Movie Martial Arts Education
Here’s a fun idea: if you wanted to see a martial arts style, what movie would you watch? Sadly, in most cases, the movie will give a horrible, almost insulting representation of the art. (Hence, this list is going to have a lot of groaners for actual practitioners of the art.) Plus, you can’t learn martial arts well from a video — you have to actually train in it in person. But, all that aside, what movies come to mind for different styles?
- Capoeira: Mark Dacascos’s performance in Only the Strong is the definitive showcase piece for this art on film. Covering a bit of the background and some of the training styles, it combines some rather unlikely and goofy plotlines with fun choreography. The only other movie with Capoeira that comes to mind is Tom Yum Goong, which has a fight between a Muay Thai fighter (Tony Jaa) and Capoiera fighter (Lateef Crowder).
- Okinawan Karate: Sadly, the most known film introduction to this style is The Karate Kid and its sequel The Karate Kid Part II. What’s funny about it is that Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita didn’t actually know Karate before doing this movie. Shortening the complexity of the style to a few moves and cutting out the actual rigorous training found in Okinawan Karate appealed to Western audiences while hiding the depth of the art.
- Tae Kwon Do: If you haven’t seen Best Of the Best, go out and rent it now. Martial arts movies (especially Western martial arts movies) are known for their over the top cheese factor, but BOtB takes it to an all new high. If you don’t find yourself snickering at some of Eric Roberts’s lines, you must cry while watching daytime soaps. I mean, the random inclusion of Christopher Penn and James Earl Jones? It’s a whole new level of dairy product to enjoy. Bonus: getting to see a lot of different “hardcore” training styles of the Koreans, and Phillip Rhee’s skills.
- Muay Thai: Only one film really stood out for me on this art: Ong Bak. Tony Jaa kicks some serious butt in this film; just ignore the storyline. (The exclusion of Kickboxer from this category is not accidental.)
- Drunken Boxing: Jackie Chan introduced the concept of Drunken Boxing to the mainstream with the Western release of Legend Of the Drunken Master (released as Drunken Master II in Hong Kong). However, to really get at the raw style underneath, you have to turn to the older, original Drunken Master, also starring Chan. Jackie Chan made up the moves, it’s true; however, it’s still the most recognized example of Drunken Boxing in cinema today.
- American Boxing: One word: Rocky Like there could be any other? With an emphasis on the difficulty of training and the grittiness of the ring, Sylvester Stallone delivers a, um, knockout performance.
- Wing Chun: There’s a film called Wing Chun with Michelle Yeoh, which roughly includes some elements of Wing Chun history. However, the actual fighting is a bit stylized, so it’s not the best example of the art. For that, you have to check out The Prodigal Son and Warriors Two. Both of those use Wing Chun in all choreography, as well as include some background on the training. Yuen Biao nicely portrays a young impetuous Leung Jan under the tutelage of Leung Yee Tai and Wong Wah Bo in Prodigal Son, then comes back as Money Changer Wah in Warriors Two. Sammo Hung provides extra martial arts prowess and comedy in both films. Just try not to snicker too much at the Praying Mantis fight at the end of Warriors Two.
- Shaolin Kung Fu: For this, you have to turn to the Gordon Liu classic:Thirty-Sixth Chamber of Shaolin. With background on the different chambers and rigorous training styles, this movie set the tone for the kung fu movie genre to come. Gordon Liu again brings Shaolin flavor to the scene in Shaolin Vs. Wu Tang.
- Wu Tang Sword: Ziyi Zhang set the screen on fire with her graceful performance in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which brought critical acclaim to films coming out of the East. Another good example is Shaolin Vs. Wu Tang, with Hoi San Lee showcasing the art.
- Hung Gar Kung Fu: The Once Upon a Time In China series defined Hung Gar’s presentation in Hong Kong cinema, with Jet Li’s explosive performance telling the story of folk hero Wong Fei Hong. (Interestingly enough, Jackie Chan plays a younger Wong Fei Hong in the Drunken Master series.)
- Savate: Remember Vorstedt (Derrick O’Connor) kicking the crap out of Riggs at the end of Lethal Weapon 2? This is the only example of Savate in film that I know of off hand.
- Aikido: Steven Seagal actually knows Aikido! I know, shocking. His style is a rather hard one known as Yoshinkai Aikido, and you get to see a bit of it in Above the Law.
- American Kenpo: I haven’t seen this film (yet), but I hear Jeff Speakman did a good showcase of American Kenpo in The Perfect Weapon.
- Tai Chi Chuan: David Carradine’s role as Kwai Chang Caine in the TV series Kung Fu is probably the best recognized example. Of course, bonus points go to Kung Fu Hustle for its portrayal with the Landlord (Yuen Wah). The Tai Chi Master may also give a nice representation, but I haven’t seen that yet.
- Kenjutsu / Iajutsu: It’s easy to just lump all Japanese sword fighting together, and say this includes Kendo and Iado. It’s also easy to just give this a blanket statement of “Samurai” — but that wouldn’t be quite right. I think in terms of application, I’d have to give the nod to The Seven Samurai, the amazing Akira Kirosawa flick that inspired The Magnificent Seven.
Well, that taps out my mind, though I know I’m missing a bunch. What other styles am I missing?