Worst martial arts film you have seen?

[qi-tah]

Hi all;

What is the worst martial arts film that you have ever seen and why?

For me it would have to be "Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires", a very dodgy mix of run run shaw and hammer horror. The paper mache zombie heads and the bats on strings clinched matters for me actually.

 

[Drac]

The Karate Kid..

 

[MA-Caver]

The Karate Kid..

Blasphemy... but I can see where you're coming from... aww it wasn't THAT bad ... (was it?)

anyway for me... any of the "American Ninja" movies... they gave a serious art a bad name.

Bad enough that it took Myth-Busters to clear up some stupid ideas.

 

[Drac]

Blasphemy... but I can see where you're coming from... aww it wasn't THAT bad ... (was it?)

Yes it was...

 

[michaeledward]

I really don't think it was a bad movie. But, if there is a chance to plug it, I'll take it.


..... 18 Fingers of Death .....


See it today.

 

[Skip Cooper]

I don't remember the name of the movie or who the lead actor was, but it had something to do with a blind swordsman in modern day society. I believe his sword was hidden inside his walking stick.

As far as the "Karate Kid" is concerned...it does have its cheese factor (as does (dare I say) "Enter The Dragon"), but for me it brings me back to my childhood when I watch it. Although, I did like the second one better.

I watched "Enter The Dragon" the other night on AMC (I never miss it when it is on) and I always laugh at the stiff acting and the poorly choreographed fight scenes. MA in the movies have definitely come a long way.

 

[MA-Caver]

I don't remember the name of the movie or who the lead actor was, but it had something to do with a blind swordsman in modern day society. I believe his sword was hidden inside his walking stick.

You might be thinking of Zatotchi: The Blind Swordsman that was a modern remake of a series of great films by the same name/character but it was not in a modern day setting. The only thing modern about it was the end dance which the director/actor felt might help the film. All in all it was done very nicely (except for that dance sequence which really IMO detracted from the flow of the storyline).

I watched "Enter The Dragon" the other night on AMC (I never miss it when it is on) and I always laugh at the stiff acting and the poorly choreographed fight scenes. MA in the movies have definitely come a long way.

The "poorly choreographed" fight scenes were done by none-other than Bruce Lee himself (look at the credits). Again I'm going to have to play Siskel to your Ebert by disagreeing that it was/is one of the best MA films to come out of that decade. Now "Return of the Dragon" ... while that had great fight scenes again choreographed by Lee (and he kicked Norris' ***) the acting was much to be desired but still a good flick to watch for it's cheese factor.

 

[Skip Cooper]

You might be thinking of Zatotchi: The Blind Swordsman that was a modern remake of a series of great films by the same name/character but it was not in a modern day setting. The only thing modern about it was the end dance which the director/actor felt might help the film. All in all it was done very nicely (except for that dance sequence which really IMO detracted from the flow of the storyline).



The "poorly choreographed" fight scenes were done by none-other than Bruce Lee himself (look at the credits). Again I'm going to have to play Siskel to your Ebert by disagreeing that it was/is one of the best MA films to come out of that decade. Now "Return of the Dragon" ... while that had great fight scenes again choreographed by Lee (and he kicked Norris' ***) the acting was much to be desired but still a good flick to watch for it's cheese factor.

Yes I know that Bruce Lee is responsible for the fight scene choreography. I was not implying that Bruce Lee didn't know what he was doing. Please allow me to correct what I was trying to say, lest I disparage the name of the great Bruce Lee...

I was referring to those who were performing in the fight scenes themselves, not so much the actual choreograpy. Maybe it was the camera angles, I don't know. I just think it is funny. I agree with you that "Enter The Dragon" was one of the best films of that decade, but it doesn't mean the movie is lacking in some areas. Besides this, I still enjoy watching it everytime it is on. But this is my opinion, I do not wish to try to change anyone's opinion. We don't all have to be enamored with the same things.

I don't always go along with what the experts say anyway. I remember a long, long, long time ago when Kurt Cobain died. All the pop culture experts kept saying that he was the voice of our generation (I'm 32 btw). I for one never liked Nirvana and he never spoke for me, but that doesn't mean he didn't speak for other teens and twenty-somethings at the time.

BTW, Siskel and Ebert? Which one was the fat one?

 

[MA-Caver]

Yes I know that Bruce Lee is responsible for the fight scene choreography. I was not implying that Bruce Lee didn't know what he was doing. Please allow me to correct what I was trying to say, lest I disparage the name of the great Bruce Lee...

I was referring to those who were performing in the fight scenes themselves, not so much the actual choreograpy. Maybe it was the camera angles, I don't know. I just think it is funny. I agree with you that "Enter The Dragon" was one of the best films of that decade, but it doesn't mean the movie is lacking in some areas. Besides this, I still enjoy watching it everytime it is on. But this is my opinion, I do not wish to try to change anyone's opinion. We don't all have to be enamored with the same things.


BTW, Siskel and Ebert? Which one was the fat one?

Ebert... but I'm not implying that you're fat... hell, I haven't seen ya! :lol:

Probably the best actor they had in the film ...wait...the most experienced actor was John Saxon, then Lee followed by the rest in descending order. Little trivia here the guy who played Han, Kien Shih does not speak English, so his lines were overdubbed by Chinese-American actor Keye Luke (aka Master Po from the Kung Fu tv series).
Lee also had set up the camera angles along with the cinematographer and director... at least for the said fight scenes.
As far as the rest of the acting, well it was a mix of Chinese and American (and a couple of Brits )movie actors doing what they knew how the best way they knew how.

Anyway we're dangerously close to straying off topic here...

 

[Kensai]

I don't remember the name of the movie or who the lead actor was, but it had something to do with a blind swordsman in modern day society. I believe his sword was hidden inside his walking stick.

Zaitoichi was great. Riiiight up until that stupid dance scene at the end, then it became retarded in a micro-second. Oh, and the CG'd blood through-out the film was a little... pants?

For me, probably anything with JCVD in it. Mullets and jeans may have been in in the early 90's, but is just pure cheese now.

 

[Xue Sheng]

Gymkata

Nuff said

 

[Sukerkin]

I think the film mentioned above that involved a blind swordsman in a modern setting may have been "Blind Fury" starring Rutger Hauer?

As to the fight choerography in Enter the Dragon ... may I just say to the naysayers ... are you crackers? :lol:.

That film is right up there as a candidate for the Best MA Movie of All Time and, other than the mass brawl towards the end, has some of the best hand-to-hand cinematic fighting ever filmed.

 

[Marginal]

Dragon and the Hawk. A locally made film that wants to be campy and be taken seriously at the same time. Bad editing, boring fights and rounded out with horrible acting by all involved. (There's a guy who apparently only looks meanicing when shot from a certain angle so he'll shuffle into scenes sideways in order to keep his evil pose etc.) It's terrible in the too bad to even be enjoyed ironically class.

Fists of Legend 2. A vague continuation of Fist of Legend except it's completely incoherant. Involves Sun Yat Sen wandering about while random people try to kill him. (Not sure if that's the primary story or a sub plot.)

 

[Skip Cooper]

I think the film mentioned above that involved a blind swordsman in a modern setting may have been "Blind Fury" starring Rutger Hauer?

Yes, "Blind Fury", I think that's it. It sounds right!

As to the fight choerography in Enter the Dragon ... may I just say to the naysayers ... are you crackers? :lol:.

I must be...

 

[Marginal]

The "poorly choreographed" fight scenes were done by none-other than Bruce Lee himself (look at the credits). Again I'm going to have to play Siskel to your Ebert by disagreeing that it was/is one of the best MA films to come out of that decade. Now "Return of the Dragon" ... while that had great fight scenes again choreographed by Lee (and he kicked Norris' ***) the acting was much to be desired but still a good flick to watch for it's cheese factor.

Not all of Lee's stuff was gold. Enter the Dragon's one of his best, but it does feel a little stiff in comparison to the films that followed later on. Lots of little things tug at my attention when I watch Lee's stuff, like his akward double leg to nut punch in RoD.

In terms of cinematography and fluidity of the fights etc, Fist of Legend blows Lee's original (Fists of Fury?) out of the water for example. Lee's stuff there got outright silly, like his fight in the church basement where he ends up twirling two stuffed dummies above his head. Terrible pacing killed that one in general.

 

[Skip Cooper]

Not all of Lee's stuff was gold...

Tread carefully, Marginal...

 

[Grenadier]

Gymkata

Nuff said

What he said.

It's so bad of a movie, that you can't help but to watch the darn thing when it comes up on TBS / TNT once in a while. The sound effects are horrible...

Also, it just happens to be that he's trapped in a village full of insane, cannibalistic loonies, and just happens to find a gymnastics "horse" as well as a high bar.

I always wondered why it was never shown on Mystery Science Theater 3000?

 

[Xue Sheng]

I always wondered why it was never shown on Mystery Science Theater 3000?

That is a REAL good question.

 

[Marginal]

Tread carefully, Marginal...

I'm just sayin'... Though Fists of Fury is forever colored to me since I bought a cheapo version ages back that features a guy with the deepest voice of all time dubbing *all* the characters. (He even voices the women in an affected femalish voice!) Hearing Bruce Lee screaming about his dead teacher loses all gravity in the version I have since it sounds like Dikimbe Mutumbo with a mouthfull of marbles screaming "Teacher! Teacher! Noooooo!"

4:14 is beyond silly.

Compared to

The editing and the way the action flows is stronger in the remix.

 

[elder999]

"Kill or be Killed," and it's equally excrable sequal, "Kill and Kill Again"

Some topnotch JKA people were in it, too......