80s/90s martial arts movies

[KempoGuy06]

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.

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

 

[Sylo]

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.

 

[KempoGuy06]

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

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

B

 

[FearlessFreep]

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.

 

[arnisador]

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

 

[Sylo]

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

B

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

 

[Marginal]

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

 

[Ironcrane]

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.

 

[myusername]

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!

 

[Sylo]

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.

 

[myusername]

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!

 

[Daniel Sullivan]

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

 

[just2kicku]

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"

 

[David Weatherly]

How about Blind Fury with Ruther Hauer.

 

[Flying Crane]

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.

 

[David Weatherly]

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.

 

[exile]

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.

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!

 

[David Weatherly]

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.

 

[arnisador]

He was quite funny as a parody of himself in The Onion Movie.

 

[Daniel Sullivan]

How about Blind Fury with Ruther Hauer.

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

Daniel