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So is the age of Hong Kong action stars almost over?

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I told my friend I couldnt finish iron fist, his movements are too stiff for me to take him seriously as some sort of martial arts grandmaster
 
After seeing stuff like The Raid, John Wick, South Korean thrillers, and video essays on channels like Every Frame about fight choregraphy, cut heavy fights like that are just so damn jarring. I used to not notice or really care, but now it's so noticeable every time a movie or show does that
 
Martial arts films in general just aren't what they used to be. We'll never see anything on the level of Jackie vs Benny the Jet again, I'm certain.

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After seeing stuff like The Raid, John Wick, South Korean thrillers, and video essays on channels like Every Frame about fight choregraphy, cut heavy fights like that are just so damn jarring. I used to not notice or really care, but now it's so noticeable every time a movie or show does that

With all those movies, you'd think they would dial back the heavy edited fight scenes in them ore recent offerings.
 

erlim

yes, that talented of a member
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Well Jet Li, Donnie Yen, and Wu Jing just shot a short film together so it's alive at least till the middle of 2018.
 

Thewonandonly

Junior Member
After seeing stuff like The Raid, John Wick, South Korean thrillers, and video essays on channels like Every Frame about fight choregraphy, cut heavy fights like that are just so damn jarring. I used to not notice or really care, but now it's so noticeable every time a movie or show does that
Yup the raid fucked me when it comes to action films now. Really the only big budget Hollywood movies that have good action scenes besides john wick is the ... brothers. Can't remember there name but they made winter soilder and are making infinity war. The fight with iron man, Bucky, and captain America at the end of civil war was raid tier in my opinion.

Also: damn Jackie chan is looking fucking good for his age.
 

Switch Back 9

a lot of my threads involve me fucking up somehow. Perhaps I'm a moron?
Martial arts films in general just aren't what they used to be. We'll never see anything on the level of Jackie vs Benny the Jet again, I'm certain.

qllTedT.gif

Indonesia makes some incredible martial arts films. The kitchen fight at the end of The Raid 2 is on and beyond the level of the scene you posted.
 
Headshot, featuring Iko as the lead and some other Raid 2 alumni. It certainly has great action but the story is a shambles. A romance is meant to anchor the movie but it's neither compelling nor convincing even for action movie standards.

Besides if we're gonna throw out other countries as suggestions, surely it's South Korea.

Headshot was awful, it was like want to be Raid, but nowhere as good in any category. The fight choreography was really spotty too, a few cool moments, but also sloppy

Indonesia makes some incredible martial arts films. The kitchen fight at the end of The Raid 2 is on and beyond the level of the scene you posted.

Indonesia made like 3 incredible movies, that isn't much of a trend.
 

SeanC

Member
Pretty much, it's moved to other countries at this point (or some might say other countries have "caught up"). There are still stars, certainly, (Donnie Yen, my man, and Chan still gets stuff made) but I couldn't tell you who the "figurehead" of Hong Kong action or martial arts is at the moment in terms of filmmaker and director or even producer, especially someone that might be moving it forward. There's no upstart "hot shot" that I know of like a Sammo Hung or John Woo in the 1980s and, thus, no new stars.
 

Tom Nook

Member
Big of Jackie Chan in his heydays and still am.

Police Story Movies
Armor of God Movies
Drunken Master Movies

The Raid movies are so good too:

the-raid-2-kitchen-fight-gif.gif
 

Akuun

Looking for meaning in GAF
I liked what little I saw of Wu Jing, but I don't know of any good recent action movies starring him. I only saw a movie or two that starred him, and they were all very B-tier fare, despite him looking very good in fight scenes. The movies themselves just aren't very good movies.

If I remember right, Jackie and Benny really didn't get on well and one of the issues Jackie had was that Benny didn't pull his punches.
I thought it was more like Benny didn't really know how to pull his punches in a way that still looked good on camera, so he kept accidentally hitting Jackie for real? And that caused some friction between them. Something like that.
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Well Jet Li, Donnie Yen, and Wu Jing just shot a short film together so it's alive at least till the middle of 2018.
Damn, Jet Li looks old now.
 
Yeah it really doesn't feel like they have any serious contenders and haven't for awhile.

It was cool seeing Donnie Yen finally get his due and pushed as one of the main faces of HK cinema for awhile, but it doesn't feel like they have anyone particularly standout to push after him.
 
It was cool seeing Donnie Yen finally get his due and pushed as one of the main faces of HK cinema for awhile, but it doesn't feel like they have anyone particularly standout to push after him.

While he is a great actor, he seems to be one of the most hated ones in HK cinema due to his huge ego.

I personally think that the reason he isnt starring in as many films as he actually could because of that. So many directors said they wouldnt work with him again. One movie he was supposed to act in there were 2 main actors/protagonist, but Donnie Yen didnt like it and said sth. like "Its either only me or I wont star in it!"
 

erlim

yes, that talented of a member
I liked what little I saw of Wu Jing, but I don't know of any good recent action movies starring him. I only saw a movie or two that starred him, and they were all very B-tier fare, despite him looking very good in fight scenes. The movies themselves just aren't very good movies.


I thought it was more like Benny didn't really know how to pull his punches in a way that still looked good on camera, so he kept accidentally hitting Jackie for real? And that caused some friction between them. Something like that.

Damn, Jet Li looks old now.

He and Donnie Yen are the same age. People have stated here, Jet Li is from mainland China and mainland China don't care. Wu Jing is like 10 years younger than those guys.

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WaterAstro

Member
Hong Kong culture is dead.

No one even talks about Cantonese food as a cuisine anymore. It's all about Shanghai food.
 
Yup the raid fucked me when it comes to action films now. Really the only big budget Hollywood movies that have good action scenes besides john wick is the ... brothers. Can't remember there name but they made winter soilder and are making infinity war. The fight with iron man, Bucky, and captain America at the end of civil war was raid tier in my opinion.

Also: damn Jackie chan is looking fucking good for his age.

I know you said it was your opinion, but to me it paled in comparison to anything in The Raid.

It really is too bad that it's pop stars who are starring in movies in Hong Kong nowadays. With special effects now taking precedence in Hong Kong/Chinese film, to the Chinese audience, they don't want human highlight reels anymore. It really sucks for martial arts movie fans. :/
 
Martial arts films have been basically dead for the better part of two decades now.

HK cinema for even longer, the Mainland is where the money, talent, and quality films come from now.

Martial arts flicks are my favorites so I hope they make a comeback.
 
Martial arts films have been basically dead for the better part of two decades now.

HK cinema for even longer, the Mainland is where the money, talent, and quality films come from now.

Martial arts flicks are my favorites so I hope they make a comeback.
You don't count the South Korean and now the Indonesian films we've gotten in the last decade?
 
You don't count the South Korean and now the Indonesian films we've gotten in the last decade?

They are there but barely register as a blip. Obviously The Raid and Raid 2 are fucking impeccable, but aside from Ong Bak and Jaa's other mid-00's output Thai and Indonesian films haven't had any real penetration at all.

Korean films are more action thrillers now with the occasional throw in of wuxia or martial arts (Just watched Kundo again the other day). But they lack the... for lack of a better word, soul, of HK martial arts films.
 
It's rare for bigger movies to be about nothing but martial arts thesedays, but there are still plenty of great ones out there in the straight-to-DVD world these days. Scott Adkins makes like four a year :p

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Love that guy. I can't remember which Undisputed movie this gif is from, but honestly Undisputed 2, 3 and 4 are all great watches. Wonderful choreography, camerawork and athleticism, and even more wonderful cheesy Russian accents.
 
Martial arts films in general just aren't what they used to be. We'll never see anything on the level of Jackie vs Benny the Jet again, I'm certain.

qllTedT.gif
Well this finally got me to start checking out Chan's films like I had been planning to a few months back. Rented Rumble In The Bronx and the first three Police Stories, and Drunken Master 2 is on Netflix

Edit: another great GIF courtesy of SunhiLegend
jckicksfiu2m.gif


GOAT action star.
 

Trouble

Banned
I think Bey Logan in a DVD commentary said "Jackie said let's do this for real I'll fuck you up, Benny then said you can try" or something along those lines.

Benny would have fucking destroyed Jackie in a real fight. Dude was a legendary pro kickboxer.

I thought it was more like Benny didn't really know how to pull his punches in a way that still looked good on camera, so he kept accidentally hitting Jackie for real? And that caused some friction between them. Something like that.

That's the story I've heard. I know the part where Jackie rubs his nose is because Benny accidentally booped him.
 
Well this finally got me to start checking Chan's films like I had been planning to a few months back. Rented Rumble In The Bronx and the first three Police Stories, and Drunken Master 2 is on Netflix

Oh god his late 70's early 80's work is a pure treat, you'll love them. Just the right mix of "JESUS CHRIST" level action before he became more of a comedic action star, which isn't a BAD thing to transition too but, my word is his early work good.

Young Master and it's spiritual sequel Dragon Lord are a fantastic 1/2 punch.
 
Well this finally got me to start checking out Chan's films like I had been planning to a few months back. Rented Rumble In The Bronx and the first three Police Stories, and Drunken Master 2 is on Netflix

Edit: another great GIF courtesy of SunhiLegend

Police Story 1 and 2 are my personal favourites, but you really can't go wrong with '80s and '90s Jackie. He's the greatest action star who has ever or likely will ever live.

Don't sleep on his early stuff, too, like The Young Master, Snake in Eagle's Shadow, Drunken Master 1. The action is stilted, which was the style of the time, but Jackie's choreography is absolutely insane. I can't get through those movies without having to stop and rewind like ten times every fight scene because almost every single shot is some ridiculous stunt that must have needed like thirty takes to get perfect :p
 

l2ounD

Member
Jackie the way he climbs up/down buildings.. the original parkour star

His new movie coming out looks pretty sick, gonna love me some serious Chan
 
Police Story 1 and 2 are my personal favourites, but you really can't go wrong with '80s and '90s Jackie. He's the greatest action star who has ever or likely will ever live.

Don't sleep on his early stuff, too, like The Young Master, Snake in Eagle's Shadow, Drunken Master 1. The action is stilted, which was the style of the time, but Jackie's choreography is absolutely insane. I can't get through those movies without having to stop and rewind like ten times every fight scene because almost every single shot is some ridiculous stunt that must have needed like thirty takes to get perfect :p

His earlier work is better because it's not all designed around fucking ridiculous stunts. It's just creative fighting.
 

erlim

yes, that talented of a member
What the fuck is this bullshit?

With the history of Kung Fu films, and a decent budget, how do you fuck up that bad? Shit, Daredevil had better MA scenes.



That movie with him and Cynthia Rothrock is still one of my all time favorites.

Righting Wrongs. Yeah Yuen Biao rocked. Eastern Condors, Prodigal son, etc, etc.
 
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