We are all well aware of films about martial arts such as karate or Muay Thai. But there are many other martial arts that, for various reasons, are not represented as often in films. Perhaps simply because gladiolus, or maybe because all the niches are occupied. I would like to talk about films that feature rare national martial arts.
Just a disclaimer - I won’t mention Thai boxing, which got into trouble in the movies, nor will I mention pencak silat. Although maybe there are films that very clearly represent these martial arts?
Kalaripayattu. "The Jungle" (dir. Chuck Russell, 2019)
Indian actor Vidyut Jamwal I like him - he’s a very good movie fighter, plus he’s cinematic. Yes, the acting is not level Jack Nicholson, but for a character actor this is already normal. Why didn't I name his most famous film? "Commando" (2013)? It is believed that Vidyut's cinematic technique is regular taekwondo plus a touch of jiu-jitsu in the wrestling scenes. I don’t know, maybe so, but specifically in "Jungle" firstly, both the martial art itself was discussed, and work with national weapons, including the famous “belt,” was demonstrated. The rest of the movie... hellish, unwatchable urea. I’m not a hater of Indians and I know that they can produce simply superb things, but alas, this is not the case.
By the way, the film was shot by the director of Hollywood hits "Mask" (1994) and "Eraser" (1996) - Chuck Russell, supposedly a guest star. Congratulations Chuck! You made a more Indian movie than the Indians themselves would make - snotty and pretentious.
Eskrima, arnis. "Test Purchase" (dir. Erik Matti, 2018)
It's funny here: if you take 99% of fights in Hollywood films with edged weapons (not counting Japanese katanas), then this is an almost guaranteed eskrima. From Vina Diesel to Sylvester Stallone - everyone used this type of martial art in films, but the name was almost never heard, and it will not be heard in this Philippine film - the only one on the list. But the authors clearly wanted to make their own "Raid" (2011) and this is clearly visible. Did it work? To be honest - not very much.
If we immediately note the advantages, then in some places the lighting and camera work are superb, but overall this is a very average action movie, the problem of which lies not so much in the crappy staging of fights, but in the execution. The main characters are not Soviet internationalist soldiers, of course, going “to the caravan,” but they stocked up a fair amount of ammunition, so be on the lookout for mischief, by the time it comes to hand-to-hand combat you will be tired, honestly. But when it comes... disappointment. There is a huge big guy, an MMA fighter and a nimble girl as the driving force behind the action scenes, but the problem is that the production and, most importantly, the work of the stuntmen is a failure. Compared with "Raid" This is not even an average level, but about 500 meters below the baseboard. But yes, for that matter, the national martial art is presented in the film - it’s the only way to cut. But this is not impressive at all.
There was an attempt to film a “long shot” - an action scene in a long take without editing... But alas, it all came down to the fact that apparently normal stuntmen were not found, so it turned out to be a hat. But the movie isn't shit. There are very cool camera decisions in terms of lighting, good music, and the plot as a whole cannot be called nightmarishly moronic - okay, it’ll do for once.
Vovinam. "Fury" (dir. Le-Van Kiet, 2019)
An extremely spectacular martial art, known to many mostly for its special “scissors” technique. We all remember how Donnie Yen jumps on shoulders Collina Chowsqueezing his neck with her legs in the film "Hot spot" (2007). This is from there. Yes, there are “scissors” in other martial arts (and techniques with this name can differ greatly), but the most spectacular ones are in Vovinama.
He was popularized by a martial artist and actor Johnny Tri Nguyen In movie "Once Upon a Time in the East" (2009) and "Rebel" (2007). Fun fact, Nguyen is the most common Vietnamese surname, possessed by approximately 70 percent of the Vietnamese population. Well, Johnny starred in both of the mentioned films with a sweetie named Veronica Ngo (she’s not Veronica, but I’ll never remember her real name - Ngo Van Tat or something) and both of them fought very actively. And if Johnny knows martial arts, then Veronica doesn’t, she just learned it, but looking at her level I want to say: wow, not bad!
В "Furies" she has the main role and there is a flashback where the name of the martial art is announced and training is briefly shown. Unfortunately, I didn't like the film. It has excellent fights - no fools, at the level of the top of Hong Kong, but the dramaturgy is a failure, and the best fight is not when you yawn: “Well, what did you film there,” but when you empathize. I had to put the device on Ngo and all her rotten problems. It seems like a prequel came out here - I didn’t watch it.
Bokator. "Prison Break" (dir. Jimmy Henderson, 2017)
Honestly, I still don’t understand how this martial art differs from Thai boxing - it’s one on one, which is highlighted by one of the characters in the film. The fights are VERY similar to the movies. Tony Jaa - active work with elbows and knees, plus batons. The actors in the film at least know this ancient Khmer martial arts. I especially liked the girl Tarot Sam, nicknamed "Little Frog", I would like to see more of her in films. Alas, the film has several shortcomings: inappropriate comedy, and of a low “comedy club” level, and the absence of a strong opponent for the heroes. The main villain is played by a former porn actress of Vietnamese nationality, who in the finale waves a sword - well done, guys!
But despite this, it turned out to be a very entertaining film from a fight point of view, which I am not ashamed to recommend. The only thing, I repeat, I didn’t understand a damn thing: WHAT is the difference between Cambodian bokator and Thai boxing.
One can only regret that not all national martial arts were covered. There is Burmese boxing, lethwei - an incredibly tough form. By the way, remember the scene from the second "Undeniable" (2005), where Scott Adkins hit him with his head in his fist? It’s quite a working technique with a lot of nuances, but applicable, unlike the guyver kick. There are no films about many types of wrestling, but they will not be as spectacular as films about taekwondo. And, although there are at least three films about sambo, I would like to see one more. So, my favorite is "Invincible" (1983) and the phrase from there: “a person’s life is short, but knowledge is endless.” Amen.
If you know any other interesting films with or about rare martial arts - share them in the comments!
Oleg MapintasBangis Chernenko
Especially for fight-films.info
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Tags: Buy Bust, Fury, jailbreak, Junglee, Veronica Ngo, Vidyut Jamwal, Tarot Sam
Tags: Buy Bust, Fury, jailbreak, Junglee, Veronica Ngo, Vidyut Jamwal, Tarot Sam
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