Two mysterious lands far away from one another — yet linked by seas of soybeans — birthed a child born of melody, harmony, rhythm, and the smell of soy sauce. The child was destined to become a musician… and a tofu-loving pescetarian. But first, between musical gifts, came dreams of Jedi knighthood, ninjas, and flying with a cape.

My dad says he took me to Return of the Jedi when I was 3. I don’t remember it, but judging from the reaction my mom gives when this is mentioned, it happened. What I do remember very well from childhood is becoming obsessed with Superman in the early 80s. It seemed about right being surrounded by farms in a Nebraska town 60 miles from Smallville (okay, the Kansas border). Superman links farmland Nebraska with farmland Goiás (Brazil). My dad and my tio Laurinho took me to Superman III a year later. Remember, it took a bit more time for movies to travel back then. After that, it was capes and the same tio, or anyone else I could get, making me fly in both Brazil and the U.S. while trying not to break stuff.

The Superman obsession bounced back to Star Wars once I was in school. I got myself caught up and learned about the connections between Eastern philosophy and influences on the characters Lucas created. A seed was surely planted at that time. I’ve still got most of my action figures and am quite proud of my limited edition Anakin (from Jedi). My little guy will get them soon.

“Sit down son, watch this with me. It’s a good one.” I was nine or ten, and the “good one” was Bruce Lee’s masterpiece that set the gold standard for a genre: Enter The Dragon. My mind was blown. Looking back, I think I was very lucky that I watched Enter The Dragon before Bloodsport. Without mentioning all of the awesomeness that stands the test of time that is Bruce Lee, I’m still in awe that a film from the early 70s cast three male leads of different ethnic backgrounds together and made it work.

I bring this up, because in the late 80s and early 90s — once I was hooked and ready to feast on whatever martial arts action movie I could find — it turned out they all fit this new take on Cowboys and Indians. Think about it: a Euro-American (or many times, European) is trained, or captured in a war, or has to fight for revenge or redemption. Whatever it was, it was an Anglo face staring down and then fucking up people of color. Pretty much all of The Expendables, especially Chuck Norris, need some serious diversity training.

I fell in love with martial arts cinema as a kid and I tried not to let the diversity issue bother me, but it would always pop up in the back of my mind. “How cool was that move? So Sweet! Oh, of course, the bad guy looks like my uncle. Well, shit.” Speaking of my uncle, Tio Laurinho mentioned before, he also introduced me to a channel called Machete that surely had actual programming, but to me, seemed to only broadcast Metal Heroes and Super Sentai shows from Japan, horribly dubbed into Portuguese.

I was captivated. There was one show that ruled them all though: Jaspion. Everyone else my age was also into Jaspion too and the episodes seemed to be rerun daily. I can still hum the opening tune on cue, any time, any place.

All of the pre-Power Rangers stuff was okay, but the thing I liked about Jaspion was while he had sidekicks, there was no team. He did all the same stuff as they did in the Super Sentai shows, but he did it solo. He could be goofy, but he was a bad-ass when duty called and took on whatever ugly latexey monster thing was causing trouble. The fight choreography, while crappy, was better than the other shows on Machete.

Back in Nebraska, the Bixby Incredible Hulk show started rerunning on some channel, and my dad said I could watch it with him. I wasn’t too into it until a blind lawyer by day turned into a vigilante ninja by night in The Trial of The Incredible Hulk. I didn’t have a lot of free time as a preteen and didn’t really get into comics. I was practicing instruments and playing in different ensembles constantly, but I had a friend that was a comic kid and somehow by my interests, he pulled two Marvel guys for me: Wolverine and Daredevil.

I knew enough basics about Wolverine via the X-Men cartoon airing, and was already relating to the “being different” themes, but I got much more into all of Logan’s past lives, especially his times in Japan. With Daredevil, it took me back to the Hulk show and I really became a fan of the comic. I expected all the fun martial arts action, but the darkness and pain in the characters were really what made me come back for more. I enjoyed all of Frank Miller’s work, but man, when Kevin Smith got a hold of Daredevil, something magical happened.

It was still pretty rare to find Hong Kong cinema in either one of the lands of soybeans. I feel lucky I had an indirect friend of a friend whose parents were from Hong Kong and was able to pass on the good shit. I got some early Jackie, which lead to Sammo, which lead to Jet Li, which lead to my favorite: Donnie Yen. Not since Bruce had someone made it work like Donnie. I remember rewinding (remember that!) the Donnie x Jet Li Once Upon a Time in China II fights over and over thinking I would break the tape. This was topped by one of my favorite fight scenes ever filmed between Donnie and Collin Chou in Flash Point.

Then the prodigal son, Brandon Lee, rose from the ashes of the dragon’s fire when I discovered Showdown in Little Tokyo. I will say this about Dolph Lundgren: he sucks, but he helped launch Brandon’s career. A multi-ethnic lead that had the martial arts skills and comedic timing to finally do it right and continue expanding the bridge between Hollywood and Hong Kong his father completed. I was so excited.

Unfortunately, we all know how that story tragically ended.

At this point you may be thinking that I have some kind of violent streak. The truth is, while I’ve gotten myself into some Black Bloc situations, I’m a pretty peaceful performing artist-radical-lefty-type-guy. Music has always been my outlet and focus. The woodwind family is my Achilles heel, but I can play about any other instrument. I’ve played so many styles and genres that I’m not even sure of what I do and don’t like musically anymore. Fatherhood has slowed some of the art, but the ideals of bushido still fill me up and takeover my dreams. I suppose as an artist I try to find the “art” part of the martial arts. After watching so many on-screen battles and hearing that my cousin was moving up the belts in Taekwondo, I was twelve, I thought it was time to try it for real.

I remember thinking, “I’ve seen so much, should be easy.” Turns out martial arts by osmosis doesn’t really work like in Chocolate.

Nonetheless, I enjoyed the training and it opened other doors to Capoeira in Brazil, which lead to early exposure to some crazy family named Gracie before everything blew up there, and some Muay Thai in college. I’m quite casual with it now and my biggest fight at present is finding free time to get to the gym, but Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with a touch of Kali and Jeet Kune Do keeps me moving. I will say this: being a drummer and having rhythm definitely helps in martial arts and combat sports. It’s poetic that two decades after watching Enter The Dragon with my papai, I am learning some of Bruce’s art form for real.

At present I try to keep the martial arts cinephile alive, but the movies don’t come as often. I hate to keep bringing up The Expendables, but until we’d almost forgot about those guys, there were some talented and multiethnic martial artists and actors entering the game.

The world shrinking via technology has also helped in this regard too so that somebody like Donnie Yen — who, because he was raised in the States, speaks better English than either Jackie Chan or Jet Li — doesn’t even have to mess with Hollywood to be a household name (though I know that could change with the next Crouching Tiger). I’ll try to keep an eye out for those sweet moves either on-screen or in the octagon for folks now and then.

Oh, and I enjoy my tofu marinated in orange juice. Delicia.

Just to get the obvious out of the way: Cung Le is no Bruce Lee. Nobody ever will be. That said, I don’t think anyone else currently walks in the shadow of The Dragon quite like Dragon Eyes. As he trains for his next UFC headlining Fight Night in Macau on August 23 against Michael Bisping, I thought it would be fun to point out some similarities between Lee and Le and why, whether you’re into Mixed Martials Arts (MMA) or not, it will be worth getting up early on a Saturday morning to watch the fight.

I don’t need to spend too much time on Bruce Lee. We all know he revolutionized martial arts and cinema, but sometimes it’s easy for some to forget that he was always a martial artist first and an actor second. In fact, the latter could never have happened without the first.

We all know the Ip Man to Bruce story now dramatized by many films these days. From there, he trained his ass off until once in the U.S., he began to see the dogma around his fighting style. While maintaining a Wing Chun base, he eventually developed something all his own, pulling from multiple styles with a sense of freedom and self-expression at its core. Sadly, the freedom inherent in his Jeet Kune Do was not often felt in his surroundings in the U.S. as he endured terrible racism in the 60s.

I could write a dissertation on Bruce Lee’s films. Maybe one day I will, but for now, I’ll keep it brief. Enter the Dragon changed my life, like it changed many people’s lives. For me though, it was the gateway drug to both becoming a martial arts cinephile and leading to my own training in different martial arts. To this day the fight between Bruce and Chuck Norris in the Roman Colosseum in Way of the Dragon is still my favorite fight scene ever filmed.

It’s dated and sure, the sound is bad, but the moves still shine. It also shows Bruce’s talent as a director. He played with lots of angles and shots that had never been tried until he shot them. Those shots are still copied today. The man was always innovating. Lately, I think about it more in terms about how much of a hate-mongering fascist asshole Chuck Norris has become and maybe wish a little too much for the fake fight’s end to have been real.

As a toddler, Cung Le barely made it out of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) in 1975 as the helicopter he and his mother were in was under fire while they fled Vietnam. Once settled in California, Le also endured bullying and racism, which pushed his mother to enroll him in Taekwondo. While Cung Le can’t claim to have invented his own martial art, he trained in wrestling, earned a black belt in Judo, and then found his base in Sanshou. Sanshou means “free fighting” in Chinese, so perhaps that’s another parallel to Bruce Lee. It’s considered Chinese Kickboxing, but really, it’s essentially a lighter version of MMA since grappling and elements of Muay Thai are allowed.

I’m going to fast-forward through Le’s pro Sanshou career, but just know he won everything there was to win in Sanshou going undefeated (17-0) and then going 3-0 in the K-1 Kickboxing organization. He then entered MMA as an established competitor, and to this day, I’m not sure anyone in the sport kicks like this man. Speaking of kicks, Cung Le has mastered the scissor kick. If he were in a video game, it would be his special move. Usually he uses it as a takedown to transition to another position before going for a submission or ground and pound, but he has also knocked fighters out with it depending on how they fall. This move — combined with all his fists and kicks of fury — earned him the nickname, “The Human Highlight Reel.”

The first Cung Le Strikefore fight I remember was against Jason Von Flue. Von Flue was a good grappler, to the point where he invented his own submission move called the Von Flue choke. I knew little of Le at the time, 2006, and thought Von Flue would own him. The fight was over in under a minute after the knee from Le’s kick opened up Von Flue’s brow to the point he couldn’t see through the blood. I didn’t see that coming. I was instantly a fan.

The fight fans remember most regarding Cung Le is the Frank Shamrock title fight for the Strikeforce Middleweight belt in 2008. Shamrock is now considered a top 10 — maybe even top 5 — fighter in MMA history. So this time, I knew what Cung Le could do, but though Shamrock was a bit older and towards the end of his career, he was still Shamrock. The fight ended up being a stand up slug-fest, but once again, Le’s kicks made the difference. Shamrock was unable to continue after the third round. Le broke Shamrock’s arm with his leg. That’s how hard Cung Le’s shit hits.

An aging Le, now at the top, began to think about the next step in his future and looked to the movies. He had done some straight-to-DVD action flicks before, but landed two major film deals and abdicated his title. To be clear though, he always said he had more fights in him and never said words like “hiatus” or “retire.” He continued to train as he moved into the next phase of his career. Martial artist and champion competitor first, actor second. I think Bruce Lee would have approved.

Cung Le is by no means the first or only MMA fighter to transition to movies, but he is unique for a couple of reasons. First, most of the movies fighters make end up being horrible low-budget straight-to-DVD action flicks and once in this hole, seldom get out. Exceptions that make it out would include UFC Hall of Famer — and former and multiple weight division champion — Randy Couture in The Expendables movies, Gina Carrano in Haywire, or former UFC Welterweight Champion Georges Saint Pierre’s recent turn as The Leaper in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

However, those mentioned segue to the next point: if it is an A-list film, usually the fighter has stepped away from the octagon and stopped training for years or has retired and is only focusing on movies. The two exceptions to join Cung Le as being active in the octagon and on the screen are former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Quinton Jackson, who hasn’t done much since becoming the new Mr. T in The A-Team remake, and most recently, current Women’s Bantamweight Champion, and probably my favorite fighter to watch due to her technical precision, Ronda Rousey — who recently threw some serious shade at Gal Gadot for being cast as Wonder Woman in Batman v Superman.

Before Gina Carrano got to put Channing Tatum in an armbar in 2009’s Haywire, Le had a bit part in Fighting and got to scissor kick Tatum into a Triangle choke. Cung Le’s other initial major Hollywood film outing may be his most interesting one to date: the sci-fi space thriller Pandorum. Without giving anything away, he buddies up with Ben Foster, but speaks Vietnamese the whole film. He gets to have a few brief fight scenes, but the plot has nothing to do with any of his moves. It was a brave early choice to get away from the martial arts/action comfort zone and the film is quite good.

After that film, he made a brief return to Strikeforce to fight Scott Smith twice in six months. The first time in late 2009, Le lost, but got an immediate rematch for June 2010, which he won. Always on the move between training, Le was still auditioning and getting call backs in Hollywood.

As if the Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat movies weren’t enough, a movie version of the video game Tekken was released in 2010. Needless to say, but the film was terrible. Cung Le was cast as Marshall Law — who apparently had more parts in the film — but once edited, was cut to the point that if you were to get up to pee for a couple of perfectly timed minutes, you would miss his entire appearance in the film. Out of all of these small roles playing the fighter, which were paying about the same as some of his fights, came a chance to work with my favorite man in the game: Donnie Yen.

In Bodyguards and Assassins, Le plays a rabid fighter that takes it to the much calmer Yen in a fight where he gets to two-arm shoulder-throw (Morote Seoinage) Yen crashing into a table. Donnie Yen shows his MMA training too (see Flashpoint and SPL) and catches Le’s character with a heel hook before finishing him off. While working in China, he made the connections to land a small and very bearded role in True Legend.

After two years off for the acting and travel demands, Cung Le went back into the Octogon in 2011 for the first time under the UFC banner and lost in a brutal fight with former Pride Champion Wandarlei Silva, who broke Le’s nose. The following year was a big one for Cung Le. His status as both a fighter and action star was high in the U.S., but in Asia, it had reached heights not even he could have imagined. It’s worth mentioning that at this point, Cung Le was 40 years old. You can count the number of 40+ fighters on the UFC roster on one hand. It is amazing. Talk about your real life superhero.

2012 was also the year Cung Le stepped out as a lead actor in the aforementioned Dragon Eyes. I remember when the trailer came out and after a minute I thought, “Huh. I feel like I’ve seen enough from that.” Unfortunately, this ended up being true.

Van Damme co-starred and he didn’t get the Expendables make-up job in this one. Compared to the ageless Le, Van Damme looked old and worn out. Nonetheless, it was a great break-out role for Cung Le and proved that he could act (somewhat) and play more than small roles revolving around fight choreography. This was also the year The RZA’s Man with the Iron Fists came out and Le was cast as the blond Bronze Lion. The film had that Kill Bill campy throw-back vibe and I really enjoyed it. For me personally, this was the most fun I had watching Cung Le and his fight with Lucy Liu was one of the best on-screen fights of that year.

Perhaps an Oscar nominated film for the next milestone? It didn’t take long. Le was cast in the award-winning and 2014 Oscar nominated film (cinematography and costumes) The Grandmaster taking on Tony Leung’s Ip Man in an extremely wet battle.

The following year Cung Le served as chief coach for the reality show The Ultimate Fighter: China, the first time the show was produced there. His popularity just kept climbing in the region. I remember from social media Cung Le talking about his next movie project with Dolph Lundgren. Puncture Wounds came out earlier this year, and according to my queue, is streamable on Netflix. Whether it’s good or not, it’s yet another film with Le in the lead holding his own.

This brings us up to speed for the Bisping fight. I really detest how many UFC crowds have turned into these hyper-nationalist monsters and it seems like executives may be playing into some of these scary fascist tendencies. Once upon a time, it was about what you could do, not where you were born. Anyway, there is an ethno-colonial narrative at play here with the loud-mouth British Bisping fighting one of the top Asian fighters in the UFC in Macau. Sure, it’s not Hong Kong, but it’s damn close by. Add this ties into Le’s already huge popularity in China, and the crowd may be just a little in favor of one over the other. How many martial arts flicks does that narrative bring to mind?

Whatever happens in the fight, remember this: Cung Le is the real deal and whether consciously or unconsciously, he has followed the path of Bruce Lee quite well. I would love to see him climb the ladder to a UFC title shot. I’d also like to see him break out with a lead in a huge blockbuster movie from Hong Kong or Hollywood, maybe playing a Marvel superhero or something.

Also remember this: the man is 42 and doing all of this crazy shit. The only other person I could imagine doing all of this at that age would have been Bruce Lee.

In this week’s episode, guest host Nelson sits down with Artistic Justice Games’ Alex Lim to talk about the company’s latest project, Dragon Tides, and officially licensed tabletop game featuring the likenesses of Bruce and Brandon Lee. The project is only a few thousand dollars away from its goal on Kickstarter.

Topics covered on the show include:

• What games inspired and influenced Alex to begin designing his own
• The status of their previous Kickstarter projects Martial Arts: The Card Game and Fairytale Games
• Why they had to re-launch Dragon Tides on Kickstarter
• The benefits and drawbacks of using Kickstarter for game development
• Some advice for other game developers
• All this and more on Hard NOC Life! Watch it on your screen, hit “play,” and check this.

Watch this space every Friday for new episodes of “Hard N.O.C. Life” and go to our YouTube channel to subscribe!

With all that has been happening surrounding the Black Lives Matter movements nationwide, I began thinking about the powerful legacies of African resistance, struggle, and revolution in the face of slavery in the Americas and the Caribbean. There were many whose shoulders we now stand on. The first few names that come to my mind include: Toussaint L’Ouverture in Haiti, Nat Turner in the U.S., José Antonio Aponte in Cuba, and the list goes on. In Brazil it was first Ganga Zumba, then, and most importantly, Zumbi dos Palmares.

A great symbol for this resistance was the legendary Quilombo dos Parlmares in what is now the Brazilian state of Alagoas. In a time of brutal slavery, quilombos were sanctuaries for run-away slaves, but quilombolas also welcomed indigenous peoples, Jews, Muslims, and anyone else oppressed, persecuted, and terrorized by the Dutch and Portuguese. Palmares gained its place in history due to its huge population (debate between 20-30,000) and also its endurance, constantly fighting and surviving the European colonizers for nearly the entire 17^th century.

The ideal of the quilombo has lived on to present via the annual Brazilian Day of African Consciousness celebrated November 20, the day Zumbi was publicly beheaded, leading to the end of Palmares. There’s a classic film called Quilombo by Carlos Diegues from the 80s that’s worth checking out. It shows the external threats and internal dynamics of life in Palmares. There’s also a great soundtrack from a god of Brazilian music, Gilberto Gil. In addition, artists of all walks (including some guys from Minneapolis) have been inspired by these and other historic acts of rebellion throughout the Americas as we still see people of African descent fighting for dignity and equality under systems of oppression.

Capoeira also ties into this history. A loose African martial art arrived in Brazil with Angolan slaves, but was further developed on the plantations and combined with dance to conceal the more lethal moves from the slave masters. This became capoeira. It was perfected to be used as the weapon of choice in many revolts and in defense of the quilombos. Freedom and capoeira cannot be separated. Of all the mythical capoeirstas, the one that stands tallest among them is the legend of Besouro (the beetle).

Brazil was the last country in the Americas to abolish slavery in 1888; a sickening total time of over three centuries. A line clearly connects Zumbi to Besouro, but Besouro’s historic time period is after abolition in 1924 in the state of Bahia. Similar to the post-Civil War U.S., though legally free, very little had changed in the lives of the majority of the population of these lands. Also, candomblé (a syncretic religion like Santeria and Voodoo) practitioners were persecuted and capoeira had been outlawed. Capoeiristas were seen as criminals and were regularly harassed, imprisoned, and sometimes murdered on sight (sound familiar?). Master Alípio, a freed slave, was the center of capoeira in Besouro’s story and was in need of constant protection from local authorities, depending mostly on his protégé, Manoel. Manoel’s transformation has a few turns, but in terms of the name, it’s said that he could “fly out of tense situations like a beetle.”

While in Brazil in 2009, Globo, the largest TV-Film company (that has made some questionable political stances) in the country was close to releasing a big-budget Afrocentric film version going by the name that says it all, Besouro. Tired of Hollywood versions of capoeira like the 90s film Only The Strong with Hawaiian Mark Dacascos, Brazilians wanted to reclaim their national martial art in film.

Director João Tikhomiroff and his star Aílton Carmo, a well-trained capoeirista in his own right, took on the challenge. When the trailer came out, it broke online viewer records in Brazil and revealed they were trying something quite unique by hiring Kill Bill fight coordinator Huan-Chiu Ku. One review said they were going for something that looked like, “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Capoeira.”

We had to leave before it was released, and I kept hoping for a U.S. release date that unfortunately never came. A few years later back in Brazil, I was able to buy a pirate copy on the street in Olinda. Like any good tall tale where fact and fiction are fluid, Besouro’s story has its variations. The film covers the version I heard as a teen in the capoeira circle. To my surprise, a year later, it became available to stream on Netflix under the horrendous new English title, The Assailant. It seems the licensing agreement for streaming has ended and now Netflix doesn’t even have DVD copies, so I almost gave up on writing this piece thinking I was one of the few with access to the film. Fortunately, I found a YouTube link that has the entire film. It is a must see; but not necessarily for the wire-fu-poeira fight scenes.

Having seen decades worth of highs and lows in martial arts cinema, as hyped as they were, the capoeira fight scenes came off very mediocre to me. Perhaps my expectations were too high. Sure, it was nice to see some capoeira fight choreography, but honestly, any of Lateef Crowder’s capoeira work (The Protector, Tekken, Undisputed 3) is better than what is filmed in Besouro.

The acting is also very average. Globo, being the center of the world’s most wanted telenovelas, didn’t push to get more than novela quality acting. In terms of production, the crew did great, but unfortunately there is still a clear divide between a big-budget Latin American production compared to a big-budget Hollywood movie. Negatives aside, where the movie works is as a lesson in Pan-Africanism or a teaching tool for Afro-Brazilian Appreciation or Candomblé 101.

Much like films covering Greek and Roman mythology with the gods and goddesses personified constantly messing around in human affairs, we get to see something similar, but from a totally Afrocentric lens by way of the orixas, the deities of the Yoruba pantheon connected to the natural world that also have a Catholic saint equivalent. Like hiding the true power of capoeira with dance, slaves blended the religions and tricked their masters into believing their conversions to Christianity, while actually preserving their true Yoruba beliefs. In the film we get to see Exu, the trickster and gatekeeper between the human and spirit worlds, torment, but also lead Besouro on his path. Oxum (love, rivers), Ossain (medicine, leaves), Ogum (a warrior, metal works), and Iansã (change, wind) also make appearances in Besouro’s spiritual training. I’ve seen a few shows and films mention or focus on the most popular orixa, Yemanjá (motherhood, sea), but I was surprised to see the coverage of other lesser known deities in this film.

Also, following Gil’s lead from Quilombo, one of my all-time favorite bands and huge inspiration on my own music, Nação Zumbi (yep, for that Zumbi, but also a double entendre: also means Zombie Nation), mixing traditional Northeastern Brazilian rhythms with rock and hip-hop, lay down the soundtrack, title track, and bring in Mr. Gil again for good measure.

I’ve seen some horrible things on social media since the outrage and protests surrounding Black Lives Matter started that broke my heart and reminded me how far we still have to go in healing these open wounds. Besouro succeeds simply for showing the beauty and power of people of the African Diaspora in a positive and revolutionary light while connecting their historic struggle to current events. I feel like we can’t have enough popular art where black is good and white is evil, capoeira flipping the paradigm. Things have changed, but roots are so deep, the question “how much have they changed?” becomes a harder one to answer. Therefore, we can look back to the quilombos and to a man who became a beetle for some inspiration.

Like Master Alípio says: “Don’t be scared Besouro. The seed has been planted. Our people will wake up. Now they will.”

And so they — we — have.

Watch Besouro on YouTube with subtitles here:

As our friend Angry Asian Man broke the nerdtastic news this week that some fine fighters from The Raid would be joining the cast of Star Wars, it seemed as good a time as any to convene a roundtable of some of us martial arts film enthusiasts here at the NOC to talk about our favorite martial arts fight scenes.

Before we shared our favorite scenes with one another, we guessed there would be significant overlap, especially concerning the great Bruce Lee. Sure enough, each of us had picked at least one Bruce Lee scene on our individual lists. To avoid repetition, we decided not to double up, so as you can see some folks wrote about legendary Bruce scenes and the rest of us wrote about alternates — but please trust, we keep Bruce at the front of our fighting hearts.

Who’s not on the list, though? Uma Thurman. Just… no.

BAO PHI:

Zhang Ziyi vs. Michelle Yeoh — Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

I’m all for bone crunching, brutal fight scenes. But I also enjoy a very well choreographed, elegant one. Some of my favorite fight scenes combine beauty with brutality (see all of the first Ong Bak) — but this scene between Michelle Yeoh against Zhang Ziyi is probably my favorite of the “fantastic” choreographed modern fight scenes: wire work combined with honest stunt fighting. And it’s gorgeously shot.

Jackie Chan vs Lau Kar-leung — Drunken Master 2

I first saw this at the Riverview when Asian Media Access would run late night showings of martial arts flicks in the 90s, with a rowdy audience, and not believing what I was seeing. If right now you’re seeing Jackie Chan’s name and rolling your eyes, just watch this. And remember, he was 40 when this film was made.

Jim Kelly — Black Belt Jones

Jim Kelly whuppin’ ass and wearing fool’s hats, while his friend hits the light switch on and off. Enough said.

DIEGO SANCHEZ-CHAVARRIA:

Tony Jaa, Uncut Long Take — Tom Yum Goong

The first time I saw this scene, I was amazed at the camerawork. Usually these aren’t things I really pay attention to when I’m watching a fight but the fact that as soon as Tony Jaa enters the restaurant and makes his way upstairs, the camera does not make any cuts is amazing. All in one take we get to see Jaa makes his way up as he takes on endless amount of goons. You do not want to mess with Tony Jaa’s elephants.

Choi Min-Sik, Hammer Fight — Oldboy

Oldboy’s fight sequence in the corridor is one of my most favorite moments in a film just because it’s so different to me. I enjoyed  how different it was than most fights; it’s not about being technical or showing how much of a badass he is. Choi Min-sik as Oh Dae-su is a broken man. Throughout the entire scene you see him just barely making his way through the crowd; he stumbles and gets knocked into the ground plenty of times. However he uses whatever means necessary to take any who oppose him out. The music really emphasizes the scene as well with its dark, desperate theme. Once again, this whole scene is in one take and the way it’s shot makes it feel like I’m watching a live-action beat-em-up game.

Bruce Lee vs. Robert Wall — Enter the Dragon

“Boards don’t hit back.”

I still get mesmerized at watching the fight between Bruce Lee and O’Hara. Just watching Lee coolly play off O’Hara’s intimidations following with one of the most brutal ass-kickings I have seen in cinema is still jaw-dropping. Seeing  Bruce Lee swiftly counterattack each move is so elegant and vicious at the same time.  Finally, when the camera shifts to a screaming Lee going for the finishing kick in slo-mo sends a pain to my chest because damn it, it feels like he kicked me in the damn chest. Watching him finish off O’Hara with his battle cry is so intense that I can’t even describe it into words. Even time cannot defeat Bruce Lee as this is still one of (if not the) best fighting scene in film.

ERIC SILVA BRENNEMAN:

Donnie Yen vs. Collin Chou — Flash Point

I trust Bruce to my comrades, so I’ll go to my #2: Donnie Yen. I’ve always been a Donnie Yen fan, but became a bigger fan as his fight choreography evolved. Yen has always been an MMA fan, is sometimes seen Octogon-side at UFC events, and started training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) before SPL (Kill Zone). SPL was his first chance to show off his hybrid of “MMA-Fu.” His fighting translates to pure beauty on screen; a unique balance between the rough and the smooth in terms of styles. I didn’t catch Flash Point until a few years after its release and honestly, the film itself is kind of slow. If you’re patient though, you get treated to one of the best fight scenes ever filmed where he takes the MMA-Fu to another level in a long and brutal battle with Collin Chou (The Matrix: Reloaded). Decades of martial arts flicks down, it takes a lot to get me on the edge of my seat. I fell off my seat on this one and it reset the bar very high. I backtracked to re-watch it I don’t know how many times and it never, ever, gets old.

There are so many to pick from, the following two are more obscure ones that need more light shown on them.

Lateef Crowder vs. Tony Jaa — The Protector

I’m going for a 241 here, because I think there should always be more capoeira in martial arts flicks. At present, nobody does it better than Mr. Crowder. Besides achieving master capoeirista status, he’s also an in-demand stuntman having worked on some big films like The Hunger Games since he can basically fly all over with his acrobatics. Also, he plays with BJJ and other martial arts to make a more modern mixed capoeira. His big break came in a spectacular battle with the always phenomenal Tony Jaa. I remember hearing Jaa say when they were working the choreography, it took him some time to find the space in Crowder’s capoeira and he wanted to convey that real sense of confusion from training with him in the actual scene. It is a great battle of contrasting styles and the water and fire set an epic tone.

Lateef Crowder vs. Scott Adkins — Undisputed 3

With Scott Adkins as Boyka, we get treated to this turbo-paced over-the-top aerial and acrobatic assault from both guys. You just stop counting the jumps, flips, and rolls at some point. It’s very entertaining and nobody else has really filmed anything where someone keeps up with Crowder since that scene (though there’s a new Crowder x Michael Jai White I’m anxious to see).

Jude Law vs. Everyone, Repo Men

Before we talk Repo Men, we should back up and briefly talk Dan Inosanto.

Dan Inosanto is the foremost authority in the Filipino Martial Arts, an expert in many other styles, and one of only three people awarded instructor status in Jeet Kune Do by Bruce Lee before he passed away. In fact, he’s responsible for teaching Bruce Lee all things nunchaku. This annually makes him a strong candidate for greatest living martial artist. His bio is huge and worth the read. Similar to anyone training in BJJ eventually being tied back to the Gracie family, anyone in the U.S. training in Kali/Filipino Arts and JKD can be tied back to Dan Inosanto. Starting there, we get to one of his top students named Jeff Imada. You may not know the name, but if you’ve cheered the crazy fight scenes in any of the Bourne Trilogy movies, you’ve cheered his work. Imada is one of my favorite fight choreographers after the aforementioned Mr. Yen.

Another of Inosanto’s students is one famous Oscar winner for Best Actor, Forest Whitaker. Imada, Whitaker, and Jude Law came together for Repo Men and filmed some of the most gory and realistic Kali knife fighting I’ve ever seen. In a style like Oldboy, it totally surprised me and for that, is extremely memorable. I tried to find the Whitaker x Law fight, but couldn’t, so this one is the next best. Also worth noting for all of the Arrow and The Flash fans: the fight choreographer of both, James Bamford, has a strong base in Kali that comes out in every fight I’ve seen thus far. A warning: kicks, punches, and even bullets are one thing. If you’re skittish about blades and stabbings, better stay away from this one.

SHAWN SMITH:

Jet Li vs. Billy Chow — Fist of Legend

Jet Li is in his prime here. You see his blend of martial arts skills and pure athleticism, which always seemed more intense to me versus other martial arts actors of his day (or since). Li was always able to convey a certain urgency in his fighting (as if in every scene there is a real chance Li will get owned if he does not take out his opponent), and even now Li still conveys that in the few movies where he still does any fighting. Basically, no one sells a scene like Li. So, for as much as I appreciate the skill displayed in the General Fujita fight, it’s the selling of each hit that makes it memorable for me. Kudos also again to the opponent — in this case, Billy Chow (a longtime and somewhat under-appreciated villain in countless films).

Michael Jai White vs. Roger Yuan — Black Dynamite

On the surface, this scene is just dumb and fun (which is perfectly fine, especially within the context of the film). However, even in its silliness, Michael Jai White (aka Black Dynamite) shows what martial arts comedy can be in the hands of an accomplished martial artist and fight choreographer. Not a very long scene either — see here for the prelude and aftermath of the fight, and certainly not intended to achieve the blistering pace of more sophisticated scenes like the Bourne/Desh fight (see below), but what is there captures a truly hilarious fight sequence that seems to hold up in quality as time passes.

Bruce Lee vs. Chuck Norris — Way of the Dragon

Admittedly, I’m as much a fairly harsh critic of Bruce Lee on film as I am a fan of the man himself. I’ve always been of the opinion that the true talent of Bruce as both a martial artist and fight choreographer was too often poorly captured on film or missed altogether. An exception to this is the fight scene between he and Chuck Norris in Way of the Dragon/Return of the Dragon, which I believe is transcendent of its time period, the best Bruce fight I’ve seen on film, and worthy of honor among the great fight scenes of all time for two reasons.

First, the change in style mid-sequence. Too often in martial arts action films during the 70s, protagonist and antagonist would engage using similar or completely identical styles. Lee recognized early on that if the quality of such films were to change, they needed to show more diversity in styles and training. As both combatants in this scene were roughly equal in skill level (make no mistake — Chuck in his prime was EVERY bit the accomplished martial artist as Bruce), this plays out very well on film. Witnessing Lee having to adapt his style halfway through the fight is a subtle way for him to sneak in some early Jeet Kune Do philosophy, but cinematically it also changes the pace of the fight and the film. This makes for a more robust sequence, not unlike the effect of placing a large mirror in a room to make the room look bigger. This fight between Chuck and Bruce is made “bigger” because of the style and pace adjustment Bruce makes in order to beat Chuck.

Second, the talent and familiarity between Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris. A good fight scene relies heavily on the talent of the players.  For both Chuck and Bruce, being accomplished martial artists in their own circles, as well as having actually trained together for a few years prior to WOTD/ROTD built a certain comfort level between them that allowed this scene to be more fluid. Clearly, this was Bruce’s intent. He could have handpicked any of a number of actors he’d trained over the years to be in the film. But Bruce knew the integrity of the Colosseum fight he was going for demanded someone basically as good as him who also knew how he moved. The greatness of the scene is such because of this critical convergence of martial arts skill and knowledge between the two of them in this respect.

Matt Damon vs. Joey Ansah — The Bourne Supremacy

I’m a sucker for fight scenes that strive for realism.  Don’t get me wrong — there is always room for fantasy in film.  But for my money, I tend to prefer those scenes that are “honest” representations of skill and intensity. The Bourne/Desh fight epitomizes such a scene.  Everything about this fight is blistering and brutal in pace. It’s place among my favorites is partially due to the tremendous speed in which the scene is executed. Due to the pace, every move is efficient, powerful, and carries the feel of two combatants highly trained at dispatching opponents quickly and definitively. Thus, the overall effect is enhanced. Additionally, it’s impressive how much is squeezed into a scant two minutes. Joint locks, pressure points, some kali (I believe), close-quarters combat (e.g., Muay Thai elbow strikes), environmental improvisation… it’s all there and very well-executed by Ansah and Damon. Especially impressive is Damon. While Ansah is obviously quite skilled and a real up-and-coming talent in both stunt work and fight choreography, Damon has had basically no training before The Bourne Identity movies and certainly does not train with the regularity of someone like Ansah (who is also 12 years younger than Damon). So really, kudos go to both, but Damon really worked to make this scene one of the best in my opinion.

For more on this fight and the planning that went into, check out this CNN article and accompanying behind-the-scenes video.

RAPHAEL SOOHOO:

Jet Li vs. Donnie Yen — Once Upon a Time in China 2

I might be a little biased here: I watched this movie in the old Music Palace in New York’s Chinatown back in 1992… the first kung-fu movie my dad took me to see. I originally wanted to go with Wong Fei Hung’s final battle with the White Lotus, but I chose this because it’s two of the best, Donnie Yen and Jet Li.

Wong Fei Hung is something of a Chinese folk hero, and he’s the most portrayed character in martial arts cinema. Now, I like MMA and all of that, but there’s an elegance to kung fu that I enjoy immensely. Take the two staff styles on display: Donnie Yen’s is aggressive, obviously destructive, and initially very cool looking. Jet Li’s Wong Fei Hung is far superior, in my eyes. In the scene with the double staffs, he displays the power, grace and skill to smash the bamboo supports without breaking them, thereby giving Donnie Yen’s Lap-Nan Yun-Sut a bit of hesitation. As he attempts to pursue, the entire structure falls apart. Grace and power. Of course, 8-year old me loved the over-the-top, unrealistic bicycle kick inspired “Shadowless kick,” but the way these two move, they don’t need any special effects, except maybe slow motion so we can catch up with them. The movie’s fight scenes are still some of my favorite of all time.

Over the weekend Ain’t It Cool News revealed that the internet’s favorite hack director Brett Ratner is interested in remaking Enter the Dragon. At a screening of Rush Hour in Los Angeles, Ratner told the audience — almost in passing — that he is in the early stages of developing the movie and is looking for a martial artist to star. Now, before you start foaming at the mouth and cursing your keyboard, rest assured that this isn’t an official announcement that the movie is happening. For all we know, Ratner is just putting it out there with the hopes that Warner Brothers would give him the opportunity to do it — as blasphemous as it may be.

Of course, the internet is beside itself that a hack like Ratner would dare remake a classic like Enter the Dragon and is appropriately showing its disgust at the idea. Here’s the thing that no one’s seeming to be complaining about, though. Both of the names for the prospective lead that got tossed around in the original post are white. Buckle up, because some “reverse racism” is about to go down after the jump.

First off, let’s just put it out there how stupid of an idea this is altogether. There are just some movies that don’t need to be remade. Sure, one could argue that Enter the Dragon is probably not Bruce Lee’s best film, but it is undoubtedly Bruce’s film. It was designed and created precisely to showcase Bruce Lee’s persona and talent. Removing Bruce Lee from Enter the Dragon is like concentrating on the finger pointing at the moon, you miss all that heavenly glory.

Now that that’s out of the way, let me concentrate on the bit that got under my skin more than the notion that Brett Ratner (or anyone, really) would dare remake this film. Before we get into it, here’s the relevant bit from the AICN article:

Would Ratner consider casting Scott Adkins in the Lee role? Ronda Rousey? Maybe go with Jackie Chan as the nefarious Han? He wouldn’t get into specifics. There’s no shortage of great movie martial artists kicking around today, so Ratner could easily recruit a big-screen fighting force of extraordinary magnitude.

It’s very interesting that the two names that were brought up to potentially play the lead in a hypothetical remake were Scott Adkins and Ronda Rousey. Despite having limited acting experience, both of them are always brought up in any franchise fancasting that happens on the internet. Adkins has been suggested for every role from Batman to the Punisher, meanwhile Rousey has publicly complained about not being Wonder Woman and has been known to shit talk Gal Gadot in the media.

It’s no wonder that names like Adkins and Rousey engender a lot of passion in fanboys. Neither actor has carried a movie on his or her own, but that doesn’t prevent YouTube videos and tumblrs devoted to their eventual ascension to the nerdvana of starring in their own mega blockbuster franchise. Both are trained martial artists, have legions of fans, and have both appeared in an Expendables movie or two. So why shouldn’t they be qualified to play the greatest martial arts icon in American cinematic history? Well, for starters, they’re white.

I’m sure the writer thought he was being clever or innovative by suggesting non-Asian actors for the role Bruce Lee made legendary. The fact that no one called him out on the suggestion is even more interesting. I read through the comments (I know, never read the comments) and not one person questioned the logic of whitewashing the Lee character (I mean, come on. He’s named LEE for chrissakes). I find this so irritating on so many levels.

For starters, almost exactly one year ago on this little website, I suggested that Netflix and Marvel Studios should open up the casting for their upcoming Iron Fist show to include Asian American actors. One year later, and I’m still getting hate mail for the suggestion. By the way, the name that constantly gets mentioned for Danny Rand by these angry fanboys? Scott Adkins. Damn.

What fanboys don’t understand is that there is a huge gulf between whitewashing and casting a person of color in a role that would traditionally be white. A lot of it has to do with visibility (as in for every white character that is cross-racially cast, there are literally thousands of other roles that will go to a white person). Sure, Luther doesn’t technically have to be a Black man, but giving that role to a white actor makes it like every other cop show on television. Similarly, a Korean American Peter Parker is probably more realistic given the demographics of 21st century Queens, New York.

The thing is outrage in fandom only seems to go one way. No one bats an eye when Avatar or Ghost in the Shell or Akira or even motherfucking Enter the Dragon gets whitewashed, but merely suggesting a white character be played by anyone who isn’t white and suddenly “SJWs are ruining everything.”

I mean, it’s not like Scott Adkins can’t be in the movie. There were white folk in Enter the Dragon, after all. As my man David Walker told me:

Adkins can play the John Saxon part, only not in this movie, because it should never be remade.

On March 21, 2015 Ain’t it Cool dropped the mother, father, cousin, and incarcerated uncle of all bombshells: Brett Ratner wants to remake one of the most iconic films in cinema history, which starred one of the most iconic leading mean in the history of film. To even have the gauldacity to fix your imagination to entertain the idea is Greek tragedy level hubris. How could he even think that he has the talent, vision, heart, and narrative ability to remake Enter the Dragon? Who in our modern cinematic landscape has the charisma, charm, physique, sex appeal, and martial talent to even mimic Bruce Lee? I assure you neither Scott Adkins nor Ronda Rousey have it. No diss to them, but, no.

Whandom (white online fandom — the antithesis of Black Twitter) offers Adkins and Rousey up as cinematic sacrificial lambs whenever a film role calls for an ass-kicker with martial arts ability. No diss to either one, but they never had to carry a film. I would argue that they don’t have the history or broad enough shoulders to carry this film, even though it is a remake.

I love Scott Adkins. He is actually more compelling on screen than Jason Statham, both in personality and physicality. Check him and Jean Claude Van Damme in Assassination Games. It is a surprisingly decent B film and Adkins shows tons of potential. But as a replacement for Bruce Lee? In French: Non. In Spanish: No. In English: No. In Arabic: La.

Rousey is a beast. She is one of the best fighters of her generation, and one of the best fighters to watch. But when you see her being interviewed outside of the octagon, there is a nervousness and discomfort that does her zero justice.

White Netizens, just leave it alone. 2015 is all about not whitewashing everything that comes down the film pike. Folks immediately offer white folks as replacements for people of color, but then lose their collective cyber-shit when it is suggested that the reverse happen. Where was your privileged outrage at: The Last Airbender, 30 Days of Night, 21, Wanted or any of a host of other films? I understand that your cultural influence and relevance is waning and that many people are approaching genre entertainment with an eye towards accurately representing how the world actually looks and operates, and refusing to allow whiteness and maleness to continue to be the default. Have the good grace an honor to go quietly into the night. If you expect the world to accept your stories and presence as objective truth, have the decency to do the same when you are no longer at the center. But let me get back to the topic on the floor.

First off, if we’re looking at goals scored, Ratner is hovering at around 0.5. While his films have made money, he has yet to make a decent film.

Whenever I see any of his films, especially X-Men: The Last Stand, I feel a little of my geek soul wither and flake off. It is the slowest of deaths. It is kind of like having to walk to school, in a blizzard, wearing only an A-shirt and flip-flops. Why in the name of all that is holy is this happening to me?

Ratner should be forced to sit through years of storytelling and continuity school, and then given the chance to direct another film. He may be a nice guy, and I don’t want to crap on him, but the ego to talent ratio of his films is sorely unbalanced.

Now we come to the meat of the matter: You have no other ideas, other than remake a film that is borderline immune to being remade? I get it. Hollywood is all about the money, and what is more bankable than the familiar? Brand recognition is the highest form of currency in Hollywood. But this doesn’t negate the fact that all these remakes are wearing thin. Nostalgia is one of the worst things in any kind of fandom, as it stifles creativity and forward movement. Geeks and Nerds hold onto their feelings for the objects of their fandom and will not let go until forced to do so.

Now that folks who grew up on a steady diet of horror, superheroes, and martial arts flicks are in positions to make culture, they masturbate in their cultural echo chamber until their nostalgic concoctions gum up our screens. Just let it go. Comics are the bastion of nostalgia. Grant Morrison called them cave paintings that writers and artists touch up from time to time. But film should be risky, dynamic, and above all, creative. Remaking Enter the Dragon is none of these things.

Despite Dragon being an American and Hong Kong co-production, it is a Hong Kong film. There is a sensibility that stemmed from Bruce Lee’s experience of being a Chinese man bumping up against nascent multiculturalism, while still maintaining his history, martial, and spiritual practices. It is a fixed point in time, and frankly wouldn’t work too well in the 21^st Century as there have already been too many pretenders to the throne.  If you wanted to do the film justice, with a white lead, remove all traces of Asian, Asian American, Chinese, and Hong Kong sensibilities and make it Enter the Unicorn:

London based Scott Adkins is tasked to go undercover in a bare-knuckle fighting competition where he beats the crap out of the Irish and the Welsh. His allies are a Jamaican yardie named Neville, and an American fratboy named Chad. Hell, I’d pay to see that.

To summarize: Leave Enter the Dragon alone. And if it does get remade, keep the lead Asian.

Let’s not feed into the mewling maw of whandom. And do not let Brett Ratner anywhere near it. Not even at the premiere.

In other words, Mr. Ratner:

As a rabid martial arts film nerd, I’m not easily impressed. It’s one of those things where if you’ve seen one film, you’ve seen them all. So a movie has to really step outside of the box to garner my attention.

The premise of Donnie Yen’s latest action flick, Kung Fu Killer directed by Teddy Chen, did exactly that in grand fashion.

In Kung Fu Killer, Yen is Hahou Mo, a martial arts expert and police self-defense instructor who is incarcerated for involuntary manslaughter during a fight with an opponent. Three years later, a vicious killer — played by Wang Baoqiang — emerges and starts killing retired martial arts masters that Hahou knows. With his own personal agenda, Hahou reveals he knows the killer’s next intended victims and offers to aid Inspector Luk Yuen-Sum — played by Charlie Young — in capturing the killer with his martial arts skills and knowledge in exchange for his freedom.

In terms of reviewing the technical aspects and elements (such as pacing, acting, plot, etc.), Kung Fu Killer proved to be a bit of a challenge. Not because it’s a bad film — because it’s not by any means. In fact, it probably would’ve been easier to review if it had been a flop.

The film itself is pretty standard and there’s very little to differentiate it from countless other action flicks. To the movie’s credit however, it’s all well executed. The storyline manages to avoid major tropes, and the fight sequences are always engaging and don’t feel repetitive. The color schemes and the cinematography in the flashback sequences are especially noteworthy.

All of that said, Kung Fu Killer is more than the sum of its parts, and it is actually the spirit of the Yen project that makes the movie a classic.

The astute viewer will note more than a few martial arts film legends making cameos in this film: Kirk Wong, Bey Logan, Teddy Chan, among many others. The film itself is a meta celebration of the men and women who have played a part in the legacy of the Hong Kong martial arts cinema. That alone makes this movie a gem and one worth checking out in theaters everywhere on April 24.  B-

Originally published at BadAzz Mofo

The Shaw Brothers studio in Hong Kong was responsible for producing some of the greatest Wushu martial arts films of all time. In the 1970s kung fu flicks flooded American drive-in theaters and grindhouses, and some of the most memorable films came courtesy of Shaw Brothers. But the style and genre of film most Americans associate with Shaw Brothers was relatively new to the studio, part of a new generation Wushu films that was ushered in during the 1960s with titles like the seminal classic One-Armed Swordsman.

Before the 1960s most martial arts films were more theatrical, drawing influence from the legendary Peking Opera. The action sequences were somewhat unsophisticated, and Hong Kong audiences had grown tired of what was being offered. What was proving to be popular were the gritty Japanese samurai films, which had started to influence Hong Kong filmmaking in the 1960s. Believing that the aesthetic of the samurai films could be merged with the conventions of martial arts films, Shaw Brothers set out to reinvent Hong Kong Cinema.

One of Shaw Brothers’ first forays into what would become the new wave of kung fu flick was King Hu’s tremendously influential 1966 film Come Drink with Me. The following year saw the release of Chang Cheh’s One-Armed Swordsman, which is widely considered by many historians to be the film most responsible for setting the tone and style of the modern martial arts film.

The action begins when evil assassins come to kill the headmaster of a powerful and prestigious school of kung fu. Faithful servant Fang Cheng (Feng Ku) defends the life of his master, and is killed in the process, but not before pleading with his master to look after his son, Fang Gang. Years later, Fang Gang has grown up — played by Jimmy Wang Yu, a former professional swimmer who made the transition to acting in the early 1960s — and is a brooding young man with a chip on his shoulder. Raised amongst the other students, all of whom come from wealthy and affluent families, Gang can’t change the fact that he is little more than a working class charity case, who owes his position in life the sacrifice his father made. This sense of alienation separates Fang from the other students, including Qi Pei Er (Yin Tze Pan), the daughter of the school’s master, who is spoiled young woman who lusts after Gang, even though she is simultaneously repulsed by his status as a commoner.

During a confrontation between Gang and some other students, including Qi Pei, things get ugly, and she chops Gang’s arm off. Taking the severing of his arm as a cue that he needs to get as far away from the world of martial arts as he can, Gang flees into the countryside, where he is discovered by Hsiao (Chiao Chiao), a beautiful woman who nurses him back to health. Gang wants nothing to do with the world he has left behind, but when the gang of assassins that killed his father years earlier returns to wreak more havoc, our hero is forced to retrain himself and learn to fight with his other arm.

One-Armed Swordsman was a huge hit in Hong Kong as well as the rest of Asia, launching an entire series of films about one-armed fighters — many of them starring Jimmy Wang Yu — as well as a whole subgenre of martial arts flicks about disabled asskickers. But on a much larger scale, the gritty aesthetic and graphic violence that was lifted from Japenese samurai films was so well received that it became part of the new standard of filmmaking at Shaw Brothers.

Not only was director Chang Cheh influenced by Japanese films, he was also a big fan of James Dean and Marlon Brando and the new generation of brooding anti-hero they portrayed in films like Rebel Without a Cause and The Wild One, respectively. Chang clearly infuses some of the Dean and Brando characteristics in Fang Gang, as Jimmy Wang Yu — not exactly the greatest of Hong Kong actors — does his best to play a tortured working class hero at odds with the upper crust of society. And while Wang Yu is not the greatest actor, he was successful in realizing Fang Gang as an alienated (not to mentioned broken) member of the working class, which is what led to the film and the character’s enduring popularity.

It is important to realize that One-Armed Swordsman does not look or feel like many of the martial arts films of the 1970s and 80s. This is the film that set standard and laid the ground work for what was to come. This is to martial arts films what The Searchers and Ride the High Country were to morally ambiguous westerns like The Wild Bunch and High Plains Drifter that came along in later years.

Some people may be put off by the film’s slower pace, but that is not enough a reason to not watch this film. One-Armed Swordsman is visually beautiful, with a tone and style that is so dynamic you can see within it the decades of other films that followed in its wake, drawing deep from its well of influence.

In most sports, scoring early is a good thing. If you’re a soccer player or fan, though, you know the woes of scoring too early. If any of you listen to or watch Men in Blazers, you’ve heard this all before from Roger’s unending sadness with his Everton routinely scoring too early. This has happened to me both on the pitch, but mostly watching my beloved teams pay dearly for going up 1-0 in the first five minutes of matches only to be smacked down with three or four unanswered goals once the final whistle blows. It’s part of the roller coaster of emotions that is the world of football. I feel like this could be a metaphor for Michael Jai White’s career.

I recently had an evening to myself and while scrolling through the ever expanding Netflix streaming queue, I noticed a couple of recent Michael Jai White flicks I hadn’t yet seen. Double feature? Sure.

So I watched Falcon Rising and Skin Trade. Okay, that’s kind of a lie because after trying hard for twenty minutes, I skimmed through Falcon Rising because it was a total shit storm. Just horrendous all the way around.

Even if I didn’t have Brazilian roots, even if I didn’t speak the language, even if I had never been to Rio, even if I hadn’t done social work in a favela, even if it was clear it wasn’t filmed in Brazil and that only one of the cast (Lateef Crowder) actually speaks Portuguese, I could have tried hard to let some things go if they made a Sense8 type decision and kept the diversity in casting, but the language all in English.

However, they made this weird decision to make it bilingual with a bunch of Spanish speaking actors just slaughtering the language or just straight speaking Spanish. I’m not even getting into the weak production and acting. It was too much and maybe worst of all; it ends with a clear set-up for a sequel.

I was able to leave with two positives including Laila Ali, Muhammad Ali’s daughter. Her part was small, but she was actually decent. The other is just worth YouTubing and saving yourself from the train wreck of a movie, which is the MJW vs. Lateef Crowder fight. Crowder brings his slick capoeira skills we’ve seen before and MJW battles hard as always.

While I gave up on Falcon Rising, I made it through all of Skin Trade. Human trafficking and the sex trade are tough subjects to cover in general, let alone in an action movie. There were definitely some hard scenes to watch and the crew did a commendable job. Compared to the other it was night and day, but it still felt like it was lacking something in terms of quality. Watching old Dolph Lundgren run around is just kind of sad at this point. And for you Arrow heads, you’ll probably be disappointed with Celina Jade’s (Shado) underutilized performance that has her playing something of a stereotype with an accent we know she doesn’t have.

Again, the best part of the film comes down to a final fight that can just be YouTubed. This time it’s MJW vs. Tony Jaa. It is spectacular. But it’s also depressing because it made me think: “Is this what my man’s career is at this point? A bunch of YouTube fight scene clips and movies not worth watching?”

To be clear: I’m a big Michael Jai White fan and have been for about two decades. I think he brings something unique and fresh to the action/martial arts movie game and he’s just a huge badass in general. Every time he connects with one of his hopping side kicks my ribs just scream in agony for whoever had to take it.

Also, he’s Black Dynamite dammit! “Fiendish Doctor Wu; ya done fucked up now!”

I want the best for this man that brings such awesomeness to the screen. Not that he necessarily needs or wants it, but there seems to be a hole that I would like to see him jump between getting back to a big budget film or TV show and reigniting a whole new audience’s interest in him.

I know he played Mike Tyson and had a small part with Van Damme in Universal Soldier, but let’s start with where he made a lasting impact on me in 1997. Spawn came out with a big budget from New Line Cinema to make a dent in the comic book movie genre. I had seen a few of the comics and was taken by how dark it was and liked Todd McFarlane’s Dante-influenced take on the battles in Hell and Hell on Earth.

For the time, the film’s special effects were outstanding and John Leguizamo’s physical transformation becoming Clown and his performance were amazing. Let’s pause and recognize that almost two decades ago there were two leads of color in a comic book superhero flick. Boom! More on that shortly. There was also a great soundtrack pairing a handful of ’90s rock bands with DJ’s for an industrial rock gut punch. I still love that Filter/Crystal Method tune. Crank it up.

Finally, there was the guy playing Spawn that just owned it and though there weren’t a lot of martial arts scenes, you could tell he really knew what he was doing. There’s so little of Al Simmons before his transformation, by the end I had forgotten about his ethnicity. It wasn’t until sometime after that I learned that history was made in that it was the first film where an African American had ever played a comic superhero on film.

And the name of this ground breaking actor that happened to hold multiple black belts and championship titles? Michael Jai White breaks down walls — literally and figuratively. I thought for sure I’d see this man all over the big screen taking the POC torch from the (white) old school Van Dammes and watch him and Wesley Snipes rise and add some needed diversity to the genre (I didn’t forget about you Billy Blanks, but you know… Tae Bo).

Now if you look at his IMDB, there’s tons of work between Spawn and the present. He takes on Van Damme again in a Universal Soldier sequel, fights with Steven Seagal in Exit Wounds, and fights Michelle Yeoh in Silverhawk. I have to stop to highlight his great work in Undisputed 2: Last Man Standing taking over the character from Ving Rhames. The fight scenes with Scott Adkins for the first time as Boyka are superb.

There’s also some TV work, like the Mortal Kombat Legacy web series as Jax (that’s dope), he does some dramatic work, some voice work, but for the most, you jump over a decade to the aforementioned over the top (and very sexist) Blaxploitation ridiculousness of Black Dynamite for most people.

I also really enjoyed Blood and Bone and Never Back Down 2: The Beatdown. When MJW gets into MMA, you’re in for a wild and awesome ride. I had just started training again, so maybe that’s part of the reason I liked them, but honestly, while the acting isn’t top notch, damned if the martial arts work isn’t. Here’s the thing though: did they have big commercial screenings? If you’ve seen them, you probably caught them on Netflix like I did.

Though he had a bit part going up against the Joker in the billion dollar-grossing The Dark Knight, nothing really took off and nothing was much of a Hollywood blockbuster — where he was centered — to shoot him into the stratosphere.

Then he was cast as Bronze Tiger in Arrow. “Oh shit! Here we go!” Or so I thought. He was great, but only in three episodes. I felt like I was left hanging.

So if MJW in Spawn is my Goiás going up one goal early and then getting smoked by Corinthians 4-1. Who is Corinthians? I think we only need read from Viola Davis’ speech when she became the first African American woman to win an Emmy for Best Actress and said:

“The only thing that separates women of color from anyone else is opportunity. You cannot win an Emmy for roles that are simply not there.”

Sounds like two trail blazing actors of color should get together and blaze a blockbuster. Wait, what’s that? Davis is playing Amanda Waller in the Suicide Squad movie? Didn’t MJW play Bronze Tiger in the “Suicide Squad” episode of Arrow, but then wasn’t cast to reprise the role for the film? What the hell DC/WB? It’s bad enough we’re going to have two different actors playing The Flash at the same time, but come on; this is the shit I’m talking about. Had it gone down logically, I wouldn’t be writing this.

So I call out Hollywood and the industry. I know there are some top writers and directors of color out there where forces just need to collide. In his handful of non-action movies, he has teamed up with the likes of Tyler Perry and probably had more commercial success than his action flicks. In two of his aforementioned better martial arts works, Blood and Bone had an African American director and MJW himself directed Never Back Down 2. I had my fingers crossed to see him either get cast as Luke Cage or Black Panther in a Marvel production to spearhead his second coming as the premier African American action star. It didn’t happen, and that’s okay, the guys they got will be great.

Snipes is now pushing hard post-prison time and he’s making headway. Why? Most likely because he has a team and connections around him tirelessly working for the absolute best for him, even if that means an Expendables sequel and an NBC show. Is it not more progress than the opportunities for our beloved Mr. White? By the way, Snipes as Blade still holds a special place in my superhero heart. However, maybe there’s a chance for a torch pass there too? Come on Marvel. Just sayin’.

Michael Jai White is an A-list action star; I would argue the A-list action star. He just needs an A-list team around him. Maybe after his Black Panther comic for Marvel, Ta-Nehisi Coates has a screenplay filled with drama and action he’s been sitting on and Ava DuVernay is patiently waiting for it?

How about a very talented writer and director of color I really enjoy since she’s combined two of the passions referenced in this article — soccer and action flicks? Oh, and she’s also a champion martial artist in her own right. That’s right, let’s get Lexi Alexander working with MJW! I mentioned forces colliding: Kaboom! She loves him. She told me so.

Come on wealthy producers; I’m already dying to watch it. He’s been at the top of his game for many years, but none of us are getting any younger.

The action genre is also getting more diverse and some of the newbies are walking the path he paved. Actually, I like MJW as sensei/coach like in Never Back Down 2. Still, I would like to see him get back to some bigger mainstream recognition that he has earned and deserves. Like Black Dynamite says: “I’d like to take the credit, but dig, mama, there’s no ‘i’ in ‘revolutio…’ — in ‘team.’”

Who’s going to be a part of team MJW? And when is Goiás going to beat Corinthians already? Sorry, just futebol frustrations there.

I had no interest in watching the first Democratic Party debate without analysis from Democracy Now and commentary from my favorite late night and podcasting comedy crews. So, it worked out well that on the same evening I was introduced to a short film that packs quite the punch: The Challenger.

Pun intended.

Writer and director Tran Quoc Bao jumps right in with Andy Le as “Danny, the challenger” practicing a solo Kung Fu form before being interrupted by “Chuck, the king” played by Ken Quitugua, who was also the action director. The fight starts out playful with contrasting styles, but quickly escalates. There are plenty of nods to Kung Fu classics that some viewers will recognize. Though somewhat cheesy, I could dig it. I’ve mentioned before I’m not a big slow-mo fan, but I get what Mr. Tran is going for and why not?

Having recently wrapped a short film with a shoestring budget (no martial arts, sadly), I enjoyed and respected the quality of fluid directing. The fight choreography is also great, and I see Quitugua is a part of the same stunt team — ZeroGravity — as Lateef Crowder. The moves aren’t groundbreaking, but the execution is tight and the guys clearly have a deep knowledge of their arts and have trained well together. I most appreciated the crisp trapping and foot work that’s shot very clearly to show the chess match.

I really like characters in action flicks that look like regular folk, but then show they can throw down with the best of them. In a previous piece, I called it the Kung Fu Hustle effect. While Le is a champion and is extremely talented — I don’t know if it’s the clothing or what — but he seems like an average Joe. It only strengthens the character’s impact once he gets going.

After only a few minutes it’s over and if you were hoping for more like I was, the good news is that The Challenger is actually a prequel for an upcoming full-length feature.

It’s under ten minutes, so check it out, kick it, and tiger claw it around social media, and follow the team as they move to the feature.

The same day that the final Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer hit this week, a lesser known project called Black Tiger: Hunter Hunted released its 20-minute pilot episode on YouTube. Black Tiger originally started off as a comic book mini-series in 2004. In 2014, a Kickstarter project to fund a short film based on the comic book was successfully funded. The short film, starring WWE Diva Angela Fong and Robin Shou (Mortal Kombat), premiered at WonderCon in 2014 and went on to screen at other conventions, winning the 2014 Spirit of Comic Con award at the Atlanta Comic Con’s Wizard World Film Festival. Director Patricio Ginelsa took time out to talk to us about the film and the funding effort to continue the web series.

NELSON: You directed and co-wrote Black Tiger: Hunter Hunted, the pilot episode which debuted online recently, based on the Beyond Time comic book created by John Hervey II. How did you become involved with the project? What appealed to you most about the project?

PATRICIO: John Hervey and I were in the same club at USC. At the time, I had no idea he was a comic book guy. Fandom wasn’t cool back then so we were all closet nerds, though I always kept a box of my favorite comics in my dorm room for inspiration. We lost touch after we graduated but I stumbled upon his comic book Black Tiger as a giveaway inside a film festival goodie bag they give the filmmakers. I learned he had started his own comic book company Beyond Time. A few years ago, he approached me about adapting Black Tiger into a live action movie. At that point in my career, I was directing music videos so I was adapting artists’ songs into short films. The challenge of adapting someone else’s comic book property was attractive because it gave me a bigger canvas to play with.

The movie already had most of the cast attached including WWE’s Angela Fong and Robin Shou. I mean, if you ask a nerd whether you want to direct Liu Kang from Mortal Kombat, it’s already a done deal in my book. John’s script, however, needed some work but he gave me some creative control to rewrite it. We went back and forth for about a year until he finally got some funding to give it the green light. Our goal with Black Tiger was really to establish the tone and shoot a proof of concept that people would hopefully enjoy and that could potentially lead to a bigger follow-up, either a feature or an episodic series. I convinced John that the cliffhanger ending was the best route to take. If the audience truly cared and was hungry to know what happened next, then that was a win-win for us. There was no way we could afford to shoot what happened next unless we had a bigger budget. Well in my head, it’s pretty epic in scale. Just look at the original comic books and you’ll know what I mean.

You have a long list of projects you’ve been involved with over the years, including the indie film The Debut, music videos from the Black Eyed Peas, and even your own indie film Lumpia. This may have been the project with the most action sequences that you have worked on to date. As a director, what was your mindset entering into this project? Was there any difference in your approach to shooting scenes for an action movie?

I had shot a music video for the Bay Area band Native Elements song “Bigger They Come” with a crazy Street Figher-like concept. That was the first time I worked with fight choreography, and it was difficult. We ran out of time because we had to not only shoot coverage for the multiple action scenes but also for the music video performance of the band. Entering Black Tiger, I was determined to be more prepared and concentrate more on my framing of the action plus shoot better coverage for my brilliant editor A.J. Calomay to play with. I was also working with a brand new crew and it was also my first time shooting on the RED.

Our stunt team led by Mark Elefane and Chris Yung were amazing and worked their magic with limited time and resources. And despite the long overnight shoots, the cast were always in high spirits and made me laugh between takes. I’m used to super low budget projects so there are always a lot of compromises as a director I have to make. The parking lot action scene between the Russians and Black Tiger lacks a proper conclusion and I ran out of time to show the Black Tiger really injured and the Marksman “running away in the shadows.”

What was the most complex scene to shoot?

The most complex scene to shoot was at the hotel room where Angela’s character showers and finds herself fighting with only a towel on. The space was really tiny and we had to squeeze the camera crew and the fight choreography all inside. There were so many things to consider in that one day shooting — darts on the wall, a half naked actor inside a shower, towel fighting in the dark, broken glass, and an emotional pivotal cliffhanger scene. In the end, those scenes were my favorite and my proudest achievement as a director in the shoot.

Now that the pilot has debuted, there are potentially three new episodes on the horizon as a continuation of the pilot episode, which left viewers with a cliffhanger and many unanswered questions. The project is looking to get funded in less than a month’s time. Where can people help to fund more episodes? How else can people help if they would like to see more episodes?

We’ve teamed up with Ovation TV, Creative Studio, and Rocket Hub for our crowdfunding campaign. It features multiple tiers of cool rewards for supporting us on the next episodes, so you can join us. And of course, the best way to spread the word is to share the FREE pilot episode with your NERDtastic friends. We so badly want to show you what’s next in the Black Tiger saga!

It is no secret that you are a huge nerd. As a director, what nerdy projects would you love to have an opportunity to bring to screen in the future and why?

Yes, I’m a proud nerd, no doubt. The big project I’m working on right now is my feature Lumpia 2. Just the thought of bringing that sequel to life with a bigger budget and production quality and shoot it in my hometown of Daly City, California is exciting and challenging. We’ve been working hard on it the past two years now in development, and I’m determined to get this action comedy in front of cameras finally in 2016.

As far as dream nerd projects I’d love to helm? Let’s just say I had a brief conversation with fellow USC alum and current Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige once at a screening years ago. He won’t remember me, but I won’t forget what he said to me. When I pitched a certain Marvel Comic property I would love to direct, he just said “go out there, make an amazing movie,” and he’ll notice. Even if that Marvel film never happens for me, that’s all the motivation a nerd filmmaker like me needs!

by Timothy Tau | Originally posted on Hyphen

Daniel Wu is a Chinese American actor/director/writer/producer that has already had quite an impressive career overseas in Hong Kong, appearing in over 60 films there — many of them box-office hits —  and also winning awards for his directing, producing and performance work (such as the “Best New Director Award” at the Hong Kong Film Awards for his directorial debut The Heavenly Kings in 2006, which he also wrote, produced and starred in, and a Golden Horse Award for “Best Supporting Actor” in Jackie Chan’s New Police Story in 2004. He will also be starring in Duncan Jones’ Warcraft movie in 2016.

Wu breaks into American TV airwaves on Sunday, November 15th (at 10/9c) with the debut of AMC’s Into The Badlands, which has been receiving buzz as a hotly-anticipated new martial arts drama/action television show featuring not just one but two Asian American leads — Aramis Knight, a young actor of Pakistani and East Indian descent, also plays supporting character M.K. alongside Wu’s main protagonist Sunny. In this interview, readers will appreciate Wu’s illuminating answers, in-depth insight no doubt informed by seasoned experience and hard-won achievements on both sides of the Pacific.

TIMOTHY: Congratulations on the show being produced and premiering on November 15. Can you describe the process that led to the show being made and you in particular being cast as the lead?

DANIEL: Sure, I was on board as an Executive Producer at first and wasn’t meant to be in the lead role. At least I thought I wasn’t meant to be in the lead role. Stacy Sher– one of our producing partners who spear-headed this whole project — was at the premiere of the Man with the Iron Fists [in which Daniel appears] in New York. There, she happened to run into the head of production at AMC, Joel Stillerman, and they were talking and they were like “why isn’t there anything like this on television? We should do something like this.” And so that’s kind of how it got started, and she called me about a week later and said “Hey Daniel, I got this content deal with AMC and they want to do a martial arts show, but I’ve never done martial arts before in terms of film or TV, can you help me do it and do you think we can do it on television?” I was like, yeah I think we can do it, but only if we can bring in a Hong Kong stunt crew on board because I know for TV its going to be really fast-paced, and we’re not really going to have the time to really suss out scenes like the way we do in movies, so we need to bring on a HK crew to do things quickly.

And so then I assembled a team, I brought Stephen Fung on as my producing partner, who ended up being the Fight Director, then we hired Master Dee-Dee (Huan-Chiu Ku), and we first got together with the other producers and sort of brainstormed what this world could be. Then we found Al Gough and Miles Millar, the showrunners and screenwriters, and they went off and wrote and created the whole world of the Badlands. They came back later with these characters and this story and with that, we pitched it to AMC again.

And that was actually the easiest part of the whole process. We pitched it [to AMC] and took a two-hour meeting, walking out of there thinking it would be a couple of weeks before we heard back. An hour later, they called back and were like: “we want it.”

Wow. Awesome that it had that high of a demand. What happened next?

So then we spent the next year kind of setting it all up and writing the rest of the script and trying to figure out budgets and all of that good stuff to put the whole thing together. Then one of the big questions was: who was gonna play Sunny? In my mind, I thought it would be best to find somebody in their late 20s or early 30s because if the show becomes successful, it could go on for five or six years, and in the first season of six episodes we have 12 fights, and Sunny fights in 11 of those fights, so that’s just a crazy amount of fight work. Even Jackie Chan doesn’t do that in a movie! Maybe he does 3-4 fights over 6 months. It just takes a lot of endurance and ability to be able to pull that off over that period of time.

That’s why I thought we should look for a younger dude.  Then we auditioned a whole bunch of people, and AMC, to their credit, was really adamant that the character (of Sunny) remain Asian or be Asian, even when he didn’t have to be — he could have been Latino American or African American or whatever — they still wanted him to be Asian, so we had to look for this match and thus auditioned a whole bunch of people.

We ended up finding either great actors that knew nothing about martial arts or good martial artists that couldn’t act, and obviously there was a handful of people that could do both. But the producers were still not satisfied yet, so finally they turned to me and were like: “You know you ought to throw yourself into the mix, you cannot ‘not do this’” and one thing I was concerned about was: I’m almost 40, I’m 41 now,  and I wasn’t sure if I could handle that kind of schedule; fighting like that for five or six years because that’s insane! It’s like you’re basically asking Kobe Bryant to come back after all that time and perform on the same level that he was performing at before. So you know it’s not an easy thing to do.

So once I started thinking about how to get ready for the training — because I hadn’t done a martial arts film in six or seven years — I mean I’ve done action stuff in that time and still kept the training up, but I haven’t done a film and you really have to be ready for that. And so I got together with some friends to think about how to train for this and get ready for it, once I figured out a plan I thought “Okay, I think I can do this.” So I did my audition, and the producers compared it with everyone else’s and in the end they decided to choose me. But I expected that the other producers wanted me to do it from the very beginning.

And make you do all that work to get there. Just as a testament to your training and the fight direction, I saw the martial arts sequences in the first two episodes and was really blown away, even saying on Facebook that the fight scenes were among the best martial arts choreography I’ve seen on TV and on film in 2014-2015, maybe only the sequences from The Raid II: Berandal coming close. They were also aesthetically cool and more appealing than scenes from Wong Kar Wai’s The Grandmaster, such as that fight scene in the rain, next to the car. Can you describe your experience training and rehearsing choreography with Fight Director Stephen Fung, and how your past work with Fung — such as the Tai Chi Hero/Zero series, House of Fury, Jump, Enter The Phoenix and as co-stars in Gen-X Cops — informed that process?

We’ve known each other for 18 years. We were in our first film [Bishonen] together as actors maybe 17 years ago, and then did Gen-X Cops, and so on, and in between those movies we would hang out and he would film these little short films on his DV camera, and it was very obvious that he was a good director; he just had that natural instinct. And so, I kept encouraging him to become a director, and finally he did it in 2004, with Enter The Phoenix being his first film — and I played the lead role in that movie, to support a brother, you know. And I’ve been in every movie he’s done since then, like five or six films, and so we know each other really well as friends and we also know each other really well as working partners, and furthermore, we started our own production company like 5 years ago. Therefore, we have a really good shorthand — we know how to communicate with each other efficiently, and part of this whole process is that he trusts me totally and we don’t need to worry about (miscommunication) at all. And then we can get the work done really quickly.

Right, because you were mentioning before the advantage of using a Hong Kong crew was the speed.

Yeah because dude, for TV you have to work freakin’ fast. We basically had eight days per episode. And there’s (at least) two fights per episode! So you have to budget out those eight days for those two fights, and for example that rain fight took six days to make, but the rain fight in Wong Kar Wai’s The Grandmaster took 30 days. So, it’s an incredibly short amount of time to pull off those fights in the way we did them. Also, it’s important to have someone like Stephen, who is a master with the camerawork and someone like Master Dee-Dee, who is a master choreographer, and we had to put those two sides together and make them work smoothly.

The setting of the show is very specific, yet something we really haven’t seen before, e.g., sort of a combination of the Southern-Western Gothic environment of Tarantino’s Django Unchained — producers Stacy Sher and Michael Shamberg are also executive producers on the show, as are you — Mad Max and every wu xia or period martial arts film ever made. Can you elaborate on the original vision from show creators Alfred Gough and Miles Millar — who also created Smallville and wrote the screenplays for the films Lethal Weapon 4, Shanghai Noon, Shanghai Knights, Spider-Man 2, and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor — and how did you help build it?

So one idea was to set the show in the past, kind of like Kung Fu [the 1972-1975 TV series starring David Carradine]. In fact, one of the initial ideas was to “reboot” Kung Fu, but we were eventually like, nah let’s not do that — it was an iconic show but it wasn’t the greatest show and the action was horrible, right? And it was also weird, like a Chinese dude wandering the West, it might have been a good idea then but not necessarily a good idea now.

Essentially, we had to think of a world where guns didn’t exist, because if there were 30 dudes surrounding Sunny each equipped with AK-47s, he ain’t getting out of that room. So we had to set it in a world where kung fu made sense. So we said okay, let’s put it in a post-apocalyptic future but it is a very far-away future where it’s not a society that’s totally out of control and chaotic, but instead a society that has reset itself and kind of reformed itself, and the Badlands is that society where society has kind of gone back to feudal times, and one of the main ideas was this “steampunk” aesthetic, to make things futuristic yet seem old at the same time since in this world, digital technology is all gone, there’s no digital stuff anymore, we don’t have computers to run anything, so all the cars have to be cars that run like they did before the 1980s without computers in them. So a 2015 car in our world wouldn’t even work 100 years from now at all, because that technology would become obsolete, and if chips break you can’t replace them; however mechanical stuff you can keep running.

So that’s why all the cars in the show are like older muscle cars, or older cars from the ’40s because those things are what society has been able to save. And then even the motorcycle that Sunny rides is a “steampunk” motorcycle, and something that someone could work on even without digital technology.

How about the wardrobe and costume design?

It’s the same thing with the clothes and fashion of this world, everything is hand-made in the world now, so things have gone back to older times where we have to learn how to make things by our own hand; we don’t know how to do that anymore. I mean like a hundred years ago, your mom had to make your clothes for you, right? So we’ve lost that skill now, but in a world where we’ve lost digital technology — like the show — you still have global consumerism. Therefore, you still have to make stuff on your own again. So that’s kinda how that world looks and feels. Everything is simply hand-made.

And what I love most about all this post-apocalyptic stuff is not really how it is a projection of the future, but really a reflection of modern society today. Like for example, the fact that guns have been banned in the Badlands is kind of an ironic statement considering that nowadays the gun violence in America is at its craziest peak right now, where we’re having like one mass shooting a week. It’s not an overt political statement or anything, but part of the subtle things we threw in there to get people to think and be engaged with this world.

The show is also said to be loosely based on Journey to the West, a piece of classic Chinese literature by Wu Cheng’En about the Monkey King, aka Sun Wu Kong, who eventually accompanies the monk Tripitaka and several other supernatural allies on an adventure towards enlightenment. It seems parallels can be drawn between Sun Wu Kong and Sunny, as well as M.K. — played by Aramis Knight — and Tripitaka, or the other way around, if the MK may be interpreted as possibly standing for the “Monkey King.” Could you maybe discuss the parallels with the mythical story?

Sunny’s name comes from Sun Wu Kong and M.K. stands for “Monk” which is a reference to Tripitaka the monk, but we’re not playing those characters. We’re playing their essences. The journey the Monkey King goes on is to take the Buddha scriptures from China to India, and through that process he changes as a person — at the beginning, he’s a really naughty and rebellious, feisty character who fights all the time and at the end, he becomes enlightened and more tranquil and peaceful. These mythical stories are allegories for life. And the parallel is that the show is a story about these two people who travel on a journey together where they also learn from each other, and how they change as people through that journey. So the mythical parallels are more about that “journey” element, and the essence of the journey. So it’s not really a literal translation.

And speaking of you and Aramis Knight being the two main lead characters — the show has also been applauded as featuring not just one but two Asian American leads — yourself in the main protagonist role of Sunny, and Aramis being an actor of German, Eastern Indian, and Pakistani descent as M.K. Will the show eventually lead to even more opportunities for Asian American actors to play fuller, more complex and engaging roles? How do you view the current landscape of TV and film roles for Asian American actors?

First of all I want to say it’s great we’ve done all these things, but to describe our intentions to begin with, we weren’t trying to change the state of American media. It just so happened we wanted to make a really cool project that people could get behind, and it just so happens that the two leads are Asian American. For M.K., we auditioned all kinds of people of all different ethnicities. And we found Aramis. But I didn’t find out until later that he was part Pakistani. Also for me, it was a direct choice of the show that Sunny had to be Asian. But I don’t think there was ever the intention to transform the face of American media culture, you know what I mean? We wanted to make a kickass martial arts drama, and it just so happens to be that I’m Chinese American.

But I see that things are changing with shows like Fresh Off the Boat and Dr. Ken and the Heroes reboot, Heroes itself and Lost and Hawaii Five-0, we’re starting to see more of a reflection of our society in the media today. And it happened faster on television than it did in movies, but it’s also happening in movies as well because China is a huge market for Hollywood films nowadays, and so American producers are realizing that if they put Chinese actors in their films, then that will improve the chances of their films being more successful in China. And globally. So that’s more of a financial decision than producers or executives being good people with good hearts going, “yes, I need to accurately reflect the true composition of American society.” It’s definitely more of a financial thing, but hey, I’ll take it. If it’s going to help Asian American actors or artists get more exposure, then why the hell not?

But that’s the truth behind it all: it is that you have to do something commercially successful in order to make a change. Because if you do a little Asian American drama about Asian American issues, who’s going to watch that? Asian Americans will get it, but not many other people are going to watch that. I’ve seen that with films like [Chris Chan Lee’s] Yellow in the early 2000s, which is a great film but which catered to more of a limited or specific audience — even Asians in Asia don’t care about that kind of stuff. They simply don’t care about Asian American issues.

So, in order to be successful or be a game-changer in a certain way, you’ve got to do mainstream projects that speak to mainstream audiences, and it just so happens that in those projects, the characters are Asian or Asian American. So in some ways, Justin Lin’s Better Luck Tomorrow was successful because it was a compelling story, and all the characters just happened to be Asian American, but they didn’t have to be. So I think that’s where Justin Lin was really successful, e.g., because he made a cool story about Asians but it really wasn’t about or limited to just Asians.

Great points. Related to something you were saying before about appealing to wider audiences, you guys are definitely doing a cool take on the martial arts genre. And there’s been shows before like Kung Fu, Vanishing Son with Russell Wong, Martial Law with Sammo Hung, and so on. What is your response to critics or actors who say that the martial arts genre perhaps limits roles for Asian American actors? Is there an argument that the genre may also expand roles? Do you view the martial arts genre as being a part of the diversity and full “color spectrum” of cultural facets unique to the Asian American experience?

I totally understand that and see how the martial arts role can be limiting, but again, I can also totally see it as a springboard for something else. So to be Asian American and sort of hate the martial arts genre because it’s limiting to you is not really fair because just look at what’s happening in Asia: do you think that when Wong Kar Wai or Hou Hsiao Hsien make a nationally revered kung fu movie, people are saying they are perpetuating stereotypes? Or that it’s a stereotype of Chinese people? No. Chinese people have been making kung fu movies for ages. It simply is an undeniable and proud part of our mainstream culture.

So making a kung fu movie in China is not considered stereotyping at all; only when I come here to America and white people are looking at it, then that “Asian American issue” arises of it being “stereotypical” or perpetuating stereotypes. So it depends on which side of the fence you’re standing on. And me being a martial artist and also being Asian, I don’t have any real problem with that. But I can see how someone like Sung Kang, who may not know martial arts but who is offered only martial arts roles, can become frustrated because there IS a lot more to Asian culture than just martial arts.

What’s known about Asian culture by popular society is martial arts, just like how hip hop is connected to African American culture. That is a major facet of African American culture, but not the only facet. So I’m sure African American actors feel the same way when asked to play a rapper and feel stereotyped when doing so.

Definitely. I feel the more effective approach is to embrace those different cultural aspects, interpret them in new ways, and not to try and pigeon-hole actors in certain roles or associate them with outdated concepts.

Yeah, I mean if that’s the only thing being made (martial arts films), then that’s almost an exploitation and it becomes like the blaxploitation films of the ’70s. But that’s not what is happening. I mean, Fresh Off the Boat is a successful sitcom talking about an Asian American family trying to survive in a white suburb, you know? So it’s kinda cool and fresh and different. And then Dr. Ken is also another Asian American sitcom or family comedy-drama about this doctor, and critics can say “Oh, that’s a stereotype too, playing an Asian American doctor” but he REALLY is a doctor! And he really is Asian American, and Korean American. So that is his life; that is his story.

What do you view as the future of cinema as it involves Asian or Asian American talent, especially from your experience being involved in both the Hollywood and Hong Kong/Chinese/Asian entertainment industries? Do you feel there will be more USA/China cross-cultural productions, and will that be a good thing for Asian American actors, directors and writers? What do you think needs to be changed? What do you think is being done well now that should be strengthened for the future?

I think that’s going to be a part of the growth in Asia, but I don’t think that’ll be the only part of it. Hollywood is a very powerful force, and they want to get into that market and they will try all they can to get a piece of that pie. And what they are realizing now is that they do have to integrate more facets of Chinese culture into their films to make things more interesting for global audiences, and to have box office successes, both in the U.S. and in China (which is a back-up plan for many films to recoup losses they’ve incurred in the U.S. nowadays).

What’s next for you, or are you also working on any interesting projects at the same time as Into the Badlands? If the show becomes successful Stateside, do you have any dream projects you want to do, waiting in the queue?

I have this dream project I want to do. There’s this legendary story about this mafia member, he was a part of the Italian mafia in Chicago but he was Japanese American. His name was Tokyo Joe or Montana Joe. And it’s a really fascinating true story, about this guy who was pretty much a “made man” in the Chicago mafia, and he came up really really high in their ranks during the ’80s and also, because he got really high up, some other Italian mafia members were jealous of him. Thus, some of these other mobsters tried to execute him — “whack” him — pretty much. So he was taken out one day, and they shot him two times point-blank in the head. And he survived. And lived. And afterwards, he decided to turn to the FBI as an informant. He ended up giving out a lot of information about key mafia members, and basically had the attitude of “Fuck you guys, I worked so hard making so much money for you and you guys turn against me!? Because I’m not Italian? Fuck that shit.” So he went public and during the ’80s, he was responsible for the highest amount of mafia arrests in the ’80s.

That’s an awesome idea that also sounds a lot like that recent film Black Mass, starring Johnny Depp as Whitey Bulger, who worked with the FBI to nail rival mob members.

For sure. And there’s also video footage of him giving depositions with a hood over his head, so a lot of people didn’t know he was actually Japanese American! So, I want to make that movie. And I know I’m Chinese American and he’s Japanese American, but I don’t think that’ll be too much of a problem because the Asian American story is different than say, Memoirs of a Geisha, where they cast Chinese actors as Japanese characters and there was this outrage.

I think inter-racial representation is just more fluid in the Asian American sphere.

Yeah, so that’s a dream project of mine that I’d like to see get made, whether I play the role or not, because it is a true story, and I’ve done a lot of in-depth research on it, having known about it ever since high school. I’ve even met one member of his crew [Eto passed away and is no longer alive now]. The guy was like 89, and it’s funny and great because most members of his crew were either Japanese American or Chinese American or mixed race, and they ran with him and worked all within the Italian mafia.

That’s such a cool idea, especially considering the rich cinematic tradition of mafia movies. Also, whenever you hear about Asian gangsters, its always the Yakuza or something, but you never hear of Asian gangsters operating within the Mob, this larger, more mainstream cultural phenomenon.

It’s really a kind of fresh idea. I can make a Triad movie, which I’ve done a number of before in Hong Kong, and recently there was that film, Revenge of The Green Dragons — but this project I feel is something that can speak to a broader audience.

I’ve also known a producer who has been trying to get together the money to do this project but again, he runs into the problem of trying to produce a film where an Asian or Asian American character is the lead guy. So I hope as the fabric of America changes, and we get more traction as Asian Americans in American media, the possibility of this film becoming a reality gets more and more likely.

Timothy Tau is an award-winning writer and filmmaker and was recently named by PolicyMic magazine as “Six Young Asian-American Filmmakers Who Are Shattering America’s Asian Film Bias.” His short story “The Understudy” won Grand Prize in the 2011 Hyphen Asian American Writer’s Workshop Short Story Contest and is published in the 2011 Issue of Hyphen Magazine as well as online. His short story, “Land of Origin” also won Second Prize in the 2010 Playboy College Fiction Contest (See October 2010 Issue of Playboy Magazine). Both stories are being developed into feature film projects.

We’ve been gearing up all week for the debut of Into the Badlands this Sunday night after an all-new episode of The Walking Dead. Yesterday, we re-posted Timothy Tau’s Hyphen interview with star Daniel Wu. I also had a chance to briefly talk with the Hong Kong movie icon about martial arts and stereotypes, but more importantly, we’re teaming up with AMC to giveaway some really cool Into the Badlands goodies.

One of the reasons we’re so psyched for Into the Badlands here at the NOC is because we’re quite invested in the idea of an Asian American-led martial arts show. If Badlands succeeds, it will hopefully open the door for more genre shows to spotlight Asian Americans and other characters of color.

Moreover, Daniel Wu is reclaiming the idea that martial arts should be seen as a negative stereotype. “You know I built a career in Asia for 18 years where I played roles that had nothing to do with my race because everybody’s Chinese in the films,” says Wu. “So when I’m doing a kung fu movie in Hong Kong — that’s made by Hong Kong people — is that still a stereotype? For American audiences, for Caucasian people, yes, it’s the first thing that they think of when they think of Asian people, right?”

I’ve made the argument before that people who dismiss martial arts sight unseen are falling to the same negative prejudices that they presume to argue against. “But at the same time, [martial arts] is a genre that Chinese people have been doing for almost 100 years now,” Wu says. “What we’re trying to do here is to take the Wuxia genre and reboot it for a Western audience — take that genre that we’ve done very well in Asia and put it into a different environment and kind of reboot it and flip it on its head.”

If you want to be a part of that universe, be sure to tune in this Sunday night at 10pm and live-tweet along with us using the hashtags #IntoTheBadlands and #DemLands. In the meantime, you can get this poster — signed by stars Daniel Wu and Aramis Knight — and a specially made DVD set containing the martial arts films that inspired the look and feel of Into the Badlands — hand=picked by the creators of the show! Find out how to enter and win below.

Step 1: Follow @TheNerdsofColor on Twitter.

Step 2: Tweet this message:

I want to go #IntotheBadlands with @TheNerdsofColor this Sunday at 10pm on @AMC_TV! http://wp.me/p3MnPm-4kp

From all the tweets, we’ll randomly pick one lucky winner.

The giveaway ends at 11pm Sunday night, November 15, at the end of Into the Badlands’ East Coast airing. The winners will be announced via twitter during the West Coast airing of the show and will receive a Direct Message with further information. This giveaway is open to U.S. mailing addresses only. Good luck!

Originally posted at Angry Asian Man

As we near the end of 2015, one thing is for sure: it’s a great time to be an Asian American television consumer. For the first time in history, you’ll need two hands to count the number of major television programs to feature Asian American leads! On ABC alone, you have shows like Fresh of the Boat, Dr. Ken, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and Quantico.

This Sunday night, the biggest network of them all — AMC — throws its hat into the ring with Into the Badlands, a dystopian martial arts drama starring Daniel Wu. And I can safely say the show is unlike anything you’ve ever seen before.

The series is set hundreds of years in the future, presumably after the zombie apocalypse wipes out mankind¹, where guns have been outlawed and civilization has degenerated into a feudal society in which powerful Barons rule their respective territories with the aid of loyal armies of trained assassins known as Clippers. It’s also (very) loosely based on the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West.

Daniel Wu plays Sunny, the most feared Clipper in all of the Badlands. The series kicks off when Sunny encounters a group of bandits who are smuggling a young boy… somewhere? What ensues is probably the best martial arts sequence in the history of American television (sorry Arrow and Daredevil, but that’s kids’ stuff compared to what Daniel Wu is doing on AMC). The boy, named M.K. and played by newcomer Aramis Knight, is taken back to Sunny’s Baron — played by Marton Csokas — and is to be trained as a next-gen Clipper. Sunny eventually learns that he shares a mysterious connection to the teen, who also harbors a dark secret that a rival Baron — Emily Beecham’s Widow — is trying to uncover.

As you can probably guess, there is a lot of world building that happens in this first episode. But it’s all necessary and sucks you into the fantasy right away. Visually, the show is gorgeous with great sweeping vistas of terrain that is simultaneously futuristic and Antebellum. That’s the other thing that’s a little jarring at first. Into the Badlands feels like a mashup of a bunch of different genres. Nominally, it’s a martial arts epic, but there are elements of the western, steampunk, Southern Gothic, mythical, and superhero genres woven throughout. It even has a comic book origin story.

At its center stands Daniel Wu. Already an icon in Hong Kong, the 40-year old California native is finally staking his claim to American superstardom with this role. If the first two episodes are any indication, he’s well on his way! It’s hard to believe how groundbreaking it is to see an Asian American man play an action hero on TV. Not since Russel Wong on Vanishing Son two decades ago, at least. Except this time, we even get two Asian American male leads.

Some folks might go into this show wary of the idea that the first AMC drama to feature an Asian American male lead has to be a martial arts show. But I say you don’t need to worry. I’ve gone on record before about why we shouldn’t recoil at the idea of an Asian American-led martial arts show (take note, Marvel/Netflix!) so long as the characters are written with dimension and complexity. Into the Badlands does this, albeit in a heightened and hyper violent reality.

Besides, from what I’ve already seen, Into the Badlands breaks all kinds of racist TV tropes, and I kinda love the show because of it.

by Lynn Chen | Originally posted at The Actor’s Diet

Oh, how I love when my fellow actors post photos of food, especially when they’re on set.  The yumminess below is from Daniel Wu’s Instagram feed, most of them captured in New Orleans while he was filming Into the Badlands, a martial arts TV show very loosely based on the classic Chinese tale, “Journey to the West.”

Daniel stars as “Sunny” in this new AMC Original six-episode series, which premiered on Sunday, November 15 at 10pm. Of course, I had to talk to him about food.

On gaining weight for the show: I put on 18 pounds for the role, because normally I’m a pretty slight build and I wanted to put on a bit of muscle for the role.

Filming and Feeding: I did six meals a day prior to filming, and then once we started filming — because of the heat in New Orleans — it was like 90 degrees and 90% humidity, plus I’m wearing a leather trench coat, fighting outside. I was just sweating — I mean cardio beyond, you can imagine. And so I had to have like seven meals a day basically at that point, and so it was horrible because I didn’t enjoy that process. I mean I love eating, but not to that level. I mean every two hours, someone’s going to bring me a full meal to eat while doing a fight scene, and I just packed that down and got back to the fight. It was grueling; it was tough, very difficult.

What he ate on set: It was a protein heavy diet with — definitely heavy carbs because I needed long term energy to be able to keep the stamina up. So it wasn’t a completely fat free diet. There was meat; there was fat and sort of energy storage for the endurance part.

On feeling the pressure to look a certain way: I’ve never had any kind of, like, issues with my body or how I look… I think because on my own, I love to train, I love to work on martial arts; I love to do any kind of sport activity. So it’s not a pressure that I feel from the industry, it’s just something that’s my nature. But I don’t not eat stuff because I’m afraid of this or that. It’s mostly — if I view, like, any of those additions for personal health more than what people see in the — or require of me.

Daniel’s every day workout routine: Luckily I’ve been in good shape this whole time from the very beginning and even though I’ve torn an ACL, I’ve broken my legs, all that kind stuff, I’ve still keep at doing that stuff. So when I’m either filming a martial arts show or not, I’m still exercising because it’s part of my life. I mean I’ve been doing martial arts since I was 11. It’s been a lifestyle thing for me now and I can’t not train, it makes me feel weird if don’t — I feel super low energy if I don’t — if I like go for a week without training or two weeks without training.

More Diets of Other Actors <—click!

Lynn Chen acts. Sings. Watches an obscene amount of movies and television.  Narrates books. Hosts a podcast. Makes random videos. Plays video games.  Oh, and sometimes actually cooks! Her blog, The Actor’s Diet, started in 2009 and has evolved from a daily food journal into what it is today — everything from LA restaurant reviews/places of interest, to travel and fashion and beauty tips – sprinkled in with random recipes, pictures of her dog, and life on set. 

For obvious reasons, we’ve been riding the Into the Badlands train from jump, and now that it’s here — and a huge hit — we couldn’t wait to add the show to the Recap rotation. We’ve been holding on to this one for a while too, since we got an early look at episode two a few months ago. As much as I dug the pilot, I always thought the second episode was where the series was going to take off with audiences. And if nerd twitter was any indication Sunday night, everyone else agreed.

Like the debut episode, “Fist Like a Bullet” cold opens with a fantastically choreographed fight scene. This time, the series’ main antagonist — The Widow, played by Emily Beecham — does the ass-kicking in a very Old West/steampunk inspired strip club (complete with power tools). It seems that Nomads have been hired to take her out; whether they’re the same Nomad group she had kidnap M.K. remains to be seen. Nevertheless, Beecham gets to show off some of her kung fu training, and we get to see that awesome opening credit sequence again — featuring music by Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda. This show is so Asian.

Later M.K. is making his way through the woods — after escaping The Fort last week — and comes across a stranger who looks like if adolescent Zooey Deschanel had a Japanese fetish (so basically Baby Katy Perry). She identifies herself as Tilda, and after some uncomfortable banter between the two, they hear horses in the distance. Apparently, the Baron has sent a Clipper force to locate the runaway, so she takes M.K. to her mother to be kept safe. Of course, this ends up being a terrible idea.

Sunny just so happens to be leading the search party and orders his men to stop pursuing because they’ve reached the border between Baron Quinn’s territory and The Widow’s turf. And this is our first hint at Tilda’s parentage. Immediately, M.K. realizes he’s being led into the one place he’s been trying so desperately to escape — remember, Sunny rescued him from The Widow’s band of Nomads last ep. Widow pretends not to recognize M.K. and even interrogates him about his pendant (which is currently in the Baron’s possession). He lies unconvincingly, and Widow lets him go. Also, mother and daughter creepily watch him as he bathes.

Back at the Fort, Quinn is still pissed that one of his slave boys has escaped and blames his son Ryder for being an idiot. He also tasks Sunny to come with him on a special trip to the doctor’s office. This is unusual because Quinn doesn’t normally venture out of the walls for routine visits, and he also doesn’t request an entourage. Just Sunny.

At the doctor’s house, Quinn learns that his frequent headaches are the result of a growing and inoperable brain tumor. Quinn isn’t too thrilled about this news. While Quinn is getting checked out, Sunny has a heart-to-heart with the doctor’s wife. We learn that Sunny’s secret girlfriend Veil is actually the adopted daughter of the doctor and his wife. She also knows about their secret romance and the baby on the way. Quinn emerges from the exam room and exchanges pleasantries with the doctor and his family. Outside, Quinn tells Sunny to go back inside and murder the both of them. Sunny refuses to kill his secret in-laws so the Baron gets his own hands dirty.

He’s also not too happy about his chief Clipper’s outward defiance, and orders him to torch the house. This absolutely destroys Sunny, and plants the first seeds of his eventual turn against his Baron. It also leads to the strongest scene in the whole episode, when Sunny promises Veil that they will be leaving the Badlands.

P.S., shout out to the homies at Black Nerd Problems for getting their hashtag #KillaClipps co-signed by none other than Veil herself!

This on top of Daniel Wu praising the Black Girl Nerds’ tag #ColorMeBadlands last week!

We really need to step our hashtag game up.

Anyway, back at the Widow’s plantation, she still has suspicions about M.K.’s identity and tells Tilda to draw his blood in order to make him go Super Saiyan again. Because Tilda has an unconditional crush on the boy, she gets him to feign the injury and fool her mother for the time being. At the same time, Widow has invited a group of Nomads to work together against Quinn.

They refuse to work with the Widow — whose plantation is basically Themyscira since M.K. is the only dude in the whole place — because they’re all misogynists. Widow offers up Tilda in a deal. If the Nomads can take her out, she will be given to them. If TIlda wins, though, their alliance will be solidified. Needless to say, Tilda wins.

The Nomads do get one consolation prize, though: M.K. Their first move is to set a trap for Ryder. Because he’s an idiot, he falls for it and leads himself and Sunny into an ambush at a decommissioned wind turbine. Why? Because an extended fight sequence inside a wind turbine. That’s why.

Even though Sunny takes out most of the Nomads, their leader is still able to get the jump on him and is about to choke him out until M.K. shows up in the nick of time. Now, Sunny owes the kid a life debt. M.K. also admits that he does indeed know the way out of the Badlands, and Sunny sees — perhaps for the first time — an opportunity for freedom for himself and for Veil. In return for saving his life, Sunny offers to train him, and thus a hero/sidekick partnership is born.

The third episode of Into the Badlands — “White Stork Spreads Wings” — will be the last one to follow The Walking Dead since last night was the mid-season finale for everyone’s favorite zombie show. How Badlands will fare without its massive lead-in will be a question to be answered next week. If this episode is any indication, viewers should be coming back in full force even without a zombie pre-show.

Unbelievably, we’ve reached the mid-season point on Badlands since the season is only six shows long. The episode kicks off with an intense Clipper vs. Clipper battle royale at the Widow’s mansion. After coming for Quinn’s son last week, the Baron has sent his fighters to seek vengeance on his biggest rival. The Widow’s all-female Clipper force is more than up to the challenge and takes out several of Quinn’s red-leathered killers.

Mere minutes into the cold open, we see the first mano a Widow as the two warring barons have an epic sword battle.

Mind you, the credits haven’t even rolled yet!

Quinn gets the upper hand and is about to take out his enemy when his tumor strikes and Widow turns the tables. Sunny shows up in the nick of time and Widow and her butterfly crew flee her mansion for safer pastures elsewhere. In the commotion, M.K. makes off with a mysterious book emblazoned with the symbol of Asra.

Meanwhile, back at the Fort, the Baron’s wives argue about the fate of Ryder who still hasn’t recovered from last week’s Nomad ambush. The only people who could save him were murdered in cold blood by the Baron, so Jade comes up with the next best thing. The doctor’s adopted daughter — who also happens to be Sunny’s betrothed — Veil.

It also just so happens that Jade and Veil are actually old friends and grew up together.

Jade is desperate to save the Baron’s son, mostly because she’s also banging him. We’re not sure if Lydia realizes this though, but eventually relents when Veil is brought to the house to do some healing in a scene straight out of Cinemax’s The Knick. It seems that Ryder is suffering from brain swelling, and if Veil doesn’t relieve the pressure (by basically drilling into his temple) he’s gonna die.

After the successful procedure, Sunny — who had been visiting his tattoo artist Ringo — returns to the Fort and is shocked to see Veil in the Baron’s home.

That’s not the only surprise, however, since Quinn admits that he’s been aware of Veil’s affair with Sunny for some time. This is the first time in which Madeleine Mantock — the actress who plays Veil — gets significant, and boy does she shine! It’s clear from the outset that the episode is shining the spotlight on the women of the Badlands as Jade, Lydia, and Veil take center stage along with the Widow and her minions, of course.

As the Butterflies descend on their new homebase, Widow sends Tilda to extract Angelica, their mole from the brothel — the undercover prostitute who set the trap for Ryder in the previous ep — because she knows Sunny will be after her. Tilda’s too late though because when she arrives, Sunny and Angelica are engaged in some wire-fu that’s straight out of a Yuen Woo Ping fever dream.

Before Sunny can get any answers, Angelica commits suicide by plunging herself over the side of the balcony. Before heading back, Sunny takes M.K. to Veil’s clinic so he can get stitched up. Though the two pretend they aren’t lovers, M.K. figures it out pretty quickly, Also, they’re terrible at pretending they aren’t lovers.

Speaking of M.K., Aramis Knight doesn’t have much to do this episode but whine about Obi-Wan not spending enough time training him to become a Jedi Master. Though it leads to a pretty nifty scene in which Sunny takes M.K. to meet his mentor Waldo — played by the incomparable Stephen Lang — and teach the kid a lesson or two about underestimating his opponents.

Later, when Ryder begins to waken from his treatment, his mother chides him for basically being an idiot. By plunging his father’s forces into an unnecessary war with the Widow, Ryder has screwed up everything. It turns out the other barons are none too pleased with Quinn’s move on the Widow — and consequently her oil fields — and have requested his presence at a Godfather-esque meeting of all the barons.

Sunny warns that it’s obviously a trap, and Quinn agrees. So he sends Sunny to meet with the regent — that would be head clipper — of one Baron that might align with Quinn and his people. Sunny and Zypher, the other regent, meet in a far off poppy field. Not only is Zypher a woman — played by Spartacus’ Ellen Hollman — apparently, she and Sunny have a sexual history too.

The two agree to strike a deal (maybe?) but this is the Badlands, someone is bound to betray somebody else. Speaking of betrayals, M.K. shows up at Veil’s clinic after hours and without Sunny’s knowledge. M.K. knows Veil can read (since literacy is a rarity in the Badlands) and asks her to translate the Asra book he found at the Widow’s.

The problem is that the book is written in a language no one knows (elvish?) and she is unable to help. At that moment, Baron Quinn comes barging in to her home. And in one of the tensest scenes on the show to date, you think the Baron is about to do something obscene to Veil, but finally, he asks her to operate on his brain tumor since she miraculously saved his son.

Will Veil do the operation? And since she knows Quinn murdered her family, will she use that opportunity to return the favor? Guess we’ll have to tune in next week — without zombies — to find out.

Last night’s Into the Badlands — clunkily titled “Two Tigers Subdue Dragons” and not to be confused with this — was tasked with propelling us into the end of the season. In addition to a promised Baron v Baron showdown, the episode was the first to effectively use an episode-ending cliffhanger to guarantee viewers will tune in for the final two entries of its debut season. But did it deliver?

The ep opens with a bloodied Tilda running through the woods, and at first I thought maybe it was a flashback. Turns out that she was doing her mother’s bidding and luring some of Jacobee’s men into a Butterfly Warrior ambush. After killing them, the Widow decapitates one of Quinn’s clippers with Jacobee’s weapon of choice, the pickaxe. And it’s clear that Widow is a way better supervillain than Quinn.

At the Fort, Sunny and M.K. are in full-on Mr. Miyagi mode, training the young colt in the martial arts. Much like Daniel-san, M.K. is a little too hot-headed to listen to his sifu. And Sunny puts him on his ass.

To be honest, the kid isn’t endearing himself to twitter so much either.

Later that evening, M.K. starts practicing on his own and even considers cutting himself to unleash his superpowers. Sunny sees this from a distance and decides it’s time to step in and fix him once and for all. In another training session — in a far away location, Sunny unleashes the monster when he cuts M.K. on the cheek. Super Saiyan M.K. proceeds to force push Sunny to the ground before passing out himself. Sunny’s point was to teach M.K. how to be in control when his powers take over. This will be important later.

Meanwhile, Jade is having her own battle with Lydia over who gets to sleep with Quinn. Seriously, I don’t understand why so many people give a shit about Quinn. Not only do these two women fight over him, but I still don’t get Sunny’s allegiance to his baron. At some point, the ones who are supposed to be the protags need to turn on a character as despicable as Quinn or I’m gonna lose patience.

Speaking of Quinn, he’s still being treated by Veil for his tumor. She can’t do much for him because the only doctor in the Badlands who knows how to treat cancer is dead. Thanks, Quinn. Later, M.K. comes to Veil for more info on the book he stole because he believes it reveals a way out of the Badlands. Sunny is pissed because he thought M.K. already knew this. Sunny decides he needs to find another way out.

Back in the Butterfly lair, Tilda finds an antique record player, and the girls listen to the first music they’ve ever heard. Widow is a party pooper and breaks the record player while reminding Tilda she’s a sexual abuse survivor and doesn’t have time for such frivolity.

The Clippers end up agreeing to the parlay with Jacobee’s men and meet up in a cemetery. It’s refreshing to see there are black men in the future world of the Badlands. I hope Jacobee — played by Edi Gathegi, aka Darwin from X-Men: First Class — gets to stick around and become a major player (because we all know how well X-Men treated him). Also, his Clipper force is definitely the best dressed in the Badlands.

Tilda shows up incognito and triggers a battle between the two barons’ forces when she throws a pickaxe — which we remember is Jacobee’s signature move — at Quinn. Sunny catches it in time, but not before all hell breaks out and it’s full on Warriors vs. Clippers at the Staples Center. Meanwhile, M.K. spots Tilda and they throw down as well.

We also learn Jacobee’s regent Zypher is actually in cahoots with the Widow. The two badass ladies even try to sucker Ryder into joining their alliance, which he totally will, and then get got in the finale. I’m guessing.

After much blood is shed, the barons realize they were being set up by the Widow. Whether or not this means they’ll be teaming up is another story. On the other side of the cemetery, Tilda cuts M.K. and she witnesses him hulk out for the first time. M.K. is about to crush Tilda’s throat when his training kicks in and he’s able to control his rage.

After the battle, Sunny goes down to the docks to meet the River King (more black people in the Badlands!) for safe passage out for himself and his companions. The King isn’t trying to hear it though because he only agreed to meet Sunny as a favor for Waldo (Stephen Lang’s character and Sunny’s mentor).

River King is also pissed because the last time he had a shipment of cogs come through, someone murdered all of the passengers on board. He shows Sunny a wanted poster of the perp, and wouldn’t ya know, it’s M.K. The only way Sunny can get access to the King’s ships is by murdering his own sidekick. And we have our first interesting plot twist all season.