favorite martial artist actor

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[Unregistered]

Here is your chance to either rate all the martial artist actors you can think of.. Or just say who your favorit is. Here is what I think...

Jacky Chan- I think he is the best, he's defenetly my favorite.

Jet Lee- I havent seen much of his moovies so he's hard to rate, i think he's prety good.

John Claud Van Dam- Not a bad actor, A little to coccy for me though.

Steven Segal- I dont realy like him, he's not a great actor, his moovies have too many political points, too coccy, fat, a little weird.

Chuck Norris- He needs to go to acting school.

who did i miss?...

[paul keessen]

jacky chan is indeed the best. his stunts are really amazing! :-)

Steven Segal does aikido....but in his movie he doesn't seem to use aikido the right way (my OPINION) because aikido is about peace and nnot about beating the crap out of eachother :)

[aarjan]

I vote Toshiro Mifune

[PeterR]

Roger Rabbit

[shihonage]

but in his movie he doesn't seem to use aikido the right way (my OPINION) because aikido is about peace and nnot about beating the crap out of eachother :)

All Steven Seagal did in his earlier films is try and attempt to show the real application of Aikido, and all he gets in response is hatred from peace-loving hippies who can be beat up by a 12 year old boy with a blindfold on and one hand tied behind his back, while saying "Oh my, he shocked me with his manly aggressiveness and I couldn't blend with it !".

Aikido is a martial art, which is meant to be applicable to real life.
It is not a fancy dance - no matter how many pitiful quality "Aiki Expo" footage Mr.Pranin from www.aikidojournal.com would sell to convince you otherwise.

[Thomas Froman]

Let's not forget about the late great Bruce Lee.:cool:

[paw]

Van Dam? Seagal? Riiiight.

In the US my favorites are:

Brandon Lee (would have been a major player if he survived "The Crow")

Mark Dacostas (has been regulated to many, many B films, but was fantastic in "The Bortherhood of the Wolf")

Wesley Snipes (has made some bad choices in his career, but has been fantastic in "Blade" and "Blade 2")

Hong Kong:

Michelle Yeoh - 'nuff said

Jet Li - "Fist of Legend" is one of the best MA films ever

Jacky Chan - 'nuff said

Samo Hung - 'nuff said

Ziyi Zhang - fantastic in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"

note to Miramax: Release "Hero" in the US already you twits!

[PeterR]

Wesley Snipes (has made some bad choices in his career, but has been fantastic in "Blade" and "Blade 2")
Paul - I though Blade was fantastic but Blade2 a posturing mixed bag of the original and several other genre. OK it was worth the price of the rental and the co-star had a very nice butt but damm I hate sequels. By the way do you know what Mr. Snipes actually practices.

I agree with you list pretty much. Van Damm is not a martial artist but a dancer. Still I've seen worse.

I like Steven Segal's earlier movies and occasisonally we have glimpses of potential but as an actor I'm quite disappointed. What usually turns me off is when you have these guys trying to get political or even worse, more concerned with trying to sell themselves than the role.

Obviously Alexsey has some issues but his point is taken - Aikido is a martial art not a hippy love fest. Still, let's get real, his purpose was to sell movies not to show the world what Aikido is all about. I would be very careful to equate some of that overly choreographed tripe as real life.

I still go with Roger Rabbit though - he could have taken out Bruce Lee no problems.

[mike lee]

Jet Li is by far the most skilled martial artist I've ever witnessed. I've seen him transition between numerous martial-art styles in a single fight sequence as easily as most people breath.

Plus, I also feel that his personality demonstrates the correct martial-arts spirit. He appears to be totally non-offensive — a genuinely nice guy, demonstrating what I believe to be the correct "aikido spirit." Someone I would feel totally at ease with. He doesn't come off like a bully, as does that gringo aikido dude. He never tries to intimidate people — he just uses skill.

I often tell people that when I saw Bruce Lee, it made me want to study martial arts, and when I saw Jet Li I wanted to give up!

[ScottC]

Jet Li is definitely talented,and one of my favorites along with Bruce Lee and Segal.

I think it's because they were serious Martial Artists before they became movie stars.

[Nacho_mx]

Toshiro Mifune is the best!, and Peter, as cartoons go Bugs Bunny would trash Roger Rabbit anyday!

[paw]

Ignacio --- Good call on Mifune!

Peter --- My wife felt the same way about Blade & Blade 2 (personally, I think Blade 2 is a tragic romance......)

A quick web search showed Snipes listed as 4th degree black belt, but no art was listed.

re: Roger Rabbit .....

Anyone in the "Dragonball" series would trash him, as would anyone in "Fist of the North Star", but I'd never admit to actually watching either. (As an "in-joke" professional fighter Carlos Newton lists his style as "Dragonball jiu jitsu")

[leefr]

Jet Li!

The fight scene in Fist of Legend where his character and the old karateka fight blindfolded was one of the most memorable ever.

[akiy]

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[PeterR]

Toshiro Mifune is the best!, and Peter, as cartoons go Bugs Bunny would trash Roger Rabbit anyday!
Yeah but I still have the hots for Roger Rabbit's co-star. All Bugs Bunny had was Elmer Fudd. :D

[Thor's Hammer]

Mifune, definitely!

[deepsoup]

Yeah but I still have the hots for Roger Rabbit's co-star. All Bugs Bunny had was Elmer Fudd. :D
I'm assuming you mean Jessica Rabbit, rather than Bob Hoskins? :D

Didn't Daffy Duck have a glove puppet that Bugs had the hots for ?

Has nobody voted for Chow Yun Fat yet? I'm sure he's not the most impressive martial artist on the planet, but he is a fine actor. (Exactly like Stephen Seagal isn't.)

Sean

x

[Mallory Wikoff]

Yeah, I think almost All the guys in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon were good.

[Pretoriano]

Mallory is a man or a woman?

Who is Mifume?

Who is Chow Yun Fat?

Praetorian

[Bronson]

Has nobody voted for Chow Yun Fat yet?

I don't think he studies martial arts. It'd be like voting for Pat Morita from the Karate Kid ;)

What about Cynthia Rothrock, or Don "The Dragon" Wilson, or the guy who played the Shogun of Harlem in The Last Dragon :rolleyes:

Actually I kinda liked Master Pan Qing Fu (http://www.warriorspower.com/noframes/masters/panqingfu.html) in the movie Iron and Silk. It's one of my favorite martial arts movies...and there's not a single fight in it.

Bronson

[PeterR]

I'm assuming you mean Jessica Rabbit, rather than Bob Hoskins? :D
Touche'

[Mallory Wikoff]

Mallory is a man or a woman?

Girl :)

[Kelly Allen]

Don't know how much of a martial artist she is but I thought Angilina Jolie in Tomb Raider was Awesome. She appeared to pull no punches, didn't have a lot of showy round house kicks, and looked hot during the entire film. If she does another MA film I'll watch it.

Aside from that Jet li is the king of MA movies right now. I wish I could find his movie The Hit Man.

Jacky Chan is a very close second.

[Chuck.Gordon]

Philip Akin.

Heya, Philip. How's you Yourself?

cg

[Abasan]

Snipes is practising capoera. I didn't know they award dan grades.

Jet Li is a great martial artist. He was china's top wushu champion for years. when he began his acting career with his fellow wushu brothers, he was maltreated and underpayed. Now of course is a different story. Actually he went to a specialised wushu academy after performing well in junior school. this provided him sponsorship and care. he was from a very poor family so this was very important. his best films i would think - fist of legend (this one has an original version which was a tear jerker - the part where the hero had to fight his japanese sensei), last hero in china 1-4, taichi master and ermm maybe Hero (actually for a swords movie, i prefer him in swordsman 2)

Jacky Chan is a great entertainer. His art originated from Chinese Opera which meant more acrobatic elements and learning various types of kung fu. Throughout the years, he became adept at applying various other arts into his reportoire. Adding even Aikido where he practiced/tried at Seagal's old dojo in Japan. Btw, his stunts are all real and all done by him. Unfortunately, his body is so trashed, it takes him two hours of warming up everyday to get it started again. his best movies... (arghh too many - i've got all of them... but drunken master 2 is memorable and i liked his earlier films in hong kong which are more funny and filled with antics).

And I agree... iron and silk is one of the best martial arts movie i've seen. Also, if you can, try and find 'the barefoot kid'.

chow yun fat is not a martial artist. puhliz.

michele yeoh, interestingly enough started her career as the winner of a beauty pageant in Malaysia. She now lives in hong kong though after working very hard to get where she is today. of course, her last movie 'the touch' is absolute rubbish. i liked her more as a co star for jacky chan films (police story 3 if i'm not mistaken.).

Can't believe no one mentioned brandon lee and jason scott lee. brandon although 'lived' in his fathers great shadow was an excellant martial artist. too bad on what happened.

cynthia rockhart anyone?

anyway... sho kasugi who acted in earlier ninja movies was reputedly a real ninja who amongst other things had 14 ways of dealing death with a credit card. (if someone else was paying for mine, i know of one way :P)

Ok... final vote - Jet Li (sorry jacky)

[Neil Mick]

Very interesting post (as usual), Abasan.
Snipes is practising capoera. I didn't know they award dan grades.
They don't. They award cords in much the same way as kyu ranks.

Snipes practicing Capoeira? Wow (I used to practice Capoeira). Do you know how long he's been training? He didn't use any Capoeira in "Blade," IMO.
Jet Li is a great martial artist. (actually for a swords movie, i prefer him in swordsman 2)
Jet Li rocks: and "Swordsman 2" is one of my favorite martial arts films. Tsui Hark at his best!

For star martial artist: Jet Li gets my vote.
Jacky Chan is a great entertainer.
No argument here. I love watching his out-takes.

I just don't understand why no one came up with a "Zatoichi meets Yojimbo" idea for a movie with Jackie Chan fighting Jet Li.
michele yeoh, a co star for jacky chan films (police story 3 if i'm not mistaken.).

Yep. My vote for her, as best female martial artist. She did a movie about an actress in the 20's, who killed herself over society gossip (not a martial arts film). Anyone remember the title?

Also, what about the minor actors in films, excellent martial artists themselves? Chuck Norris was an excellent martial artist, in his prime, and he played stunt roles in some Bruce Li films.

Also, I think about the Catwoman martial artist stunt-double in "Batman 2." Apparently, she was the #2 kickboxing champion (American, or world: I'm not sure). She was good.

[Grappler]

Jacky Chan. Smart and funny guy and doesnt pretend to be a badass. I am so tired of all the kids who think Bruce Lee or Steven Seagal are the toughest mofos on the planet because they beat up 50 actors in some movie that wasnt even funny...

[rpnp]

Does Christopher Lambert count? He was good in all the Highlander movies (didnt like 2 that much)

Don "the dragon" Wilson should of stayed to his tournaments.

I cant stand Cynthia Rothrock's movies....

Donnie Yen an okay actor, but he still has a long ways to go. same can be said with Adrian Paul.

Chuck Norris's films would be good if it wasnt only him against a whole army.

Steven Seagal is a good martial artist, but HE CANT ACT!

Angelina Jolie was great in "Original Sin". Awesome scene with her and Antonio Banderas, but not a martial artist.

Bruce Lee redefined MA films he was the best, but not my favorite.

Mark Dacascos was great in "Only the Strong", but that was about the only movie i have seen him in.

Brandon Lee could of been great, except for that tragic accident.

Jackie Chan is an awesome actor/martial artist, but i dont care for some of his recent work. (The Tuxedo) even though Jennifer Love Hewitt looked great.

I would have to go with Jet Li because he's he a great actor/martial artist that comes through most of the time. Besides “Fist of Legend” is one of the all time best MA films.

[Abasan]

I can't remember how long he practiced capoeira Nick. I read it in this martial arts journal sometime back, listing all the famous people and the arts they practiced. Some of them were pretty amazing because you least expect them to be martial artists.

Still, Snipes is pretty acrobatic... probably a side effect of capoeira. So why did you quit anyway? It looks like a lot of fun.

[j0nharris]

I recently read that for Jet Li's last movie, Cradle 2 the Grave, fans were able to vote on his website for who they would most like to see him fight.

Mark Dacascos (http://www.dacascos.com/) was the favorite by far. Wasn't a fantastic movie, but watching the two of them.... whew!:freaky:

And he was just incredible in Brotherhood of the Wolf.

Someone mentioned DrunkenMaster 2.. I always wondered why Jackie Chan changed the ending when he re-released it as Legend of Drunken Master. It's still fun to watch my old copy in Cantonese with the Mandarin subtitles (neither of which I speak)!

-Jon

[Neil Mick]

So why did you quit anyway? It looks like a lot of fun.
It is a lot of fun; but it's also very demanding. I did it for about 4 years but couldn't keep a consistent training routine with both Capoeira and Aikido at the same time.

I still jump in and play a roda (game), when I see one.


Mark Dacascos was the favorite by far.

And he was just incredible in Brotherhood of the Wolf.


Yeah: Mark Dacascos is great: loved him in "Only the Strong" (probably the only full-blown Capoeira movie).

[rpnp]

What is "Brotherhood of the Wolf" about?

[paw]

What is "Brotherhood of the Wolf" about?

Le Pacte Des Loups (Brotherhood of the Wolf) was released in 2001 in France. Re-released in 2002 in the US. The "official" plot is something along the lines of:

In 18th century France, the Chevalier de Fronsac and his native American friend Mani are sent by the King to the Gevaudan province to investigate the killings of hundreds by a mysterious beast.

It's one part mystery/thriller + one part political intrigue + one part martial arts + one part cool special effects. (Dacostas plays the role of Mani.)

I highly recommend it.

Regards,

Paul

[PeterR]

It's one part mystery/thriller + one part political intrigue + one part martial arts + one part cool special effects. (Dacostas plays the role of Mani.)

I highly recommend it.
Arrggg!!! Here French films are dubbed into - wait for it - Japanese. Both my Japanese and French are at the same level - terrible.

How much mind numbing dialog is there?

[paw]

Peter,
Arrggg!!! Here French films are dubbed into - wait for it - Japanese. Both my Japanese and French are at the same level - terrible.

How much mind numbing dialog is there?

Too much, I'm afraid. Maybe you can find an english subtitled version out there, somewhere. Failing that, you could have someone buy/send you a region 1 copy from the US or Canada.

Mea Culpa,

Paul

[rpnp]

thanks

[j0nharris]

Arrggg!!! Here French films are dubbed into - wait for it - Japanese. Both my Japanese and French are at the same level - terrible.

How much mind numbing dialog is there?
I would think that if you can find it on DVD, you should be able to choose language and subtitling options, no? If so, take the french language with English subtitles. We watched it both ways (kinky, huh?) and it just didn't seem to have the same appeal dubbed in English. I felt the same way about the dubbed version of Iron Monkey, too.

-jon

[PeterR]

I would think that if you can find it on DVD, you should be able to choose language and subtitling options, no? If so, take the french language with English subtitles. We watched it both ways (kinky, huh?) and it just didn't seem to have the same appeal dubbed in English. I felt the same way about the dubbed version of Iron Monkey, too.
I'm going to rent the video anyway but really, based on experience, if it a French or German film DVD will be the original language and Japanese. German I can deal with but French hurts.

[Abasan]

I've got the one with english subs. But not sure if you can use it though. But as all good sidekicks, he has to die in the end. Looks a lot like brandon too doesn't he?

Chinese movies dubbed in english? Urgh. Oh btw, a small trivia. In Iron Monkey, Wong Kei Yit or the visiting kung fu man who was tasked to fight the iron monkey is actually Wong Fei Hong's (From Once upon a time in China) father.

Just watched Matrix reloaded. Heheh... I wonder why no one is voting Keanu Reeves?

And Neil... wouldn't it be fun if instead of having to breakfall from a kotegaishi, you could actually somersault out of it... you know, cause of capoeira!

[paw]

I've got the one with english subs. But not sure if you can use it though. ....snipped..... Looks a lot like brandon too doesn't he?

Please don't spoil the movie for others who haven't seen it.
Just watched Matrix reloaded. Heheh... I wonder why no one is voting Keanu Reeves?

Reeves is an actor who learned specific fight coreography for the movie, not a martial artist.

Regards,

Paul

[Neil Mick]

And Neil... wouldn't it be fun if instead of having to breakfall from a kotegaishi, you could actually somersault out of it... you know, cause of capoeira!
You'd probably end up with a broken wrist if you tried, because you need that hand, to perform the sumersault. Especially as you're being thrown in the direction of the kotegaishi.

Just my opinion, but I don't think it's possible.

But, regarding capoeira and Aikido: I tried iriminage several times, in a roda. The results were quite explosive.

Oh, and I rented Yojimbo and Samurai Rebellion, this week, so I'd also have to vote Toshiro Mufune as greatest movie-swordsman.

[Abasan]

Sorry Paul. Kinda thoughtless of me.

Makes sense about the kotegaishi. I just wanted to dream thats all... :)

[Don_Modesto]

Snipes is practising capoera.
I'd be surprised if that's all he's studied. He did a punch in one of his movies straight out of Shotokan.

[stoker]

I love the look on John Wayne's face in the 'Barbarian and the Geisha' when he lands after being tossed by a hiza garuma. But that probably does not count as a MA movie.

The Sundance Channel has been showing the Zaitoichi movies and they are fun to watch

[Thor's Hammer]

Mifune in Yojimbo... it doesn't get much better than that for swordwork!

[Gerjan]

Jackie Chan is my personal favorite. I like the humor in his movies, and the cleanness of his fighting style...and I believe Snipes practiced more than Capoeira. I heared that he has a number of 1st kyu's in quite some arts...don't ask me which ones though :p .

[ikkainogakusei]

Jackie Chan is my personal favorite. I like the humor in his movies, and the cleanness of his fighting style.
I've got to agree with Gerjan about Chan, I love his awesome ukemi as well.

The best scene however I think has to go to (odd as it sounds) the John Cusack/ Benney 'the Jet' Urquidez in Grosse Point Blank. I know not the most macho action movie. It didn't pretend to be spectacular, rather it was two guys, out of breath, trying to not be the one who wound up dead. They didn't look like they were following a choreographic script, I liked that.

FWIW:) :ai: :)