Which style do you use?

Tony Jaa gets my vote for most likely to win in an actual fight, and Jet Li the second because Wushu looks nice and "Hero" was plain awesome.

Bruce Lee. Teachers the world over have been about 18% safer since The Chinese Connection.

Any time you get the opportunity watch the Street Fighter films. Serious martial arts, and Sonny Chiba has everything working for him in those movies. I always got annoyed at Jet Li's historical films for the fighting, when he flounces around so much. The action should be brutal and to the point (like Chiba), and any excess energy wastage kept to a minimum.
The other niggle (mainly about old HK films, but there are lots of examples) is the fact that the villains always stand in a circle waiting to get their asses kicked. Kill Bill vol. 1's subversion of the old trends was what got me watching that film, Uma Thurman was who kept me watching.

I have a soft spot for Jackie Chan...

So, who exactly is DaviS Carradine?

Tpyos on a syte filld with writres will drwa attenshun.

Cyia said:

So, who exactly is DaviS Carradine?

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Betty David's son, perhaps?

Anyway, I voted Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan. Bruce Lee for pure martial arts talent, and Jackie Chan for both his skill and the entertainment value of his work in film.

Whoops, only voted for one.

Tony Jaa. I watch him and I can honestly say I've never had more 'how the F did he...oh wait he's just-- HOLY COW THIS GUY IS GOOD!' moments.

Gordon Liu, because I have a soft spot for Shio-Lin Vs Wu Tang and 36 Chambers of Shaolin.

It's very different to the martial arts in films like 5 Deadly Venoms or Crouching Tiger, but the style used in the Bourne films (I think it's at least partially Krav Maga) is a personal favorite. It's the closest to real fighting, clunky and awkward. There's no real beauty to it, Matt Damon just causes as much damage to the opponent in the shortest period of time, using anything at his disposal ranging from chairs to pens and at one point a rolled up newspaper.

I think everybody's sick of Chuck Norris' intarwebz presence.

Norris was a great tournament fighter -- one of the best, and through both that, and his early martial arts films, is easily one of the most important people in martial arts film history --- without Norris' "chop sockey" movies in the states, the brilliant martial artists and choreographers from Hong Kong, Japan and parts east would have been a lot slower in coming to America. As a martial arts filmmaker, his skills are not nearly as showy and his acting not nearly as diverse, so he certainly doesn't deserve to win votes in this poll.

But he does deserve at least partial credit for us knowing almost every other name on that list.

Tough call. Bruce is a hard act to follow.

I enjoyed Po the panda in Kung Fu Panda. He had the moves.

Cyia said:

So, who exactly is DaviS Carradine?

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PAH!

I almost voted Jackie Chan, but then I voted for Seagall because of the plot lines in his movies.
Chuck Norris will probably come to my house soon and kill me with a swift roundhouse kick to the head. Se la vie!

C.bronco said:

I almost voted Jackie Chan, but then I voted for Seagall because of the plot lines in his movies.

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It's best martial artist, not best plot lines!

Mirko Cro Cop...movie to be released.

C.bronco said:

I almost voted Jackie Chan, but then I voted for Seagall because of the plot lines in his movies.
Chuck Norris will probably come to my house soon and kill me with a swift roundhouse kick to the head. Se la vie!

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It's cool that your avatars pics are always in the bathroom.

For me it's Jackie Chan and Jet Li.* Jean Claude...well, Kickboxer is one of my favorite guilty pleasure movies, but his overwhelming self-love is hard to overcome.

*All-time favorite martial arts movie scene: Kiss of the Dragon where Jet Li nails that guy in the forehead with the billiard ball.

Kurtz said:

It's very different to the martial arts in films like 5 Deadly Venoms or Crouching Tiger, but the style used in the Bourne films (I think it's at least partially Krav Maga) is a personal favorite. It's the closest to real fighting, clunky and awkward. There's no real beauty to it, Matt Damon just causes as much damage to the opponent in the shortest period of time, using anything at his disposal ranging from chairs to pens and at one point a rolled up newspaper.

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If you can overcome the vertigo induced by the shaky-cam technique and actually see what is going on. I wish they'd just set the camera and let us watch the fights in the Bourne films, because they are superbly staged.

C.bronco said:

...but then I voted for Seagall because of the plot lines in his movies.

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What plot lines?

Elvis Presley?

Tri

Cyia said:

So, who exactly is DaviS Carradine?

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Mod note: fixed

After watching Executive Decision, Steven Seagal will always be known as Steven Seagull in my house.

If you haven't seen the film, it's a great demise for the character he plays, and I get a chuckle every time I watch it.