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.

Ip Man 3 (2015, 2016)

Cheung vs Fighter: 2/5


Ip Man vs Thugs: N/R


School Fight: 4/5


Cheung vs Tin: 2.75/5


Shipyard Fight: 4/5


Ip Man vs Thai Boxer: 4/5


Ip Man vs Frank (Mike Tyson): 3.75/5


Cheung Fight Montage: 2.5/5


Ip Man vs Cheung: 4.5/5


Man I loved this film. I kind of thought the Ip Man films would go the way of the Rocky films where they would just get cheesier and lose focus, while remaining entertaining. I mostly thought that due to the inclusion of Mike Tyson. But this might've been the most grounded movie of all of them.

There's a ton of great action in this one and a lot of great themes. There's a lot of focus on Ip Man and his wife's relationship, and I really dug that. I feel their relationship always played 3rd or 4th fiddle to Ip Man's quests but here it's highlighted throughout the film. A lot of emotional depth here.

The Tyson fight scene over delivered. I was expecting it to be the worst thing in the whole trilogy and it was surprisingly good, reminiscent of Bruce Lee and Kareem-Abdul Jabbar from Game Of Death. Tyson threw in some really cool boxing head movement which made his character seem more dynamic and cinematically eye pleasing.

The finale sees the one thing this entire trilogy had been missing. A big time Wing Chun vs Wing Chun fight. And it delivers. I'd probably rank it in the top 3 fights of the entire trilogy, and arguably #1. It's a classic.

Loved this movie. Highly recommended.

Daredevil Season 2 Episode 10: "Man In The Box" (2016)

Elektra vs Assassin: 3.5/5




This may very well be my favorite 1 on 1 fight in the show thus far. It's well lit, the stuntwork is good, the progression of the fight is solid and logical. And we have some cool moves.

My one gripe is that it had the cliche "stab a guy with the knife he's holding" ending, which happens in fight scenes way more often than is probable. Still though, great stuff here.

Daredevil Season 2 Episode 7: "Semper Fidelis" (2016)

Daredevil & Elektra vs Yakuza: 3.25/5


Daredevil vs Yakuza: 2.25/5


I love this goddamn show.

Daredevil Season 2 Episode 5: "Kinbaku" (2016)

Daredevil & Elektra vs Yakuza Assasins: 3.5/5


Daredevil & Elektra vs yakuza Security: 2/5


This episode has my second favorite fight of the show thus far. Not just a bunch of red shirts, but some goons with some level of skill.

I really dug this episode. Elektra is so great.

Daredevil Season 2 Episode 3: "New York's Finest" (2016)

Daredevil vs Dogs Of Hell: 3.75/5



I really liked this episode, except for Foggy's monologue that stopped the gangsters from fighting. That felt contrived. But at least Rosario Dawson is back!

We also got the best fight of the season thus far. I think this was supposed to be this season's equivalent to the hallway fight in "Cut Man" from season 1. While this was not quite as good as that, it was still very good. Long takes, good choreography and a real sense of danger for our hero.

Daredevil Season 2 Episode 2: "Dogs To A Gunfight" (2016)

Daredevil vs Punisher: 3/5


Great episode. I think I liked the fight from episode 1 a little better. And they're clearly trying to write Foggy as someone who matters. So far so good, this season is rolling.

Daredevil Season 2 Episode 1: "Bang" (2016)

Daredevil vs Punisher: 3/5


Good episode, I love how we're not messing around and getting straight into the Punisher action. I'm in for this season.

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.

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. 

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.

Heroes Of The East (1978)

Tao vs Koda: 2.25/5


Tao vs Koda: 2.75/5


Tao vs Kendo Master: 3/5


Drunken Master Fight: 2/5


 Tao vs Karate Master: 3.25/5


Tao vs Nunchaku/Tonfa Master: 3.5/5


Tao vs Sojutsu Master: 3.5/5


Tao vs Sai Master: 3.25/5


Tao vs Judo Master: 2.5/5


Tao vs Takeno Round 1: 3/5


Tao vs Takeno Round 2: 3.75/5



I really dug this movie. It was kind of revolutionary for its time in that most Chinese kung fu movies portrayed Japanese people as awful monsters, whereas in this movie they are mostly honorable and fight in the spirit of sport. I also really enjoyed the variety of martial arts employed. There are no blow away fights but nothing is bad. And there's some really good stuff in here. 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.

Dragon Tiger Gate (2006)

Tiger vs Gangsters & Dragon: 3.5/5


Dragon/Turbo vs Gangsters: 2.25/5


Kun vs Double Devils/Gangsters: NR


Dragon vs Double Devils/Gangsters: 3/5


Shibumi vs The Gate: 3.25/5


Shibumi vs Tiger/Turbo: 3.5/5


Shibumi vs Dragon: 4/5



How much hair product was in the budget for this movie? Anyway, this is a solid action flick. And it features the most one sided final battle (for the hero) I can remember. Donnie Yen's "Dragon" gets hit once in the course of the entire film. Unheard of for a kung fu protagonist. It's strange because Tiger and Turbo get some shine early on in the movie but become afterthoughts for the rest of it. It's all about Dragon. In fairness, Donnie Yen is the best screen fighter of the 3, but still, I expected Tiger to get more to do considering his name is in the title of the film.

The action is solid throughout but let me get to this final fight. Shibumi, who is one of the most strongly written badass martial arts villains in modern film, gets absolutely owned by Dragon. It's insane. Before this, we get to watch Shibumi do things like work over a Guinness World Record setting heavy bag, crush Master Wong to death, and just generally be awesome at everything. Then Dragon shows up, and Shibumi is completely outclassed. Normally in a martial arts film, the hero has to fight from underneath and overcome. Shibumi NEVER LANDS A HIT on Dragon. Dragon slaps him around about 50 times.

Now, let me also say, I really liked the fight. See the above score. The reason I rated it so highly is because the first minute of the fight features some of the best handwork choreography Donnie's ever done. It's so fast, sharp and fluid. Also I love how once Shibumi gets palm thrusted into a wall he looks up and says, "18 Dragon Slaying Palms?" like it's some mythical technique he'd only heard legends of.

Now normally, after that initial protagonist flurry the villain would start to take control and dominate. But nope. Dragon continues to slap Shibumi around for the rest of the fight. Shibumi gets zero offense until the end. And the ending gets a little ridiculous. Sometimes less is more. I actually would've rated this higher but the lack on drama due to Dragon's dominance takes it down a little for me. I wonder if Donnie's intention was to subvert the norm by having the hero just clean the floor with the big bad. I don't know.


Anyway, this is a solid flick, though not a must unless you're a Donnie Yen completist. Mildly Recommended.

Catch All Internet Lightsaber Fights (Various Years)

Ryan vs Dorkman: 4/5

Ryan vs Brandon: 4.25/5

Ryan vs Dorkman 2: 4.75/5

Ryan vs Brandon 2: 4.75/5






These are all dope! Watch them, in order!

Men In Suits (2012)

Green vs Blacks: 4.25/5


Green vs Red: 3.25/5


Purple vs Blacks: 4/5


Purple vs Red: 4/5



One of my favorite Vlad shorts of all time. And that's saying something. The use of dress color is evocative yet effective in establishing the characters, who never speak. Aaron Toney, the badass big boss in red. Mickey's heroine is easy to root for and Amy carries herself with a real sense of self confidence. I also appreciated Xin's mini boss character, clearly a lover of violence and challenging fights. I do wish I had a little more back story on what is going on, exactly. But the storytelling is simple and told well through the fighting. Great stuff.

Part 2 Chapter A (2012)

White Suits vs Black Suits: 3.5/5

Mickey vs Caitlin: 4/5

Mickey vs Gui: N/A

These are great. Caitlin carries herself very well in these, exuding an aura of physical dominance. Mickey is always so easy to root for. Her small stature yet clear ability serves well for the plucky underdog character. Gui's character is great too, as the boss who's too strong to break a sweat on anyone, with an artifact of power, his white umbrella. Very anime, I dig it. I want more.