Monday, April 18, 2011

Four Classic Kung Fu Movies

By Adriana Noton


Kung fu movies have captured the interest of Western audiences since they first came out. There are lots to choose from, and sometimes it can be difficult to decide what to watch next. Here are some of the best ones.

You can even ask someone who is not much of a fan of the genre, and they have probably heard of or seen The Five Deadly Venoms. This is a classic 1978 film from Chinese master director Chang Chen, and it tells the story of a student sent by his dying master to find and defeat five former students who have taken the evil route.

The protagonist needs to figure out where to find these men, but he also must destroy them. Each of the five evil students has a special style and set of abilities. Named Centipede, Toad, Snake, Lizard, and Scorpion, these monikers reflect their styles. It will take cunning, guile, and adaptability to overcome these men, as the protagonist is not equal to any of them on their own terms. He is, however, fairly proficient at each one of the five venom techniques, and he must use this knowledge to emerge victorious.

One of the most recognized Chinese actors around, Jackie Chan is the star of the 1994 release The Legend Of Drunken Master. In it he portrays Wong Fei Hung, a Chinese man who becomes embroiled in a plot to make off with some of China's most valued artifacts.

With the action star at his peak, and a really great director helping to tell the story, this is a very good example of a reasonably recent offering. Many people believe that no really decent martial arts films have been made since the nineteen seventies, but films like this one prove that statement to be false.

If you like fight choreography and really insane acrobatics, then you might like the third film on this list. The Magnificent Butcher is a Sammo Hung vehicle which mixes action and comedy with great success. This film has some truly amazing wire work.

Finally, no mention of Chinese martial arts cinema would be complete without the legendary Bruce Lee. Fists of Fury, otherwise known as The Big Boss, is perhaps the ultimate Bruce Lee experience. It's not exactly the best Bruce Lee film, but for sheer energy and excitement you can't beat it. There is possibly no more charismatic action star in this genre than Bruce Lee.

At its heart, Fists Of Fury is a story about the tensions between Japanese and Chinese martial arts students in the same town. There are some absolutely classic fight scenes in this one, many involving weapons and flying kicks. This is probably the film that made American audiences fall in love with Bruce Lee as an actor.

Poisonous traitors who can cling to walls, British bad guys stealing Chinese relics, a fat Sammo Hung, and Bruce Lee kicking the stuffing out of anyone who gets near make up this list of four kung fu movies you need to watch. These are usually all available to rent from a decent store, or they can be purchased online from a number of sellers.




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