Favorite movie fight scenes

[shunsui]

https://youtu.be/-_2l0RjZvOI

[shunsui]

Another fellow in search of appropriate clothes.
https://youtu.be/dFzwGg46waM

[James Y]

Thanks again for your contributions, shunsui.

Jim

[James Y]

This video is not a movie scene, it is an interview with old-school kung fu and action movie actor/stuntman Mars (AKA Huo Hsing; real name, Cheung Wing-Fat). Mars first began appearing in movies at least since 1966, starting out as a child actor. He has appeared in countless productions, sometimes only as stunt extras. He also appeared twice in Enter the Dragon; once as one of Han’s men pursuing Angela Mao Ying, and later as one of Han’s guards killed by Bolo Yeung as punishment for failure.

In this interview, he discusses his appearance in Jackie Chan’s Dragon Lord (1982), and describes his first-hand experience with Jackie’s perfectionist OCD when it came to filmmaking back then. Also talks about his Peking Opera background, and some of the extreme stunts (shown in clips) in the movie, injuries, and what the old-school kung fu/action stuntmen in Hong Kong had to endure, which goes far beyond Hollywood or anything anywhere today. This relatively brief interview gives a glimpse of the very real dangers and difficulties of kung fu/action filmmaking.

I’m guessing this interview was from sometime in the ‘90s. It’s almost 30 minutes long, but definitely worth watching for anyone even remotely interested in the genre.

https://youtu.be/R4vSkMF9mrM

Jim

[James Y]

Dragon Lord (1982, Hong Kong; filmed in Taiwan). Director and action director: Jackie Chan.

This is the film Mars was talking about in the interview above. Note: Neither Jackie Chan nor Mars are portraying skilled fighters in this movie. They are basically rich kids who know some kung fu but are lazy about it. But they have toughness and determination, which, IMO, makes them (especially Jackie’s character) nightmare opponents for the villain, even though it’s the villain, a highly skilled fighter, who is presented as the nightmare opponent.

The villain, Hwang In-Shik, a well-known Korean Hapkido master, had previously played the villain in Jackie’s The Young Master (posted on page 1 in this thread). He was probably best known to Westerners as the “Japanese karate expert” who got beaten up, first by Chuck Norris and then Bruce Lee in Way of the Dragon, but he was and is much better than that, as he was allowed to show under Jackie Chan’s direction.

*This is the full movie.*. Nice picture, but I absolutely hate this new English dubbing, even if it is Jackie dubbing his own voice.

Final fight: Jackie Chan & Mars vs Hwang In-Shek. Begins at 1:15:55. The man demolished at 1:15:58 is Chan Wai-Man:

https://youtu.be/Mcbq09qVY0Y

Jim

[James Y]

Heart of Dragon (AKA Heart of the Dragon; 1985, Hong Kong). Director & action director: Sammo Hung. Assistant action directors: Billy Chan Wu Ngai, Lam Ching-Ying, Meng Hoi, Yuen Biao, Corey Yuen & Yuen Wah.

In general, Jackie Chan showed more killer instinct in movies directed by Sammo Hung. In this movie, Jackie’s character, along with his friends, is out to rescue his mentally handicapped older brother (played by Sammo Hung), who has been kidnapped by gangsters. The violence is 100% serious, and far more brutal than in Jackie’s own self-directed movies.

Many people in the Hong Kong film industry were afraid to work with Dick Wei, the thug wearing the white sport coat and white shoes, because he was notorious for having a lack of control and hitting too hard during filming. He was probably right at home working with Jackie and Sammo, both of whose action choreography styles used lots of actual heavy body contact, which reached its peak during the 1980s and into the ‘90s.

Construction site final battle; Featuring Jackie Chan, Meng Hoi, Chin Kar-Lok & Yuen Wah vs Philip Ko Fei, Dick Wei, Blacky Ko, Tai San, etc. Jackie’s main one-on-one opponent is Dick Wei, who first appears at approximately 3:57:

https://youtu.be/RPte3k7QEIc

Jim

[James Y]

The Kung Fu Instructor (1979, Hong Kong). Director: Sun Chung. Action director: Tong Gaai (Mandarin pronunciation: Tang Chia).

I just realized that, IIRC, this is the first entry in this thread featuring Ti Lung. Which surprises me, because he is one of my favorites. Ti Lung was one of the very best stars of old-school kung fu and wuxia (‘martial hero’, or swordsman) films. Of all the top martial arts actors, Ti Lung had the most regal, dignified bearing. He is a real-life master of Wing Chun kung fu, although he was experienced in other martial arts as well.

Ku Feng, who played the arch-villain, was one of Shaw Brothers Studios’ finest character actors. At the time of filming this movie, he was pushing 50. AFAIK, Ku Feng is still alive today.

Note: For some reason, these two video clips switch between the English dub and original Mandarin language.

Staff training sequences: Ti Lung teaching Wong Yue:

https://youtu.be/jvH1oXgRc_w

Final fight: Ti Lung & Wong Yue vs Ku Feng:

https://youtu.be/Sc8uyoTmo8g

Jim

[James Y]

Bastard Swordsman (1983, Hong Kong). Director: Lu Chin-Ku. Action directors: Yuen Tak & Lu Chin-Ku.

This wuxia (martial hero) movie is one of the more fantastical of the genre. The pre-CGI special effects still retain their charm, even to this day. The effects include wire work, undercranking (speeded-up motion), animation, special lighting, etc. I personally prefer these effects to the CGI effects in more recent martial arts/fantasy films. Their ‘superhuman’ abilities are fantasy representations of their “internal power” development.

Final fight: Norman Chu & Liu Hsueh-Hua vs Anthony Lau Wing (AKA Tony Liu Yung), Wang Li & Kuan Feng:

https://youtu.be/3IPykmHV7v8

Jim

[The Mastiff]

Thanks for including Ti Lung. He is one of the most recognized actors from the movies I've seen. I believe he was in "Mercenaries of Hong Kong" or some similar named movie. That movie I recall for the workout scene set to a cover of Blue Oyster Cult's "Teen Archer". There are a lot of great movies out there made in Hong Kong that are rarely seen here but worth getting a hold of.

Thanks again Jim. Keep it coming! :)

[James Y]

Thanks for including Ti Lung. He is one of the most recognized actors from the movies I've seen. I believe he was in "Mercenaries of Hong Kong" or some similar named movie. That movie I recall for the workout scene set to a cover of Blue Oyster Cult's "Teen Archer". There are a lot of great movies out there made in Hong Kong that are rarely seen here but worth getting a hold of.

Thanks again Jim. Keep it coming! :)

My pleasure, The Mastiff!

For you or anybody else who might be curious or interested in soundtracks used in old-school kung fu movies, I have a long-running thread I started back in 2012 on a kung fu forum, where I go by the screen name Jimbo. Myself and others have identified and posted over 640 individual tracks (as of this writing) in kung fu films, either ‘borrowed’ from Italian, Japanese, American, British, and even Greek films, and also library music tracks. Also posted is a listing of at least some of the movies that each track is heard in. Here is a link:

http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/sho ... l-KF-films

Note: The soundtracks posted in more recent years are embedded.

Jim

[James Y]

Invincible Shaolin (1978, Hong Kong). Director: Chang Cheh. Action directors: Robert Tai, Lu Feng & Leung Ting.

One of the things I always found notable about director Chang Cheh’s films starring “The Venoms Mob” is how, when characters fall down and die (or die standing up), they look like dolls or marionettes with their strings cut, usually with wide-eyed, doll-like expressions. However, characters’ ability to continue fighting, even with gruesome injuries, was a common theme in virtually all of Chang Cheh’s films, long before “The Venoms Mob” came along.

Final fight, part 1: Wei Pai vs Sun Chien; Kuo Chui vs Chiang Sheng; Lo Meng vs Lu Feng:

https://youtu.be/Wo-bJMdI2f8

Final fight, part 2: (continued from above), plus: Wei Pai, Lo Meng & Kuo Chui vs Wang Lung-Wei:

https://youtu.be/d4lBwZc1IMw

Jim

[James Y]

Shanghai 13 (AKA The Shanghai Thirteen; 1984, Taiwan). Director: Chang Cheh. Action Directors: Lau Kar-Wing, Chiang Sheng, Lu Feng, Ricky Cheng Tien-Chi & Huang Kuo-Chu.

This movie was an attempt by director Chang Cheh to incorporate actors from the various time periods and ensembles who had worked for him over the years into one movie. Although not as good as the classics he made for Hong Kong’s Shaw Brothers Studios, this was Chang Cheh’s best/most entertaining movie that he made after he left Shaw Brothers to make films in Taiwan.

This clip shows only some of the actors and fights that were in this film.

As noted in earlier posts, I am always amazed that Leung Kar-Yan was never a trained martial artist. He looked better onscreen than many real-life champion martial artists. The Chinese character “tattooed” on Lu Feng’s character’s chest, back, and both upper arms says “sha” (kill).

Ricky Cheng Tien-Chi, who plays the acrobatic knife-wielding assassin in the final fights against Sonny Yu and Ti Lung, shows a sneakier, more aggressive style than in most of his previous films.

Fights: Chiang Sheng vs Chang Tai-Lun & thugs (from 0:28); Lu Feng vs Leung Kar-Yan (from 2:15); Ricky Cheng Tien-Chi vs Sonny Yu (from 6:15); Ti Lung vs Ricky Cheng Tien-Chi (from 7:58):

https://youtu.be/LPGna-3c_Bs

Jim

[James Y]

Duel of the 7 Tigers (1979, Hong Kong). Director: Yeung Kuen. Action director: Chan Siu-Pang.

The main thing about this fight scene that always stood out for me is the added difficulty and danger of filming on that uneven, rocky seaside location. I’m certain there were many slippery spots as well. It would have been way too easy to come down from a landing and mess up a knee, an ankle, or hit hit one’s head or other area on one of the hard, protruding rocks.

The villain, Philip Ko Fei, was one of my favorite martial arts actors/performers. He passed away from cancer a few years ago in Hong Kong. He could do virtually any kind of movement (except maybe acrobatics). He had studied different martial arts systems for the movies, but in real life, his base system was Choy Lee Fut (also spelled Choy Lay Fut, Choi Lai Fut, etc.), which is the same as my own base martial art (another reason he was one of my personal favorites). :)

Leading man Cliff Lok had studied for a period as a child under Master Yu Jim-Yuen, who had trained Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao, Yuen Wah, Yuen Tak, Corey Yuen, etc., in Peking Opera. He also had a background in various traditional kung fu systems, in particular, an ‘internal’ system called Liu He Ba Fa (6 Harmonies, 8 Methods). He was a good, solid performer, though never one of my favorites.

Final fight: Cliff Lok vs Philip Ko Fei:

https://youtu.be/VzcH2wQ595s

Jim

[James Y]

Mr. Vampire (1985, Hong Kong). Director: Lau Kwan-Wei. Action directors: Lam Ching-Ying & Yuen Wah.

This supernatural comedy was not the first Chinese movie to feature “jiangshi’; hopping reanimated corpses, some of which become vampires. But this movie became so popular that it inspired a series of inferior sequels featuring Lam Ching-Ying reprising his role as the Taoist master/exorcist, as well as many knock-offs. Even though this is a comedy, and the “vampire” doesn’t really look convincing, the final fight scene is mostly portrayed in a serious manner.

Co-star Chin Siu-Ho got his start under director Chang Cheh in “Venoms Mob” films, such as Two Champions From Shaolin, Masked Avengers, Legend of the Fox, House of Traps, etc.

The arch-villain of this movie, played by Yuen Wah, is a jiangshi that has evolved from a typical hopping jiangshi/vampire into one that is more powerful and can walk and move semi-normally. Note: During Bruce Lee’s fight with O’Hara (Bob Wall) in Enter the Dragon, it was Yuen Wah who stunt-doubled Bruce Lee doing the back flip kick to O’Hara’s face.

Moon Lee (AKA Lee Choi-Fung) later became one of the top female Hong Kong martial arts action stars in the late ‘80s/early’90s (see Angel II and Angel/Iron Angels clips on pages 9 & 10, and New Kids in Town on page 14 of this thread for some examples); but in this movie she got to display none of that.

Final fight: Chin Siu-Ho & Lam Ching-Ying vs Yuen Wah. Also in the scene: Moon Lee, Ricky Hui, Lau Nam-Kwong & Anthony Chan Yau:

Part 1:

https://youtu.be/AXkc9BUIRL8

Part 2:

https://youtu.be/HT-l89hGyF8

Jim

[James Y]

Chinatown Kid (1977, Hong Kong). Director: Chang Cheh. Action directors: Lee Ka-Ting & Robert Tai.

Set in both Hong Kong and in San Francisco’s Chinatown, in truth, the only scenes actually shot in San Francisco were a few brief location shots showing leading man Alexander Fu Sheng walking the streets, or riding a cable car. All the other San Francisco scenes were actually filmed in Hong Kong. A clear mistake that director Chang Cheh made was that the cars in the dramatic SF scenes were Hong Kong cars with the driver seated on the right side. One thing they did get pretty accurately was the interior of the restaurant, which has the look of an old, “Americanized” Chinese restaurant.

Chinatown Kid was an “in-between” or transition movie, between Chang Cheh’s era of movies starring Alexander Fu Sheng and the rise of the Venoms Mob films. Although Fu Sheng did appear in more Chang Cheh films during the Venoms Mob era.

The final fight scene is not on YouTube, and this scene is the best I could find online. In this one scene alone are future “Venoms” Lo Meng (the gang leader), Sun Chien (the busboy), and Chiang Sheng (one of the minor thugs).

Fight scene: Alexander Fu Sheng vs Lo Meng, Chiang Sheng, Wang Ching-Liang, etc.:

https://youtu.be/PuiqY2yxefI

Jim

[Kels73]

The thread on Bowie knives reminded me of this fight scene. It's from the "The Long Riders" starring the late David Carradine.

https://youtu.be/-GSZwG_s-8A

[James Y]

Thanks for that, Kels73

Jim

[James Y]

Carry on, Pickpocket (1982, Hong Kong). Director: Sammo Hung. Action directors: Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao, Lam Ching-Ying & Billy Chan Wu-Ngai.

Full movie.

Final fight (from 1:23:30 to 1:31:45): Sammo Hung, Frankie Chan & Pang Sau-Ha vs Ka Lee, Jamie Luk, Chow Kam-Gong, Mak Wai-Cheung & other thugs; Sammo Hung vs Dick Wei; Frankie Chan vs Peter Chan Lung:

https://youtu.be/o_IOqzZT0QU

Jim

[MacLaren]

I dont care for the music at the end, but you get the gist of it :D
https://youtu.be/HmYug0g1s2I

[James Y]

I dont care for the music at the end, but you get the gist of it :D
https://youtu.be/HmYug0g1s2I

Haha! Thanks for that, MacLaren!

Jim