10 - 卧虎藏龙 (2000)
Ang Lee's 'Titanic' set in the martial arts world was an international phenomenon that rekindled the appetite for wuxia movie once again. A lush epic love story with a unique take that also propelled *gasp* Zhang Ziyi to become who she is today. But I guess Ang Lee knew that audience expects jaw dropping fight scenes in an martial arts movie, and so who better than to get 袁和平 to choreograph it for him. The night duel was a fight to the death by two bitter rivals longing for revenge and Ang Lee needs it to scream blood. Under less concerning directors, fight scenes often get reduced to become over-choreographed and over-rehearsed (refer to The Matrix trilogy) combination of dance steps and hand exchanges. but honestly this fight scene would have fared better were it not for the unnecessary comic factor and the deadly weapon sticking out of the guy's head.
9 - 刀 (1995)
Any director can make martial action movies but only Tsui Hark makes martial action movies. And speaking of blood feud and death matches, this 1995 film is all about that. A remake of the oldie 独臂刀, Tsui Hark got all indie and experimental in his version. Apparently it backfired and was not well-received in the box office, but the raw energy and intense final battle is still a force to behold and reckon with.
8 - Never Back Down (2008)
So you think White Boys cant fight? Not in this movie, a Top Gun meets Mixed Martial Arts movie. It holds all the cliche about a guy searching for inner strength to defeat his arch rival / school bully / inner demons and wins the girl, such a movie gets made once every few year. However the writers seems to take their job seriously for a change and managed to flesh out decent characters that makes the film stands out. So if it's good why take the credit away from it. Add in some serious MMA fight scenes and look what you get: made with a modest $20 million budget, debuted at #3 in it's opening weekend and grossed a total of $41 million after running 84 days in North America. The film also won Best Fight Scene in the 2008 MTV Awards.
7 - 笑傲江湖II 之 东方不败 (1992)
There will be quite a few Tsui Hark movies featuring Jet Li in my top 10 lists. This fight scene admittedly is one of the shortest and least engaging of all. But it is here purely for it's creativity and technical achievement. Remember it was made in 1992 when CGI was almost non-existent. In 笑傲江湖 Tsui Hark introduced us to the concept of ‘剑气’ or sword energy, where the wielder of the sword can kill without having to strike the opponent with his sword, but rather by the force unleashed from the stroke of his sword energy. In part two they took it further by having Jet Li to wield the sword in motion without even so much as touching it while engaging the opponent in sword fight. The result is an elegant and masterful crafted swordplay as the sword swirls around Li's body in attack and defence. It is just the stuff of oriental legend. The seamless motion crafted without any computer manipulation together with the background music simply leaves one in awe of it's screen magic.
6 - 杀波浪 (2005)
Donnie Yen the current action superstar of asian cinema shows how it's done. Although the final battle was to be between Donnie and Samo Hung, it is this duel against Wu Jing who plays a cold blooded assassin that really steals the thunder. This scene possess all the ingredients of a worthy fight scene. Two lone men with nothing but a weapon in their hands and the surging desire to take the opponent down. The fight is not going to be pretty, it will get brutal and it will be bloody. Alone in an alley with no audience, no assistance, no interruption and no ‘废话’, only one will leave the alley alive! It doesn't get any simpler than this.
5 - 叶问2（2010）
Another of Donnie's more commercially successful film as the master Ip Man, he is up against Samo Hung (again) in a duel to determine his worthiness to set up a martial arts school. When we are watching an action movie, we tend to take for granted that every action sequence undergoes grueling planning followed by painful rehearsals. And more importantly the camerawork has to capture the action in it's full glory, lest also not forgetting the painstaking editing work to put it all together for you on the screen. This fight scene if you watch it again carefully is made of numerous cuts from different camera angles, all put in nicely together by excellent and also tedious editing work. Seriously that to me is real kungfu!
4 - 黄飞鸿（1991）
黄飞鸿 is without any doubt THE quintessential kungfu movie of modern times. As far as I'm concerned it is still an unchallenged and unsurpassed production of it's genre. Definitely one of Tsui Harks triumphant works, it set the kungfu mania for the early 90s with a string of wannabes and copycats. This film alone revived Jet Li back to stardom and set the platform for him in becoming the international action icon that he is today. That popularity allowed him to make THE breakthrough into Hollywood, paving the way for other Asian action stars to join him in Tinseltown, spreading kungfu mania to the West.
This scene itself embodies the epitome of good versus evil, ground breaking action sequences and graceful choreography. Plus the theme music in the background absolutely makes this movie a timeless classic!
3 - 导火线 (2007)
Personally I much prefer this 2007 action movie than 叶问 (say what you want). It's less pretentious and also reminiscing of the action movies of the 80's. If Jackie Chan is the 'Action Comedian', Jet Li the 'Grand Master' than Donnie is without a doubt the 'Bad Boy' of action movies.
He does all his fight scenes, no body double. You can see from this scene every kick and every punch he throws is serious bad ass shit that can knock out a lesser being to Armageddon. He uses the film medium to showcase his MMA fighting style and at the end credits, you even catch a glimpse of his training footage. A worthy torch holder of the kungfu genre and this scene shows you why!
2 - 黄飞鸿II之男儿当自强 (1992)
This scene alone lasting only three minutes is to be carved in stone as the scene that made history...literally! Let me tell you why - two action icons of modern times, both men in their prime, in the same scene battling it out. Before this movie, Jet was a measly trainer in the US, Donnie is just another action actor with forgettable roles. Both men had real talent and raw skills, when this scene erupted onscreen in 1992, so was the birth of two action superstars. Though Donnie had to wait after Jet moved to Hollywood to finally get the attention he was denied, I'd say it was worth the wait.
Beautifully shot and choreographed, this fight scene is without a doubt, the high point for the entire movie. The action is an almost flawless and absorbing piece of action sequence one gets to witness in a lifetime. Both men won't meet again until a decade later in Zhang Yimou's 英雄, but I would rather forget that pussy piece of trash if I could have it my way.
1 - 黄飞鸿（1991）
My number one pick is going to surprise disagreed upon by many because it does not have any of the big action stars mentioned above. In fact the two men featured in the scene are not enough close to good looking. It is a scene taken from the 1991 original which features a duel between two martial arts master. One is the founder from a reputable school, the other a wandering vagrant down on his luck. It turns out they were to settle a 'dispute' in the traditional way. Both men only exchanged blows three times or commonly known in Chinese terms '三招'. But immediately after the first exchange, the tide shifted and it is the manner in which it was captured that I felt deserved the top spot. The whispering thoughts running through both men as they fought was cleverly laid out to the audience. The expressions of ferocity and disbelief among both men amplified the tensions and emotions as well as showcasing the superb editing and camerawork of the production crew. Add in the somber background music and a truly ingenious way of displacing an enemy that will leave you covering your throat, it is one of the most intense three minutes of fighting I ever seen.
There will be quite a few Tsui Hark movies featuring Jet Li in my top 10 lists. This fight scene admittedly is one of the shortest and least engaging of all. But it is here purely for it's creativity and technical achievement. Remember it was made in 1992 when CGI was almost non-existent. In 笑傲江湖 Tsui Hark introduced us to the concept of ‘剑气’ or sword energy, where the wielder of the sword can kill without having to strike the opponent with his sword, but rather by the force unleashed from the stroke of his sword energy. In part two they took it further by having Jet Li to wield the sword in motion without even so much as touching it while engaging the opponent in sword fight. The result is an elegant and masterful crafted swordplay as the sword swirls around Li's body in attack and defence. It is just the stuff of oriental legend. The seamless motion crafted without any computer manipulation together with the background music simply leaves one in awe of it's screen magic.
6 - 杀波浪 (2005)
Donnie Yen the current action superstar of asian cinema shows how it's done. Although the final battle was to be between Donnie and Samo Hung, it is this duel against Wu Jing who plays a cold blooded assassin that really steals the thunder. This scene possess all the ingredients of a worthy fight scene. Two lone men with nothing but a weapon in their hands and the surging desire to take the opponent down. The fight is not going to be pretty, it will get brutal and it will be bloody. Alone in an alley with no audience, no assistance, no interruption and no ‘废话’, only one will leave the alley alive! It doesn't get any simpler than this.
5 - 叶问2（2010）
Another of Donnie's more commercially successful film as the master Ip Man, he is up against Samo Hung (again) in a duel to determine his worthiness to set up a martial arts school. When we are watching an action movie, we tend to take for granted that every action sequence undergoes grueling planning followed by painful rehearsals. And more importantly the camerawork has to capture the action in it's full glory, lest also not forgetting the painstaking editing work to put it all together for you on the screen. This fight scene if you watch it again carefully is made of numerous cuts from different camera angles, all put in nicely together by excellent and also tedious editing work. Seriously that to me is real kungfu!
4 - 黄飞鸿（1991）
黄飞鸿 is without any doubt THE quintessential kungfu movie of modern times. As far as I'm concerned it is still an unchallenged and unsurpassed production of it's genre. Definitely one of Tsui Harks triumphant works, it set the kungfu mania for the early 90s with a string of wannabes and copycats. This film alone revived Jet Li back to stardom and set the platform for him in becoming the international action icon that he is today. That popularity allowed him to make THE breakthrough into Hollywood, paving the way for other Asian action stars to join him in Tinseltown, spreading kungfu mania to the West.
This scene itself embodies the epitome of good versus evil, ground breaking action sequences and graceful choreography. Plus the theme music in the background absolutely makes this movie a timeless classic!
3 - 导火线 (2007)
Personally I much prefer this 2007 action movie than 叶问 (say what you want). It's less pretentious and also reminiscing of the action movies of the 80's. If Jackie Chan is the 'Action Comedian', Jet Li the 'Grand Master' than Donnie is without a doubt the 'Bad Boy' of action movies.
He does all his fight scenes, no body double. You can see from this scene every kick and every punch he throws is serious bad ass shit that can knock out a lesser being to Armageddon. He uses the film medium to showcase his MMA fighting style and at the end credits, you even catch a glimpse of his training footage. A worthy torch holder of the kungfu genre and this scene shows you why!
2 - 黄飞鸿II之男儿当自强 (1992)
This scene alone lasting only three minutes is to be carved in stone as the scene that made history...literally! Let me tell you why - two action icons of modern times, both men in their prime, in the same scene battling it out. Before this movie, Jet was a measly trainer in the US, Donnie is just another action actor with forgettable roles. Both men had real talent and raw skills, when this scene erupted onscreen in 1992, so was the birth of two action superstars. Though Donnie had to wait after Jet moved to Hollywood to finally get the attention he was denied, I'd say it was worth the wait.
Beautifully shot and choreographed, this fight scene is without a doubt, the high point for the entire movie. The action is an almost flawless and absorbing piece of action sequence one gets to witness in a lifetime. Both men won't meet again until a decade later in Zhang Yimou's 英雄, but I would rather forget that pussy piece of trash if I could have it my way.
1 - 黄飞鸿（1991）
My number one pick is going to surprise disagreed upon by many because it does not have any of the big action stars mentioned above. In fact the two men featured in the scene are not enough close to good looking. It is a scene taken from the 1991 original which features a duel between two martial arts master. One is the founder from a reputable school, the other a wandering vagrant down on his luck. It turns out they were to settle a 'dispute' in the traditional way. Both men only exchanged blows three times or commonly known in Chinese terms '三招'. But immediately after the first exchange, the tide shifted and it is the manner in which it was captured that I felt deserved the top spot. The whispering thoughts running through both men as they fought was cleverly laid out to the audience. The expressions of ferocity and disbelief among both men amplified the tensions and emotions as well as showcasing the superb editing and camerawork of the production crew. Add in the somber background music and a truly ingenious way of displacing an enemy that will leave you covering your throat, it is one of the most intense three minutes of fighting I ever seen.
