25 Years...25 Movies

I’ve been pretty obsessed with narrative lately, trying to consume more narrative based things like movies and TV shows. So as someone who loves lists, and to commemorate my 25 years of life, this is a list of my 25 favorite movies. 

25. Contour

The ultimate indie action film

24. Office Space

Eastern philosophy applied to western life.

23. Wheels on Meals

Classic Jackie action flick.

22. The Wrestler

Love wrestling, love this film 

21. How To Train Your Dragon

Classic hero's journey. With Dragons.

20. Prodigal Son

Yuen Biao, my favorite screen fighter, in his greatest role.

19. Borat

Nothing made me laugh harder upon first viewing.

18. The Raid 2: Berandal

Best martial arts film of the modern era

17. Battle Royale

The violence. The concept. The violence.

16. Toy Story

Pixar at its best.

15. South Park The Movie

My favorite Musical

14. Crash

Worst Best Picture? Fuck that, it's great.

13. Pulp Fiction

Tarantino's Magnum Opus

12. Aladdin

All time favorite Disney movie

11. Team America

America, FUCK YEAH!

10. Short Term 12

Feelings. Brie Larson. All my feelings.

9. Oldboy

Korean mindfuck. Hammer time, bitches.

8. Fargo

Favorite movie heroine. Excellent all around.

7. Toy Story 3

My childhood. My adolescence. The sensation of growing up.

6. True Romance

Excellent characters, great love story.

5. Gran Torino

Interracial paternal relationship plus old man action. Love it.

4. Drunken Master 2 

My favorite fight scene of all time.

3. Police Story 

Jackie's Magnum Opus. Hong Kong Die Hard.

1a. The Matrix           1b. Groundhog Day

A perfect distillation of the human potential.

Action. Philosophy. Kung Fu. My favorite things.

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. 

The Young Master (1980)

Jackie w/ Fan vs fat Dude: 3.5/5

3 Outlaws vs Officers: 3.75/5

Hwang in Shik vs Officers: 4.25/5

Sword Fight: 3.5/5

Jackie vs Yuen Biao: 3.5/5

Jackie vs Yuen Biao 2: 4/5

Jackie vs Chief: 3.25/5

Jackie vs Chief's daughter: 3/5

Jackie vs 2 Outlaws: 3.75/5

Jackie vs Hwang in Shik: 4.75/5

Man, when I think about this movie I don't usually think about it as one of my favorite fighting movies of all time. But upon review, it's probably up there. The thing with a lot of old school kung fu films is the choreo tends to be slower but more about showcasing the art. But there's some beautiful stuff here. Even the first fight with the fan, though it has no real drama to it, features beautiful fan work from Jackie. He makes the fan look like a viable weapon.

I love that Yuan Biao's in this, and that he's a total asshole to Jackie in the movie. The two clash a couple times and Yuen Biao fights with a bench, of all things. That's why old school movies can be so fun. Strange weapons are commonplace.

Hwang In Shik is a total badass every moment he's onscreen. He showcases hapkido brilliantly in this. The end fight between him and Jackie is glorious. It's a short film unto itself. 15 minutes of action, with Jackie taking heavy damage for 12 of those minutes. Young Jackie sure was durable. A tour de force of a finale.

Highly recommended.

The Raid: Redemption (2012)

Rama vs Group, Weapons Fight: 4.25/5

Rama vs 4 Guys w/ Machetes: 4/5

Sergeant vs Mad Dog: 4/5

Meth Lab Fight Scene: 3.75/5

Rama & Andi vs Mad Dog: 4.75/5

The breakout Indonesian action/martial arts film is as good as they say. Iko Uwais is not as athletically gifted as Tony Jaa but he carries himself very well throughout this film. And Mad Dog is an absolute machine. Consistently good fighting all around. One of my favorite aspects of this movie is that the thugs are not just cannon fodder. Everyone can hold their own, which adds a sense of realistic danger for the heroes. An example of this is the meth lab scene (the weaker fight scene in the movie), which is saved by a mini boss battle at the end of it, with Iko trading blows with a thug on some tables. And the final showdown with Mad Dog is superb. This will go down as one of the stronger martial arts films of the decade. Highly recommended. 

SPL Sha Po Lang a.k.a. Killzone (2005)

Sammo vs Cops & Donnie: 3/5

Donnie vs Cops: 2.5/5

Donnie vs Wu Jing: 5/5

Donnie vs Sammo: 3.75/5

Donnie vs Wu Jing is the best modern day weapons fight I've ever seen. Donnie with his YRG baton against Wu Jing's knife. Incredible stuff. The end fight with Donnie and Sammo suffers from overused wire work. But the grappling and straight kickboxing is still great. Sammo plays a surprisingly good villain. Those are the 2 major fights. Recommended, for the weapons fight alone. 

Rosa (1986)

Office Fight: 3.25/5

Yuen Biao and Girls vs Thugs: 4/5

Girl vs Chung Fa: 2.25/5

Yuen Biao vs Dick Wei: 4.25/5


Yuen Biao steals the show yet again. His group fight near the end is performed beautifully. And his showdown with Dick Wei is great. These two have terrific chemistry. Chung Fa is underutilized, which happens far too often. Not a lot of fighting here. But some quality stuff. Somewhat recommended.

Owl vs Bombo (1984)

Sammo vs George in dark: 2.5/5

Sammo & George vs Thugs: 2.5/5

Sammo vs students: 2.25/5

Sammo & George vs Thugs: 2.5/5

Sammo vs Richard Ng: 2.75/5

Sammo vs Everybody & Dick Wei: 4.25/5


Nothing really substantial until the Finale. The finale has one of my favorite "One w/ weapon vs many" group fights of all time. It's exceptional. And then capped off by a Sammo vs Dick Wei showdown. I only wish that it were longer. Nothing else really noteworthy, though. Somewhat recommended.

City of Darkness (1990)

Bar Fight: 3/5

Billy Chow vs 3 Guys/ Donnie Yen: 3.75/5

Restaurant Fight: 3.25/5

Kim Maree Penn vs Guy: 3.25/5

Kim Maree Penn vs 3 Guys: 3.5/5

2 Guys vs Assasin Guy: 3/5

Donnie Yen vs Collin Chou: 4.25/5

Donnie in top form. Donnie's charisma carries the fighting for most of the movie. The other guys do a decent job as well. Billy Chow is a great early obstacle. And the finale between Donnie and Collin is great stuff. Recommended. 

License To Steal (1990)

Joyce Godenzi vs Agnes Aurelio: 2/5

Yuen Biao vs Girl: 3/5

Yuen Biao vs Collin Chou: 3/5

Poolside Fight: 3.5/5

Parking Lot Fight: 5/5

Joyce vs Two Guys: 1.75/5

Joyce vs Agnes Aurelio: 3.25/5

Yuen Biao steals the show once again. Also young Collin Chou is in top form. The Parking Lot Fight is pure art. Yuen vs Billy Chow, especially. The finale between Joyce and Agnes can't follow it, but it's not bad. Recommended. 

Flash Point (2007)

3 Brothers vs Gang: 2.25/5

Donnie Yen vs Xin Yu: 4.5/5

Donnie Yen vs Collin Chou: 5/5

Not much for quantity, but definitely quality. The end fight is one of my favorite fight scenes of all time. Highly recommended.

Dragons Forever (1988)

Opening Fight: 3/5

Sammo Hung vs 2 Thugs: 1.5/5

Sammo Hung vs Yuen Biao: 2/5

Bar Fight: 3.25/5

Jackie Chan Boat Fight: 4/5

Jackie Chan vs Sammo Hung vs Yuen Biao: 4/5

Sammo Hung vs Thugs & Benny Urquidez: 3.5/5

Jackie/Yuen vs Thugs: 4.5/5

Jackie Chan vs Benny Urquidez: 5/5

One of my all time favorite martial arts films. The 3 Dragons all square off against each other in a great three for all. Jackie has a great group fight. And the finale is spectacular. HIGHLY recommended.

Magic Crystal (1986)

House Fight: 3/5

Street Fight: 3.5/5

Gymnasium Fight: 3.5/5

House Fight: 4/5

Warehouse Fight: 3.5/5

Finale: 4.5/5

Surprisingly good fighting. Not a good movie. But perhaps Cynthia's best screen fighting ever. And Richard Norton and Andy Lau hold their own. Recommended.

Crystal Hunt (1991)

Donnie vs Thugs in Street: 2.5/5

Restaurant Fight: 2.25/5

House Fight: 2.75/5

Office Fight: 2.5/5

Donnie/Girl vs Thugs: 2.5/5

Donnie vs John Salvitti: 3.5/5

Finale: 4/5

Donnie in his prime. Decent fighting throughout, nothing too substantial until the finale, which suffers from a bit of damage overkill. But good performances by Donnie and John. Somewhat recommended. 

Broken Path (2008)

Bedroom Fight: 3/5

Basement Fight: 3.75/5

Yard Fight: 3.75/5

Scaffolding Fight: 3.75/5

Shed Fight P1: 1.5/5

Shed Fight P2: 3.5/5

Johnny vs Creep Guy: 2/5

Basement Fight 2: 3.5/5

Johnny vs Mask Guy: 2.5/5

Johnny vs Big Guy: 2.75/5

Johnny vs Sakura: 3/5

Johnny vs Dan: 4.25/5

Steady flow of solid fighting throughout. Nothing too exceptional until the finale. Johnny Yong Bosch and Daniel Southworth are great screen fighters. Great storytelling and build throughout the fight. Somewhat recommended.

Special ID (2013)

Donnie vs Ken Lo: 2.25/5

Donnie vs Thugs: 4/5

Donnie vs Andy: 3.25/5


One great group fight but Donnie experiments with grappling and ground fighting a little too freely in the finale. And the fight with Ken Lo is underwhelming. Skippable.

Tiger Cage 3 (1991)

Factory Fight: 3.75/5

Rooftop Fight: 3.5/5

Weapons Fight: 4.25/5

Ricky Cheung Kwok Leung vs Ridley Tsui: 3.75/5

The weapons fight is brutal in this movie. Great hatred is displayed as well as use of non-traditional weapons i.e. flaming 2x4's. And the underrated Ridley Tsui shows off his stuff in the finale. Recommended.

Tiger Cage 2 (1990)

Donnie vs David Wu: 2.75/5

Donnie vs David Wu II: 2.5/5

Donnie vs Thugs on Bus: 2.75/5

Cynthia Khan vs Girl: 2.25/5

Donnie/David vs Thugs: 3.5/5

David Wu vs Robin Shou: 4.25/5

Donnie Yen vs John Salvitti: 3.75/5

Donnie Yen vs Michael Woods: 4/5

Donnie Yen vs Robin Shou: 5/5


Spectacular Finale, and a great fight midway through. Donnie in his prime. Highly recommended.

Miracles, a.k.a. Black Dragon (1989)

Classic Jackie flick.


Jackie vs 2 Thugs: 2.25/5

Jackie vs Two Gang Members: 3/5

Restaurant Fight: 4.75/5

Market Fight: 3.5/5

Finale: 4.25/5

2 Excellent fights and no bad fights. Recommended.

Shanghai Express a.k.a. Millionaire's Express (1986)

One of my all time favorite martial arts films. Some great fights in this.


Kids Fight: 3/5

Sammo vs Yuen: 4/5

Samurai vs Thugs: 2/5

Two Guys vs Tough Bandit: 2.75/5

Sammo Eskrima Fight: 3.25/5

Yukari vs Thugs: 3.5/5

Yuen Biao vs Dick Wei: 5/5

Sammo vs Cynthia: 3.5/5

Hwang Jang Lee vs Thugs: 4/5

Richard Norton vs Yusuaki Kurata: 3.25/5

Yuen Biao & Sammo vs. Hwang Jang Lee: 3/5

I broke the finale into parts but the entire finale is splendid. And Yuen vs Sammo is very good too, though their fight in Shanghai Shanghai is better. Hwang Jang crushes many stuntmen with great kicks. Yuen Biao vs Dick Wei is one of the greatest fights of all time. Highly recommended.