Clichés in Martial Arts movies

What are some clichés in martial arts movies that need to stop?

For me

1. Characters licking their own blood after getting hit for dramatic effect. In movies, this move is used to make the Character look tough, but in reality it just looks REALLY lame. Who does that in real life?!

2. After getting hit in the chest, protagonists stumble back and fall to one knee, one hand on the ground and the other hand rubbing the chest, then dramatically and over exaggeratively look up at the opponent for an intense dramatic moment. It worked for Jet Li. Everyone else, let it go!

I've got a few others but I was to see what others come up with.

I once fantasized about writing a book on Kung Fu films. I would have titled it Spit Blood and Die because in the finale, villains always fall, get up, spit blood and die. In fact, the stronger villains (and some heroes) might fall and spit blood several times before dying.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by GeneChing

I once fantasized about writing a book on Kung Fu films. I would have titled it Spit Blood and Die because in the finale, villains always fall, get up, spit blood and die. In fact, the stronger villains (and some heroes) might fall and spit blood several times before dying.

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Ooh, yes! Nice one! My fiancée and I often joke about how in every Chinese TV drama, no matter where a character gets hit (foot, hand, head, etc) he/she always splits blood as if that's the only way to externalize pain.

Here is one that I don't think made it past some 1970s kung fu movies:

Committing suicide by biting one's own tongue.

*Mostly just Cynthia Rothrock movies but it's been done all throughout the genre's history:

Boyfriend/Husband that we barely see is murdered by some serious heavies and girl must seek revenge because for some reason the cops don't investigate certain types of murders.

I think another one for me is the "beckoning" hand gesture when two opponents are at a standoff. Again, it just looks really lame.

Also, maybe it's just me but it seems that in many kung fu movies, there is always that one bad guy whose entire arsenal are all TKD kicks.

Just to add, I remember there was a time when whip chains or jerry-rigged whip chains were in every martial arts movie. I remember it coming to my attention when I came across a scene in one of the live-action Scooby Doo movies and whoever was playing the character of Fred was performing whip-chain (horribly, needless to say) to fight off a bunch of goons. It was at that moment that I lost a lot of respect for the weapon, despite the fact that it was not the whip-chain's fault.

Greetings,

1)

Villain: Where is __________?

STBADMOFO: I don't know. If I knew, I wouldn't tell you.
(soon to be a dead mofo)

Villain: You must be tired of living!!!


2) The body convulse with the concomitant blood bag bite once the character realizes that he/she has been poisoned.



mickey

Opening scenes of a KF movie:

In a field or mountainous area, a victim encounters the movie's arch-villain, who identifies the victim as a master or member of a kung fu system he wants to exterminate. As the opening credits begin rolling, the villain attacks, but the victim fights back. The villain easily thwarts all of his moves, and counters, sometimes one-handed. Then he dispatches the victim using his signature move; opening credits and music pause as the victim collapses to the ground, spits blood, points at the villain and says, "You!..."

Then victim arches his back, groans, and dies.

Arch-villain stands with his side or back to the dead victim, hands behind his back, looks up into the sky and laughs loudly..."Haaa,hahahahahaha!" Last of opening credits resume to name the movie's director.

Greetings,

- The villain has white hair.

- The line, "If you hadn't come looking for me, I would have come looking for you!"

- The villain wears winter clothing, including winter cape, boots and leggings, on obviously hot summer days.


mickey