book of Eli starring Denzel Washington and captured the attention once again in one of his best fight scenes up to date easily rivaling his earlier duel with Tony Jaa from The Protector in director Issac Florentine's Undisputed 3(2010)Starring Scott Atkins who is another budding martial arts actor with superb skills and plays as the lead character.

 

The only thing that's bad about this movie is that it was a straight to video release instead of the big screen.If Hollywood had more top notch quality fights like the match up that took place between Lateef and Scott,I'd frequent the theatre more often.Once again,the bar and the ante were upped as Scott and Lateef exchanged punches,kicks,joint locks,holds,etc...PURE TEXTBOOK AND FLAWLESSLY EXECUTED TECHNIQUES.They even threw in a light dosage of acrobatics but not enough to taint the fight or take away from the realism of it.(A noteworthy nod to the film's choreographer Larnell Stovall)Interestingly enough,Scott Atkins has expressed that he would like to work with Lateef again in the future due to him making an impression on him with not just his  martial ability but with his professionalism and good personality.

 

Lateef is still on the move and is never without work,all credited to his diligence,his dedication,and of course his undeniable proficiency in his craft.Despite this he has yet to be the headliner in own movie whether straight to video,let alone a cinema release.That is crime unto itself.The man has a lot to offer in the way of action and entertainment.All he needs is the right script and some decent financial backing.The rest will fall into place.Lateef isn't the only one in this predicament but he is one of the brightest that stands out from the rest.

 

Lateef's latest effort and notable apperance was in yet another straight to video actioner called Falcon Rising(2014) Starring the incomparable Michael Jai White as the titular character and another powerhouse martial artist and usung hero but still more known than Lateef and has acheived a greater degree of success.This production has however given Lateef his biggest role up to date and has allowed him more screen time than all of his previous endeavors.He even has yet another great fight to add to the growing notch on his belt with Mike himself but in a fashion that you won't expect.There is a link to one of his early fights before that particular one within the movie here along with one of his demo reels with Gravity Zero as well for you to check out also.

 

One thing is truly for certain though...No matter if he's the lead or supporting character in a movie,or even just a stuntman,We haven't seen the full magnitude of Lateef Crowder Dos Santos.Not by a longshot.Prepare yourself for "The Onslaught!"

http://Lateef Crowder capoeira: http://youtu.be/m85Q3FRIVHQ    http://Falcon Rising (2014) Fight Scene - Lateef Crowder…: http://youtu.be/O1xgHj8nCFw

Cheers for the extensive info, Lateef has got some mad skills.