Directors Best Movie or TV martial artist? (1 Viewer)

[Curt_Dennis]

Edwin, After reading your last post, I lost total respect for you and your training. The comment you made about making your students do frog walks around the dojo for not pronouncing Korean words correctly is absurd. It's one thing to learn the culture, the terminology, customs, etc of the country where the art was developed, but it's another to discipline based on someone's inability to pronounce correctly. I'm actually glad you aren't teaching anymore. I've always had a hard time pronouncing foreign words, and I feel for those students that had to be treated like that.

 

[JonZ]

Bruce Lee and Sonny Chiba are my favorites.(Bruce had talked to Sonny about doing a movie together - too bad it never happened :frowning

Bruce Lee was the greatest IMHO. No one else even comes close.

Afterwards would be some of the Shaw Brothers actors who were talented martial artists,and performers.

 

[Edwin_C]

First of all i said his hip didn't lead on his wheel (dorafrigi) which is pretty much a variation on a hook kick (hewligi)

to end it off... i admit that my judgement was skewed by a lack of knowledge pertaining to the matter. so yea.. i admit that jean claude van damme's reasoning for becoming a martial artist was superficial, and that chuck norris is more respectable then him.

 

[Mike Wladyka]

Edwin,

i guess my english skills (or lack of) through you for a loop...i meant "his hip never leads his foot and also his foot is turned the wrong way" on his wheel...both of these are critiques on his wheel, i guess i could re-word it to "as for his wheel, his foot is turned the wrong way and his hip doesn't lead his foot"...sorry for the confusion, i hope that this clears it up.

 

[Rand]

My background is around 20 years teaching and study. I have a nidan in Shotokan and have studied (among others) Gi Kon Do, Tae Kwan Do, Jiu Jitsu, Iaido, and various weapons training (mostly katana, sai, tonfa, and bo).

Personally, while he sure was enjoyable to watch on the screen, I don't think much of Bruce Lee as a martial artist. Of the current stars I think Steven Seagal (while not much of an actor and a bit of a jerk personally at times) has the best and most authenic technique, specifically Aikido.

 

[Tony Whalen]

Of the current stars I think Steven Seagal (while not much of an actor and a bit of a jerk personally at times) has the best and most authenic technique, specifically Aikido.

Now I mostly agree with this. I just wish that Seagal would lose the pony tail, stop using a Colt M1911 in EVERY film, and maybe, JUST maybe wear something other than black. Of course, I wouldn't suggest this to his face, lest he slap me with a phone or something.

 

[Brook K]

If you read Frank Dux (subject of Bloodsport) autobiography, he says Van Damme is just an actor and has zero skillz, but some have said the book is a total fabrication. I only know from watching movies, but I wouldn't think he could hold a candle to Bruce, Sonny Chiba, Jet Li, Sho Kosugi, Jackie, Sammo or a host of the HK guys - like the stars of 36th Chamber of the Shaolin.

How about the American Ninja guy?

 

[Mike Wladyka]

Rand,

why do you make a comment that you don't think of bruce lee as much of a martial artist? as previously mentioned, many people took on bruce during breaks in movie filming, and he was always victorious...he never backed down from a challenge...i am just curious to your rational behind such claims. you can't get off that easy, after a comment like that...so what is your basis?

 

[Chris_Morris]

How about the American Ninja guy?

Michael Dudikoff? Now we are scraping the very bottom of the barrel

Other names not mentioned:
Donnie Yen
Michelle Yeoh
Bolo Yeung
Pat Morita
Ralph Macchio
Chow Yun Fat
Jacky Cheung
Yuen Biao
Stephen Chow


Chris
PS- Guys, can we keep this on topic and not have it devolve into an fight over who teaches better, who knows more about Art A/B/C?

 

[Hunter P]

Really?


Oh, damn, I forgot another name that needs to be mentioned here. Kurt Thomas from Gymkata. Sure, he might not be so effective out in some field. Put him in a courtyard with an iron horse and a horizontal bar and he's almost invincible.

Like Bruce, he has his own unique fighting style: Gymkata.

 

[Chris_Morris]

Hunter, you are kidding about the fight choreography, aren't you?


And Kurt Thomas is scraping the barrel scrapings


Chris

 

[Mike Wladyka]

Chris,

Ralph Macchio? please he suffers from van damme-ism also...didn't get involved with martial arts till after karate kid...the other names mentioned are all respectable, even though bolo got his butt kicked by bruce on the film set of enter the dragon...

Kurt thomas? what brought that on? In that respect how about david carradine? Kung Fu is a pretty good show, but i think he is slower than chuck norris...

oh yeah, thanks for defending the Jet Li vote...he is my favorite

 

[Hunter P]

guys, calm down. of course i'm kidding.

In all seriousness, Johnny from the Cobra Kai could totally kick Bruce's ass. OK, still kidding. I meant to say that Tum Tum from 3 Ninjas Kick Back could kick his ass. Ya got me, I'm still kidding. Now I'm totally serious here: Sasha Mitchell, from the Kickboxer series and also star of TV's Step by Step, could kick his ass. Really, I mean it. I'm not lying. He really could. He could totally do it...

All right, I admit it. I'm still joking. Damn, I almost pulled that one off.

 

[Chris_Morris]

Mike, Ralph was a joke, as was Pat Morita. I tried to think of a few others to put in there.

Of course I missed the whole 3 ninjas gang, and Sasha Mitchell (who does have some credibilty as he was an actual practicioner, just a horrible actor)

Chris

 

[Mike Wladyka]

Whew, that was a good one...i saw donnie yen and thought you were serious about the rest...i didn't even see pat morita in there (good thing i missed that one)...i actually like donnie yen, though...

so back to the best of best...how about jennifer love hewitt in the tuxedo...she is good

JET LI, JET LI, JET LI

 

[Tony Whalen]

Bolo Yueng... that guy just gives me the creeps.

Buddy of mine was in HK a number of years ago, and was walking down the street, when he looked up and saw Bolo walking towards him. Freaked him right out.

So a lot of people think Frank Dux is full of it? I wasn't aware of this.

What about that fellow who just stared in "The Transporter". He have any real skill? Or was that just choreography?

Oh ... and Mister Miyagi could kill 'em all!

 

[Hunter P]

I thought Jason Statham (The Transporter) had good screen presence and performed his fights pretty well. He was pretty good...for a round eye.

 

[Danny Tse]

Chow Yut-fat??

Damn good with guns, but a martial artist?? I remember back in the early 80s, when Chow was still a TV actor with TVB in HK, he was cast to play that Drunken Master character than Jackie Chan later played in the features. Even as a kid, I was wondering about his acting abilities to do a part involving martial arts. The result was rather shaky. Then, a couple of years later, Chow was cast in the title role TVB's production of "The Swordsman" (the character later played by Sam Hui and Jet Li in the features). Again, the result was iffy. "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" didn't change my mind all that much. In the right part, Chow is an extraordinary actor, especially comedies. Martial arts films are not his forte.

 

[Rand]

why do you make a comment that you don't think of bruce lee as much of a martial artist? as previously mentioned, many people took on bruce during breaks in movie filming, and he was always victorious...he never backed down from a challenge...i am just curious to your rational behind such claims. you can't get off that easy, after a comment like that...so what is your basis?

Well I have no personal experiance with Bruce Lee and I base my opinion on what I've read. He didn't progress very far with his formal studies (Wing Chun if I remember correctly). He was no doubt a great athlete but I tend to judge someones abilities as a martial artist by how well they are able to master known and traditional styles. The martial arts are more than just the ability to fight. They are a philosophical and spiritual path. I also don't judge a martial artist by swooshing sounds or the ability to spin things. I'm sure Lee did win some sparring matches with other people, I have no doubt that he had a great deal of ability. But there's much more to a martial artist.

 

[Mike Wladyka]

I see your point Rand,

Although i think that Bruce had a good deal to deal with philosophy of life and of martial arts (he did major in philosophy at Washington)...that is one thing i a really like about his movies, at least his later movies...he actually tried to put some philosophy in them...he did study wing chun. i think that he had a lot to do with the philosophy of martial arts...

I watched the transporter over the weekend for like tenth time, but then i watched "the one" right after, and there was no comparsion, although i did think that statham has good action star potential...i am not sure if he has any real skill, but i think he may because i heard some things in the commentary extras that led me to this...not sure though.

as for chow yun fat, i thought he did a good job in crouching tiger, i think he has skill, but again i am not sure...in his movies you always see a little snip-it of him doing a empty hand form, but never the whole thing...makes me wonder.