# 80s/90s martial arts movies



## Sylo (Feb 8, 2009)

I'm wanting to watch some cheesefest martial arts movies..

I've seen ALOT of them, but I know there are some I haven't seen..

can you guys name any 80s/90s martial arts movies you've seen? I'm not too interested in anything older. Something about the 80s and early to mid 90s.


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## David Weatherly (Feb 8, 2009)

Sylo said:


> I'm wanting to watch some cheesefest martial arts movies..
> 
> I've seen ALOT of them, but I know there are some I haven't seen..
> 
> can you guys name any 80s/90s martial arts movies you've seen? I'm not too interested in anything older. Something about the 80s and early to mid 90s.


 

That's still a big time frame and a broad area.  That period is filled with Chuck Norris, JC VanDamme and Steven Seagal in US flicks just for starters.  Hong Kong was busy, Jackie Chan and Jet Li put out lots of material in this same time frame.
Can you narrow down what you'd like to see?


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## IcemanSK (Feb 8, 2009)

If really chessy is what you're looking for, I can honestly recommend anything by Sho Kosugi. "Ninja 3: The Domination is my personal favorite. 

I was the guy that looked for bad MA flicks in the video store. Former kickboxers thought they'd cash in so they'd make a flick. Dale "Apollo" Cook, Jerry Trimble, Keith Vitale (point fighter), Anthony "Amp" Elmore, & a bunch more. They were all terrible, & so awesome at the same time.


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## grydth (Feb 8, 2009)

We have a local Chinese 99c store...they sell tons on DVD's with 2 movies on each. A lot of them are early 1980's, and I've found 3 Jackie Chan oldies among them.

Cheesy does not begin to adequately describe most of these, but at 50c a movie you are only killing brain cells and not your budget. Many of these are unintentionally funny and my kids love them.

They do compare favorably, however, with most of what's on American TV!


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## exile (Feb 8, 2009)

Steven Seagal. Jake Hopper, in _Belly of the Beast_. By the Eyes of the Living Toad, there is nothing, nothing on earth cheesier than that. I'm not kidding: this is the truth&#8212;_nothing_ is cheesier.


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## David Weatherly (Feb 8, 2009)

exile said:


> Steven Seagal. Jake Hopper, in _Belly of the Beast_. By the Eyes of the Living Toad, there is nothing, nothing on earth cheesier than that. I'm not kidding: this is the truth_nothing_ is cheesier.


 

One word:

Gymkata


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## terryl965 (Feb 8, 2009)

David Weatherly said:


> One word:
> 
> Gymkata


 
That was a bad movie.


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## Hand Sword (Feb 8, 2009)

I still love Big trouble in Little China-lol "You know what Jack Burton says at a time like this?" (bad guy) "Who?" "Jack Burton! Me!"


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## Sylo (Feb 8, 2009)

How about I give you a rough idea of what I have seen..

Gymkata (I want to own this.. this was a staple of mine growing up.)
BloodSport 1-4? I think there's 4.. whichever has daniel berndhart in it.
Kickboxer 1-5
Only the Strong
Karate Kid 1-2-3
Best of the Best 1-2-3
Ninja Turtles 1-2-3
American Ninja 1-2
Missing in Action 1-2-3
the Octagon
Lonewolf Mcquade
Superfights
King of the Kickboxers
No Retreat No Surrender 1-2
Shootfighter 1-2
American Kickboxer
Savate
The Quest
Double Impact
Cyborg
Kickfighter
Martial Law
Perfect Weapon

so... 

we've got..

JeaN Claude, Richard Norton, Jeff Speakman, Keith Vitale, Benny The Jet, Jeff Wincott, Cynthia Rothrock, Chuck Norris, Michael Dudikoff, Daniel Berndhart, Mark Dacascos, Sasha Mitchell, Jerry Trimble, Brandon Gaines.


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## Hand Sword (Feb 8, 2009)

No Don "The Dragon" Wilson Bloodfist movies?


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## arnisador (Feb 8, 2009)

Gymkata is certainly at the top of any such list!


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## Hand Sword (Feb 8, 2009)

Hey! The princess was hot!


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## jarrod (Feb 9, 2009)

the last dragon is, in my humble opinion, simply the finest blaxploitation kung fu movie produced in 1987.

jf


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## Hand Sword (Feb 9, 2009)

Yep! It's considered a cult classic now. Vanity too!


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## jarrod (Feb 9, 2009)

"i was thinking you could be my bodyguard...you know, you could..._guard my body..._"

ah, vanity.  

jf


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## Hand Sword (Feb 9, 2009)

Sho Nuff! Would've loved to have done that!


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## Ironcrane (Feb 9, 2009)

I've been trying to find the movie American Shaolin. No one seems to have it anywhere. Oh well, my dvd player broke yesterday. So no movies for me for awhile.


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## Hand Sword (Feb 9, 2009)

Wow! I remember that one. Try Ebay or Amazon.


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## Guardian (Feb 9, 2009)

jarrod said:


> the last dragon is, in my humble opinion, simply the finest blaxploitation kung fu movie produced in 1987.
> 
> jf


 

Oh come on now LOL


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## jarrod (Feb 9, 2009)

good sir, i challenge you to name a better one!

jf


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## KempoGuy06 (Feb 9, 2009)

Sylo said:


> How about I give you a rough idea of what I have seen..
> 
> Gymkata (I want to own this.. this was a staple of mine growing up.)
> BloodSport 1-4? I think there's 4.. whichever has daniel berndhart in it.
> ...



there is more than one of those? I remember the 1st one (only one i knew about) where they fought against Korea and James Earl Jones was the coach

B


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## Sylo (Feb 9, 2009)

KempoGuy06 said:


> there is more than one of those? I remember the 1st one (only one i knew about) where they fought against Korea and James Earl Jones was the coach
> 
> B


 

there are 4 I believe. I have yet to see the 4th one.


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## KempoGuy06 (Feb 9, 2009)

Sylo said:


> there are 4 I believe. I have yet to see the 4th one.


holy ****! are the others ones as good as the first?

B


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## FearlessFreep (Feb 9, 2009)

Sylo said:


> JeaN Claude, Richard Norton, Jeff Speakman, Keith Vitale, Benny The Jet, Jeff Wincott, Cynthia Rothrock, Chuck Norris, Michael Dudikoff, Daniel Berndhart, Mark Dacascos, Sasha Mitchell, Jerry Trimble, Brandon Gaines.



I'm partial to Gary Daniels and Oliver Gruner in that vein (and maybe some Don "The Dragon" Wilson)  but to be honest that opens up *so much*   I've seen dozens and most aren't that memorable enough to recall enough to write out a list.


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## arnisador (Feb 9, 2009)

The Last Dragon is a great choice! Julius Carry III, who played Sho'Nuff, passed away in August 2008.


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## Sylo (Feb 9, 2009)

KempoGuy06 said:


> holy ****! are the others ones as good as the first?
> 
> B


 

lol not even close. But they are enjoyable if you liked the first.


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## Marginal (Feb 9, 2009)

Stephan Bonnar's new film ought to fit the bill too once it comes out. (Even though it's out of period.)


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## Ironcrane (Feb 9, 2009)

arnisador said:


> The Last Dragon is a great choice! Julius Carry III, who played Sho'Nuff, passed away in August 2008.




I didn't know that. This makes me sad.


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## myusername (Feb 10, 2009)

I had to watch Best of the Best again last night thanks to reading this thread! Tonight it will either be Bloodsport, The Karate Kid or The Kickboxer! You guys are a bad influence!


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## Sylo (Feb 10, 2009)

myusername said:


> I had to watch Best of the Best again last night thanks to reading this thread! Tonight it will either be Bloodsport, The Karate Kid or The Kickboxer! You guys are a bad influence!


 
Go with Kickboxer.


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## myusername (Feb 10, 2009)

Sylo said:


> Go with Kickboxer.



LOL, yeah I might just do that. I will be in the right mood for it after my TKD class tonight, especially if it turns out to be a sparring orientated session!


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## Daniel Sullivan (Feb 10, 2009)

My all time favorite movie is Showdown in Little Tokyo 1991.

Its cheesy. Its unbelievable. Its over the top. Its loaded with one liners. And its a quadrupple threat: Dolph Lundgren, Brandon Lee, Cary Hiroyuki Tagawa, and Tia Carrere. If that isn't enought, Toshishiro Obata and Simon Rhee appear in this film as well.

Anyhow, even though it is 1991, it is definitely in the over the top eighties martial arts action film idiom. Lee and Lundgren are fantastic. 

Here's a trivia quote from IMDB:

_All of the swords used in the film were replicas, with the exception of the one used by __Dolph Lundgren__'s character when he slices through bundles of bamboo: this was an authentic samurai sword._

Yes, Lundgren does perform tameshigiri with a katana in the movie.

Daniel


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## just2kicku (Feb 10, 2009)

Hey, what about "They call me Bruce" or Rapid Fire with Brandon Lee. Went to the local drug store the other nite and found the chinese connection for a $1.00 also picked up a five pack of some stuff from hong kong for $20.00. Wife hates when I watch those.
   " your gung fu is good, but my iron palm buddah fist black dragon will defeat you"


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## David Weatherly (Feb 10, 2009)

How about Blind Fury with Ruther Hauer.


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## Flying Crane (Feb 10, 2009)

exile said:


> Steven Seagal. Jake Hopper, in _Belly of the Beast_. By the Eyes of the Living Toad, there is nothing, nothing on earth cheesier than that. I'm not kidding: this is the truth_nothing_ is cheesier.


 
I haven't seen _Belly of the Beast_, but his _Exit Wounds_ from about 2000 or so was really really really really really godawful.


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## David Weatherly (Feb 10, 2009)

Flying Crane said:


> I haven't seen _Belly of the Beast_, but his _Exit Wounds_ from about 2000 or so was really really really really really godawful.


 

You're right they've gotten really bad and they often only show him from about mid chest up because of weight gain.


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## exile (Feb 10, 2009)

Flying Crane said:


> I haven't seen _Belly of the Beast_, but his _Exit Wounds_ from about 2000 or so was really really really really really godawful.





David Weatherly said:


> You're right they've gotten really bad and they often only show him from about mid chest up because of weight gain.



He was actually quite good in _Under Siege 2: Dark Territories_, and in _Out for Justice_ he pretty much outdid himself (I know that doesn't amount to extraordinary praise, but still... ). But those films were made in 1995 and 1991 respectively. Something happened to SS... he just doesn't seem able to do anything that even comes up to the level of mediocrity anymore. If _Exit Wounds_ was worse than _Belly of the Beast_, it _had_ to have been godawful to the point of being off the scale!


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## David Weatherly (Feb 10, 2009)

exile said:


> He was actually quite good in _Under Siege 2: Dark Territories_, and in _Out for Justice_ he pretty much outdid himself (I know that doesn't amount to extraordinary praise, but still... ). But those films were made in 1995 and 1991 respectively. Something happened to SS... he just doesn't seem able to do anything that even comes up to the level of mediocrity anymore. If _Exit Wounds_ was worse than _Belly of the Beast_, it _had_ to have been godawful to the point of being off the scale!


 

Actually, I think that Exit Wounds was his last decent movie but it had a strong supporting cast.  DMX, Michael Jai White Tom Arnold and Eva Mendes to name a few.  The story is that the director of the film put Seagal on slimfast and helped him pull off a lot of weight.  The film's from the period when Rap stars and martial arts were mixing on screen.  Think Romeo Must Die.  So if you don't like that flavor then you're not going to enjoy the movie.


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## arnisador (Feb 10, 2009)

He was quite funny as a parody of himself in _The Onion Movie_.


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## Daniel Sullivan (Feb 10, 2009)

David Weatherly said:


> How about Blind Fury with Ruther Hauer.


That was an enjoyable movie.  I also like him in 'Wanted Dead or Alive'.

Daniel


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## thetruth (Feb 10, 2009)

David Weatherly said:


> One word:
> 
> Gymkata



Awesome!!!!


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## thetruth (Feb 10, 2009)

Steven Seagal went off the rails after under siege 2.  I loved the earlier American ninja movies and anything by Sho Kosugi.   I also enjoyed The Substitute and some of the sequels. I had a friend sit through The Last Dragon a few years back. I now watch these movies by myself.

Cheers
Sam:asian:


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## Guardian (Feb 11, 2009)

jarrod said:


> good sir, i challenge you to name a better one!
> 
> jf


 
Sorry Jarrod, I meant I liked that one.  Your right it was, but I enjoyed it.


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## Big Don (Feb 11, 2009)

I find it funny Seagal made a movie called Pistol Whipped, which, he surely should be for continuing to make movies...


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## Marginal (Feb 11, 2009)

KempoGuy06 said:


> there is more than one of those? I remember the 1st one (only one i knew about) where they fought against Korea and James Earl Jones was the coach
> 
> B


Some memorable scenes in the later ones. Like kicking a fork balanced on a counter top to take out a home invader...


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## sjansen (Feb 11, 2009)

You missed No Retreat, No Surrender, The Punisher (Dolph Lundgren version), 3 Ninjas, and Beverly Hills Ninja.


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## Aiki Lee (Feb 11, 2009)

jarrod said:


> the last dragon is, in my humble opinion, simply the finest blaxploitation kung fu movie produced in 1987.
> 
> jf


 
For those of you haven't heard, _The Last Dragon_ has been slated for a remake with Samuel L. Jackson as Sho NUff. At least that's what I read in _MA Proffessional_.

Oh, and if you want the worst, absolute WORST martial arts film with an early 90s feel to it you must watch...SURF NINJAS!!!


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## Hand Sword (Feb 12, 2009)

:erg:

Well "Kiss my Converse!"


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## Taekwonjojo92 (May 11, 2013)

1. Showdown in little Tokyo
2. The Last Dragon
3. American Kickboxer
4. No Retreat, No Surrender
5. Kickboxer 2
6. Undefeatable
7. Martial Law
8. To Be The Best
9. The Balance of Power a.k.a Hidden Tiger
10. Mission of Justice
i'll add another one for the heck of it
11. Tough and Deadly


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## RTKDCMB (May 12, 2013)

Mission of justice - Jeff Wincott
Fist fighter
Day of the panther - Australian movie with a budget of $500, had my first instructor in it as an extra but still somehow spurned a sequel.
Black eagle - Van Damme and Sho Kosugi
9 deaths of the Ninja -  Sho Kosugi
Rage of honor-  Sho Kosugi
Revenge of the Ninja-  Sho Kosugi
Pray for Death-  Sho Kosugi
Enter the Ninja-  Sho Kosugi
Bounty tracker - Lorenzo Lamas
Anything Chuck Norris
Mortal Kombat
Wrong bet - Van Damme
Passenger 57 - Wesley Snipes
Battle creek brawl - Jackie Chan
And every other one from the 80's and 90's


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## Kframe (May 12, 2013)

Don't forget a western martial movie, called the fighter. It stars some French savate guy I never heard of.


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## Mauthos (May 13, 2013)

American Shaolin -Funny but with some good Martial Arts in it


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## RTKDCMB (May 13, 2013)

sjansen said:


> You missed No Retreat, No Surrender, The Punisher (Dolph Lundgren version), 3 Ninjas, and Beverly Hills Ninja.



No Retreat, No Surrender - one of Van Damme first movies. I forgot there was a Dolph Lundgren version of the Punisher.


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## Virtual Jim (May 25, 2013)

I'm surprised given the age and number of contribution to this thread that no one's suggested a steady diet of Wu-Tang Clan in between viewing sessions.  So, I will.  Yes, load up on the 36 Chambers and do it right!


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