The Art of Action: Martial Arts in Motion Picture

I love my martial art films and the made-for-television documentary "Martial Arts in Motion Picture" that was hosted / narrated by Samuel L Jackson made for a light, but entertaining viewing. Maybe a little uneven in its vast context by trying to squeeze so much in, while sometimes wallowing on certain aspects /stars / films more so than some other deserving enterprises. So much is not touched upon, which can be disappointing if you're looking for a very in-depth analysis on the genre but at only 100 minutes is there was going to be plenty of significant topics on the cutting room floor. I didn't care all that much for the contemporary Hollywood influences (e.g. "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon", "The Matrix", "Rush Hour 2"and "Charlie's Angels,") and the segments touching upon them. I got more out of the passages showcasing the pioneers of the genre focusing on Peking Opera's involvement and its gelling with the Shoalin temple. The interviews and footage were great though --- some rare shots too. Plenty of dynamically righteous combat on show. It was a treat. Especially seeing some of the silent features were interesting. There it looked at the influence and importance women had --- and how kung-fu were performed by actors and it wasn't until later on when professional martial arts students were used. Then it would focus upon instrumental factors including Bruce Lee (an iconic figure around the world), Shaw Brothers productions, and producer Raymond Chow, Sammo Hung, Jackie Chan (with his knack for humour) and John Woo. Unfortunately they only mentioned / showed Woo's American efforts "Face/Off" and "Mission Impossible II". There are a whole lot of riveting thoughts / interviews by the likes of Pei-pei Cheng, Chia Hui Liu, Stanley Tong, Cynthia Rothrock, David Carradine, Steven Segal (which his work isn't even mentioned or shown) and Ronny Yu. It's a curious look at the evolution of the experimental styles through the decades, but the spirit, the discipline and innovation remains intact within each new wave. Like they mention it's not just about fighting, it's a way of life and those concerned passionately embrace it.

The Art of Action (2002) is one of the better documentaries on martial arts movies but is certainly not as good as it could be. It features many interesting interviews from legends of the genre including Sammo Hung, John Woo, Lau-kar Lung, David Carradine and even producer Raymond Chow. One of the best aspects of this documentary is that it includes numerous film clips and other rare footage, all nicely remastered and shown in the original widescreen format. Samuel L. Jackson was perhaps not the best choice for narrating the film but does a solid job.

The Art of Action is a nice introduction to the martial arts genre but is vastly incomplete. A nice history of the origins of martial arts film is given, from the Peking Opera influence through the Wong Fei Hung years. The film unbelievably glances over the genre's glory days of the 1970's and 1980's. Rather than exploring many of the legendary and popular films of the kung fu era, the documentary focus on a few (2 maybe) select films and actors. A chapter is given to Bruce Lee which provides some insight into his films and his impact on the genre. In a rare and interesting TV interview, a charismatic Bruce Lee explains his fighting philosophy. A chapter is also dedicated to Jackie Chan which discusses his career from his beginnings in the Peking Opera school to some of his more recent successes in the U.S. Not much time is given to the great Sammo Hung. Jet Li and legendary choreographer Yuen Wo Ping are also briefly mentioned. Some analysis was given to the career of director John Woo but was a little disappointing. They mentioned only in passing his classic Hong Kong bullet ballets and only showed clips from "Face Off" and "Mission Impossible 2." Much of the remainder of the film focused on modern movies, especially "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon." The film dwells on it for over 6 minutes! The documentary wastes a lot of time by mentioning contemporary films influenced by the martial arts genre like "Charlie's Angels," "the Matrix" and even "Shrek". Inexplicably there is no mention of Steven Segal, Jean-Claude Van Damme or Chuck Norris and their real martial arts influenced Hollywood films.

The Art of Action covers a lot of ground in only 90 minutes and does not get to go into much detail. Many classic films and legendary performers are not even mentioned in this documentary. There is no mention of actors like Hwang Jang Lee, Sonny Chiba, Dorian Tan, Alexander Fu Sheng or John Liu. There is also no mention of the independent film companies like Seasonal Films. The film was co-written by Keith Clarke and Christopher Sliney. The writing was not real strong and probably could have been done better by Richard Meyers or Bey Logan.

As a huge fan of the martial arts genre I was a little disappointed in the Art of Action. I felt it was incomplete and deficient in telling the whole story of the martial arts genre. It gives a nice history and background to the genre but does not focus on the all the great films that made it a worldwide phenomena. The Art of Action is a nice introduction to the genre for novice fans but may be disappointing for die hard fans seeking more in-depth analysis.

Film clips/Rare footage: 8/10

Depth/Analysis: 6/10

Overall: 7/10

This documentary uses the term "martial arts" very loosely, as the main focus is on the Chinese martial art kung fu (with only a small part dedicated to Japanese director Akira Kurosawa,) while some major stars from karate and muay thai movies (specifically, Sonny Chiba and Tony Jaa) are not mentioned whatsoever. However, kung fu has been the prevailing martial art in cinema, and the main point seems to be a historical progression from the origin of martial arts movies to their use in today's American films. So, because the emphasis is on telling the story of how The Matrix and Face/Off (and more ridiculously, Charlie's Angels and Exit Wounds) came to use "martial arts", the gaps in history are forgivable. This incidentally also makes Samuel Jackson a fairly perfect narrator. The documentary progresses mainly through segments on each major kung fu icon in the history of cinema, and gives a fairly basic overview. If you have any prior knowledge of the history, there may not be a lot of information you don't already know. Also, John Woo gets his own segment in which he is called a "serious filmmaker." Please ignore this. While John Woo movies can be fun, he has no business being talked about in a movie about martial arts. Basically, if you're an American who wants to understand the history of kung fu in movies, or if you're wondering if there's any job Samuel L. Jackson won't say yes to, this doc is definitely worth checking out.

As a fan of kung fu movies, I enjoyed this trip through the ages of kung fu movies. Yeah, the title would have you believe the documentary is about action films in general, but it's not. It would have you believe it's about martial arts films in general, but - as before - it's not. They're really just focused on the kung fu movies that came out of Hong Kong, and other films influenced from those.

The film is "hosted" by Samuel L. Jackson, but I sure don't know why. He doesn't have the credentials to lend anything to the narration. And his taped narrative segments were awkward, read from a teleprompter, and distractingly shot by someone with an infatuation with gratuitous camera movement. The production company could've saved a lot of money by hiring a film historian to just narrate from a static angle or all in voice-over.

This film was a gift from a friend who found it in the bargain bin at the video store for $3, so I guess it's worth that. But don't pay $20 for it. I'll give it a 4 out of 10.

A look at the history of martial arts films from their Chinese roots to the present, presented by Samuel L. Jackson.

First of all, I love the connection between martial arts and the films of Harold Lloyd and Buster Keaton. There is definitely a slapstick element that runs through these films, and to see that there were some direct homages really warms my heart.

Speaking more broadly, this is an excellent primer. Really being exposed to film in the 1990s, the influx of "kung fu" into mainstream film happened without context. It was not until much later that I learned about the Shaw Brothers and any of that history. The martial arts genre is so huge that it is hard to know here to begin, but this documentary makes a great road map for those just getting on the highway.