city with no mercy/flashpoint

[doug maverick]

this is the third movie from donnie yen and director wilson yip, its a crime drama like spl called city with no mercy here is the lowdown:


November 2006



-- City With No Mercy --
City With No Mercy 《破军》, latest work from Wilson Yip, looks poised to surpass SPL with a richer storyline and characterisation, as well as fresh action scenes that are full of impact. The movie, slated for release on Labour Day 2007, stars Donnie Yen, Louis Koo, Fan Bing Bing, Xing Yu, Ngai Sing, Ray Lui, Timmy Hung, Kent Cheng, Xu Qing.



According to Wilson Yip, as opposed to Dragon Tiger Gate which was basically a one-man show, screen time in City With No Mercy will be more evenly distributed between Donnie Yen and Louis Koo. There will be better balance between action scenes and drama scenes too, which will be more seamlessly blended and more enjoyable than those action-oriented films, as more effort has been put on drama. The ending will be less tragic compared to SPL.



Louis Koo says that his role as an undercover detective is different from other movies. Unlike those movies in which the actors would have to portray the inner conflicts and feelings of an undercover throughout the entire film, his identity is exposed rather early here. This film shows how he has to get on with life when he loses everything: his legs, his family, his girlfriend, and his split with his buddy, the decisions he has to make.



One of the main reasons for SPL's success was the realistic fight scenes. And this time round, Donnie Yen intends to carry this out further, to the extent of not using any means of aid, with every move to be done by each actor themselves. Donnie Yen says, "The Chinese are recognised for their martial arts films, and to bring it to further heights is indeed daunting. To achieve realism, I have invited many martial arts exponents from around the globe to join City with No Mercy and they'd also have some parts to play in the choreography. I will incorporate moves from Judo, Ultimate Fighting Championship, all various types of martial arts, would not use wires, doubles. Realistic fights need not be brutal, we'll use strength to convey the beauty."



Donnie Yen goes on to say that the action is tailored made according to each actor's ability, and he'll not turn a non-martial artist into a top fighter overnight, "Actually, only I, Ngai Xing and Xing Yu are the only ones who came from wushu institutes. The fight scenes will be more demanding, and the three of us even went for three months of training, in Muay Thai, etc. For the rest, we try to work around their strengths and limitations. For example, Louis Koo had some basic Judo training when filming Throwdown, so, his main moves in this film will be Judo plus a couple of other forms, resulting in his special action sequences."



Plot: While Donnie Yen of Organized Crime Control Bureau has exceptional martial arts ability, his life is full of struggles, one of which is his constant battle against the three brothers of an all powerful Vietnam Gang, eldest brother Ray Lui, who is ever menacing, second brother Ngai Sing, who is cool, collected and cunning, and third brother Xing Yu, whose fighting skills are unmatched. The three's bid to get rid of their rival Lin Kwok Pun is thwarted by their bodyguard Louis Koo, who is actually an undercover planted by Donnie Yen. When Donnie Yen begins an operation to capture all the gang members, Louis Koo blows his cover. In their conflicts, all witnesses are killed, leaving only sole survivor Louis Koo, who has been maimed by them. However, his girlfriend has been taken away... Yangcheng Evening News, Sina, Zhejiang News



-- City With No Mercy --


Photo: China Times

Production of 《破军》 A City Without Mercy, directed by Wilson Yip and scripted by Szeto Kam Yuen, began officially in Hong Kong on 13 November and a press conference was held. The movie marks the third collaboration between Wilson Yip and Donnie Yen. Both indicate emphatically that City Without Mercy is not SPL 2 though it may bear some similar characteristics to SPL. To impart an authentic feel to the martial arts scenes, Donnie Yen has especially hired Xing Yu, Ngai Sing and over 20 martial arts experts. He reveals that martial arts fans who expressed their doubts over the over-reliance on the special effects in Dragon Tiger Gate would be delighted to know that City Without Mercy will contain the most realistic and earth-shattering martial arts sequences, with minimal special effects. China Times

[doug maverick]

i posted this already under yip and yen third team up. but it seems to be generating no buzz so i's posting it under this merdorator please feel free to erase the other one.


this is the third movie from donnie yen and director wilson yip, its a crime drama like spl called city with no mercy here is the lowdown:


November 2006



-- City With No Mercy --
City With No Mercy 《破军》, latest work from Wilson Yip, looks poised to surpass SPL with a richer storyline and characterisation, as well as fresh action scenes that are full of impact. The movie, slated for release on Labour Day 2007, stars Donnie Yen, Louis Koo, Fan Bing Bing, Xing Yu, Ngai Sing, Ray Lui, Timmy Hung, Kent Cheng, Xu Qing.



According to Wilson Yip, as opposed to Dragon Tiger Gate which was basically a one-man show, screen time in City With No Mercy will be more evenly distributed between Donnie Yen and Louis Koo. There will be better balance between action scenes and drama scenes too, which will be more seamlessly blended and more enjoyable than those action-oriented films, as more effort has been put on drama. The ending will be less tragic compared to SPL.



Louis Koo says that his role as an undercover detective is different from other movies. Unlike those movies in which the actors would have to portray the inner conflicts and feelings of an undercover throughout the entire film, his identity is exposed rather early here. This film shows how he has to get on with life when he loses everything: his legs, his family, his girlfriend, and his split with his buddy, the decisions he has to make.



One of the main reasons for SPL's success was the realistic fight scenes. And this time round, Donnie Yen intends to carry this out further, to the extent of not using any means of aid, with every move to be done by each actor themselves. Donnie Yen says, "The Chinese are recognised for their martial arts films, and to bring it to further heights is indeed daunting. To achieve realism, I have invited many martial arts exponents from around the globe to join City with No Mercy and they'd also have some parts to play in the choreography. I will incorporate moves from Judo, Ultimate Fighting Championship, all various types of martial arts, would not use wires, doubles. Realistic fights need not be brutal, we'll use strength to convey the beauty."



Donnie Yen goes on to say that the action is tailored made according to each actor's ability, and he'll not turn a non-martial artist into a top fighter overnight, "Actually, only I, Ngai Xing and Xing Yu are the only ones who came from wushu institutes. The fight scenes will be more demanding, and the three of us even went for three months of training, in Muay Thai, etc. For the rest, we try to work around their strengths and limitations. For example, Louis Koo had some basic Judo training when filming Throwdown, so, his main moves in this film will be Judo plus a couple of other forms, resulting in his special action sequences."



Plot: While Donnie Yen of Organized Crime Control Bureau has exceptional martial arts ability, his life is full of struggles, one of which is his constant battle against the three brothers of an all powerful Vietnam Gang, eldest brother Ray Lui, who is ever menacing, second brother Ngai Sing, who is cool, collected and cunning, and third brother Xing Yu, whose fighting skills are unmatched. The three's bid to get rid of their rival Lin Kwok Pun is thwarted by their bodyguard Louis Koo, who is actually an undercover planted by Donnie Yen. When Donnie Yen begins an operation to capture all the gang members, Louis Koo blows his cover. In their conflicts, all witnesses are killed, leaving only sole survivor Louis Koo, who has been maimed by them. However, his girlfriend has been taken away... Yangcheng Evening News, Sina, Zhejiang News



-- City With No Mercy --


Photo: China Times

Production of 《破军》 A City Without Mercy, directed by Wilson Yip and scripted by Szeto Kam Yuen, began officially in Hong Kong on 13 November and a press conference was held. The movie marks the third collaboration between Wilson Yip and Donnie Yen. Both indicate emphatically that City Without Mercy is not SPL 2 though it may bear some similar characteristics to SPL. To impart an authentic feel to the martial arts scenes, Donnie Yen has especially hired Xing Yu, Ngai Sing and over 20 martial arts experts. He reveals that martial arts fans who expressed their doubts over the over-reliance on the special effects in Dragon Tiger Gate would be delighted to know that City Without Mercy will contain the most realistic and earth-shattering martial arts sequences, with minimal special effects. China Times

[Shaolinlueb]

very nice doug. ill look for this.

[doug maverick]

am i the only one hyped up about this movie. i mean i see alot of people talking about the jackie and jet kiddie movie garbage thats gonna come out. but i don't here nobody talking what is going to be the best one on one fight in martial arts movie's in like twenty years(or rather since spl) collin chou versus donnie yen. this fight is going to look awesome i'm more then sure of it. and this movie has way more action(for you guys who *****ed about the two fight scenes in spl) its coming out this summer the dvd here and the theaterical release in china. get hyped ******.

[jethro]

am i the only one hyped up about this movie. i mean i see alot of people talking about the jackie and jet kiddie movie garbage thats gonna come out. but i don't here nobody talking what is going to be the best one on one fight in martial arts movie's in like twenty years(or rather since spl) collin chou versus donnie yen. this fight is going to look awesome i'm more then sure of it. and this movie has way more action(for you guys who *****ed about the two fight scenes in spl) its coming out this summer the dvd here and the theaterical release in china. get hyped ******.


I was just about to start a thread about this. I hope it has a good release like Curse of the Golden Flower. The US really missed out on SPL, let's hope they don't screw this up.

[doug maverick]

the weinstien didn't get the film to 06 and it was out in 05 so it was already all over the place. but spl is doing so well on dvd that there probably gonna give this a theaterical release because of colin chou.

[jethro]

SERIOUSLY?!?!?!?!?!?


PLease let it come to Omaha.

[doug maverick]

it all depends on how fast they can get it. because it'll be in on dvd in china like two months after it comes out in theaters. and it'll be in your local china town faster then that. you see if they would release it around the same time it'll do good. but i don't know for a fact that its coming out in theaters but spl is doing really well.

[GeneChing]

I've enjoyed all of Donnie's recent work and I feel he's on a roll. Collin is worth watching too. I found a little Youtube Making of (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwZIjrck-AY) just now that looks promising (my initial search for Flashpoint turned up a Jenna Jameson vid ;) ).

Not sure why you started this thread with such an upset tone there, Doug. Don't let Miramax get your panties in a bunch. ;) Do you know any more about the release dates, etc?

[doug maverick]

people tend to answer ****ed threads more and i wanted to make sure we kept this thing rolling. i saw the video you got up there. i heard donnie and wilson are keeping this one tight lipped unlike dtg where they had a website and all. its coming out in hk in july. as for the dragon dynasty release i don't know that yet but i looked at there release dates for movies and it wasn't on the july or the august list. looks like i'll be getting it in china town and then get dd release when it comes out(cause face it they do good job with the extras). i'm actually trying to get in contact with them i'm working on a film that is prodominately asain. and wanted to know if they only bought import stuff or is it any martial art oriented film. hey gene i know you gotta have some contact with bey logan. why don't you ask him about the us release date.

[GeneChing]

I think if you had focused on the Jenna Jameson angle, it might have got more traffic than a ****ed thread. ;) No worries, Doug. This thread will live thrive until the film hits. I share your admiration for Donnie's work. He's very talented and I'm hoping he may rise to be the new crowned king of martial arts film. In my mind, it's between him and Tony Jaa at this point - two princes battling for the crown. I even felt that some of the elbow work in DTG was a tip of the hat of Donnie to Tony, but that's probably me just projecting things.

Unfortunately, I don't have a contact to Bey Logan anymore. I did when I worked for WLE, but KFTC doesn't do anything with Bey, so there you go. It might be easier for me to contact Donnie, actually. We were working on getting Donnie to our 15th party (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?p=756936) and things were looking really good until the Emei committee dropped the ball. I've never met Donnie personally, but we're close with many of his classmates and were one of the first magazines to feature him on the cover (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/magazine/article.php?article=119).

Who's distributing Flashpoint in the U.S.?

[doug maverick]

should've went with jenna angle. Quentin tarrintino and bob weinsteins company dragon dynasty is handling the U.S. distribution, they did a good job with the protector and killzone as well as seven swords, they give alot of good extra's and commentaries with there dvds. i guess the WB(weinstein brothers) are making up for all their screw ups with MA movies over at miramax. the reason why i said the thing about bey logan is that he runs things over at D&D and he would better know the release date.






P.S.oh and by the way this is Totally O.T. but yuen woo ping won the best choreagrapher award at the golden horse. for fearless beating out donnie and ching siu tung. it's pretty much between him and donnie now as the best fight directors in hong kong(and for that matter the world)

[doug maverick]

just sent an email to bey asking about the release date for city with no mercy/flashpoint, hopefully responds, and once i get the answer it'll be posted right here.

[GeneChing]

BTW, I think the Golden Horse Best Choreographer deserves its own thread here. I remember seeing a published list of all the recipients over the years, but I didn't pick it up. Perhaps it's on the web somewhere. If you find it, post it on a new thread here. If I find it, I'll do likewise.

[doug maverick]

i'll start doing my search work.

[jethro]

Hey doug, did ya find out when it is coming out?

Here are some pcs to tide you over. http://p073.ezboard.com/fthestuntpeoplefrm4.showMessageRange?topicID=1336. topic&start=101&stop=115

[doug maverick]

according to bey logan DD hasn't gotten the rights for flashpoint just yet. their still in negotiations but he said when they aquire it, that it will come out around the same time as the dvd does in hk(should be like a month or so after it comes in theaters) so i would say august.

[jethro]

Trailer

http://www.donnieyen.net/htm/gnnews/20070509220.htm

Unlike the new Jet Li and Takeshi Miike movies, this 1 minute trailer actually delivers.

[doug maverick]

a while agao but it was apart of this press preveiw in hong kong. glad they finally posted it up by it self.

[jethro]

Yeah, that was one hell of a trailer. I was about to start a new thread on it, but hopefully people see it. I just wish they could put a date on when the movie is coming out and stick with it.

[doug maverick]

its coming out in july in hk but as for us like i said bey logan told me himself that they hadn't gotten the rights as of yet for the us and i doubt its going to come out in theaters maybe on dvd for the dd label.

[doug maverick]

http://www.flashpointthemovie.com/

[doug maverick]

the flash point thread died, so i just wanted to post up the site for people to see:

http://www.flashpointthemovie.com/

check it out

[jethro]

Why did you start another thread? I am reporting you to the police!

[doug maverick]

just got confirmation from bey logan flashpoint is official coming out on DD

[jethro]

They better release it ASAP

[doug maverick]

gen will probably end up merging this with the other one i started which is cool.

anyway check out these new making of trailer here (http://youtube.com/watch?v=w7bq1tOy310) and here (http://youtube.com/watch?v=Yvg6kr3LRtM)

[jethro]

I saw a release date for this but I can't remember it. I think it comes out in 2 or 3 months. So get ready pirates.

[doug maverick]

it comes out next week on the 2nd and it comes out in the us in october. on dragon dynasty

[jethro]

Thanks for the update. i was a couple months behind:p

[GeneChing]

I just think it's a much more interesting read if all the posts regarding a single film are on the same thread. As an archive, you can see the progression, which has a historical value, especially with Asian films and how they are marketed in America.

Thanks for the update. Eager to see this one...

[doug maverick]

i just didn't want to go looking through the pages to find the flashpoint one. sorry for my laziness gene.but ****** i'm so siked about this film. if there is anyone asain star who can really hold up to donnie its collin chou. so i can't wait to see this.

[jethro]

I thought the Ngai Sing fight was about 100 times better than Donnie Yen Samm Hung. The undercranking bugged me a couple times, but literally only once or twice. Best movie fight EVER!!!!!!

[doug maverick]

you saw it already? you downloaded it

[jethro]

Yeah I couldn't wait. Every fight scene ever made sucks compared to this Donnie Yen Ngai Sing fight.

[doug maverick]

Dude PM me the place where u downloaded it from are there subs?

[jethro]

Check your PM box

[doug maverick]

got it thanks

[sanjuro_ronin]

I thought the Ngai Sing fight was about 100 times better than Donnie Yen Samm Hung. The undercranking bugged me a couple times, but literally only once or twice. Best movie fight EVER!!!!!!

That is saying quite a bit dude...

[jethro]

Why don't you let me know once you have seen it dude

[sanjuro_ronin]

Why don't you let me know once you have seen it dude

For sure, I am very excited, Donnie always puts together some cool stuff.
Have my eye out for it on ebay...

[jethro]

Sorry guys, the final fight was on youtube but already has been removed. So just in case you can't see it, i will give you a preview. Both Ngai Sing and Donnie start out giving flurries of punches. Donnie ends up on his back and is kicking upwards and trying to block Ngai's punches. Donni grabs ahold of his shirt and manages to get his leg around Ngai's neck. Almost choked out, Ngai picks him up and starts picking him up and slamming him onto the ground. The fight goes on like this non stop, and it goes on for almost 8 minutes. Donnie uses a lot of the skills he showed in SPL except you can tell that he has majorly upgraded his fighting. Ngai Sing doesn't really use MMA, he is just wild and Donnie has to try and stop his relentless attack. THis is probably the fight scene i have ever seen, and without a doubt the best MMA fight scene ever. Undisputed 2 was the top MMA movie in my opinion, but flashpoint is so much better because they are not in a cage and there are no rules and gloves.

[GeneChing]

Flashpoint follows the stereotypic Hong-Kong-gangster-deep-cover story arc ala City on Fire/Reservoir Dogs & Infernal Affairs/Departed. Donnie plays essentially the same character as in SPL, the hardcore kick ass cop. There's a lot of plot development (re: not many fights). It's very, very Hong Kong in its style and cinematography. T he finale is awesome - great gun play, great fight. I still think Donnie is the choreographer to watch now. He incorporates a lot of judo and MMA techniques, does some nice extended sequences and sets up some fresh visions of people kicking the stuffing out of each other. All the fights are great. There's just too few of them. Maybe if I had a better command of Mandarin, the plot would have intrigued me more, but I'm guessing not. For the fight scenes, it does deliver. However, in the shadow of the over-the-top Thai films that are coming out now, there's just not enough action. Too much intrigue. If we wanted good acting, we'd watch Meryl Streep. We want a little of the ultra-vi, not the Devil Wears Prada. So, with the last three Donnie films, I still rate it as #1 SPL, #2 Dragon Tiger Gate, and now #3 Flashpoint. It's definitely worth it to just see to the fights for the last two. The fights are intense.

I knew one of the villains. Xing Yu was formerly known as Shi Xingwu, a martial monk who I knew in '95 & '96. I had heard he left to try to make it in film. This monk was a gorilla. He would take a shot to the stomach from anyone who walked into Shaolin Temple. Anyone. Despite his hulking physique, he could still do all the aerial stuff too. He also starred as Coolie in Kung Fu Hustle apparently - I'll have to watch that again since I didn't recognize him. It took me a while to recognize him in Flashpoint. He's got a mean look that will fate him to playing heavies and villains, but he's a phenomenal martial artist and another one to keep your eye on. There's a pic of me and Xingwu together in my publisher's note in our Shaolin Special 2000 (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/magazine/article.php?article=152).

[jethro]

Hey great info on Xing Yu. He is a bad boy in this movie. I love the toilet scene at the start of the movie. I agree with you on SPL being better than Flashpoint. I liked the fights in Flashpoint more but SPL is a better overall movie.

[doug maverick]

Okay so I finally got the subs to work for flashpoint so I can give my full review:

plot first(spoiler) luis koo plays an under cover cop working for a special unit run by our old friend inspector ma(flashpoint was suppose to be a prequel to spl and it still is cause Donnie has the same name as the character in spl so I guess its an unofficial prequel) luis is under cover in a gang run by three Vietnamese brother tony(collin chou) tiger(yu xing) and ja ge(ray liu) the brothers ofcourse find out that Luis is a rat but he escapes all be it injured. That where the story sets into full motion. I really enjoyed it I only wish we could have seen the full fight inside the gym. Anyway:

it wasn’t as good as spl lets get that out of the way. But it was good Collin Chou was deffenatly in top form so was Donnie their fight was awesome and so was the fight between Donnie and the shoalin guy from kung fu hustle but once again Donnie leaves us wanting more in the hand to hand come back department. Although he did have a good shoot’em up action sequence reminiscing of ballistic kiss. Actually flash point reminded me of ballistic kiss for some reason maybe it was the voice over at the end. I gotta say I love these sorta martial noir films that come from Donnie and Wilson I hope they make more in this vain. One note on the fight between Donnie and Collin Donnie did this ******* hand crank in one part of the fight that he use to do in his old films and I wanted to smack him in the back of the head for that.

All and all I enjoyed it Luis koo was in good form in the acting department but I felt that as usual Wilson didn’t develop things as he should have, there always something that’s missing, but that’s in a lot of Chinese films, happens a lot in Wong kar wai (aka the Chinese d.w. Griffith) films but he doesn’t use a script, just ideas. Also I felt that they made the movie a bit softer because except for ja ge nobody died they just got the shi t beat out of them. Luis koo looked like a chang cheh film before the thing was over. My girlfriend called him a used tampon (ewww). Hopefully the next film they do together (it was suppose to be painted faces but now being directed by Gordon Chan se post here (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=47527). Been trying to get that one going for a while) maybe they need to get a American or European script writer that would be an interesting combination get someone like say William Monahan (Oscar winning screen writer, the departed, kingdom of heaven and the upcoming Jurassic park 4) or maybe someone like john woo, whose been known to right a good complete script or at least co write one. We’ll see a really good martial noir (that’s what I’m calling these films)

[RAYNYSC]

Has anyone seen this movie yet if you haven't & your a Donnie Yen fan you need too. Without question this is one of Donnie Yen's best movie's out to date.
If you asked me I'd have to say it's off the hook:D

[doug maverick]

and this thread is probably gonna get merged, go here (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=46000)

[RAYNYSC]

Thanks for the info

[GeneChing]

We like to merge our movie threads all into one here. It makes for a far better read as an archived thread, since you can watch the development of the film from new project to reviews. Plus it reduces clutter. It's always good to search first, especially with films on this forum.

[doug maverick]

cause then you could read all the post and see other people views. flashpoint was awesome as we all have said although not i can;t wait to see more films like this.

[jethro]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=-eoZYaGO1Rk

If you haven't seen this fight then you need to see it ASAP. Best fight I have seen since Jet Li vs Billy Chow in Fist of Legend.

[doug maverick]

yu should've put this on the flash point thread you jut made more work for gene.lol

[jethro]

Nah, I don't think this should go in the Flash Point thread. That thread is about the movie, this thread is about the final fight and talking about this clip. It is such an amazing fight. So much energy and creativity put into it. Donnie and his crew are definitely the top action team in HK right now.

[doug maverick]

Nah, I don't think this should go in the Flash Point thread. That thread is about the movie, this thread is about the final fight and talking about this clip. It is such an amazing fight. So much energy and creativity put into it. Donnie and his crew are definitely the top action team in HK right now.

if its about the final fight its about the movie. i bet you dollar for donuts its goin to get merged.

[jethro]

Well since the only thing being talked about here is merging the thread then it probably will get merged. I just wanted to have a conversation about the fight. The movie as a whole is nothin special, but this fight is obviously somethign worth talking about. I think this fight deserves its own thread.

[sanjuro_ronin]

Was Donny doing some "crazy monkey" boxing there at the beginning?
:D

[doug maverick]

i agree but will the powers that be agree. i think not

[sanjuro_ronin]

i agree but will the powers that be agree. i think not

Crazy Monkey isn't "new" per say, though it may seem that way to many.
Nevertheless, the charateristics were there and since HK choreographers are adding this "new stuff" to the movies, it wouldn't surprise me if they got it from Rodney's series.

[jethro]

i agree but will the powers that be agree. i think not

Like I said if that is the only thign you can talk abotu then it probably will be merged:rolleyes:

It wouldn't be merged if you could have talked about the fight, and not just how you think it should be merged. There is no reason that this single fight should get lost in a long thread that talks about the movie as a whole. This fight deserves its own thread. I am sure that Gene can see that.

[jethro]

And sorry sanjuro, I would talk about crazy monkey boxing but I don't know anything about it:)

[doug maverick]

yeah never heard of crazy monkey boxing myself and i been in this stuff for almost 20 years. but while i liked this figh i still think th donnie sammo fight was awesome. i just liked o donnie faught the master in the first film and the student in the second.

[RAYNYSC]

Hey Jethro,

I agree with you without a doubt the fight scene between Donnie & Collin Chou was bananas....

Doug,

I agree with you as well the fight scene between Donnie & Sammo in SPL was bananas as well. In short Donnie Yen is taking the fighting scene's to a another level.

[doug maverick]

he' dominating right now. no one and that includes tony jaa con touch donie right now

[jethro]

Donnie vs Sammo was very high level, but it felt too chreographed at times. Donnie vs Collin Chou has a couple of minor flaws , but I thought it was way better than DOnnie vs Sammo. Collin Chou is a madman. And I would not want to work on Donnie's stunt crew. Those guys took some HARD falls and they have to be crazy taking those full contact punches to the face. I went into this movie with the highest expectations and the finale still managed to blow me away.

[doug maverick]

the full contact punches don't really hurt. gonna tell you a secret. the punches are done two ways on is they punch in a normal to slow with minimal impact and the other is they use a padded flesh colored glove. the thing i hate about the donne colon fight was donnie doing that stupid winding punch. that ruined the fight a little for me.

[jethro]

LOL

Yeah, it is a good thing he didn't do that the whole fight. That really would have ruined it.

[Jimbo]

I finally got to watch the fight today (I used the computer at work). I like it! I like it better than Donnie Yen's fight with Sammo Hung. It was one of Yen's better fights. It's true that these days, Donnie Yen is the man in HK. He's the only one there who seems to have the creativity and skill to put together fights and stunts at that level anymore, and yes, he's better at it IMO than Tony Jaa. Then again, he's been in the movie business much longer, too. I like the fact that Yen knows how to begin a fight scene, vary the tempo, vary the moves, sustain it, and finish it. In HK, it's becoming a lost art.

As for that swinging, Sugar Ray-Leonard type fake-out punch, he seems to put that into lots of his fight scenes; the first time I remembered it was in In The Line of Duty 4. I don't particularly care for that move myself.

[jethro]

Hey glad you liked it Jimbo. Donnie really did create somethign special here. I have made like 15 people kung fu movie fans because of this fight. Only problem is that they think every fight sucks compared to this. And is Tony Jaa coming out with his new movie anytime soon? Donnie not only does better fight scenes than Jaa, but it doesn't take him 3 years to make a movie.

[Jimbo]

Jethro:
I don't know when Tony Jaa's new movie is coming out, but I tell you this: At this time, when many are touting the upcoming movie with Jackie Chan/Jet Li, I think the real question is: When will Donnie Yen and Tony Jaa work together in a movie? And hopefully it won't take another 20 years when Yen's in his early 60s for it to happen. I'd really like to see what are likely the two top martial arts movie stars TODAY make a classic movie/fight scene(s) together while in their primes. I think their styles could mesh well in a cinematic fight; Donnie Yen's sharp, speedy, more grounded style vs. Tony Jaa's high-flying, uber-flexible/acrobatic style. And preferably a story more in line with a Yen film; interested to see how Jaa would do in a movie with a superior storyline.

[jethro]

Wow Jimbo that is an awesome idea!! I wouldn't mind seeing Jaa in a role similar to Wu Jing in SPL. It would be nice to see Jaa in ANY role in a Donnie Yen movie. If they worked together it would be the most anticipated martial arts movie of all time.

[sanjuro_ronin]

yeah never heard of crazy monkey boxing myself and i been in this stuff for almost 20 years. but while i liked this figh i still think th donnie sammo fight was awesome. i just liked o donnie faught the master in the first film and the student in the second.

Google Rodney King and crazy monkey boxing.

[jethro]

Well I have heard of Rodney King.

[Jimbo]

Jethro:
Yup, a role similar to the one Wu Jing had in SPL would be awesome. And, ironically, I think it's possible that Tony Jaa could come across well as a right-hand man/villain. He could play a stone killer/enforcer, so his limited acting ability would not be so apparent.

I would think Donnie would probably be for it, and maybe Tony would too, but IMO there might be too much politics between Tony's director/stunt team, and the fact he's the man in (and pride of?) Thailand. I'm not sure if Donnie would forfeit the use of his control and stunt team, either. Now, if you can get Donnie's stunt crew and Tony's stunt crew to work together and split the credit, it definitely would be the top draw in M.A. movies. (I can dream, can't I?) :)

[doug maverick]

if they do a movie togather donnie will probably lead the way as the fight director. but combining both stunt teams would be awesome

[Lucas]

just got to watch this at home.

awsome fight, thanks for posting that.

[Lucas]

I was going to mention this in my last post.

Has anyone else noticed the increasing levels of grappling / groundwork you are finding in Donnie's more recent films?

Think hes trying to say something?

edit:

sprawl ftw LOL

[jethro]

He said in the special features of Killzone (SPL) that he has been watching the UFC ever since the sport started and in SPL he wanted to start making his fights look more real. Over the last 25 years or so MMA has been used in quite a lot of movies, but they would only use maybe 5 applications throughout the whole movie. In old school movies the fight scenes are more of a dance than a fight. That is just what was popular. People weren't impressed by the different techniques, they wanted that dance style (which is what I prefer. I love the old school fights). In the mid to late 80's it was all about the kickboxing type of style. Then the new wave movies were all about wire fu. Donnie was smart to recognize how popular UFC/Pride has gotten and that is why he has put it in SPL. If Bruce Lee would have lived and made more movies it probably would have been popular in movies a long time ago. there is a movie from the 40's where Jimmy Cagney uses Judo against a big Japanese guy and gets him in an armbar and a chokehold. Check out this awesome fight scene- http://youtube.com/watch?v=3SlFNB_-s_o

[sanjuro_ronin]

The original Manchurian Candidate has a nice ( for the time) and realistic fight scene.

[mickey]

Greetings,

That was some good choreography. Donnie learned a lot from Yuen Woo Ping. Yuen's influence is very much there.

I did not understand Donnie's release at @00:49. He had the guy around the waist. All he had to do was squeeze like hell.


mickey

[jethro]

If Donnie didn't let go of his waist at the 49 second mark he may have gotten his pretty face messed up:p

[GeneChing]

It's playing in SF at the Lumiere (http://www.landmarktheatres.com/market/SanFrancisco/LumiereTheatre.htm).


FLASHPOINT (http://www.dragondynasty.com/films/show/104)
IN THEATERS MARCH 14th
New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco

The creators of Kill Zone take action to the next level with a breakthrough combination of hard-hitting mixed martial arts battles and nail-biting tension. Kung fu legend Donnie Yen (Hero, Seven Swords) returns as the police force’s most dangerous detective, building a case against a vicious trio of drug smuggling brothers. When evidence is destroyed and witnesses are murdered, he takes the fight directly to his enemies – no holds barred. Climaxing with a spectacular 16-minute bone-crunching showdown, this Hong Kong smash hit is “an entertaining action blowout” (Ross Chen, LoveHKFilm).

[doug maverick]

yeah i was planning on going to see it. gotta find a theater that has it. cause i want to see it on the big screen

[GeneChing]

Good call on Yu Xing. I'm biased because I knew him but I think he's one to watch.


'Flash Point' (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/03/14/DDL6VIONE.DTL&hw=never+back+down&sn=001&sc=1000)

POLITE APPLAUSE Action. Starring Donnie Yen, Louis Koo and Collin Chou. Directed by Wilson Yip. (R. 88 minutes. At Bay Area theaters. See complete movie listings and show times, and buy tickets for select theaters, at sfgate.com/movies.)

Donnie Yen executes two beat-downs before the opening credits of "Flash Point," the latest Hong Kong action picture from the martial arts master. It works out to about a punch every four seconds.

At 44 years old, Yen quite can't keep up that pace. But his latest movie has a solid story, which keeps things interesting during the quiet moments when nobody is getting kicked in the head. And even though Yen is arguably 10 or more years past his high-flying prime, he's exploring new martial arts disciplines, giving his action scenes in this movie a fresh look.

The subtitled "Flash Point" takes place more than a decade ago, which is fitting, because so much of it is filmed like a 1990s American action movie. Specifically, director Wilson Yip seems to be going for a "Lethal Weapon" vibe, with heavy elements of camaraderie and light banter, villains who are unrealistically menacing and even background music that seems suspiciously similar to the Eric Clapton guitar work from that series.

Yen is Jun Ma, a detective who gets results but is still on the edge of suspension, because too many of his suspects end up badly beaten or dead. If you're bothered that he's a cliche that dates back to "Dirty Harry," then this may not be the movie for you. Because there's also a rising gang member who doesn't play by the rules, some kindly colleagues who aren't long for this world and a partner (Louis Koo) who is always getting himself into trouble.

While his movie character can't fight very well, Koo is arguably the lead actor, getting more lines and screen time than Yen, who is basically an attack dog - staying mostly in the background until the action starts. It's a nice arrangement for the audience, allowing the more dashing Koo (so good in the "Triad Election" movies) to drive the narrative forward while Yen takes over for the fight scenes.

And those scenes, supervised closely by action director Yen, are mostly great. Yen has developed a recent passion for mixed martial arts, and his more traditional punches and flying kicks are supplemented by some close-quarters Muay Thai kicks and even some jujitsu submission holds. Ultimate Fighting Championship fans will be happy.

Yen also likes to discover new talent and isn't afraid to showcase existing talent that might overshadow his own skills. Collin Chou is appropriately mean as a gangster. And relative newcomer Yu Xing, despite his penchant for dressing like Sylvester Stallone in "Rocky II," brings a menacing energy to a henchman role.

-- Advisory: This film contains strong language, violence and a cranky partner who is too old for this @$%#.

- Peter Hartlaub

[doug maverick]

yeah i didn't like yu xing's character's wardrobe either i widh he would've had more of a hip hop look to him, would've looked cooler his style was way to out of date.

[Shaolinlueb]

flash point was good. i think i might have liked s.p.l. better though

[GeneChing]

Enter for your chance to win a FLASHPOINT: 2 DISC ULTIMATE EDITION DVD (http://www.kungfumagazine.net/index.html), which releases today from the good people at Dragon Dynasty (http://www.dragondynasty.com/). Five lucky winners will receive this spectacular new double disc collector's edition of one of the hottest kung fu flicks to emerge in recent years. Contest ends on 6:00 p.m. PST on 5/4/08. Good luck everyone.

[jethro]

I just got the DVD and it says there's a commentary with Donnie. Sweet!

[jethro]

flash point was good. i think i might have liked s.p.l. better though

I agree. I don't know how to describe it, but SPL was just cooler. I think SPL was a better overall movie, but I enjoyed Flash Point more because of the final fight. I'm all about the fights when watching movies.

[Jimbo]

Yeah, Yen is very smart to incorporate MMA/BJJ into his newer fights. Because it's what is popular right now. Out here in SoCal, MMA is the most popular thing going, I'm betting probably more than all the other martial arts put together. In our town, there are even popular training clubs that teach "cage fighting" to kids as young as 7 or 8 or so. The explosion of popularity really accelerated since the show "Ultimate Fighter" began several years ago.

Yen's use of the moves in movie scenes is far superior than other (U.S.) screen interpretations of MMA. Although I thought it a bit interesting that one of the moves he throws Sammo with in SPL looked a lot like a "hurricanrana" that you'd see in WWE/pro-wrestling.

It's true that Bruce Lee did, in a very early, simplistic way, incorporate grappling moves in many of his (otherwise stand-up) fights. He had Bob Baker get him in an arm bar in Fist of Fury/Chinese Connection; he bit his way out. He choreographed the exact same sequence between Bolo and John Saxon in ETD. BL kills Chuck Norris' character in Way/Return of the Dragon with a type of guillotine choke. He kills Kareem Abdul-Jabber with a headlock choke in GOD.

[jethro]

Yeah he is smart to put in the MMA. I got Flash Point at Best Buy today, and for the first time ever I saw a Dragon Dynasty release in the front of the store in the new release section. Nice to see something without Jackie or Jet's name on it in Best Buy and they are actually trying to sell it. Unlike stuff like Exiled which for some reason is in the martial arts section and DragonPrincess/Karate Warriors 2-pack which can be found in the horror section.

[GeneChing]

There's still plenty of time to enter our sweepstakes. Good luck!


'Flash Point' is insanely awesome (http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/tribpm/s_564101.html)
By Jessica Severs
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, April 24, 2008

The insanely awesome Donnie Yen launches into inhuman feats of fight choreography that lifts this cop flick to a zen-like state of martial arts enlightenment.

Yen manages to put the "art" back in "mixed martial arts," drawing heavily from brutal Muay Thai and Jujitsu grappling, corkscrewing the bad guys in mid air with deft efficiency. Seriously, he is something to be marveled.

In "Flash Point," Yen plays a fearless detective closing in on a vicious gang, while his undercover partner feeds him intel. As expected, things gets messy, and the blood hits the fan.

The climax hurls out a doozy of a white-knuckle duel where you'll find yourself cringing with every blow. Yen's intensity never falters.

And as you'll find out in the second disc-full of special features, these punches and kicks connect -- this ain't no Hollywood action flick -- to satisfy Yen's demand for realism. Ouch.

R; 2008. (88 minutes, Dragon Dynasty) 3 stars

[doug maverick]

i doubt i'll win i never win those **** sweepstakes of your gene thats why i usually don't enter. but its donnie and everybody on this board knows how big of a donnie yen fan i am.

[puma]

I saw Flashpoint on the internet a few weeks ago and it was good...I liked SPL a little bit more though...this week end ...if it's still on thr net ...I'm going to be checking out The princess and her warriors

[SimonM]

I'm shocked, SHOCKED that this, one of the best MA / Cop movies ever made, doesn't have its own thread.

Let us all bask in the awesomeness of this movie.

[Lucas]

i thought it did.... :confused:

[Lucas]

im shocked and awed !

i loved this movie.

[doug maverick]

I'm shocked, SHOCKED that this, one of the best MA / Cop movies ever made, doesn't have its own thread.

Let us all bask in the awesomeness of this movie.

actually it does. i know because i started it do a search.

[Lucas]

i thought it did.... :confused:

my search fu is on today! (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=46000&highlight=flashpoint)

[SimonM]

My search-fu must have been off.

LOL!

I did a search and couldn't find the thread.

[SAAMAG]

I'm sorta torn about it. He took Hong Kong cinema fighting which is traditional Kung Fu based and blended it with Muay Thai, BJJ, Judo! In fact I'd say the fight scenes were predominantly that minus a few of his signature side, spinning, and jump kicks. I loved them, he took something that is reality based and made it look great on screen.

It's crazy though, I didn't expect to see all that. What does that tell you about the success of MMA in the world when a die hard kung fu guy takes MMA popularized moves and puts them in a gung fu flick! Do you think he is a traitor to the kung fu cinema for doing that or an innovator for new ideas?

Something I was also thinking....when did Donnie Yen go and learn these three arts? I've heard rumors that he actually did learn BJJ from someone in Hong Kong. Or do you think he just learned some of the moves and assimilated them into his arsenal? His technique was nearly flawless though IMO.

[ChinoXL]

Before Flashpoint was Fatal Contact (has more weapon and is hybrid between mma & kung-fu)

and the new film that just came out at 09' is called bodyguards & assassins which donnie yen is also in - I saw a clip and I saw him doing muay thai / boxing / with judo throws

[SAAMAG]

Cung Le is also in that movie too...though I haven't that one yet.

[Lucas]

if you get a chance watch flashpoint with donnies commentary on, it clears some of that up. he even mentions at a point where he is wrong from a experienced skill standpoint on some of his grappling choreography.

[Jimbo]

I'm sorta torn about it. He took Hong Kong cinema fighting which is traditional Kung Fu based and blended it with Muay Thai, BJJ, Judo! In fact I'd say the fight scenes were predominantly that minus a few of his signature side, spinning, and jump kicks. I loved them, he took something that is reality based and made it look great on screen.

It's crazy though, I didn't expect to see all that. What does that tell you about the success of MMA in the world when a die hard kung fu guy takes MMA popularized moves and puts them in a gung fu flick! Do you think he is a traitor to the kung fu cinema for doing that or an innovator for new ideas?

Something I was also thinking....when did Donnie Yen go and learn these three arts? I've heard rumors that he actually did learn BJJ from someone in Hong Kong. Or do you think he just learned some of the moves and assimilated them into his arsenal? His technique was nearly flawless though IMO.

I read an interview with Donnie Yen in a British magazine sometime in the late '80s/early '90s, where he stated that he studied lots of different types of martial arts, including non-Chinese systems, when he lived in Boston. He claimed he was only interested in what worked. If I remember right, one teacher whose school he trained at was George Mattson (sp?), who was an early pioneer of karate in the U.S.; I think his style is Uechi-ryu. He also did TKD, maybe some boxing, etc. I believe he mentioned he was often getting into trouble at the time, plus wanted to learn things besides just at his mother's (Bow-Sim Mark) wushu institute. So Donnie wasn't necessarily a die-hard kung fu guy. He is definitely an innovator of new ideas in action cinema. He saw what is popular and adapted it for the screen, and in a way that nobody else has been able to do yet. He can adapt virtually any MA style and make it look good onscreen.