Who is the cheesiest martial arts movie star?

[The Xia]

This should be a fun thread. :D

[jethro]

Dragon Lee. thread over with:p


He has a unique style where he shakes his head around while fighting. It just doesn't get better than Dragon Lee.

[The Xia]

That's one of the Bruce Lee clones right?
They're generally pretty cheesy but for one-shot performances Dennis Rodman and Kareem Abdul Jabbar have to rank up there. And what about Ernie Reyes jr? And although I like Jackie, I'd be dishonest if I didn't say he has made some clunkers. I don't think that would rank him in the list of cheesiest martial arts movie stars but if you take away the good stuff he'd be in there.

[jethro]

Dragon Lee's cheesiness cannot be topped, but there are other good cheesy stars. Robert tai was a horrible actor, and I loved all the stuff he was in. New school cheesiness, I would go with the villain from Bloodmoon. Darren Shalhavi??

[QuaiJohnCain]

Cynthia Rothrock

[Jimbo]

There's too many.

Jalal Merhi (the guy in Canada who made bad MA movies with Bolo and Rothrock).

Dragon Lee is way up there. And if you've seen some of his worst stuff, it's cringe-inducing.

Also, Bruce Le (Huang Kin-Lung).

[firepalm]

For me it's a toss up between Chuck Norris & David Carradine. Although I have to admit Jalal Merhi could outclass them both potentially in the Cheesy category.:eek:

[jethro]

Jalal Mehri does get me to crack up just by listening to his voice.

Bruce Liang's performance in The Fists, the Kicks, and the Evils is awesome. He seriously puts on the greatest and worst acting performance ever.

[mickey]

Greetings,

I see you that waited until February was over to trash the brothers. Shame on you. :)

Actually, Kareem Abdul Jabbar's performance against Bruce Lee was not bad at all. He was the ONLY screen opponent who matched Bruce Lee in terms of athletism. I saw two superbly conditioned athletes putting on a good show. You should watch the Warrior's Journey for a better showcase of the choreography.

I agree with you on Rodman, though.



mickey

[lonewolf]

what aobut the guy in the 80's that was in they call me bruceand they still call me brucehe's got to be up there with cheesy? plus don't forget M.C. kung fu.:D

[Jimbo]

lonewolf:
You mean Johnny Yune? Those movies were awful.

How about Chan Lau as the "mad dog" in The Dragon, The Hero", a.k.a., Dragon on Fire. He steals the whole movie, and when they have him fighting Dragon Lee, it's doubly hilarious.

Chang Yi-Tao (no relation to Chang Yi) as one of 3 Bruce Lee imitators in Enter Three Dragons. He walks around with a Bruce Lee scowl permanently stuck on his face.

I have to agree with Cynthia Rothrock, esp. in her American movies. China O'Brien is bad, but I think there were worse ones later on. Her acting makes Chuck Norris seem like Academy Award material. (actually, I kinda liked Chuck, just not his movies).

[The Xia]

One man we can't forget is Bruce Leroy himself, Taimak. That has to be one of the cheesiest roles out there.

[BruceSteveRoy]

i personally felt that van damme ended up making a lot of cheesy movies as did steven segal but they themselves aren't the cheesiest performers. i think i will cast my vote with ernie reyes junior. he only played one part well and thats bc you couldnt tell it was him. i am, of course, talking about teenage mutant ninja turtles. i love that movie. i think i am going to go buy it on my lunch break.

[PangQuan]

ill second Dragon Lee

what about billy blanks!

[ChangHFY]

I would have to say Elton Chong.

Some of his movies are decent but most suck.

[Lohankuen1]

for me it's gotta be the drunk guy that's in Magnificent Butcher and Drunken Master.

[doug maverick]

HE'S THE MAN. and beside without him we wouldn't have yuen woo ping. as for cheesy well i don't taimak yes deffently, that movies so bad its good. but what about the guy from gymkata. i never scene the movie but i saw a trailer and **** that was cheesy.

[jethro]

for me it's gotta be the drunk guy that's in Magnificent Butcher and Drunken Master.

Drunk guy in Magnificent Butcher s Fan Mei-Sheng. In drunken Master it is Simon Yuen. And yes, Simon Yuen is the sheeeit!

[Jimbo]

Gymkata did blow. The star was a former Olympic gymnast (Kurt Thomas?) who was once a household name. I also think it was (another) typically bad post-Enter the Dragon Robert Clouse-directed movie.

Simon Yuen (Yuen Siu-Tin) was very cool. (He also plays Fu Sheng's Crane-style teacher in my fave MA movie, Shaolin Martial Arts).

I remember Ernie Reyes Jr. way back when he was an 8 year old with his dad's West Coast Demo Team. As far as Tae Kwon Do technique-wise, he's very good. But he can't seem to act, and the choices he (or his father) made for him in the movie/TV industry aren't good. Also, that old karate tournament demo style (overdone kiyai-ing, overdone faces and gestures, etc.) just does not translate well at all in the movies.
And when he does get parts, at least as an adult now, he always has to talk as if his English is bad, or like a fortune cookie. Too bad.

[The Xia]

for me it's gotta be the drunk guy that's in Magnificent Butcher and Drunken Master.
What do you mean? Those guys are awesome.

[Lohankuen1]

The one in Drunken Master doesn't even do his own kung fu, it's a stand in. I dunno man, but there's just something about the old drunk guy who seems to know everything. The charachter just doesn't work for me.

[jethro]

One thign you have to realize is he is OLD. The doubling is done very nicely, and is done even better in the sequel to Drunken Master, Dance of the drunken Mantis. In Sleeping Fist SImon Yuen does most of the stuff himself and looks great for his age. About 10 years before Drunken MAster was made Simon Yuen was still moving around very well.

[gryphonz]

Nothing... absolutely nothing beats Kungfu vs Yoga....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrYlNNy929Y

It's not cringe inducing, it's just so **** cheesy it's actually funny.

[Li Kao]

How's this for cheesy? BLACK MANTIS! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmLt9X38bwY

(And just so some of you don't go searching the Internet trying to get this movie -- it is part of the SXSW Grindhouse Trailer contest ...)

[The Xia]

Actually, Kareem Abdul Jabbar's performance against Bruce Lee was not bad at all. He was the ONLY screen opponent who matched Bruce Lee in terms of athletism. I saw two superbly conditioned athletes putting on a good show. You should watch the Warrior's Journey for a better showcase of the choreography.
It's not so much the action as it is the line delivery. It sounded really unnatural to me. Combine that with the fact that it was supposed to be deeply dramatic and you've got some serious cheese in my view.

[bredmond812]

You guys are such sinophiles. Cant you think outside teh box? I know this is a Kung fu forum, but what about the most successful cheezy martial arts actor of all time?

Sonny Chiba

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7QJEDwa7iw

He is like a cross between a monkey, Bruce Lee, and some kind of meat grinder that rips off people's balls. AND, he is not afraid to hit a girl.

Go out and rent one of his movies TODAY!!

B Red

If there is any doubt, watch this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7QJEDwa7iw

(of course the video editing doesn't hurt)

[Becca]

You guys are such sinophiles. Cant you think outside teh box? I know this is a Kung fu forum, but what about the most successful cheezy martial arts actor of all time?

Sonny Chiba

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7QJEDwa7iw

He is like a cross between a monkey, Bruce Lee, and some kind of meat grinder that rips off people's balls. AND, he is not afraid to hit a girl.

Go out and rent one of his movies TODAY!!

B Red

If there is any doubt, watch this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7QJEDwa7iw

(of course the video editing doesn't hurt)
LOL! Beat me to it. I love baiting my Sifu about Sonny; he absolutly hates Sonny's work.:D

[TenTigers]

Don Wilson, Cynthia Rothrock and anyone that knows them. Wilson was a great kickboxer, but couldn't act and had bad choreography. Rothrock also had bad choreography, but I just can't overlook her always yelling,"Ki-ai!!" In all her years in MA, nobody taught her that "Kiai" means the shout, and not the sound you make when you shout? Sheesh!
John Saxon looked like crap in ETD-might just be the polyester slacks...
Kareem Abdul Jabbar might be a great athlete, but not in MA. His kicks sucked. he had to lean way over to throw a waist high sloppy roundhouse.

[jethro]

I love how Bredmond says to think outside of the box and then lists king of exploitation Sonny Chiba. :p:D:D

For me it doesn't get any cheesier than Dragon Lee. That guy was God. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B81Njc1UR1A

[mickey]

Greetings,

TenTigers,

I would never say that Jabbar was an excellent martial artist. His conditioning was THERE to see. He did not have to struggle to keep up with Bruce. He was there, step by step.


The Xia,

You are right about the dialogue. It was cheesy. But that was Bruce's fault.


mickey

[The Xia]

Rothrock also had bad choreography, but I just can't overlook her always yelling,"Ki-ai!!" In all her years in MA, nobody taught her that "Kiai" means the shout, and not the sound you make when you shout? Sheesh!
Maybe she studied under this guy? :p
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2M35LvWlpYs

[Jimbo]

To his credit, I thought Jabbar actually had a somewhat decent Lee-style side snap kick, especially for a man of his height. There aren't too many guys around and over 7 feet tall who can do nicely-coordinated martial arts kicks. Just his physical stature alone could have accounted for his seeming awkwardness at his roundhouse/spinning kicks.

Don Wilson's movies were pretty bad. As Ten Tigers mentioned, he was an excellent kickboxer, one of the very best. It's a perfect example of a great real-life competitive fighter who couldn't translate well to the screen. I really wonder: if he'd been in a mid-'80s HK flick directed by Sammo Hung, as a villain or something, if he could have been made to look good in a fight scene. That was when Sammo's choreography was in top form, and nearly everyone looked good in his movies. It sure worked for Benny Urquidez and Billy Chow.

A little off-topic: Wasn't that Urquidez as a ghost attacking John Cusack in 1408?
I only saw the movie trailer, not the movie itself.

[jethro]

Did you know that Benny and Billy Chow actually fought eachother in the ring? That would be awesome to see. And I don't know about 1408, but Benny has a great fight with John Cusack in a movie called Grosse Point Blank.

[The Xia]

Somehow I don't associate John Cusack with good fight scenes. :p
But jethro does know his martial arts movies so you never know.

[jethro]

I love that fight scene. I didn't think the movie was great, but it had a lot of nice touches to it, like this fight scene for example- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11GjYpWO-xc

[kungpowmaster]

The first person that comes to my mind that fits this thread to a T, and I like his acting, if you wanna call it that, is STUART SMITH. He is in many of those IFD/Filmark ninja movies, as well as Blood Fight, with Bolo Yeung, he plays the caucasion Hong Kong punk, who starts to be a student of the films star.

Stuart Smith. He is awesome. You can find some of his clips on Youtube too.

Chosen One

[jethro]

But Stuart Smith has NEVER a good fight scene. He cant do any of the action himself. In order to be the best cheesy martial arts actor, you have to at least have some martial arts talent. Like Dragon Lee for instance. Here is a rare fight with him vs. Hwang Jang Lee- http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=kWBnU1nv8Q4&mode=related&search=

Dragon Lee could have been a star if he had good choreogrphers working with him. Stuart Smith on the other hand would have never been in movies if it wasn't for that idiot godfrey Ho. He has no talent, he just got put into a lot of cheesy movies.

[bredmond812]

I love that fight scene. I didn't think the movie was great, but it had a lot of nice touches to it, like this fight scene for example- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11GjYpWO-xc

I dont know what was cooler, the fight, or the vintage retro 80's pop hits playing in the background.

B Red

[jethro]

Haha, good call. The music was a big part of the scene.

[kungpowmaster]

Stuart Smith is still my hero.


"Born a Ninja, Die a Ninja".


Chosen One

[jethro]

HAve you seen the one where Stuart Smith has this little doll of himself? It looks like a G.I. Joe or soemthing, but it looks exactly like Stuart Smith! i think that is from Ultimate NInja. Another Golden Ninja Warrior classic.

[Snake77]

The Machado Bros.(bjj) put out a "martial arts" film a few yrs ago. It was pretty boring and sappy. They fought with BJJ and usally struck with the palms.

[Jimbo]

I remember Grosse Point Blanke (sp?). I suppose Cusack brought Urquidez back for 1408 since they worked together so well in GPB? I heard Urquidez helped train him. And yes, for me, the most memorable part of that movie were the '80s music...brought back memories, esp. "Take on me" from Aha. :D

Another cheesey MA actor could be Joe Lewis, former heavyweight karate champion and the guy who pioneered American-style kickboxing. Another great fighter/cheesey actor. His first film was Jaguar Lives! in 1979, and the villain was the guy who had the sword duel with Jet Li in Fearless (DeLongis??) His second films was Force: Five in 1981. His co-stars included Richard Norton and Benny Urquidez in Benny's first movie role. I've also seen him in a Joseph Kuo-directed film with Robin Shou and Mark Long filmed in Thailand; forgot the title. His acting actually got even cheesier with each successive film.

The 1980s and 1990s were inundated with bad straight-to-video or cable MA movies. Did I mention Keith Vitali? (starred or appeared in: Revenge of the Ninja, Blood Brothers, Wheels on Meals, American Kickboxer).

[Becca]

Hey! Jaguar Lives isn't too bad for it time. Most movies from that time were cheesy no mater what genre... My kids love it.

Ain't no MA movie as cheesy as Sonny Chiuba's "Legend of the Samurai". "Dark Crystal" meets "Willow" done in Japanese theatrical makeup with Sonny playing the role Val Kilmer would have had. :D

[Shaolinlueb]

sho nuff the shogun of brookly and bruce leeroy.

[jethro]

hey Jimbo, have you seen Superfights? It is one of the worst movies I haev ever seen, but the fights are awesome. Keith Vitali is great in that movie. The director Leung Siu Hung has him imitating Ken Lo from Drunken Master 2.

[kungpowmaster]

Jethro,

Yes, I have that movie, the Ultimate Ninja, it's great. I read an interview with Stuart Smith today, linked from his Wikipedia entry, and it was very interesting. He talks about how he got started in these movies, and he said it was great fun and a blast, and he knew full well, his shots were not enough for a feature length movie. He said Godfrey Ho was great to work with, and he always got paid, and also said Lai, and Tang and Betty Chan, were all nice. It mentions Richard Harrison and Bruce Baron said they felt they were tricked, but come on, how could they NOT know what they were doing? And if you see them in the movies, you can tell they are having a great time? I mean, sure it's not a Hollywood million dollar productions, but they were making these cool "bad" movies that are known for their huge fun factor. If Hollywood did make a million dollar Ninja movie, I bet it would be terrible. Also a million isn't much these days for Hollywood, or anywhere I'd think.

It was Smith that made Bloodfight better than Bloodsport.

Chosen One

[jethro]

Well, I don't think anyone in this world that would agree with you that Bloodfight is better than Bloodsport, but you go on with your bad self!

I haev read an interview with Godfrey Ho and he says Stuart Smith was a nice person. He has some really bad things to say about Bruce Baron.

And Richard Harrison was tricked. He thought he had done 2 or 3 movies, and then he found out that he was in about 30 movies. He thought he should have been paid for those,and I agree with him somewhat. You can't tell someone they signed a 3 picture deal and then all of a sudden he is in 30 movies. But Joseph Lai and Godfrey didn't give a crap about anyone but themselves.

[Jimbo]

Jethro, I'll have to see if I can check out Superfights.

So is this Stuart Smith the guy that Yasuaki Kurata side-kicked in an alley fight in Bloodfight? That's most of what I think of when I remember that film (that and the giant footprint on Bolo Yeung from the big Indian guy...?). Then I think he ran Kurata over with a truck...?

[jethro]

Yes, you are right. That is Stuart Smith, the white guy with the sunglasses. And I guess I don't remember Kurata getting run over by the Jeep, but i have tried my hardest to erase that movie from my memory. Kurata's worst performance of his career. :(

But luckily Kurata is still alive and kicking today:)

He did a weird movie called Master of Thunder not too long ago with Sonny Chiba.

[Jimbo]

I want to check that one Kurata did with Chiba; I heard about that one last year.

Kurata's been in a lot of classics and probably even more lemons. He's made some really bad ones in the early '70s as the villain against Chen Hsing (Chan Sing) as the hero. I don't remember the names of some of those, only that one of them kept using the theme from Shaft!

Another really bad one Kurata luckily only appeared in was Anna in Kung Fu Land. That is one of THE worst of all time!! Do not watch that one unless you want to see how bad recent movies in HK can be; don't be fooled that Lau Kar-Wing and Lo Meng also appear, and that it's action-directed by Tung Wai. Besides the female star, it co-stars the annoying Ekin Cheng (or whatever). I would say Ekin Cheng is worse than cheesey, but as I can see, he's not even a martial arts star in spite of playing a swordsman in The Duel.

Also don't forget the Bruce Lee-choreographed Fist of the Unicorn where Kurata and Whang In-Sik each lost in fight scenes to Little Unicorn. I consider these films actually worse than Bloodfight.

[jethro]

Well I wouldn't say Fist of the Unicorn is worse then Bloodfight, but they are pretty even. I have to completely disagree with you about the Chen Sing movies. Sure some of those were bad, but that was some of the most realistic fighting I have ever seen. Those 2 are the greatest rivals in kung fu cinema history. And you can watch Master of Thunder on youtube if you want. Not worth buying or renting IMO, but worth a watch.



And check out Ekin cheng in Twins Effect. He puts on a pretty good physical performance. And don't worry, I will never watch Anna in Kung Fu Land.

And here is one of Kurata's lemons, but a personal favorite of mine- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvyuajg7Sig