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. 

Death Grip (2012)

Baseball Field Fight: 3.25/5

Bathroom Fight: 2.25/5

Dark Fight: 2.75/5

Eric vs Knights: 3.75/5

Eric vs Alvin: 4.75/5

Eric vs Johnny: 4.25/5

The stunt people truly are a top tier stunt group. Eric Jacobus performs great screen fighting as usual. Add Johnny Yong Bosch to the mix and we've got a barn-burner. I will say that a lot of the fighting in the first half of the film didn't grab me. The dark fight is an interesting concept. The bathroom brawl is pretty funny. Once we get towards the end, things really pick up. Alvin and Eric deliver a near perfect knife fight. And the highly anticipated finale is also great stuff, more of a storytelling fight than a technical one. 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.

Book of Heroes (1987)

Bar Fight: 3.75/5

Yukari vs Thugs: 4.5/5

Restaurant Fight: 4/5

Gas Station Fight: 3.75/5

Finale: 4.5/5

Yukari vs Lam Sam Mei: 4/5

Man, this movie is insane. So much fighting. And it's quality stuff. The ladies steal the show, Yukari Oshima's never looked better. So many crazy stunts and falls. Great, great stuff throughout. Highly 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.