I thought the first was great (I went through a similar martial arts phase). Are the others worth checking out at all?
Iāll try and track them down (here in the UK, before LoveFilm was bought out by sodding Amazon and blew their entire sodding budget on Dumbo + co, they curated an eclectic mix of cheaply licensed films from all over - I can picture the roving John Cusack / Rob Gordon characters taking paid trips out East) -
But Thailand, Korea (not the Norks), Indonesia, Philippines so far. Sri Lanka and India have a bunch too, but I find them a bit dripping in hero worship; whereas the more SE Asian versions emphasise tough simple heroics.
They have incredibly talented martial artists, make the California Crew look a little silly (though JCVD would doubtlessly dominate). Theyāve synthesised everything they grew up on - Bruce, Jackie, all the Hong Kong bunch, the lot, into a really on-screen effective form of dopamine.
So you guys know the scene Iām talking about??
Edit: Merantau Warrior, see http://mubi.com/lists/indonesian-martial-arts-cinema and Iām guessing it has other countries too
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No, I havenāt seen it yet, but I will now that youāve recommended it.
I used to be a dancer, and have studied karate and kick-boxing. For me, the choreography in good martial arts films is a treat. I use the word āchoreographyā for a reason!
Yep - but the SE Asian up and coming industries competing with HK and the over-invested Chinese stuff knew that they had to bring another aspect - they get down and dirty but with utter skill - Tony Jaa is one of the most accomplished Iāve ever, ever seen!
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Who here has seen JCVD?
Funny film. Good to see him not taking himself seriously.
Also, Street Fighter is still a guilty pleasure of mine. Guy got to have an affair with Kylie Minogue. Jealous!
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Yep. I loved it. Street Fighter ā¦
Sorry to be a buzzkill, butā¦
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The truck that turns and straightens again isnāt articulated, which makes it a bit easier. Not to dismiss their skill at all, I couldnāt do that with a toy truck.
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āOng Bakā, āOng Bak Againā andā¦
Damn heās flexible.
Is that the one with the one-take restaurant battle; where he works his way up floor after floor of mooks. That was amazing.
Yep! It was pretty cool.
People suckā¦
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Youāre thinking of Tom Yum Goong (aka āThe Protectorā), which isnāt an Ong Bak movie, but was made between Ong Bak 1 & 2. The whole restaurant battle done in one long continuous take, no cuts. Crazy impressive, and they used that technique again for future action films like Chocolate.
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Yep, youāre right there. Its the one released in the UK as āWarrior Kingā. Poor elephants 
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I am totally gay for Tony Jaa.
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I think they drove forward, slowly coming together. Far easier for the drivers and JCVD.
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