What are Chiba's best films? recomendations?

[Guest waywardsage]

I've been thinking of getting some chiba films from netflix and trying them out. What are Chibas top 4 films?

If Hard Boiled, The Killer, and A better tomarrow were some of Chow Yun Fats best films. What are Chibas? Whats the first 2 Chiba films I HAVE to watch?

[Guest Chinatown Kid]

The films that show Chiba at his fighting best imo are the Mas Oyama trilogy, in order they are: Karate Bullfighter, Karate Bearfighter, and Karate For life. I also think The Killing Machine is one of his best. Never was too big a fan of The Streetfighter films although alot of people are and those flicks are what made him famous, he fighting looks rather crude in them to me, especially the first one. Chiba does play a great macho character(Terry Suguri) in them though. Karate Warriors is another flick worth checking out for Chiba's cool character but the camera is a little to close to the action. I've been wanting to see the flick where Chiba takes on the Monkey style Kung Fu fighters(Soul of Chiba?), the clip looked great!

[Guest daisho2004]

WOW this is kinda tough, Chiba plays different roles while I love the 1st. & 2nd. Street Fighter movies his Role as Yagyu Jubei has to be one of his Best roles IMO. Get Samurai Reincarnation Great Film just the fight alone with Wakayama Tomisaburo (Lone Wolf & Cub) is a reason to watch this movie.

Note: Sonny Chiba said this was one of his favorite movies.

[Guest Yakuza954]

If you want to look outside the martial arts genre, Doberman Cop is definitely one of his best movies (even though it also has some martial arts). It's easily his best yakuza movie, but you won't find it on Netflix.

[Guest dionbrother]

THE EXECUTIONER, RETURN OF THE STREETFIGHTER and SHOGUN'S SHADOW. And the Shadow Warriors tv series is definitely worth your time. His other films, like the Mas Oyama trilogy, are entertaining, but very uneven.

[Guest Morgoth]

Doberman Cop, thanks Yakuza954, I will try to see it.

My favorite Chiba movie is Killing Machine. Very dark, and really good action.

[Bus]

shogun's samurai is his best

[Guest daisho2004]

Bus, Yes "Shogun's Samurai" is a Great movie but to me Chiba is not really the Main Star in this movie.

[Guest Whirlwind]

Killing Machine & Karate Bullfighter are probably my faves as far as martial arts films he`s done.Shoguns Shadow is a really good film with an awesome fight between Chiba & Ken Ogata.

I loved his out of control yakuza role in Deadly Fight in Hiroshima which is part 2 of the Battles without Honor & Humanity series.

You can`t go wrong with Chiba really,any of those BCI packs are well worth the cash.

[Bus]

my bad... i thought he was meaning the best film he was in and that in my opinion is the best film and he has a major role in it

[Guest Morgoth]

"It's a dream! It's a dream! It's a dream! It's a dream! It's a dream! It is only a dream!!"

[Bus]

hmm say what?

and it's fading now fading away

[Guest Morgoth]

"It's a dream! It's a dream! It's a dream! It's a dream! It's a dream! It is only a dream!!"- quote from Shogun's Samurai

[Bus]

lmao yea it just freaked me out a little when i saw the post haha because the radio was playing some corny ass neil young song called it's a dream i started looking for ya in the bushes

[Guest Morgoth]

Be afraid, be very afraid!

[Guest Stuntman Jules]

The best movie that Chiba was physically in his no doubt Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Deadly Fight in Hiroshima. He was in around 20 of director Kinji Fukasaku's 60 films.

But in terms of martial arts/samurai type stuff:

Shogun's Samurai- Great Fukasaku jidai-geki, basically one of his yakuza films set in Tokugawa era Japan but with samurai clans instead of yakuza clans backstabbing and killing each other.

The Street Fighter- Wonderfully nihilistic and violent grindhouse martial arts epic. Totally a sleazy, black ball ripping, class free affair.

Legend of the Eight Samurai- Another Fukasaku period epic, probably one of Kinji's biggest budget and largest scale movies with gorgeous cinematography, stunning costumes and pretty good action. Marred only by a horrifically bad 80s score.

The Executioner- A film directed by Teruo Ishii and starring Sonny Chiba, a match made in heaven for me. Violent, vicious and nihilistic.

Samurai Reincarnation- Yet another one of the many films Chiba and Fukasaku made together. In many ways it's a more solid film than Legend of the Eight Samurai and is nice meshing of horror and jidai-geki. Also, the scenes where Chiba duels Ken Ogata on a beach and then Tomisaburo Wakayama in a burning castle are what badass is made of.

[Alex]

I had a bit of a problem with Killing Machine. This is the best Chiba film I've seen as far as filming of the action - clear long takes, good angles, camera actually seems mounted as opposed to juggled in a 'hot potato' fashion as is the usual japanese way of filming karate. But what they're actually filming is not that exciting to me. Chiba is in top form, but he doesn't really have anybody to show that form off against. Aside from a brief fight with 2 judo/aikido masters, we get to see him repeatedly trample the same yakuza gang that he already beat in the first 10-15 minutes or so. Nobody in that gang is particularly exciting to watch, so the fights get repetetive to me. It's almost a waste, imagine if that filming technique was used in Streetfigher and Return of the Streetfighter where he faces off against a variety of opponents and styles.

While I'm here, let me recommend the Power of Aikido as well, which is lately been everywhere I look in bootleg form. Jiro Chiba technically has top billing here, but he is continuously overshadowed by Sonny in a supporting role. Wall to wall quality action, and the use of aikido as the main theme in the choreography pays off to make for something very exciting that you just don't see that often (outside of a good Segal flick at least)

[Guest Yakuza954]

I had a bit of a problem with Killing Machine. This is the best Chiba film I've seen as far as filming of the action - clear long takes, good angles, camera actually seems mounted as opposed to juggled in a 'hot potato' fashion as is the usual japanese way of filming karate. But what they're actually filming is not that exciting to me. Chiba is in top form, but he doesn't really have anybody to show that form off against. Aside from a brief fight with 2 judo/aikido masters, we get to see him repeatedly trample the same yakuza gang that he already beat in the first 10-15 minutes or so. Nobody in that gang is particularly exciting to watch, so the fights get repetetive to me. It's almost a waste, imagine if that filming technique was used in Streetfigher and Return of the Streetfighter where he faces off against a variety of opponents and styles.

Welcome to Japanese Karate films. One of the biggest problems with these movies is that there's rarely a worthy opponent for the main character to fight against. It's usually just gangs of Yakuza, and once they're taken care of there's only the fat boss left who was barking out orders. Of course he knows no martial arts and gets disposed of in like 2 seconds. I've noticed this in Japanese action films in general actually. In Chiba's films, sometimes they try to spice things up by adding some random bad guy with nunchucks (am I the only one completely sick of nunchucks?) or by using that that old actor in all his movies. You know the one, the guy who always has some disability, like a missing arm or eye, but still manages to get his ass kicked in the end.

time to watch a Chinese kung fu film where the final bad guy has white hair and spends half the movie kicking the lead actor's ass with his own distinct style that he spent 30 years creating...

[Alex]

^^ there are some exceptions to this (sister streetfigher, executioner, dragon princess all have somewhat of a variety), but generally I'm with you 100%

Chinese films are unfortunately not exempt from this, there are tons where the hero repeatedly fights and beats the same henchmen or the same 'boss'. A few good ones actually use this to their advantage, for example White Lotus Cult and Executioners from Shaolin where the whole point is that the hero slowly builds the necessary skills to defeat the villain

[The Dragon]

In no particular order...

The Killing Machine

The Street Fighter

The Karate Bull Fighter

The Executioner

Chiba was at his most lethal in each of these films, displaying all the favorite bone-wrenching action we've come to love him for!

Favorite line...: "...Say your prayers!!", Chiba remarks to a Hijacker on an airplane in The Bodyguard, and he promply kicks the guy in the mouth, ending with a classic "money shot" of the guy's entire upper-bridge falling from his jaw!

[5 Element Boxer]

I recommend the Shadow Warriors series to anyone who wants to see Chiba at his best. I'm in the middle of the series, and I'm loving it. Great stuff. Chiba vs Kurata = awesomeness.

[HAZ]

I know sister street fighter isn't 100% a Chiba film, but I really liked it!

[Chinatown Kid]

Can anyone tell me where I can find this Shadow Warriors series? I'd really like to see Chiba vs Kurata. Also, wasn't there a Japanese tv series called G-Men featuring Chiba and Kurata? I'd really like to see that as well if I can find it.

[Morgoth Bauglir]

Did you check your local Best Buys for Shadaw Warriors? It comes with a couple remastered Chiba flicks as a bonus.

[Chinatown Kid]

No I didn't Morgoth but next time I'm in there I'll definately look for it. This is a Japanese tv series right?