10 Films To Get You Into Martial Arts
Posted by Marcey Papandrea & Stephen Lambrechts - 26/03/2013
MARCEY: I am a long time martial arts film fan, and have been watching the genre since I was young. It really captured my imagination and it showed me just what the human body was capable of. These films inspired me to actually want to take up some kind of martial art (I didn't make it to any karate classes, but I did take self defense), and do the amazing things that I saw.
With this in mind, Stephen and I have made a list of ten films (five films each) that we think are just right to get you, yes you over there, into this ass-kicking genre, and maybe into a martial arts school. This is a great starting point and I guarantee you a marathon of these films will make you an instant fan.
THE KING OF THE KICKBOXERS (1990)
MARCEY: This is such a great film. It is a lot of fun to watch and by golly does it have some of the best martial arts action you’ll ever see. The choreography is amazing, and the final battle between my pal Loren Avedon and Tae-Bo Grandmaster Billy Blanks is gravity-defying bout for the history books. I’ve seen this countless times and it's always a great ride!
WHEELS ON MEALS (1984)
MARCEY: A little gem from the year of my birth, this was directed by the absolutely fantastic Sammo Hung, who also stars with Jackie Chan and Yuen Biao. Memorable for Keith Vitali and of course the fantastic end fight scene with Benny Urquidez, which is one of the greatest of all time, and the stuff of legend.
UNDISPUTED II: LAST MAN STANDING (2006)
MARCEY: If you know me, you know I worship this film! I love everything about it, Michael Jai White and Scott Adkins light up the screen and make for fantastically physical rivals! The choreography is amazing of course, done by the man J.J. Perry! It looks fantastic and for a direct to DVD title, it is spectacularly shot and directed by Isaac Florentine! We also recommend the incredible sequel, Undisputed III: Redemption, in which Adkins' character of Boyka gets to take the leading role after playing the villain in part duex. BOYKA! BOYKA! BOYKA!
REVENGE OF THE NINJA (1983)
MARCEY: Sort of an unofficial sequel to Menahem Golan's film Enter the Ninja, Return of the Ninja sees Shô KosugiI get to play the hero this time. I wasn’t going to have a martial arts list without the legendary Shô Kosugi! He is simply outstanding and I just love watching him do his ninja thing. While Revenge Of The Ninja might be an odd film, the martial arts on display is top notch and well worth watching. It's also another film featuring Keith Vitali! Shô's son, Kane Kosugi. is also in the film and manages to kick almost as much ass as his father. Not bad for a little kid.
THE WAY OF THE DRAGON – MENG LONG GUO JIANG (1972)
MARCEY: I am sure it was expected that I’d place Bruce Lee’s most famous film, Enter The Dragon, on the list, but I decided to pick another film of his. Perhaps this is best remembered for the legendary showdown between Bruce and one Chuck Norris, but the film itself is a great ride and yet another reason why Bruce was such an amazing man, and also a talented director. Game of Death would've also been a brilliant martial arts showcase, what with all of the talented masters and grandmasters that starred in the film, but due to Bruce's death, the finished product is an absolute travesty.
STEPHEN: Martial arts films have played an enormous role in my journey to becoming the sleazy cinema sensei that I am today. The films of Bruce Lee, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Jackie Chan were the first films I ever truly loved, and they were the ones that set me on this path of being completely obsessed with genre cinema.
The films (along with my brother) also inspired me to become a martial artist from an early age. A brief stint training in Tae Kwon Do was followed by six devoted years of Hap Ki Do training. Since then, I've tried to get my (deadly) hands on every martial arts film possible. My hope is that the five films I've chosen below (as well as Marcey's choices) can inspire you to take an interest in martial arts like they did for me all those years ago.
NO RETREAT NO SURRENDER (1986)
STEPHEN: Every young martial artist dreams of studying under the legendary Bruce Lee. Well, that's kind of impossible. So what's the next best thing? A dubbed, Korean Bruce Lee impersonator of course!
Jason Stillwell (Kurt McKinney) is forced to move from L.A. To Seattle after his cowardly father gets beaten up by Van Damme. He tries to fit in, but what hope does he have when he gets caught up in the vicious and infamous Seattle Karate vs L.A. Karate rivalry? On top of this, Jason has to deal with his bitch-ass father’s refusal to allow him to practice martial arts. There’s only one thing he can do - squat in some random, abandoned house, and summon the ghost of Bruce Lee to undo the years of worthless Karate he picked up from training under his wussy dad. Will he fit in? Will he get the girl? Will he allow his break dancing buddy to sit on his lap while he does horizontal pelvic thrusts? Will his father finally respect him? Will he randomly meet Van Damme again and put his new training to use? Yes, yes, yes, yes and yes.
ONLY THE STRONG (1993)
STEPHEN: I don’t know anyone who watched Only the Strong back in the day and didn’t immediately want to learn Capoeira. It’s the Brazilian dance-fighting martial art that was invented to look awesome and pick up girls, or something. Mark Dacascos stars as a Capoeira expert that is brought in at an inner-city ghetto school in order to teach some troubled youths and set some them straight. In other words, it’s Dangerous Minds with Capoeira instead of candy bars.
BLOODSPORT (1988)
STEPHEN: As far as I’m concerned, this is the definitive martial arts tournament movie (Sorry Enter the Dragon). Van Damme stars as Frank Dux, the supposed real-life champion of the underground tournament known as The Kumite™. Frank wants to honour his ‘shidoshi’ by winning The Kumite™ in place of his master’s now deceased son.
What follows is a kaleidoscopic display of montages, muscles and martial arts styles.
If you want to learn more about different martial arts styles and which one might suit you, there are plenty to choose from here. There's a videogame-like level of fighter variety in Bloodsport. This is what mixed martial arts tournaments should actually be like.
MIAMI CONNECTION (1987)
STEPHEN: Here’s a movie that will hook you in with its incredibly cheese-factor, but make you stay because of how genuinely awesome it is. Thankfully plucked from obscurity, Miami Connection is an ‘80s film that has recently been granted a new lease of life by Drafthouse Films. Tae Kwon Do Grandmaster Y.K. Kim is the co-director and star of this martial arts miracle, which is about a group of rock ‘n’ roll martial arts orphans who take a stand against the drug-dealing biker ninjas that have been elbowing their way into town (which is actually Orlando, not Miami).
If you haven’t already purchased the film based on the previous sentence, here are a few more things about it to help convince you - the film features genuinely fantastic fight scenes, numerous synth-rock performances (complete with on-stage martial arts demonstrations), biker-babe boobs, a freakin’ stylish neon colour palette, Tae Kwon Do training sequences, a surprising amount of violence and a brutal and emotional showdown in the forest that will have you cheering.
NINJA (2009)
STEPHEN: Scott Adkins is popular around these parts, which is why we've picked a second flick from the man's oeuvre - Isaac Florentine's film Ninja. Adkins plays Casey, an orphan raised in a Ninjitsu school. This, along with Miami Connection, is definitive proof that orphans make the best martial artists (and secret agents, according to M in Skyfall).
Casey is tasked with travelling to New York to protect the transport of an armoured ninja chest full of sacred weapons owned by the last Koga Ninja. Things don’t go smoothly however, as the disgraced former ninja student Masazuka, now an assassin in league with the villainous group known as The Ring, wants the armour for himself. This all leads to an explosive face-off between two armoured ninjas on a New York City (or in this case, a Bulgarian backlot passing for a New York City block).
Seriously, imagine how awesome and exciting it would be if this kind of thing happened at every martial arts school! Keep an eye out for the upcoming sequel, this time starring a grown up Kane Kosugi (Revenge of the Ninja) in the villain role!
So there you have it! Simply watch all of the above movies in a row, and you're practically already a green belt in [insert martial art]. Join us next week as we list off the films that will get you into Tae Bo (here's a hint: every film stars Billy Blanks).
We will also bring you a list of the very best Don 'The Dragon' Wilson films. It is a short list, consisting of not a single film.
*Turns to face the flags. Bows*
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