Uncle NightOwl's Martial Movie Reviews

[NightOwl]

So...what to do? You've seen Rush Hour 2 for the fifth time, and don't really care to watch Pretty Chinese People Flying With Swords Part IV again (my personal favorite in the series), but still you are itching for a good old fashioned Martial Matinée to wash away the taste of recent theatrical choices by the Wife/Girlfriend (or your collective girlfriends for the ladies in the audience. ).

Well look no further and grab a seat (if you tend to use the computer while standing), and prepare for the ultimate experience of: UNCLE NIGHTOWL'S MARTIAL MOVIE REVIEWS.

Now mind you, time and access to movies will be a limiting factor, so expect an initial burst of reviews followed by a more steady stream, but I am hoping to get in at least one review a week. I'll be kicking off shortly with a few reviews to get things started.

[NightOwl]

Movie: Ong Bak

Produced: 2003, THAILAND

Leading Role: Tony Jaa

Style(s) Showcased: Muay Tai/Muay Boran

Tailer:http://youtube.com/watch?v=PtNmH1KuJaA

Clip:http://youtube.com/watch?v=JH0yAMJ-Oo8

http://img484.imageshack.us/img484/7740/180pxongbakru5.png

http://img292.imageshack.us/img292/9670/0163gw5.jpg

Artist Intro:

Tony Jaa is an interesting fellow. Born and raised in Thailand, he grew up idolizing the movies of Jet Li, Jackie Chan, and Bruce Lee shown in his rural home town in the province of Surin. In his spare time with his friends, they would try to imitate the amazing acrobatics and moves shown on the screen, and by age 15 Tony left the farming life behind to go under the wing of veteran Thai stunt master and film director Panna Rittikrai. After working for awhile on Panna's stunt team, Jaa started to train in the art of Muay Boran for 6 years (an earlier form of Muay Tai) with the hopes of eventually creating a movie built around it. The result of those efforts was Ong Bak, and since then he has gained fame on an international level, with many pegging him as the next MA film superstar. Like Jackie Chan used to do in his youth, Jaa does all his own stunts, and he has a strict no wire policy. Truly a great athlete and a great fighter, he is one to watch.

And yes there is a movie review in all this...I just thought that Jaa needed an introduction due to his relative new coming to fame.

Plot: A young man named Ting is about to be ordained as a priest for his village. Respectful, admired, and (of course) trained in the deadly art of Muay Tai, he has taken an oath to never use it to harm another for personal gain. Unfortunately before the ceremony can be completed, someone steals the head from the village's Buddha statue in the middle of the night, and it's up to Ting to track down who is responsible before it is too late.

Review:

First things first: there is only a plot in this movie to create a reason for Jaa to elbow goonies and street fighters in the head....the good news is that he does that VERY well.

Ong Bak is a gritty, rough, and an utter joy to behold. While wushu, karate, and boxing have all had their time in the limelight, Ong Bak showcases Mauy Tai on a wide scale previously unseen. Expect to see a lot of signature elbows and knees as Jaa fights everyone from fighters in an underground fight club to a super human thai boxer juiced up to be immune to pain. Certainly this movie is not a pretty one, the locales are almost all in an urban palette of brown and corroded grey that can feel a little stale at times. But regardless, the feeling of being in the streets comes across quite well. Besides the fighting, the pure stunts are truly amazing when you consider that it is all done without the help of wires or doubles. This movie contains some of the finest examples of Parkour and gymnastics outside of a stunt man convention, and it is refreshing to see thatin an age with so many digital stunts and Wuxia films.

Of course, the movie has flaws. While the acting is ok, don't expect too many great lines beyond ('look out!' 'Where is it?' 'AIIIEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeee'), and the plot is not going to be required reading for Oprah's book club anytime in the near future. Still, if you are looking for a more 'raw' martial movie with great fighting along with stunts that will blow your mind, I highly recommend this movie to you.

Pros:

-Muay Tai

-Sublime stunts

-The start of perhaps the next great martial actor

Cons:

-Ho-hum plot

-Somewhat stale scenery (debatable)

-Non action scenes need more work

Edited March 5, 2007 by NightOwl

[NightOwl]

Movie: The Big Boss (originally released in the USA under the title of 'Fists of Fury', but don't confuse this movie with another Bruce title under the same name)

Released: Hong Kong, 1971

Leading Role: Bruce Lee

Style(s) Showcased: Stylized variety

Trailer:

Clip:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2e7K89-mWE&NR Better than the Ong Bak clip even!

http://img292.imageshack.us/img292/8060/bigbossmw4.jpg

Artist intro:

Bruce. Lee. Need I saw more? This is the grandfather of the modern MMA movement, the king of the screen, the Socrates of the martial world, the

force that brought martial arts into the western spotlight, and a legend who was cut down in his prime (resulting in only increasing his mystique). Born in San Fransisco (thus technically eligible for president...Osama Bin Laden would've been toast by now) but raised in Hong Kong, he lived there until his teens when he was sent back to the US to live with his uncle. From there he continued on in his education and attended Washington University where he met his wife Linda. After graduating with a degree in philosophy, they got married in 1964, and from there Bruce took many side roles in US films, but ultimately found more success in Hong Kong where his movie career took off (starting with 'The Big Boss'). As far as his fighting background, he was taught Tai Chi Chuan by his father, but spent a great deal of time training under Yip Man in Wing Chun. Along this art, he also had a good deal of experience in boxing and Hun Gar. He would later promote the movement of a 'style with no style', which in theory was to take only the fastest and most efficient of attacks from all the arts and condense them into one. Of course he would later claim this to be done in his JKD style, and as far as his fighting ability goes and just how many styles he knew is up for debate...you can find out more on your own. Regardless, his philosophy major definitely shows in his approach to MA, and the UFC owns more to this man than they might like to admit. Unfortunately, Bruce died unexpectedly in 1973 from cerebral edema, and of course now there are all sorts of crazy conspiracy theories as to what REALLY happened. Regardless, he is a fascinating figure whose commentary on MA today would certainly be just as controversial as they were back then.

Plot: A young man named Cheng goes to live with his cousins to work at an ice packing plant. When some of his cousins discover that the managers are smuggling drugs on the side, the are murdered and Cheng's previous promise to give up fighting is broken as he sets out for revenge.

Review: Alright folks, this is it...THE movie that launched Bruce Lee's career and became the highest grossing Hong Kong film of all time before it was beaten...by the next Bruce Lee film. It must be a classic right? Right?

Before I go on I will confess something...I only saw 1/2 of the movie, but there is a good reason for that, namely that it is a bad movie. Don't let Bruce's name fool you: the fights are boring, the entire thing is ridiculously low budget, it's waaay too long, and the non-action scenes make you wish that the undead zombie of Bruce Lee would shamble over to your house to one inch punch you out of your misery. I watched up to where Bruce was getting drunk and called it quits, but as can been seen from the dog clip there were many more high quality action scenes that I missed. Speaking of which, it takes 30 min just to see Bruce fight. If I wanted to see a static Bruce, I would have just saved myself the rental and put a scene from 'Enter the Dragon' on my desktop. Again, it is extremely low budget in a non-corny and boring way. Expect to see a lot of shots of dirt roads and a shoddy ice packing plant, because apparently these are the only two places that they were legally allowed to film such dreadful dialogue. Am I being a bit harsh? Yes, but you can't help but see this movie in the context of Bruce's other films, and it is fair to say that it doesn't measure up.

Pros

-Started Bruce Lee's career

-His Cousin is cute

Cons

-Bruce doen't fight until 30 min into the movie

-BAD non-action scenes...even for a kung-fu flick

-Boring fighting

-Slow paced plot

Let's summarize so far shall we?

SEE THESE MOVIE OR BRING DISHONOR TO YOUR ANCESTORS:

Ong Bak

RENT 'THE NOTEBOOK' FOR A BETTER ACTION FLICK:

The Big Boss

Edited March 5, 2007 by NightOwl

[bushido_man96]

I think Fists of Fury was the first movie to have a fight scene that had more than 3 kicks in a row. I read that somewhere....

[NightOwl]

It may have been but...there are way better movies out there with multiple kicks in them (if that is your thing). Anyhow, on to the next legend...

Movie: Drunken Master

Directed by: Yuen Woo Ping

Released: Hong Kong, 1978

Starring: Jackie Chan

Style(s) Showcased: Hun Gar, Zui Quan

Trailer:

http://img157.imageshack.us/img157/1418/scmasteron1.jpg http://img157.imageshack.us/img157/2215/drunkenmasterlnd1.jpg

http://img157.imageshack.us/img157/2431/sam17zo7.jpg

Artist intro:

Who doesn't love Jackie Chan? Well, some people don't ...but some people don't like sunshine and puppies either. Born in Hong Kong and trained in Peking Opera along with his good friends Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao (who would also become KF movie stars in their own right), he initially found work outside of the theater as minor characters and working as a stunt man in various films (including in 'Enter the Dragon'). After trying his hand in some unsuccessful starring roles, he finally found break-out hits in 'Snake in the Eagle's Shadow'(1978) and "The Drunken Master' (also 1978 and featuring co-stars Yuen Siu Tien and Hwang Jang Lee). From there on he rose to super-stardom in Asia, but wouldn't become a household name in the states until the 90's with the hit, 'Rumble in the Bronx'. As for his personal life, he has kept it mainly private, marrying in the 80's to a Taiwanese actress.

He also has had great success in China and Japan as (surprisingly enough) a singer , and he can sign in Mandarin, Cantonese, Japanese, English, and Vietnamese (among some others). As for his martial training, he received a fair amount of Norther Shaolin for his performances back in his opera days, but he also has trained under Northern Mantis, Western Boxing, Judo, Wing Chun, and a few other styles. Jackie's on screen persona is very unique, and he has admitted to being influenced by Charlie Chaplin and Bruce Lee. However he wasn't influenced by Lee in the way you might think (there were countless Bruce imitators after his death), but rather he wanted to create martial heroes that were more carefree and fun, as opposed to stoic and constantly grim. Thus his movies have some of the most imaginatively choreographed fight scenes ever recorded on film. It is here where he also has famously done a great amount of his own stunts (and infamously received wince-worthy injuries) however currently in his older age he tends not to do nearly as much stunt work anymore.

http://img295.imageshack.us/img295/5315/zq1978yn6.jpg

Plot: Jackie portrays a young Wong Fei Hung, a famous martial arts hero commonly played in the kungfu genre. However unlike other films showing Wong Fei Hung, in 'Drunken Master' Fei is a troublemaker, constantly causing trouble in and out of his father's kungfu academy (much to amusement of his peers). Finally having enough, his father sends him to be trained for one year under the Kungfu master Su Hua Chi (played by Yuen Siu Tien who would revisit similar roles in other movies), who is notorious not just for his fighting skills, but also for being so harsh that he cripples his students. After under going a period of grueling training, Fei runs away only to run into the assasin thunderfoot (played by Hwang Jang Lee) and recive a sound beating. Humiliated, he returns to the hard drinking Kungfu master, who agrees to teach him the secret art of...Drunken Boxing.

Review: Although this film is not nearly as good as its sequel (Drunken Master 2 aka The Legend of the Drunken Master), it is a great showcase for what was then a budding star. Unlike Bruce's first major film, "Drunken Master' holds up quite well. Featuring signature Jackie humor and stunt work, it is easy to see while watching the movie a young Chan getting his feet wet. The acting is fairly good (and a good part tongue-in-cheek), and as touched on, the choreography features plenty of flips, tricks, and physical humor. Also of note is the main villain played by Hwang Jang Lee. He's notable not only for playing a villain in so many Kungfu films, but also for his signature use of almost solely kicking. He is also famous for killing a knife wielding man in self defense with one kick, (!) but I digress....

Back to the movie. It is not without its flaws. The choreography and fighting is not nearly as polished as some of Jackie's later films, and at times it is a bit silly, but keep in mind that it is a lighthearted film. All in all, I must give this a thumbs up and recommend it as a true classic. If all you know about Jackie Chan is from 'Shanghai Noon', then you must watch this movie!

Pros:

Helped Start Jackie's career

Filled with signature stunts (Chan got KO'd and almost lost an eye during filming) and humor

A nice supporting cast

Cons:

As it is earlier work, it is a little unpolished sometimes

*******************************************

Let's Summarize Shall we?

SEE THESE MOVIES OR BRING DISHONOR TO YOUR ANCESTORS:

Ong Bak

Drunken Master

RENT 'THE NOTEBOOK' FOR A BETTER ACTION FLICK:

The Big Boss

Edited March 8, 2007 by NightOwl

[bushido_man96]

Very nice, NightOwl! I love your reviews!

As for the note on the Bruce Lee film, The Big Boss, that was just a little tidbit that I added. Not that it made the movie good; it was just a tidbit.

As for The Drunken Master, I think I own that video. I know that I have seen it, and it is pretty good, for an older movie.

Have you seen The Fearless Hyena I and II?? They are ok, too.

[NightOwl]

Very nice, NightOwl! I love your reviews!

As for the note on the Bruce Lee film, The Big Boss, that was just a little tidbit that I added. Not that it made the movie good; it was just a tidbit.

As for The Drunken Master, I think I own that video. I know that I have seen it, and it is pretty good, for an older movie.

Have you seen The Fearless Hyena I and II?? They are ok, too.

Heh, glad to hear that someone reads these things other than myself. And no, no offense taken at The Big Boss info. In fact I appreciate it . Besides, I welcome any other opinions on these movies (even though they are wrong ).

Alright! We've been over two blasts from the past...now a return to more modern fare...

Movie: Kung fu Hustle

Directed by: Stephen Chow

Released: Hong Kong, 2004

Starring: Stephen Chow

Style(s) showcased: From what I can tell, Wushu, and Hollywood-do

Trailer:http://youtube.com/watch?v=lMUSMmR3jsU

http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/7058/246298thumbol2.jpg http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/9854/kungfubu0.jpg

Artist introduction: Stephen Chow, while just recently becoming known in the West with the movies Shaolin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle, has actually been starring in and making movies for the past 20 years. He is known for his comedy (and almost all of his films are in some way part of that genre), and lighthearted exaggerating of traditional Chinese culture. He adored Kung Fu films as a child, and did receive some training in Wing Chun, however he is not nearly as serious of a devotee to martial training as much as his is an entertainer (as opposed to some of the others profiled beforehand). His movies are also know for their constant in-jokes, homages, ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kung_Fu_Hustle has a list of all of the film and media references in Kung Fu Hustle ) double entendres, and wacky wordplays. Whether his style is your cup of tea or not, he is starting to become rather popular on these shores, and you will probably be seeing more of him in the near future.

Plot: As the Feared 'Axe Gang' (dressed all in suites and top hats...at least they dress well) begin to take over 1940's Shanghai (or a place similar to Shanghai), two clumsy con men try to pose as members of the feared gang in a sleepy backwater town, hoping to make an easy buck. Unfortunately for them, while they are attempting to throw their weight around, the real Axe Gang shows up, and three kung fu masters hidden among the tenants break their long silence in order to save their homes.

http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/3049/kungfuh3fu8.jpg http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/6460/mvkungfuhustle1dq7.jpg http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/2444/kungfuhustlemusiqueol1.jpg

Review: To start things off I must say this: if you want realism, turn on PBS. If you want entertainment, than you found the right movie. A very different style then the gritty Ong Bak or stone faced Lee, Chow takes many cues from Jackie Chan's antics, then gives it a shot of caffeine.

A parody of and at the same time homage to the Wuxia genre (along with Kung fu films of yore), expect the laws of gravity to become more or less 'guidelines', and Looney Toon like human abilities. There's everything in this movie from assassins whose weapon of choice is the Zheng (a classical Chinese instrument...and boy can they ROCK), to an aged kung fu master who was so devoted to his studies that he went insane...but he's actually pretty laid back once you get to know him(played by Leung Siu-lung, who in the past did a lot of Bruce Lee imitation work). The two main protagonists Sing (Chow) and his chubby sidekick Bone (Lam Chi Chung), are an amusing pair, with Sing's constant wavering between trouble maker and good guy, and Bone's almost dog-like tagging along. By the end of the movie you actually do develop a strong interest in these two characters, and while they might not always do the right thing, they are very likable. The other Character of note is the Landlady (Yuen Qiu), whose loud voice is only matched by her big temper. All in all, the characters are well brought out, and the acting very well done for a Kung Fu flick. However, while it plays well with lay audiences, I know of many martial artists who do not like this film. To be sure, the humor doesn't always work, and it goes too far over the top at times, but this is a movie not meant to be taken seriously. So if you can manage to turn off the 'UFC' mentality just for a bit, you may find yourself pleasantly surprised by this film.

Pros-

Good acting and entertaining characters

Funny in a goof ball sort of way

A good martial arts movie for those who aren't really into martial arts

Cons-

Too over the top at times

Very little in the way of real martial arts

The zany actions of a lot of the characters might be a turnoff for some.

Review Summary Time!!!

SEE THESE MOVIE OR BRING DISHONOR TO YOUR FAMILY:

Ong Bak

Drunken Master

Kung fu Hustle

RENT 'THE NOTEBOOK' FOR A BETTER ACTION FLICK:

The Big Boss

Edited March 18, 2007 by NightOwl

[baronbvp]

Keep 'em coming, NightOwl!

[NightOwl]

Sorry about the delay! Mid-terms and all that. But duty calls!

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Well, it has been a long time in coming. I know most of you have been thinking this whole time, 'But Uncle Nightowl, are there such things as Ninja movies?'

to which I can only say yes Virgina...there are ninja movies. Unfortunately, anyone who has captured actual live footage of ninjas has been found hours later stuck full of shirukens and with their head imploded due to the sheer awesomeness of seeing ninjas flip out; so needless to say we have to rely on the historical dramatization efforts undertaken during the 80's and 90's in order to get a glimpse into the hidden world of THE NINJAAA!

Movie: 3 Ninjas

Directed by: Jonathan Turteltaub

Released: 1992, USA

Starring: Victor Wong, Michael Treanor, Max Slade, and Chad Power (yeah, I've never heard of him either).

Style(s) Showcased: Hollywood-do, and I am guessing TKD

Trailer: couldn't find any..only this fan mash up: http://youtube.com/watch?v=fyyejWKpqE8&mode=user&search=

Artist introduction: Uh, supposedly the three kids starring are black, black, and brown belts in something.

Plot: The movie starts out with a head FBI agent leading a team to bring down an illegal arms ring, only to have the boss escape once again (curses!). Meanwhile his three sons are staying at his father-in-law's house...who just happens to be a ninja master. 'Grandpa' teaches the three boys the ancient art of the Ninja, and once he deems them worthy, gives them the 'Ninja' names of Tumtum, Rocky, and Colt. Alas, the arms dealer is none other than a former student of the (Chinese) ninja sage, and in order to convince him to train his army of evil ninja henchmen, he kidnaps the 3 boys to hold for ransom. Unfortunately for him, the 3 ninjas have watched 'Home Alone' as part of their regular training, and they must work together to take out the bad guys.

http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/4381/a7011974yv7.jpg http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/4733/3ninjas1992xa4.jpg

Review: Where to start? Well how about here: when I first saw this movie I thought it was the coolest thing ever...also when I first saw this movie, I was 5. Now some may reasonably say that my taste in film has not improved much since then...but I can say that for this film at least, my fond memories don't seem to match up to reality. I realize that it made sense to make this movie, Ninjas were in vogue back then, and a particular group of Turtles was mugging the collective piggy banks of millions of children. But at the same time it doesn't prevent this movie from being a Mcdojo mind control device (if I teach my kids karate, they will be able to take on whole armies of scary but incompetent evildoers) and a general insult to Ashida Kim (a TRUE ninja master). Despite the horrible acting, laughable storyline, and tragic blend of 'Karate Kid' cliches, a string decent fight scenes could possibly have saved this movie...but the truth of the matter is that you will only find the fights here interesting if you've never seen one of these new Technicolor movies before. Over all, it is complete junk, and if you show this stuff to your kids I will call Child Protective Services...led by ninjas. No that is not a joke.

Pros-

Hilarious at 5:30 am in the morning

Cons-

Bad acting

Bad dialogue

The Ninja Master seems only to be able to fight while his back is to the camera for some reason...

Action scenes so hammy that it isn't kosher

Review List:

SEE THESE MOVIE OR BRING DISHONOR TO YOUR FAMILY:

Ong Bak

Drunken Master

Kung fu Hustle

RENT 'THE NOTEBOOK' FOR A BETTER ACTION FLICK:

The Big Boss

3 Ninjas

[NightOwl]

Movie: Samurai Fiction

Directed by: Nakano Hiroyuki

Released: 1998, JAPAN

Starring: Tomoyasu Hotei (A popular Japanese Guitarist), Kazama Morio, and Fukikoshi Mitsuru

Style(s) Showcased: Kendo, Ninjitsu

Trailer: http://youtube.com/watch?v=ICvw22Jr4mQ&mode=related&search=

http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/6239/samuraifictionvz3.jpg

Artist introduction: None of the main characters had any background in martial arts before this movie.

http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/5351/img43nik9.jpg

Plot Summary:Inukai Heishiro, a son of a feudal lord during the Tokugawa period (around 1603-1867...a popular time period for these sorts of movies) takes it upon himself to avenge the stealing of a sword given to his family by none other than the Shogun himself. Unfortunately, he and his friends are no match for the rouge samurai who now carries the sword, and in the process one of his friends dies. Wounded and with home too far away, he stays in the house of a nearby samurai living with his only daughter. As he comes to find out, the old samurai is none other than a master swordsman and martial artist, who has long since given up the sword. But if Inukai is to avenge his father and friends, he must convince the old master to train him in the art of the blade....

http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/3028/2tcr5.jpg http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/8042/3tak9.jpg http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/1831/tphpyp1.jpg http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/5774/4tmo6.jpg

Review: Samurai Fiction certainly has an interesting list of credentials. Experts in Kendo and Budo taijitsu had to be brought in to help with the fight scenes as none of the leading actors had any previous martial art experience, and the director had never made a full featured movie before. Actually, he did a lot of extensive work in directing music videos at MTV Japan, and the influences of his backround work certainly show up in the heavily stylized Samurai Fiction. To start with, almost all of the movie is in black and white, a throwback to the samurai movie classics of old. Yet at the same time the soundtrack is entirely modern, with rocking tunes that seem to more fit Kill Bill than 1600's Japan (actually, the background music to the Crazy 88 fight scene in Kill Bill Vol. 1 comes from this movie). As for the actual content of the film, it does fairly well for itself. The acting is good for one (outside of bizarre character actions...more on that later), and the fight scenes are not too shabby. At the same time, this movie is an action/comedy, and while it is humorous in parts, at times it doesn't live up to the level set by the cinematography. This is more or less a cultural thing, as Japanese humor tends to be a little on the quirky and strange side (I have studied Japanese for about 7 years now and will be moving there this August...I've about earned the right to complain ). Also, the story (while taking a fresh approach) still pretty much sticks to traditional samurai movie stereotypes. However I hope I haven't given the impression that I dislike this movie, because actually I thought it was very well put together and entertaining. If you are looking for a film that doesn't take itself too seriously while at the same time putting a modern spin on an old genre, I highly recommend this movie for a good Saturday evening matinée.

Pros-

Very cool music...check out the album Electric Samurai on itunes

Fun and entertaining, without being too heavy or intense

Nice art direction

Ninjas....need I say more?

Cons-

Humor is quirky but not always in a good way (same problem with some characters)

Hidden pacifist message (I wanna see heads roll, not hands shaking! )

Not enough Ninja action

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Review review:

SEE THESE MOVIE OR BRING DISHONOR TO YOUR FAMILY:

Ong Bak

Drunken Master

Kung fu Hustle

Samurai Fiction

RENT 'THE NOTEBOOK' FOR A BETTER ACTION FLICK:

The Big Boss

3 Ninjas