Four Classic Kung Fu Movies
April 18, 2011They have engaged our enthusiasm and interest since we first saw them. Kung fu movies are well loved in North America, and there are lots of them to choose from. Perhaps a quick look at four of the best ones will help you decide.
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.
This is arguably Jackie Chan’s peak performance, and the action star is at his most outrageous. Excellent direction and a solid plot mean that those people who claim that no good martial arts flicks have been released since the seventies should rethink that statement. The Legend Of Drunken Master is a 1994 release.
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.
There’s no way to talk about the greatest Chinese martial arts films without bringing up the absolutely most well known action star. Fists Of Fury, also released as The Big Boss, is the standard by which these films are judged. This is probably because Bruce Lee is just so amazingly watchable.
Fists Of Fury is possibly the film that most Americans first saw Bruce Lee in. The basic premise involves a rivalry between a Japanese martial arts school and a Chinese one, and can be assumed to hold greater sociological significance. Lots of flying kicks and Asian weaponry make this a fantastically exciting film to watch.
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.
For the best selection of martial arts movies you can use the internet to watch and enjoy a massive selection of karate movies, kung fu movies and many other genres.
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