Man of Tai Chi (2013)

Opening Fight: 2.25/5

Tiger Chen vs Chou Ping: 3.25/5

Tiger Chen vs Brawler: 3.5/5

Tiger vs Guy in Blue: 2.25/5

Tiger Fighting Montage: 3.25/5

Tiger vs Iron Body Guy: 3.75/5

Tiger vs Sanshou Fighter: 3.25/5

Tiger vs 2 Fighters: 4/5

Tiger vs Master: 4/5

Tiger vs Uri Romanov: N/R

Tiger vs Iko Uwais: 3/5

Tiger vs Keanu Reeves: 2.75/5



Tiger Chen is a talented guy. This movie functions as his vehicle. That being said, I wish I liked it more. It's an ok film, but considering they got Iko Uwais from the Raid in it and the sheer amount of fighting in it, I expected more.

Keanu Reeves chews so much scenery throughout this. He is way over the top. You can tell they wanted to make his final showdown with Tiger an epic, but they fall quite short. Keanu just can't move well enough to convince me he's the dominant villain he's presented as. Yeah he's bigger than Tiger, but that's about it. Also, if I never have to hear Keanu say, "You owe me a life" ever again I can die happy.

I wish Tiger and Iko Uwais had gotten a real chance to go at it, but the story film's narrative prevents that. Let's hope Tiger shows up in The Raid 3.

Onto the positives, there are 2 great fights and a couple very good fights in this. Tiger vs his master is especially resonant, the actor playing the Master moves better than Keanu. Plus the music that fight is set to really helps to convey the story. Tiger looks good in every fight scene he's in. He holds up his end quite well. I want him in more things.


I want to support movies like this and guys like Tiger. Somewhat recommended.

Slug Street Scrappers 3 (2013)

Peaches vs Hopz: 3.25/5

Peaches vs Bruiser: 1.5/5

Jimmy Broker vs Billy Broker: 4.25/5

Ryuken vs Bones: 3.75/5

Peaches vs Punchy: 3.25/5

Jimmy & Billy vs Mr. Sexy: 4/5

Knuckles vs Slugger Squad: 2.75/5

Knuckles vs Ryuken: 3.5/5



Man, this is great. Tons of fighting, and it's varied. Jimmy vs Billy steals the show. Highly recommended.

From Man to Man Vol. 2 (2013)

Brendon vs Vonzell: 4.75/5

One of the best fights of 2013, and one of the greatest fights I've ever seen. The fluidity and intricacy of the sequences are phenomenal. Love love love it.

Ninja II: Shadow of a Tear (2013)

Casey vs Thugs: 2.5/5

Dojo Fight: 3.25/5

Casey vs Thugs: 2.25/5

Casey vs Lucas: 3/5

Bar Fight: 3.75/5

Casey vs Drug Dealers: 3.25/5

Hotel Fight: 3.5/5

Casey vs Myat: 4/5

Casey vs Goro: 2.75/5

Casey vs Nakabara: 4.25/5


This movie is better than The Protector 2 but not as good as The Raid 2. Scott Adkins (Casey) is one of the best screen fighters in the world. This movie is a good demonstration of his abilities. As a movie it's a pretty straight forward action film, not a whole lot of depth.

The 2 major fights both deliver. One pits Adkins up against Tim Man (Myat), a very talented man only known by true martial arts film nerds. The other fight pits him against Kane Kosugi and it's the best fight in the film. Kosugi's movements are very crisp and smooth, he doesn't look like he's being choreographed at all. Although Adkins vs Tim Man is also great there were times during the fight where it felt choreographed. Also, all of Kosugi's movements had intention. And his fight acting was terrific.

Adkins also has to fight the elderly actor that plays Goro, which actually delivers exactly as it should. It's short, tells a story and gets to the point.

Solid fight film. Somewhat recommended.

Tom Yum Goong 2 (2013) aka The Protector 2

House Fight: 1.25/5

No. 20 vs No. 31: 2/5

Kham vs Bikers: 2.25/5

Kham vs Sisters vs Thugs: 2.75/5

Kham vs No. 02: 3.5/5

Kham vs Security: 2/5

Kham/Ping vs Thugs/02: 3.5/5

Kham vs No. 02: 3.5/5

Kham vs Thugs: 2.5/5

Kham vs No. 02 on Train Tracks: 3/5

Kham vs No. 00: 2.25/5

End Fight: 2.5/5

Man, how disappointing. There's a really long action/chase scene towards the beginning that just bored me. Jeeja Yanin's character is underutilized, as she's presented as being a tier below all of the top fighters in the movie. There's also an overuse of wires and special effects (which Jaa became famous for not using) and the choreography isn't strong enough to make up for it. The final fights see Rza taking on Jaa, and although Rza looks better here than he did in his own movie (Jaa makes for a better opponent than Batista), it's still underwhelming. 

The only fights here worth watching are between Marrese (No. 02) and Jaa. Marrese is not bad. Their final duel develops an interesting concept in which Jaa and Marrese electrify their own bodies. It might've been cool if it was in a better movie, and also if it wasn't cheapened by internet lightsaber sound effects. Still, all of their fights are good, none of them are great.

As a movie overall it feels less inspired than the first Tom Yum Goong. Jaa fans and hardcore fans should watch, but skippable for everyone else. 

Mario Warfare Part 6 (2013)

Smash Club vs Shy Guys: 3.5/5


The whole episode is a war! And it's great.

Mario Warfare Part 5 (2013)

Mario vs Peach: 2.25/5


Good episode! The fight is more about story than anything else. Makes you excited as hell for part 6.

Mario Warfare Part 3 (2013)

DK vs Peach: 2.75/5


Liked this episode, more about backstory than anything. Brian Lee's a talented guy. He uses some cool, lucha libre style moves even while in that costume.

I was confused by the tone of the fight scene though.  I spent the whole fight worried about Princess Peach's safety but meanwhile the fight almost looked comical. So that dissonance took away from it, for me. Good storytelling episode, though.

Mario Warfare Part 2 (2013)

Mario vs Shy Guys: 2.5/5

Mario vs Hammer Bros.: 3/5


Good action in this. Establishes Mario's character nicely, even though we all know he's the hero anyway. Plus Mario uses a cool hammer combo on one of the brothers at the end. Solid stuff all around.

Nice Guy Hunter (2013)

1st fight: 2.25/5

Finale: 3.5/5


Eric and Irving sure have grown since they started making films. The first fight is really more about story than about technical prowess. In the finale Irving turns it up and carries himself like a star. Lots of tricks and athleticism displayed by him.

I enjoy this short film, if not for the finale alone. Recommended.

Rope A Dope (2013)

Finale: 4.75/5

What can I say, the Stuntpeople simply rule. Adding Lorenz of the Young Masters to the mix doesn't hurt either. Eric and Dennis have the excellent screen fighting chemistry that they've always displayed. I didn't grade the other fights leading up to the finale because it doesn't make sense to. The finale is my favorite fight scene of 2013. And as a short film this may be my favorite SP short film ever. That's all you need to know. Highly Recommended.

Walter Garcia's "De Oppresso Libre" (2013)

Group Fight: 3.75/5

Solid finale group fight here. Gritty and realistic. And emotionally charged.