With the 5th overall pick, team superuberbob selects
This Hong Kong film is based on the life of Wing Chun inventor Ip Man. Ip Man, played by martial arts legend Donnie Yen, has just watched his karate master get gunned down by a colonel of the Imperial Japanese Army. When it is his turn to fight for a bag of rice, he wants to get revenge. He does so by demanding that ten black belt karateka fight him.
Many HK fight scenes have a level of absurdity that it’s basically dancing more than fighting. While there’s nothing unentertaining about it and some future picks (including my own) will have that, it can leave them a bit detached from reality especially if they’re on wires. But this isn’t about fancy swordplay or dance numbers. This is about sheer brutality and violence in the name of revenge. Here, you can almost feel every punch as it’s being thrown by Ip Man.
With the 6th pick, I’ll take what I had third on my big board (mostly because I’d never seen two of the prior picks before).
The best fight from a move full of amazing fights. It’s well shot with fast paced fighting and solid acting. Also has a bit of drama and moves the story along as well.
After watching this there is only one thing to ask:
So far everything’s been up close and personal so I reckon it’s high time someone rolled out some epic war. To wit I present the greatest battle sequence yet produced:
Everything in this scene is incredible. The scope of the vision, the attention to detail, the pacing of the incessant, horrific, spellbinding action - just phenomenal set piece direction that pulls you in and drags your awestruck ass up the beach along with them.
The fact he finds time to weave into this cacophony small individual Wilfred Owen like moments that give you insight into the characters; the collecting sand, the armless man, the “let them burn”, takes this from gory, brutal spectacle to not just one of the most affecting fight sequences ever made but one of the finest directorial moments full stop.
That was next on my board. Was debating which was more likely to fall to me in the second round. Was hoping people would keep passing on battle scenes.
edit: probably not going to be able to do my next pick till this evening after work.
Three of my fop five fight scenes went (including one I took) in the first round.
Oldboy
Ip Man
5 Saving Private Ryan
One of the remaining I expect to go in the second round as I’ll take it if no one else does and the other I think will flow under the radar until my final pick.
ETA: Numbered lists suck when you have to skip numbers
House of Flying Daggers - Dance, drums and swords.
Just a supremely well crafted scene where every aspect of film making from the tailoring to the choreography really shines. It’s obviously very theatrical and won’t win any prizes for brutality or kill count but in my opinion its elegance elevates a simple sword fight into a work of art.
Zhang Ziyi is obviously very beautiful, which helps, but it’s the overall design of the thing and the way it all effortlessly flows from one moment to the next that makes this easily my favourite set piece sword fight.
Sadly I only found a dubbed version on Youtube but ah well.
edit: Oh yeah - @JonnyA up next with another banging pick.
