Movies that inspired you

**Jeff Burger** · 08-20-2004, 22:34

The Octagon thread got me thinking ... what movies (if any)inspired you.

My first martial arts hero was........
Captain Kirk of Star Trek. He would get beemed somehwere and end up taking out 5 bad guys with a couple of chops his (Bruce Tegner) side kick, shoulder throw ( followed by chop) and a spin under wrsit lock throw.

The Kung Fu series with David Carradine fits in there.

BUT THEN I SAW....... ENTER THE DRAGON.
This was the first Bruce Lee movie I saw and it totally blew me away.
I remember walking home in a daze ... I was changed.
I just HAD to see it again. I watched that movie at least every other day for month. I returned bottles, did erronds, snuck inside ( early on the weekends so I could hide inside and watching back to back).
My little brother had 2 choices ...either practice with me or Im going to practice on you ( the later meant we are going to fight for real).

I made nunchakus and double sticks.
I just went crazy.

Jeff

**nosh276** · 08-20-2004, 22:47

When I was pretty young I watched Sidekicks ALL THE TIME. I own it now. I bought it a few months ago actually.

**Cliff Hargrave** · 08-20-2004, 23:03

I was a big Chuck Norris fan. "A Force of One" probably was the most inspiring for martial arts for me.

I never really got into the Bruce Lee movies or the cheap Chinese kung Fu flicks.

**reptilist** · 08-21-2004, 10:47

I prefer his movies most of all, unless they focus too much on automatic weapons and bombs.

But, probably the one movie that inspired me the most, many years ago, was the Van Damme movie "Blood Sport".

**Luebbers** · 08-21-2004, 11:28

I remember always enjoying martial arts flicks, usually Van Damme movies. But then, I think it was in 1996, they released Jackie Chan's Rumble in the Bronx in theatres in America. I was totally blown away. His fight scenes and stunts were unlike anything I'd ever seen before. I remember seeing all of the American re-releases (Supercop, First Strike, Mr. Nice Guy, etc.) on their opening nights, dragging my friends in tow, of course. Jackie Chan is the reason I first got into kung fu.

**rubberband** · 08-21-2004, 12:52

I always liked "Master Killer"... "You only live twice" turned me on to ninjutsu... "Bloodsport" as also a favorite... when I was young I could do the split between two chairs... unfortuantely that kind of flexability makes you vulnerable to leg locks so I had to let it go... "The Master" TV series was also an influence... looking back, I still like "Master Killer"...

steve

**Jeff Burger** · 08-21-2004, 13:34

Master Killer is a classic.

Jeff

**De_Franza** · 08-21-2004, 16:26

What about BEST OF THE BEST?
It's got the, well, BEST ending!
I won't blow it for you if you havn't seen it, but it's really frickin' awesome!

And it's a little cheesey but I did like Karate Kid.

**stella fuentes** · 08-21-2004, 21:07

i watched bruce lee movies and still enjoy watching them. the fight scenes always bring a kind of high.

i also liked jet li's fist of legend.

**Jeff Burger** · 08-21-2004, 23:10

Fist of Legend is great.

My favorite Chuck Norris movies are Eye for and Eye and Lone Wolf Mc Quade (Texas ranger fights David Carradine at the end ... always wanted to see him get his butt kicked

)

Jeff

**reptilist** · 08-22-2004, 01:22

It is very good!

Kill Bill Vol. 1...pretty good.

Kill Bill Vol. 2...I thought it was lousy! Too much talk talk talk...
not enough fight.

**jukado1** · 08-22-2004, 18:44

The one that started it all, Billy Jack.
I'm going to take my right foot and kick you on the right side of your face and theres not a damn thing you can do to stop me.

**Cliff Hargrave** · 08-22-2004, 19:39

Hollywood looking to re-make it starring Keanu Reeves. I am sure they will screw it up like they did Walking Tall.

It's interesting to look at how the focus of movies changed back then. In 1967 "The Born Losers" came out Billy Jack was just a loner ex-GI who gets harassed by an evil, drug taking, biker gang

Then in 1971 when Billy Jack was released it was hippie, feel good, anti-establishment type flick.

I was born in 1966 so when I watch these movies now they are kind of funny.

I thought the two sequels after that, "The Trial of Billy Jack" and "Billy Jack goes to Washington" sucked.

Oh and Tom Laughlin is a strange guy. http://igoberserk.billyjack.com/

**reptilist** · 08-22-2004, 20:19

I love that line!
And..."I just go berserk!"
He was my first hero!

Now that you mention it, I have an urge to buy a Billy Jack T-shirt!

**moogong** · 08-22-2004, 20:53

I had alot of movies that inspired me to go into the martial arts but the one that I give the most credit to was "Berry Gordy's The Last Dragon". I was watching that movie with a friend of mine who studied karate and I was so impressed by Taimak that I asked him if his instructor would mind if I visited class. I really thought you had to be chosen to even stop by the dojo.

Since then, the movies that have inspired me to continue to train is:

Enter the Dragon
Rickson Gracie: Choke
Dragons of the Orient
Modern Warriors
Best of the Best
Black Mask
Above the Law ( I still love the opening scene in Seagal's dojo)
Fist of Legend
Passion of the Christ (I know it's a strange choice but it inspires me to see the pain one man can endure and hold to his convictions)

**Marco** · 08-23-2004, 07:38

hey..first of all hi, it's my first statement...

i just startet with kung fu and if there are films that made me curious about it then there are the jet li and j. chan films...i just like the way they combine old traditional thinkin and the fast world today..for example jet li playing the cop in kiss of the dragon and i'm really waiting for hero starting in theatres here..
by the way,crouching tiger, hidden dragon also impressed me..gave a little introduction into the "spirit" that we all just hear of =)

greetings from germany, marco blum

**Jeff Burger** · 08-23-2004, 08:25

I saw Hero about a year ago.

Jet Li has alot of movies out in China that havent come out here yet.

Jeff

**De_Franza** · 08-23-2004, 11:04

HA! How could I forget Billy Jack? My dad's name is Jack, and my parents almost named me William Jack De Franza, so the nickname would have been Billy Jack. (If they had, I might have started training younger, which I wish I had, but anyway)
Instead, I'm William Patrick D. "Billy Pat" doesn't sound nearly as badass.

**Luebbers** · 08-23-2004, 13:39

By the way, the documentary you were talking about is called Choke. It's about Rickson training to defend his title in the Japan Vale Tudo tournament and it is awesome. I highly recommend it for anyone who is a fan of BJJ or NHB tournaments. There are some pretty good fights that they show from the tournament. Gerard Gordeau (from the first UFC) is in it as well as this awesome little Japanese guy, Yuki Nakai.

**Gae-Bek** · 08-24-2004, 08:50

I'm with De Franza on a couple of these. I really loved The Karate Kid when it first came out (I was about 8 or 9). Who would've thought that washing cars could teach you Karate?

Another favorite of mine, was when I first started Martial Arts in 94, we'd always watch Best Of The Best. I still get chills every time I watch Tommy (Phillip Rhee) put that finishing combination on Dae-Han (Simon Rhee). That, and my friends and I have this running joke where we always say "NOOOO" just like James Earl Jones does at the end.

Probably one of my favorites is still Jeff Speakman's The Perfect Weapon. That movie just makes me want to walk into a dojang in Koreatown, find the toughest guy there (with his friends) and say I wonder if I could kick your ***. Wait...not just you...all THREE of you. That, and you've gotta love the McDojo comparison, in the scene where it shows Jeff going through the ranks, and getting a new belt color every 3 kicks or so.