Best Martial Arts performers...

[SupaDave]

As a kid growing up there were two things that were on TV on Saturday morning other than cartoons - and that's westerns and Kung Fu.

OK - so I'm a huge Bruce Lee fan. To me he was the definition of the American Dream and my abdominal routine is based on Lee's own workouts (and it IS a monster b/c he was obsessed with strengthening his core). When I think martial arts - I think Bruce Lee.

I saw the Wayne/Eastwood thread and got to thinking that Martial Arts performers are way more bad pottymouth!pottymouth!pottymouth!.

There's the new crop with folks like Tony Jaa and Jet Li (who is actually 25 years in now) but there's also the old school and heavily Bruce Lee influenced folks like Chow Yun-fat, Jackie Chan, David Carradine, and Chuck Norris.

I'm really loving the youth and aggressiveness of Tony Jaa - he's just unbelievable to me.

I'm leaving out a bunch of guys (and girls). So who's your favorite?

[2535Miles]

There's the new crop with folks like Tony Jaa and Jet Li (who is actually 25 years in now) but there's also the old school and heavily Bruce Lee influenced folks like Chow Yun-fat, Jackie Chan, David Carradine, and Chuck Norris.

Young Chow Yun-fat and Jackie Chan were wonderful!
Sonny Chiba was great too. He fit well into that 70's action fighter role as well.
For the new blood I'm a huge fan of Ziyi Zhang. Moon in Hero, and Xiao Mei (the "blind" geisha) in House of Flying Daggers.

[hc5duke]

Chow Yun-fat

Ziyi Zhang... Xiao Mei

AFAIK, these 3 are *not* martial artists... That's like saying Heath Ledger is a cowboy or Christian Bale is a vigilante.

[Lord Ash]

Bas Rutten and his self-defense video.

"Everyone underestimates the kick to the groin."

NSFW.

[2535Miles]

AFAIK, these 3 are *not* martial artists... That's like saying Heath Ledger is a cowboy or Christian Bale is a vigilante.

I can see where you're going hc5, but this is a poor analogy. While Chow yun-Fat and Ziyi Zhang may not have trained as traditional martial artists, they're far more qualified in their respective genres than Heath Ledger or Christian Bale in this analogy. Furthermore, for the discussion of the film/tv genre, I think it's more than suitable to discuss their merits.

I'd also like to add Sammo Hung to the list. He was often over-shadowed by Jackie Chan but has some serious skills. A lot of fun to watch and was just as comedic as Chan. Check out Magnificent Butcher, great flick!

[CameronBornAndBred]

For badassedness, it's Bruce Lee, for the fun it's Jackie Chan.

[hc5duke]

I can see where you're going hc5, but this is a poor analogy. While Chow yun-Fat and Ziyi Zhang may not have trained as traditional martial artists, they're far more qualified in their respective genres than Heath Ledger or Christian Bale in this analogy. Furthermore, for the discussion of the film/tv genre, I think it's more than suitable to discuss their merits.

See, I see "martial arts performer" as a martial artist trained in acting, rather than actors trained in martial arts. Bruce Lee, et al. would belong in the first group, while the three I mentioned would be in the second group. Ok, better analogy: including Chow Yun-Fat in this discussion is like including Marlon Wayans in a discussion about basketball.

[2535Miles]

See, I see "martial arts performer" as a martial artist trained in acting, rather than actors trained in martial arts. Bruce Lee, et al. would belong in the first group, while the three I mentioned would be in the second group. Ok, better analogy: including Chow Yun-Fat in this discussion is like including Marlon Wayans in a discussion about basketball.

HAHA I'm with you. Perhaps the beat analogy would include Keanu Reeves in the Matrix.

[hughgs]

See, I see "martial arts performer" as a martial artist trained in acting, rather than actors trained in martial arts. Bruce Lee, et al. would belong in the first group, while the three I mentioned would be in the second group. Ok, better analogy: including Chow Yun-Fat in this discussion is like including Marlon Wayans in a discussion about basketball.

Under that definition you would have to exclude David Carradine. He's from a family of actors and (I think) was better known as a dancer before his title role in Kung Fu. From Wikipedia:

Carradine actually had no knowledge of martial arts prior to starring in the series Kung Fu, but developed an interest in it after this experience and has since become an avid practitioner.

[SupaDave]

But at what point is it no longer just for TV? I'm sure if you are trained long enough - b/c it is NO joke - eventually you become somewhat of a martial artist.

Bruce lived it for sure but I think it might be safe to say that Chow Yun-fat also lives it at this point in his career.

[YmoBeThere]

I ran into Bruce's son, Brandon. Literally. It got edited out but I was an extra in Rapid Fire and I had to bump into him in a scene at the very beginning when he is approaching a protest at a college.

[captmojo]

Memory fades, but I faintly remember reading that the fight scene film sequence between Norris and Lee in the Roman Coliseum ruins had to be slowed down to appear as normal movement. It couldn't be choreographed to a slower movement because their movements were directed, in their own minds, to a routine that would actually miss the targeting of their punches/kicks. To change the routine of movement might put them in a dangerous position where they might actually hit each other.

[Dr. Rosenrosen]

One word... Rex.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dBQl...eature=related