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.

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.

Marvel's Daredevil Episode 6 "Condemned" (2015)

Murdock vs Cops: 2.75/5


Murdock vs Vladimir: 2/5


Murdock vs Cops: 2/5



Good little fight in the beginning. Nothing too substantial afterwards, more short confrontations. Beginning to feel like the fight in episode 2 won't come close to being matched. Show's still awesome, though.

Marvel's Daredevil Episode 5 "World On Fire" (2015)

Murdock vs Russians: 2/5


Murdock vs Russian Guard: 2.25/5


Murdock vs Vladmir: 2/5



Really short bursts of fighting. It's a great episode, just no memorable fights.

Marvel's Daredevil Episode 4 "In The Blood" (2015)

Garage Fight: 2.5/5

Fisk vs Anatoly: 3/5



Sweet, Kingpin's finally getting some. The first fight is pretty standard "hero lurks in the shadows" warfare, but still well done. Fisk's fight is brutal. As it should be.

Marvel's Daredevil Episode 2 "Cut Man" (2015)

Murdock vs Russians: 4.25/5


The first truly great fight of the series. I may be grading this a bit generously, but it's such an impressive long take shot. Thought it's evident that there are times when Cox switches out with stuntmen, that's more smart action direction than anything. All in one take, it felt real and gritty.

Marvel's Daredevil Episode 1 "Into The Ring" (2015)

Murdock vs Thugs: 2.75/5


Murdock vs Assassin: 3.25/5


A couple of solid fights in the pilot. Covered in darkness, as Daredevil is a nighttime crime fighter. Hoping to see more in coming episodes.

Slug Street Scrappers 2 (2012)

Ryuken vs Slugger Squad: 3.25/5

Knuckles vs Billy Broker: 2.75/5

Bruiser vs Venom: 3/5

Bruiser vs Ryuken: 3.75/5

Peaches vs Shizuka: 1.75/5


Good short film. The fighting is varied and the story progresses. Shaun Charney and Micah Brock are both great. And we get to see them fight each other, here. Recommended.

Slug Street Scrappers (2012)

Bruiser vs Punchy: 3.25/5

Bruiser vs Slugger Squad: 3/5

Bruiser vs Peaches: 2.25/5


Decent short film. More of just a taste of the universe being created. Its sequels improve upon it. Recommended.

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.

Contour (2007)

Opening Fight: 3.5/5

Eric vs Andy: 4.75/5

Dennis & Ray vs Vlad, Troy & Thugs: 3.75/5

Ed vs Rabbit: 2.5/5

Ed vs Phantom: 4/5

Tyler vs Thugs: 2.25/5

Ed vs Troy & Thugs: 4.5/5

Andy & Vlad vs Ray: 4/5

Eric vs Dennis: 5/5

Man, what can I even say? Contour is one of the best martial arts movies of all time. It's not just "good for an indie movie". It's incredible. It's honestly probably in my top 5 fighting movies ever. And I've watched a lot of fighting movies. 

What's so great, beyond just the pure quality and amount of fighting there is, is the variation of fighting. From 1 vs many, to a baseball bat eskrima fight, to a wing chun duel to your standard straight up kickboxing clash...Contour offers so many fights and every fight tells its own unique story through its own unique brand of martial art. Great stuff.

I mean, the ratings speak for themselves. Just buy it, support these guys. Go to the stuntpeople.com and see for yourself. HIGHLY 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.

Live Action Sleeping Dogs Fight Film (2012)

Opening Fight: 3.5/5

Restaurant Fight: 3.75/5

Parking Lot Fight: 4.25/5

Solid fighting throughout, and the parking lot fight picks it up even more. It reminds me of the parking lot fight in Righting Wrongs a.k.a. Above The Law. Xin Yu is an absolute beast of a screen fighter. The fact that he reminds me of my all time favorite screen fighter, Yuen Biao, is saying something.

Walter Garcia's "Just Another Day" (2014)

Bar Fight: 2.75/5

Finale: 3.5/5


Bar fight was a solid, brutal exchange. The finale takes it to the next level. Great throws in there and a solid knife exchange. Solid work from Walter Garcia.