The Best Martial Arts Fight Scene

So lately my cable company has bombarded me with a lot of kung fu/wu xia films. So it got me thinking....what is the best fight scene? But in asking that---you have to ask what is the criteria? Is it kung fu? Is it military hand to hand? Is it just the feral beating in the back alley? Of course all apply....but only one can truly be the best.

So here's my opinion on what the best martial arts fight scene has been....

The rooftop battle in Jackie Chan's "Who Am I?"

While certain fight scenes in such Wu Xia films like Hero, House of Flying Daggers, and Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon are all beautiful...because of the fantasy in which they are based on--they lack a certain realism. It looks more like a dance than an actual fight (a problem that plauged the Matrix sequels bad). And while I think the bathroom stall fight with Jet Li in "Unleashed" was topnotch...his work tends to rely on CGI and and wires. It might look cool...but the gravity defying detracts from the fight. "Unleashed" was a visceral film...but that stall fight lasted only like 30 seconds.

But while Jackie Chan's films are more comical...they still retain the most realism in the kung fu realm. He uses no wires (well...at least he didn't in the past). So when you see him do an aerial move....its really all him and not a group of guys pulling on wires. I respect his work the most for realistic approach he takes and the whimsical after effects.

Another key aspect of my pick is the cinemetography that goes into shooting the action scene. The apartment fight in Bourne Identity (where he stabs the guy in the hand with a pen) is great....but the shakey camera takes away from the fight. It doesn't make it more real...it makes me dizzy. When you see the rooftop fight in "Who Am I?" you see all the action

Anyways...I'm done rambling. For those who haven't scene it--take a peak at what I'm talking about:

WHO AM I?



For the record---my next picks:

• any fight in Jackie Chan's "Legend of Drunken Master"
• final fight in Jet Li's "Fist of Legend"
• any fight scene in "Five Deadly Venoms"

For the most realistic fight, I would have to say the fight between Rowdy ROddy Piper and the black guy from They Live. That's how a fight happens in real life in my opinion

For the best martial art sceen, it would be the 99 hacksaw gang versus Jackie Chan in Legend of the Drunken Master.

I love classic Jackie Chan stuff, I would add the Rumble in the Bronx scene, probably the one where he challenges the gang in thier hangout.

I can never choose the best one but I'll list some

Matrix (FIRST ONE!) Neo vs Smith and Neo vs Morpheus
The Transporter when he busts into the place aftewr the car explodes
Bourne Supremecy, with the magazine

I'm not sure these would qualify with martial arts but I'll mention them anyway, Spider-man the final fight with GG Loved how that was done. And Fellowship of the Rind Aragorn vs the Orc leader.

I would say more Jackie Chan sruff but I cant remeber all of them

my fave is Neo vs Agent Smith from Matrix Revolutions right at the end.

That was just amazing.

Ong Bak (spelling?) had some pretty good fight scenes with no tricks or wires.

For a rough and tumble fight between two actors who are not martial artists, I like the fight sequence between Sean Bean and Pierce Brosnan at the end of Golden eyes.

In Hidden Dragon, Crouching Tigers, The fight between Zang Ziyi and Michelle Yeoh in the dojo was pretty good.

Early Lee work had some top notch fight scenes, especially in the Once upon a time in china serie.

But the BEST scene? I'm especially fond of the fight between Mad Martigan and the evil general at the end of Willow.

In the live action realm, Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris's throwdown in 'Way of the Dragon' still holds a soft-spot with me. If we get to include animation, my favorite has to be Spike vs Vincent at the end of 'Knockin' on Heaven's Door'. That was just excellent.

i would have to go with Ong bak when he fights those three guys in a row. Then the cocky black guy yells, "MUSIC!!!" and starts dancing right when the police come in.

I also enjoyed Bruce lee in Chinese Connection when he grabs two guys and starts spinning them around in the air like a horizontal ferris wheel.

Also when he fights Chuck Norris and grabs all that chest hair...awesomness

The 99 Hacksaw fight from Druken Master is great, but my favourite Jackie Chan fight scene is the one in Shanghi Knights in the market place(the one where he does the singin' in the rain dance at one point). It was just so creative.

You know, I've never seen that movie...

VVD...

HELLS YEAH MUTHA#@$%#$!!!


More and more I see we share a lot in common.


If you weren't married....:heybaby:

I thought Fist of legend was a rip-off of Chinese Connection...

Ultimate Houde said:

For the most realistic fight, I would have to say the fight between Rowdy ROddy Piper and the black guy from They Live. That's how a fight happens in real life in my opinion

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That was going to be my pick as well...I'd love to see a new take on such a fight, just two burly dudes beating the crap out of each other in an alley. No holds-barred, biting, kicking in the nuts, eye-gouging, throat punches...now thats a real down and dirty fight.

Ultimate Houde said:

For the most realistic fight, I would have to say the fight between Rowdy ROddy Piper and the black guy from They Live. That's how a fight happens in real life in my opinion

For the best martial art sceen, it would be the 99 hacksaw gang versus Jackie Chan in Legend of the Drunken Master.

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Ok...any movie starring Roddy Piper instantly goes into the cool category. He could make a sequel to Hogan's Suburban Comando and it would still be awesome. Here's why:

When I was about 12...my dad took me to a wrestling show. After the show he stopped off at the local bar (he knew the owner and I was always allowed in). Piper came in and bought a few round of drinks for all. Some guy got all liquored up and started badmouthing Piper and the wrestling business in general. What happened in the next 15 seconds changed my life.

The guy approaches Piper, still talking mess. Piper tells him to piss off. The guy keeps coming. Piper says take your best shot.....so the guy does. Piper takes the punch and then punches the guy back. Piper broke his jaw. Just like that. One punch.

From then on I begged my dad for a solid month to take some kinda martial arts class. He finally caved....and thus I began my decent into violence.

Ice said:

VVD...

HELLS YEAH MUTHA#@$%#$!!!


More and more I see we share a lot in common.


If you weren't married....:heybaby:

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If I wasn't married I'd still turn you down because I just don't dig eyebrows hairer than Peter Gallagher. :lol:

But I'd say the thought was sweet.

DIrishB said:

That was going to be my pick as well...I'd love to see a new take on such a fight, just two burly dudes beating the crap out of each other in an alley. No holds-barred, biting, kicking in the nuts, eye-gouging, throat punches...now thats a real down and dirty fight.

Click to expand...

For realest fight....yeah. That's my top pick. But I was thinking more stylized action. What I'd love to do is have a guy start talking mess to me and for me to be quick enough to put a finger in his mouth mid-sentence and fish-hook drag him to the ground.

....or you could just beat him down with a baseball bat.

J. Agamemnon said:

....or you could just beat him down with a baseball bat.

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HA! :lol:

You don't know me very well. I don't need a baseball bat. :wink:

I wonder why you punch random people in the jaw

It makes so much more sense now

Man, i don't know anyone here....at all...

Ultimate Houde said:

For the most realistic fight, I would have to say the fight between Rowdy ROddy Piper and the black guy from They Live. That's how a fight happens in real life in my opinion.

Click to expand...

Definantly, "Put the glasses ON!":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_bAdkk3Xs0&search=They Live fight scene

Also, Onk Bak had some awesome fight scenes.

Ultimate Houde said:

I wonder why you punch random people in the jaw

It makes so much more sense now

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I punch in the throat man. Get it right.

J. Agamemnon said:

Man, i don't know anyone here....at all...

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To enlighten you on the violent tendencies of Doom here's an example...

Example #1 - Punching Kids in the Mall

Example #2 - Me Shooting Gun

Example #3 - Punching a Co-worker for messing with me on a Monday (the reason there is no link is because I can't remember what thread its in and I can't find it under my last 500 posts). If anyone else can find the link....please enlighten Aggie here.

HOHOHO...That was funny,"the 1st one". "That's when you gotta punch 'em in the throat!" - Err.

Dude, you seem like you'd be one of my friends. All we listen to is old school rap, Mos Def and other **** and an assload of SOAD. You seem like B.I.P. material. but, you're probably alot older than us so it would just seem wierd. Oh, and we right our own comics...