The Night Comes For Us (2018)

Arian vs Thugs: ***

Ito vs Butchers: ***1/4

Apartment Brawl: ***1/4

Ito vs Cops: ***

Elena Hallway Fight: ***1/4

Alma Stairwell Fight: **1/2

Ito vs Operator: ***1/2

Ito vs Thugs in Warehouse: ***3/4

Operator vs Alma/Elena: ***3/4

Ito vs Arian: ****1/2





This movie is so violent! It's brutal in a similar fashion to the Raid movies but with even more blood and gore. This is visceral and not for the faint of heart.

Seeing Iko in the role of an antagonist was really interesting here. He carried himself with such composure throughout, and seemed to have a blast playing the final boss. His performance was reminiscent of the end bosses from the 80's Hong Kong era; suit wearing psychopaths with unbridled martial skill.

There's a lot of really good action throughout, but I would say the level of violence mars it a little. It becomes numbing after a while and by the end feels like they have to keep topping themselves in how violent the kills are. One area the violence works however, is the final fight. It's the best thing in the film, unsurprising given how skilled Iko is, but Joe Taslim is excellent as well. The violence in that clash escalates in a meaningful way as the two former brothers fight tooth and nail. Iko's character Arian, who'd been so dominant and composed throughout, begins to fall apart at the seams as Taslim's character Ito fights on relentlessly. It's a thing of violent beauty.

Taslim was the sergeant in the Raid but here he really gets to show what he can do. His character seems to have endless stamina but his rugged brawler style (mixed with his Judo background) makes him feel grounded. The stuntmen worked their asses of in this flick and it shows. The one shot they tried from a first person perspective didn't really land, unfortunately, but it was a neat idea.

Julie Estelle was really cool in this movie. Her clash with Hannah Al Rashid's "Elena" at the end was especially good. Really hope she sticks around in the genre.

Recommended.

Revenger (2018)

Beach Fight: ***3/4

Yool vs Thugs in House: ****

Yool vs Thug Leader: ***1/2

Brawl at Camp: ***

Yool vs Thugs at Camp: ***1/2

Yool vs Kun's Lieutenants: ***3/4

Yool vs Kun: ****1/2





Bruce Khan is an absolute badass in this movie. He carries the action throughout with a stoic poise and executes the fight scenes with graceful brutality and quiet rage. This is one of the better lead screen fighting performances I've seen in a while. Khan is fast, crisp and efficient.

Khan's character, Yool, is also booked incredibly strong throughout. He marches through hordes of thugs with less resistance than a waist deep tide. He is briefly taken out of commission after tanking a poisoned arrow to save the little girl, Jin. He then wakes up and immediately outclasses two mini bosses 1 v 2. Even the final showdown is incredibly one sided. For as much build up as Park Hee Son's "Kun" gets for being this big villain, he doesn't do much damage at all to Yool in the finale and it never seems in doubt that Yool will win, let alone survive.

That being said, I instill enjoyed the finale quite a bit. It was modern and inventive in its incorporation of mixed martial arts into the choreography, and I also enjoyed the sequence where Kun tries to use feints and level changes to throw Yool off. The stuntmen in the group fights also did a hell of a job. The hits and falls they took felt grounded and conveyed Khan's power and skill.

Movie itself is a bit thin in terms of plot but there are some fun characters. Kun is an intriguing villain, his lieutenants are distinct and quirky, Mali and her daughter are solid as the heart of the film and Bau is your typical comedic relief.

Recommended.

Nightshooters (2018)

Donnie vs Thugs: ***1/2

Donnie vs Asian/White Thug: ***3/4

Donnie vs Asian Thug: ****1/4

Donnie vs Black Thug: ****1/4





There was true suspense in this movie and the setup for the heroes' plight and fight for survival was clever and well reasoned. The stakes felt real as they establish multiple times throughout the movie that a happy ending is not necessarily guaranteed. The villains are charismatic as well as ruthless.

There are little character moments that the actors get that I really enjoyed, which helps because the downside to this type of cat and mouse go-go action style is the characters are not very fleshed out. The sound guy's acting stands out as really good, however. They kind of set up the lead actor character as one to be redeemed but he does almost nothing through the movie.

The highlight is definitely the action and use of explosives. Jean-Paul Ly is becoming one of my favorite modern screen fighters. He looked even better here than in Jailbreak.

Really dug this. Highly recommended.

The Princess Bride (1987)

Westley vs Inigo: 4.5/5


Westley vs Fezzik: DUD


Inigo vs Guards/Count Rugen: 3/5




This is one of my all time favorite movies. The duel between Westley and Inigo is classic stuff, and serves as a basis for how I view fight scenes in film generally. Inigo's revenge against Rugen, though not a technically great fight, is brilliantly satisfying.


HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Not for the fights, just as a movie.

Deadpool (2016)

Deadpool vs Thugs in Car: 3/5



Wade vs Francis: 2.75/5



Deadpool vs Thugs Montage: 3.25/5



Colossus vs Angel Dust: 3/5



Deadpool vs Thugs: 2.75/5



Deadpool vs Ajax: 3.25/5



I really dug this movie. It's the most watchable superhero movie since Avengers, I thought. Action was solid, comedy was on point. Reynolds brought it. It probably would've been my favorite movie for a while if I were 16. As is, it's still quite great.

Recommended.

Project A II (1987)

Dragon vs Cops: 3.25/5


Dragon & Crew vs Thugs: 4.25/5


Dragon vs Tiger & henchman: 3.75/5


Pirates Chasing Dragon/Chung: 4/5


Finale: 4.25/5



What a great film. Recommended.

Police Story 3: Supercop (1992)

Chan vs Wang: 3.5/5


Chan vs Guards: 3.25/5


Restaurant Fight: 3.25/5


Train Fight: 3/5



The Police Story franchise gets gradually weaker over each installment. This is the third in the series, and it's still pretty damn great. Though there are no blow away fights like in the first 2, the fighting that it has is solid and the action scenes are larger in scale and scope.

This is the first film in the series Jackie didn't direct. It does have a different feel than the first 2. The other new thing about this one is that it has Michelle Yeoh. She's great and steals the movie at multiple points. She pulls off a stoic, badass yet not invulnerable female action star like we don't see much of anymore save for a Furiosa. She also plays off of Jackie's character very well.

Watching the outtakes in the credits is always great fun too. These stunts were no joke. Great action.

I dig this movie. Recommended.

Armor Of God (1986)

Jackie vs Natives: 1.75/5


Jackie vs Monks: 4.75/5


Jackie vs Assassins: 4/5




This is a great action film. Not in the upper echelon of Jackie's movies, but still great nonetheless. Jackie fighting the monks is one of the best group fights you'll ever see.

Recommended.

Drive (1997)

Opening Fight: 3/5


Bar Fight: 2.5/5


Handcuff Fight: 2.75/5


Motel Fight: 3.75/5


Garage Fight: 4/5


Toby/Malik vs Thugs/Bikers: 2.75/5


Toby vs Advanced Model: 4.5/5



What a great movie. Ok, so it's cheesy, the acting's not very good and it's not very well written. But it's still great.

Mark Dacascos' screen fighting was so good in this. The stunt work and choreography were both on point. Creative martial arts action sequences. And wire work that didn't annoy me.

The final fight feels so epic. It hits all of the cliche "final fight" beats but does it so well. This came out before The Matrix and while it's not in the same league as The Matrix as a film, as a martial arts movie it's quite comparable. Really good work there.

I dig this movie. Recommended.

Ip Man 2 (2010)

Ip Man vs Wong: 2.75/5


Ip Man vs 3 Dudes: 2.5/5


Wong vs Martial Artist: 2.75/5


Ip Man/Wong vs Gang: 3.25/5


Ip Man vs Law: 2.25/5


Ip Man vs Cheng: 3/5


Ip Man vs Hung: 4/5


Twister vs Hung: 3.75/5


Ip man vs Twister: 4.25/5



This is a great film. Ip Man is Donnie Yen's best role. Good fighting throughout, with 2 great fights that make the whole film worthwhile.

It's kind of hilarious how evil the foreigners act. This is a very "Ra Ra China!" movie. Though that's a fairly common trope among Chinese martial arts films, it was especially noticeable in this.

The final fight is so great. I really dig the music backing it. The choreography blending the styles together, Ip man overcoming the odds, using Sammo's moves...really well done. I'm also a huge fan of limb destruction in fight scenes, so Ip Man's comeback was especially cool to me.

As good as the first movie. Recommended.

Unlucky Stars (2016, or possibly earlier)

Josh vs Stan: 2.75/5


Church Fight: 4/5


Josh/Ken vs Muggers: 3/5


Tomas vs Thugs: 2.5/5


Josh/Ken vs Marty: 3.25/5


Rehab House Fight: 3.25/5


Josh vs Rich: 4/5


Ken vs Vic: 3.75/5


David vs Sam: 4/5


Josh/Ken vs Kyle: 3.5/5



I really dug this movie. It's as good an 80's Hong Kong tribute film as you'll find.

Let's start with the obvious. The fight choreography and execution are on point. The thing I love about these indy martial arts films is their clear devotion to making great fight scenes. Watching Dennis fight Manny is a dream fight for me. They're two of my favorite active screen fighters. I believe this is their first screen battle. And it's my favorite fight in the movie (Josh vs Rich, as scored above).

Fighting aside, this is a very enjoyable movie. Dennis and Ken's chemistry is great. I really liked Vlad as the noble overlooked stuntman. It's such a perfect hero for this type of film. I loved how Dennis, Ken and Vlad were clearly set up as the modern Jackie, Yuen Biao and Sammo Hung. Sari Sabella and Steve Yuen are quite funny. Jose Montesinos carries a lot of the emotional weight of the film. Sam Hargrave kills it as the villain. He's probably the most charismatic performance.

I do wish Shawn Bernal was in this more. He's awesome.

There's a lot of commentary going on in this movie about the entertainment industry. And how it's a bunch of malarkey. As someone in the business myself, I relate and find it awesome.

I remember Vlad talking about how the finale was where this movie was going to shine. It certainly did peak there, which is when a martial arts movie should. It was very reminiscent of the old 3 Dragon films where they would each have to take on a different bad guy. I dug that.

Now to some minor qualms I have with the movie. I don't think there are any Fight Of The Year contenders. Every fight in this movie is good (not counting the fight scenes in the movies within the movie, which I didn't grade) to great. But there's nothing I would call excellent. Now...excellent fights are hard to find. So I'm not bashing this movie at all, clearly. I think it just goes to show how hard it is to make an enduring classic fight scene. Dennis vs Manny comes the closest but I wish it had been longer.

Maybe part of my disappointment is me looking forward to watching this movie for 4 years. And maybe part of my disappointment is just that it's not Contour, which is the best indy martial arts film ever. Sure, this is a more complete and mature film than Contour, but the action never peaks as high as Contour does. That being said, Unlucky Stars has got to be my 2nd favorite indy martial arts film of all time.

There were also a couple of editing instances I didn't like. Hollywood style editing on hits rather than Hong Kong style. Again, this happens maybe 3 times in the entire film, so these are minor complaints.

I really liked how they built to the fights at the end. Manny and Roy's characters wanted a piece of Dennis and Ken from early on and you could tell. Really made it satisfying to see them throw down later.

The finale is also edited really well. The transitions between the showdowns are great. As far as martial arts film finales go you probably won't see a better one this year.

This is my favorite martial arts film since The Raid 2. Highly recommended.

Chinese Zodiac a.k.a. CZ12 a.k.a. Armor of God 3 (2012)

Dock fight: 1.75/5


Team JC vs Pirates: 2.25/5


JC vs Vulture: 4.25/5


JC vs henchmen: 3.75/5


Katie vs Bonnie: 3/5



This is not the best Jackie Chan movie ever. It's not even in the top 30, probably. It does have its fun moments, though. It's better than most of the Hollywood stuff he's done. And at least it's a true Jackie Chan Hong Kong film. So for that alone, I enjoyed it.

There isn't a whole lot of fighting in the first 75% of it. The fighting at the tail end of the movie is great though, and is true Jackie Chan creative and at times comedic choreography. There's also a fight between two female characters that is pretty cool. This 15 minute chunk is by far the highlight of the film. Many other plot points and action sequences just don't click and the comedy is very hit or miss.

Mildly Recommended. VERY Mildly.

Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)

Darth Vader vs Obi Wan Kenobi: 2/5




Ok so the lightsaber fight is nothing to write home about. But, this is an all time classic movie. And no one reading this is unaware of that. Go watch it, it's great.

The Clash a.k.a. Bẫy Rồng (2009)

Opening sword fight: 1.5/5


Gang Fight: 3.5/5


Phoenix/Tiger vs French Gangsters: 3.75/5


Woods fight: 3.75/5


Tiger vs Hac Long: 2.75/5


End Fight: 4.25/5




I enjoyed this film. The same two leads as The Rebel. Johnny Nguyen is great as usual. Ngo Thanh Van has improved. She was great in The Rebel and she's even better here. I also like her with the short hair, but that's a personal preference.

The opening fight is more of a violence vignette. After that, all of the fights are very good. And, as it should be, the finale was the best part. Really great exchanges, storytelling and intensity. Recommended. 

Ip Man (2008)

Ip Man vs Liu: 2.25/5


Northerner vs Master: 2.75/5


Northerner vs Weapons Master: 2.75/5


Northerner vs Liu: 3/5


Northerner vs Ip Man: 3.75/5


Liu vs Black belt: 2/5


General vs Lin and Two Men: 2/5


Liu vs 3 black belts: 2.5/5


Ip Man vs 10 Black Belts: 4.25/5


Ip Man vs Soldiers: 2/5


Factory Fight: 3.5/5


Ip Man vs General: 4/5




Great movie. Donnie Yen's best role. Recommended.

SPL 2: A Time For Consequences (2015)

Chatchai vs Kit: 3/5


Prison Riot Fight: 3.5/5


Ah-zai vs Cops: 2.25/5


Kit, Wah & Chatchai vs henchmen: 3/5


Kit vs Ah-zai: 3.25/5


Fight in the Dark: 2.75/5


Kit & Chatchai vs henchmen & Ko Chun: 3.75/5



A lot of people compare this movie to The Raid 2. I don't quite see it. The Raid 2 is an excellent sequel to an excellent movie. SPL 2 is a good sequel to a good movie. I guess the tones are similar as well as both movies featuring a cop going undercover and also being in a prison when a prison fight breaks out. But that's about where it ends.

I gotta say, this is the best Tony Jaa movie since Ong Bak 2 (not counting Furious 7). It might even be his best work, overall. As an actor and a screen fighter, he's one of the better parts of the film. Wu Jing is also great. A better actor than Jaa, but towards the end of his screen fighting prime, he carries the film's emotional weight.

There are a bunch of good fights in this movie, but not one truly great fight. There's also some suspect use of wire fu. Considering this is a modern crime film, seeing guys fly through the air can be jarring. Jing and Jaa square off in the first fight and it's solid stuff, if a bit short. The prison fight is also good with a lot of moving parts and long takes. I do slightly prefer The Raid 2's prison fight, though.

The knife vs nightstick fight towards the end, clearly an homage to Wu Jing vs Donnie Yen in one of the best fights of all time from the first SPL, is not in the same league as the original. It's a good fight, it only suffers by comparison. However, when "store the sun" plays in the minutes leading up to that, I got real excited. That's one of the more iconic fight scene themes ever, to me.

Let's talk about Max Zhang, the Big Bad of this flick. He's quite good here. The main problem I have with him, and his part in the finale, is the wire work. A pet peeve of mine is when a character is a lot stronger than the others, seemingly only because he's fighting on wires while they are not. Jaa and Jing are kicking ass the whole movie with straight Muay Thai and Wushu. Zhang's flying around throwing wire kicks. But that's not his fault.

The finale is the best fight in the movie. Jaa taking out the henchmen is some of the better choreography I've seen all year. It's also such a breath of fresh air to see Muay Thai used in a modern, Hong Kong action film. Wu Jing plays such a good hero, night and day from his original SPL character. One thing this movie does well is have the heroes always fighting from underneath. Jing and Jaa are beat to hell by the time they have to take on Zhang.

The best part of the finale is when Jaa squares off with Zhang. Jaa attempts Muay Thai moves he's been using effectively the whole movie and Zhang has a counter for all of them. Such smart choreography. Because of course, Zhang has seen Jaa fight before, so he has that advantage. It devolves after that, though. The 2 on 1 stuff has more wire fu and unfortunately the fight has an implausible conclusion. There's also a weird side part with Jaa's daughter that felt unnecessary.


It's a solid action movie with some really good parts. All in all, Mildy Recommended.

Rocky (1976)

Rocky vs Apollo: 4.25/5


Man, what a goddamned great fight that is at the end. Rocky's fighting spirit after his eyes are nearly swelled shut, while Apollo has broken ribs and goes in to finish him...great great stuff. This is still the best film in the whole franchise, because the story of a valiant loss in undertold in sports movies but has even more impact on the viewer. Highly Recommended.

The Big Boss (1971)

Hsu vs Thugs: 2/5


Hsu (and Cheng) vs Thugs: 2.25/5


The Big Boss sparring: 1/5


Hsu & Pei vs Thugs: 2.5/5


Workers vs Thugs: 2/5


Cheng vs Thugs: 2.5/5


Ice Factory Fight: 3.25/5


Cheng vs Thugs: 3/5


Cheng vs The Big Boss: 3.5/5



Bruce Lee is far and away what carries this movie. This was his first film, and he absolutely kills it. All of the mannerisms and battle cries started here. The badassery, the charisma, the speed of his attacks...absolutely incredible.

The fighting in this movie is just ok, but if you're watching this, it's to watch Bruce Lee. And you should. Recommended.

Five Shaolin Masters (1974)

Opening Chase/Fights: 2.5/5



Tea House Fight: 2.75/5



Cai/Rebels vs Bao/Manchus: 3/5



Li/Rebels vs Zhang/Manchus: 3/5



Jiang/Fang vs Shan/Manchus: 3/5



Ma Chao-Hsing vs 2 Manchus: 2.75/5



Ma Chao Sing/Rebel vs Ma Fu Yi: 2.5/5



Prison Break: 3.25/5



Ma/Li Sparring: 2.25/5



End Fight: 4/5



I really dug this movie. It shows its age in parts, but there is some screen fighting in this that holds up to this day. Also, I was very invested in the stakes of the film. It follows a very simple structure, but executes it well. We see a lot of younger guys here that would go on to become stars in the 80's, like Leung Kar Yan (Beardy), Fung Hak On, and even a cameo by Gordon Liu. Of the 5 leads, Sheng Fu steals the show as Ma Chao Sing, he's got a Jackie Chan-like charisma to him. Admittedly I'm not as well versed in knowledge of martial arts actors in the 70's, besides Bruce Lee, so although these men were all top stars in this period they were new to me.

Anyway, there were no blow away fights but the final fight is great and satisfying when watched in context of the film. If you watched it as a standalone clip on youtube it wouldn't hold the same weight. There have been faster and more fluid fight scenes since then, but the finale carries emotional weight and displays various martial arts styles as a 5 part set piece that later films would adopt and follow.

Recommended.

Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (2000)

Shu Lien vs Sword Thief: 3.25/5


Jade Fox & Sword Thief vs Bo, May, Tsai & Mu Bai: 3.25/5


Sword Thief vs Mu Bai: 3/5


Inn Fight: 3.5/5


Shu Lien vs Jen: 4.25/5


Jade Fox Ambush:  N/R



Goddamn I love this movie. I thought I'd look back on it and think less of it. No sir. A bunch of good fights and one GREAT fight. I'd have to check, but Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Ziyi's duel may be my favorite Woman vs Woman fight of all time. It's certainly up there. And it's also one of my favorite weapons fight of all time.

This is one of the few martial arts films nominated for Best Picture. And it's quite deserving. I'm not as big a fan of weapons fights or the Wuxia genre, but this is a beautiful film, and the acting is terrific. Yuen Woo Ping's choreography is on point. And Michelle Yeoh is exceptional.


Highly Recommended.