Movie martial artists!

[DoctorQui]

I was having a think about this this morning following a general discussion with my training buddies.

What does a person need in order to make a good movie martial artist?

You look at Chuck Norris for example, yes he was world karate champion but his technique, if you look closely, is really quite clumsy in the movies. He didn't at the time, have a very good kick for example. But he had the look.

Pat Johnson had the skill and is a big player in the movie martial arts consultancy arena, but never really made it big in his own right, Robert Wall is another one.

The there was Bruce Lee, who looked small and puny and had the chinese look which the west did not consider to be the movie hero look, yet, he was about to explode onto the western movie scene in big style entirely down to his pure enius at martial arts. Likewise Jackie Chan, who isn't strictly a martial artist, more a chinese circus performer, yet his skill and, to a degree, his look has carried him.

As a movie martial artist, do you have to be an ok martial artist but look great, be superhuman martial artist but look ok. Are there any movie martial artists that you don't think are much cop at all!

I should put in a disclaimer that ALL the above is strictly MY own opinion.

[JusticeZero]

I have a friend in Cali who is a professional actor. he started because he had a certain look that directors wanted, and says "If it wasnt for typecasting, I wouldnt be able to eat!" Lateef Crowder, while not a big name in movies or martial arts, succeeded in cultivating a certain "Eddy Gordo" Brazilian machismo and look with some flowery and acrobatic skill. In his fight scenes he seems to push the flow and the stylism over the pure martial. The others in whose films he got his start by playing n im not as sure about; they werent as easily grasped as an archetypal role.

[evergrey]

Great topic!

There is a guy who came from our style name Yamaki who was a big Yakuza bad guy in The Punisher.

He is tall and has a gorgeous body but his face looks very stern. It is really too bad he couldn't get any hero roles, but I guess they think he is too scary looking, despite his being a gentle giant and a really patient sweetheart in real life!

But he does not just have the look... he did the 100 man kumite, he won all-Japan twice and all-world (Kyokushin full contact knockdown tournaments) once. An amazing martial artist, and a living legend.

*I might have a tiiiiny innocent crush on him, haha*

[Dobbersky]

3 more Kyokushin film stars that although excellent martial artists looked quite clumsy when doing on camera fighting were

Sonny Chiba, famous for "the Streetfighter trilogy" and the "Oyama trilogy" as well as around 50 films (some say he was Japan's answer to Bruce Lee) he was the sword maker in KillBill and the Yakusa boss in Tokyo Drift.

Dolph Lungrid, out of Rocky 4 and various of his own movies

And finally

Sean Connery, yes he's a Kyokushin black belt

[yamesu]

Having trained with MAists who do filming, i can say with some certainty - dancers and gymnastics proponents make better on-camera fighters than solid martial artists.

Camera based coreography is about being able to hold positions, extreme flexibility and purist body movement (kinsthetics). Not about being able to hit hard and accurately as one requires for tournament fighting.

Generally (but not all the time) - Once you teach a dancer/gymnastic person how to throw a roundhouse that looks good, it comes off 100 times more flashy on camera than someone who can actually use that roundhouse effectively.

Just my 2 cents-

[DoctorQui]

Having trained with MAists who do filming, i can say with some certainty - dancers and gymnastics proponents make better on-camera fighters than solid martial artists.

Camera based coreography is about being able to hold positions, extreme flexibility and purist body movement (kinsthetics). Not about being able to hit hard and accurately as one requires for tournament fighting.

Generally (but not all the time) - Once you teach a dancer/gymnastic person how to throw a roundhouse that looks good, it comes off 100 times more flashy on camera than someone who can actually use that roundhouse effectively.

Just my 2 cents-

Solid post and I agree completely. Jackie Chan has shown us this imo. Jason Statham also seems to do good movie martial arts and I'm not sure he is a martial artist par se.

[DoctorQui]

Sean Connery, yes he's a Kyokushin black belt

I always believed that his BB was honorary?

[evergrey]

Sean Connery, yes he's a Kyokushin black belt

I always believed that his BB was honorary?

I think I have heard that as well.

[darksoul]

Here's a badass that is never really considered a badass - Jean-Claude Van Damme - the muscles from Brussels.

He's got an impressive career before becoming a movie star. 18-9 career in full contact Karate/Kickboxing. 44-4 career in light-semi contact karate. European Champion a bunch of times.

Plus he's slated to fight Somluk Kamsing in December of this year.

Should be fairly interesting

[pittbullJudoka]

And you guys forget everything Gene LeBell has been in I don't recall him having many fight sences but he has been in a ton of movies and tv shows. He's know more for his stunts in the movies and that maybe because he knows how to fall after all the years of judo.