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

Mike Wladyka

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Well that's got to be jean claude van damme...yeah right...he is the bose of martial arts:D

Actually it is got to be Jet Li
 

Edwin_C

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actually, jean claude van damme's not that bad. the award for bose of martial arts would have to go to chuck norris. that man can not do anything!
 

Mike Wladyka

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actually chuck norris is a much better martial artist than jean claude will ever be...chuck at least won the karate championships a couple of times, even though his wheel kick is molasses slow...

all jean claude is, is a ballet dancer...his moves are meant to pretty but lack any martial art skill...
 

MarkHastings

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He may not be as well known as "Chuck Norris", but how about "Michael Jai White" (he played Spawn). I know a black belt who worked with him and he said Michael is pretty damn good.

From IMDB:
Blackbelts in various martial arts.

Blackbelts in 7 Karate styles, 26 titles including U.S. Open, North American Open, and New England Grand Champion. Studied acting at H.B. Studio, Yale University and Brown University. Performed Off-Broadway in "Raisin in the Sun" and "To Kill a Mockingbird"

Attended Central High School in Bridgeport, CT. Class of 1982
 

Mike Wladyka

Supporting Actor
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Yeah Michael Jai White is really good...that guy is sweet. As for the bruce lee comment, i do like that bruce lee brings in more of the philosophical side of martial arts but for Jet Li is a much better movie fighter...fist of legend is better than fists of fury and it is the same movie but one with jet li and the other with bruce lee...

i wish that Ray Park could get some good roles...they didn't even let him show his skill as Darth Maul

as for tournament fighters on TV/movies, billie blanks...that's right the tae bo guy...he used to crush people
 

MarkHastings

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i wish that Ray Park could get some good roles...
Yeah, he did some pretty good sword work in Sleepy Hollow.

Now that I think about it...Darth Maul...Headless Horseman...These seem to be characters that handle swords well but don't do a lot of moving when they fight. I don't know a lot about Park, but is it that he's best at sword handling and not so much martial arts?
 

Steve Christou

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There's Bruce Lee and than there's the rest, only problem is he's dead.
Jet Li's the best [famous] martial artist alive today, but of course there's a hundred martial arts guys we've never heard of [and never will] that can knock Jet down in the blink of an eye.
 

Edwin_C

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bruce lee is a legend not only because of his movie parts, but because he was undefeatable in tournaments also. jet li has won some tournaments (i'm sure, although not documented), but uncomparable to bruce lee. if that's your definition of a good movie martial artist, then bruce lee is by far the best.

btw.. jean claude van damme is a lot better then chuck norris. chuck norris has no form and his speed is slower then slow. jean claude van damme is a horrible actor, but as a martial artist alone... he would kill chuck norris. it's not about achievments, not everybody competes. it's about form, accuracy, speed, and power.
 

Hunter P

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Bruce also invented his own form of martial art, Jeet Kune Do, or "Way of the Intercepting Fist."

I don't know about Bruce being in tournaments but he did take on all challengers. I wonder how many real fights these other stars have been in? Or did they just use their art in controlled environments like movies or tournaments?

As for movie presence, how can you not get into his facial expression as he stomped on his sister's would-be rapist in Enter the Dragon? Bruce brought swagger to his characters. When he tasted his blood and sneered at his opponent then you knew a serious ass-kicking was about to take place.

Plus who hasn't done a little head shake when in a fighting stance? That is Bruce all the way. Most memorable is when he is about to fight Kareem Abdul Jabbar in Game of Death.

(insert name here) is better on film than Bruce? Oh, HELL NO! Bruce doesn't need to use wire-fu or CG to take out 20 men. He used real techniques. Nobody can duplicate his swagger or his sheer power on the big screen.
 

Micheal

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Bruce also invented his own form of martial art, Jeet Kune Do, or "Way of the Intercepting Fist."

I don't know about Bruce being in tournaments but he did take on all challengers. I wonder how many real fights these other stars have been in? Or did they just use their art in controlled environments like movies or tournaments?

As for movie presence, how can you not get into his facial expression as he stomped on his sister's would-be rapist in Enter the Dragon? Bruce brought swagger to his characters. When he tasted his blood and sneered at his opponent then you knew a serious ass-kicking was about to take place.

Plus who hasn't done a little head shake when in a fighting stance? That is Bruce all the way. Most memorable is when he is about to fight Kareem Abdul Jabbar in Game of Death.

(insert name here) is better on film than Bruce? Oh, HELL NO! Bruce doesn't need to use wire-fu or CG to take out 20 men. He used real techniques. Nobody can duplicate his swagger or his sheer power on the big screen.
What he said.:emoji_thumbsup:
 

brentl

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""Way of the Intercepting Fist."" HEy I have that porno:)

On the size VS power front I'd think that Bruce Lee was fantastic.

Back in the day I'm sure that Chuck was fantastic, don't take he recent crap for his onlder stuff.

Brent
 

Curt_Dennis

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Edwin, I have to totally disagree with you. I have met both men, trained in the martial arts for 18 yrs now, and you couldn't be farther from the truth. It's funny how people that have never met or seen either person in action, and I'm guessing never studied the martial arts either, makes comments based on what they see in a movie or TV show. Let's be honest, movies and TV shows have no real bearing on what a person can actually do. Bruce Lee is without a doubt one of the top movie/TV martial artists, as well as fighting martial artists. Jeet Kune Do is a great art. Jet li, Ray Park, and Michael Jai White are all great though too. I really like watching Jet Li movies because his style is entertaining to me. I'd classify Van Don't Know it at the very bottom, and that's from personal experience off the set.
 

Tony Whalen

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Sorry.. can't pick just one.

Bruce Lee. 'nuff said.

Michael Jai White...man can kick some SERIOUS butt.

Jean-Claude ... critics say what you will... the combination of ballet and karate is rather impressive. On-screen at least. Off-screen, I can't see it being useful...

Chuck Norris. I wouldn't want to piss him off.

Jet Li. Damn he's FAST.

Jackie Chan...can't believe no one has said this yet.

And my personal b-movie favorite, Shô Kosugi. Ninja-extraordinaire! And the real thing to boot. A true master of koga ryu ninjitsu. How cool is that? :D
 

Curt_Dennis

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Thanks Tony...forgot Jackie Chan..I find him entertaining and he's another that actually knows the arts.
 

Mike Wladyka

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Edwin C,

van damme has little, if no martial art skill...he trained as ballet dancer! and chuck norris was the only white guy with grand mastership five years ago, not sure about now...chuck would destroy van damme...about form, speed, power, accuracy...chuck norris is sixty and just cuz you don't seem him doing as much kicking now doesn't mean that he could not crush van damme...van damme is stretchy and can kick high but lacks any real skill...look at his best movie, bloodsport...kicks look good to an untrained eye but if you notice his hip never leads his foot and also his foot is turned the wrong on his wheel...if your hip doesn't lead you will have no power...flashy kicks don't mean anything with out power...chuck norris has these skills and is why is better movie martial artist than van damme

bruce lee can easily out act any other martial arts actor...and he never fought in one sponsored tournament, he didn't believe in them, but as previously mentioned he always fought on the sets of his films...and never lost...he is definitely the greatest fighter of all time...

and my definition of movie martial artist isn't about tournaments, i mention a guy named billie banks for tournament fighting. I mentioned chuck norris' accomplishments to show that he is a real martial artist and not a ballet dancer...
 

Hunter P

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What the hell is up with all this venom for Van Damme? Let's save some of it for Steven (I run like a girl) Segal! :D
 

Mike Wladyka

Supporting Actor
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Jul 24, 2003
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good one about steven seagal, although he was a japanese aikido (the non fighting martial art) instructor and relatively tough back in the day....

if you mention jackie chan...try samo hung, i believe he taught the chinese military...

Curtis--good point
 

ThomasC

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(insert name here) is better on film than Bruce? Oh, HELL NO! Bruce doesn't need to use wire-fu or CG to take out 20 men. He used real techniques. Nobody can duplicate his swagger or his sheer power on the big screen.
in Cradle 2 the Grave :D, no wire-fu or CG.
 

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