What is the most impressive acrobatic feat you've seen in a movie? [Archive]

The Dragon

07-30-2008, 04:54 AM

Pick any one of many from Jackie Chan from his younger days...

The upside down sit-ups, filling the water vats with small tea cups in Fearless Hyena
The fan fight from The Young Master
Jumping from one building through the window of another across the street in Rumble in The Bronx
Sliding down the Mall light pole in Police Story
Allowing Hwang Cheng Li and Wang Ing Sik to kick him, FULL CONTACT in Drunken Master and The Young Master

I know there's a guy out there named Jaa, however, JC was on the scene first.

Shall I go on?

P.S. A small footnote: Bruce Lee's eight consecutive kicks in the Japanese Dojo scene in Fist of Fury, was an athletic feat never performed on film before, and if you watch it in slow motion on your DVD player you can see the sheer acuracy that made it so effortless, and realistic.

thehangman

07-30-2008, 09:00 AM

Some of yuen biaos stuff is amazing the kick in twinkle twinkle comes to mind and the rooftop fight with Dick wei in millioniares express.

kingofkungfu2002

07-30-2008, 12:12 PM

And Biao's flip from the burning building in Millionaire's Express :eek:

silver hermit

07-30-2008, 02:31 PM

ridley tsui's bridge stunt in angel enforcers just mad!!!

CrazyFrog

07-31-2008, 12:28 AM

Hsaio Ho's training scenes in Mad Monkey Kung Fu- especially on the ropes!!

jiujitsu77

07-31-2008, 02:12 AM

james ryan in kill or be killed

operation scorpion just looked hard to do as well

don't think it was acrobatics as much as just human ability to move like that . either way hard to do

Yi-Long

07-31-2008, 06:01 PM

The marketchase in Ong-bak is just amazing and full of great moments and acrobatics.

AlbertV

08-01-2008, 12:17 AM

james ryan in kill or be killed

James ryan was actually doubled for most of the acrobatic scenes by Derrick Lotz, who played the karate fighter in New York who tells Chico he joined Miyagi's team.

Scott Adkins' rainbow kick in Undisputed 2, Special Forces, and The Shepherd looks great.

Erik Betts is also a great wushu stylist with fantastic acrobatic skills. In a fight scene in Shootfighter, he just goes from one flip to a backflip-kipup combination pretty damn quick.

Tosh

08-01-2008, 03:01 AM

Hsaio Ho's training scenes in Mad Monkey Kung Fu- especially on the ropes!!

That double flip he does before he goes off on the tree is one of my favorites.

Jaa did some amazing acrobatics in Ong Bak.

Of course the main three Venoms always did some great stuff.

KUNG FU BOB

08-01-2008, 03:22 AM

Right off the top of my head...

1. Yuen Biao's 10 consecutive flips in KNOCKABOUT, and his jump rope training scene.

2. Phillip Kwok's training scene from CRIPPLED AVENGERS where he's jumping through the hoops.

3. Yuen Biao three amazing moves during the catwalk fight from DRAGONS FOREVER- the backflip over the guy (shot from above), the move where he goes out between the catwalk rails and swings back in, and his dive through the broken plate glass window without so much as skimming a shard.

4. Yuen Biao's jump off of the burning building in MILLIONAIRE'S EXPRESS.

5. The little kid's Drunken Mantis moves in THUNDERING MANTIS.

6. Tony Jaa running up and flipping off the wall (about 5 different ways) in TOM YUM GOONG.

That's all I can think of.:D

jiujitsu77

08-01-2008, 03:29 AM

James ryan was actually doubled for most of the acrobatic scenes by Derrick Lotz, who played the karate fighter in New York who tells Chico he joined Miyagi's team.

Scott Adkins' rainbow kick in Undisputed 2, Special Forces, and The Shepherd looks great.

Erik Betts is also a great wushu stylist with fantastic acrobatic skills. In a fight scene in Shootfighter, he just goes from one flip to a backflip-kipup combination pretty damn quick.

dammit i cant even sneak in a sarcastic joke about james ryan. you guys are way too good.......but lotz was damn impressive

niro

08-02-2008, 11:10 AM

I would put lot of Yuen Biao's kicks and Jackie Chan's stunts when he was younger and not tied down by stupid insurance companies.

But at moment scenes that stick with me are Tony Jaa's...there's one scene where he kicks out a streetlight which is double his height directly above him

Endsang

08-02-2008, 04:40 PM

Other than the ones mentioned...

- Hsiao Ho's gymnastics in the end fight of LADY IS THE BOSS
- Kuo Chui, Lu Feng and Chiang Sheng in DAREDEVILS

Jumping from one building through the window of another across the street in Rumble in The Bronx

Wasn't that Stanley Tong?

KUNG FU BOB

08-02-2008, 07:58 PM

Wasn't that Stanley Tong?

It sure was. They knew JC was capable of the stunt, but they also knew that with all of his long history of injuries the possibility of him getting hurt wasn't worth the risk of having to shut down production. So the director stepped up (as only a HK director can!) and did the stunt. Of course, a few days later JC's toe bone tore through his skin and his ankle snapped while jumping onto the hovercraft! :eek:

gravedigger666

08-02-2008, 08:12 PM

But at moment scenes that stick with me are Tony Jaa's...there's one scene where he kicks out a streetlight which is double his height directly above him
Not only that,tom yum is filled olympic medal stuff like jumping easily over a car.But on more down to earth stuff in same movie that capoeira guy does some nice kicks while walking with hands.

ekisha

08-02-2008, 08:33 PM

Hsiao Ho in Lady Is The Boss,My Young Auntie,Mad Monkey Kung Fu
Yuen Biao in Righting Wrongs,Shanghai Express
Lu Feng,Chian Sheng and Philip Kwok in Dare Devils.

i think it's enough.
________
LovelyWendie (http://www.lovelywendie99.com/)

Chinatown Kid

08-03-2008, 12:50 AM

Aside from the ones already mentioned, I was always impressed with Yuen Wah's doubling of Bruce in ETD, the flips over the Monks and also the backflip when Bob Wall grabs Bruce's foot.

Jstn

08-03-2008, 03:32 AM

Kim Won Jin in 'Operation Scorpio' was pretty impressive, although; i'm not certain as to how much wiring was used.

The Dragon

08-03-2008, 03:35 AM

On the documentary Bruce Lee in G.O.D. Yuen Wah talks about his work with the other HK stunt team, and in the doc on a Fortune Star disc he states they were in competition over who could do the somesault with one hand, backwards. He said he was the best out of them all, and Bruce chose him to be his acrobatic double because their physiques were similar.

Bus

08-03-2008, 03:36 AM

in above the law-righting wrongs when yuen biao is fighting cynthia rothrock and jumpin all over the place and he flips in da chair was pretty amazing along with his prior jump rope antics

KUNG FU BOB

08-03-2008, 05:04 AM

Kim Won Jin in 'Operation Scorpio' was pretty impressive, although; i'm not certain as to how much wiring was used.

You know this guy started imitating stuff he saw in HK movies ever since he was little. He didn't realize that they used wires, so he actually taught himself to do a bunch of stuff that nobody can do without wires! :eek: He made a demo tape with some friends as a way to try to get into the movies, and it's included on the HKL's version of OPERATION SCORPIO (they released it as THE SCORPION KING). It's only about two minutes long, but I love that footage! There's one move he does where he's walking on his hands and hops forward- staying in the handstand position. It's really cool.

I thought he was going to be HUGE after this movie, but he got Hepatitus and was really sick for a long time. He did show up in a couple movies after that. I thought his fight as a baddy at the start of CHINA STRIKE FORCE chased to and fights on bus or truck) was cool.

gravedigger666

08-03-2008, 05:34 AM

I do not have HKL version of operation scorpio,just aus.But I guess he can do as good aerial movements as wushu champions from china.

KUNG FU BOB

08-03-2008, 05:51 AM

I wonder if that Won Jin demo is on You Tube somewhere?

andy338

08-03-2008, 02:12 PM

I love this demo reel too, another guy who surprised me with his acrobatics was Fan Siu Wong (story of ricky), there was a demo on the hkl release where he showed his impressive wushu skills but i don't have the dvd any more, can anybody post a link too it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxagfNWeo6A

also does anybody remember a demo tony jaa did where he showed off his drunken boxing, it was great to see him execute wushu moves including a perfect butterfly twist, again if anybody can post it it'd be cool. It was possibly included on a dvd release of one of his very early thai movies but i can't remember which.

Jstn

08-03-2008, 04:40 PM

Blood Sword

01-20-2010, 06:29 PM

Leap from rooftop@cat vs rat was amazing,if not wires used(and I think not)goes beyond everything I have seen.It looks sooo easy...

Tosh

01-20-2010, 07:41 PM

Man that Won Jin footage is something else, shame to hear about his health, I always wondered why he wasn't in anything else(that I've see).

Lee Yi Min has always impressed me to, he was pretty agile especially in the Joseph Kuo movies.

AlbertV

01-20-2010, 10:38 PM

I just thought of another acrobatic feat

Meng Yuen-Man doing those consecutive flips at the finale of The Master Strikes before he clutches onto Ching Siu-Tung.

KyFi

01-21-2010, 01:24 AM

I also have to go with Yuen Biao doing the cartwheel off the 3 story building in Millionaire's Express---and not only that, but as the camera keeps rolling he gets up and delivers his line, too! :tongue:

odioustrident

01-21-2010, 03:20 AM

Aside from the ones already mentioned, I was always impressed with Yuen Wah's doubling of Bruce in ETD, the flips over the Monks and also the backflip when Bob Wall grabs Bruce's foot.

I didn't know about that doubling, but it makes perfect sense when you see Yuen Wah's moves in Coward Bastard (assuming he isn't doubled in that film himself). He does all of the evasive flips (sometimes on one hand!) that Jackie was doing in the same period, but at this insane speed I don't think I had ever seen before. Not sure if those moves were undercranked, but they demand rewinding.

Blood Sword

01-21-2010, 05:31 AM

I didn't know about that doubling, but it makes perfect sense when you see Yuen Wah's moves in Coward Bastard (assuming he isn't doubled in that film himself). He does all of the evasive flips (sometimes on one hand!) that Jackie was doing in the same period, but at this insane speed I don't think I had ever seen before. Not sure if those moves were undercranked, but they demand rewinding.
I do not remember where which magazine it was but in interview with Yuen Wah said Bruce was practicing flipping also because he did not like thing use stuntman to replace him.

shapes

01-21-2010, 09:06 AM

for me the best was Currry (劉秋生) does that free cartwheel off the tower whilst on fire in the end fight in Encounter of a spooky kind

2nd, Lee Hai Hsing doubleing (ALan Hsu or Alex Lo i forget which one it was) in Shaolin V ninja where he did 3 free cartwheels down the shaolin temple stone stairs

3rd (think it was Peter chen or Stumpy did a free cartwheel off a hill in 72 desperate rebles

LiuBei

01-22-2010, 02:04 AM

Jackie Chan's light pole slide in Police Story is hard to beat in my opinion. It's absolutely balls out the scariest looking thing ever and there's about a million and one things that could have gone wrong there.

I've seen "making of" scenes and you notice how high up it is (70 ft) and how far the pole is from the rail where he jumps from. Plus they didn't know for sure that the lights wouldn't tangle him up. Also the last fall where he had to go through the wooden gazebo part is pretty scary too.

thehangman

01-22-2010, 10:09 AM

Yuen Biaos flip off the building in millionaires express takes some beating.
Yuen wah in an awesome acrobat,ive read that he was the best at acrobatics at the peking opera school while he was there.
also yuen biaos flipping in Knockabout is also great to watch.

vbs85

01-22-2010, 11:47 AM

It sure was. They knew JC was capable of the stunt, but they also knew that with all of his long history of injuries the possibility of him getting hurt wasn't worth the risk of having to shut down production. So the director stepped up (as only a HK director can!) and did the stunt. Of course, a few days later JC's toe bone tore through his skin and his ankle snapped while jumping onto the hovercraft! :eek:

The script called for a leap from the top of a parking lot to a fire escape on the floor below on the building across the street. As is his custom, director Stanley Tong attempted the stunt before asking any actors to do so. He tried it with the help of a cable harness, but quickly decided it would be safer without the harness. The landing point was not visible from the point where the jump began, so tape was placed on the take-off point as a guide. The jump was completed perfectly by 'Chan, Jackie' on the first attempt, doing his own stunts as is his custom. The jump was captured by four cameras.
(http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113326/trivia)

Drunken Monk

01-22-2010, 04:12 PM

As well as Yuen Biao, Lee Yi Min has a talent for doing a number of back flips on the spot.

D1 Ma

01-23-2010, 12:06 AM

Kim Wong Jin doing some insane roundkick using both legs in Women On the Run
Casanova Wong doing three aerial kicks and knoking down the fourth guy on the landing in The Master Strikes.
Yuen Biao delivering fancy kick to Philip Ko in Twinkle Twinkle Lucky stars(well, I think lots of Biao's stunts and acrobatics qualify)
Chin Kar Lok doubling for Billy Chow delivers very good windmill kick in Paper marriage

odioustrident

01-23-2010, 12:27 AM

I really hope someone has seen this so I know I'm not crazy. There was a youtube video that had some South Asian (maybe Thai?) people jumping off a building very similar in height to the one in Millionaire's Express. There may have been two or three people
each doing the jump multiples times... and they didn't roll, it was just a straight landing on their feet!!! I remember their knees and/or ass hit the ground pretty hard after the shock was absorbed by their legs. They all wore headbands and some memorable clothing; I'm almost positive one of them was a girl, although I couldn't tell until the end. One of the sweetest things I have ever seen; I hope someone backs me up on this or even provides a link.

BaronK

01-23-2010, 12:56 AM

LiuBei

01-24-2010, 03:29 AM

Why are people naming stunts as acrobatic feats? Sliding down a pole isn't acrobatic. Dropping off the top of a building is a stunt.
The original poster named an acrobatic feat(singular action) that happened in one take. Many of the replies don't really fall in line with that. Most people are just naming stuff.
While not from any movie, i consider these acrobatic feats.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MeiwLLZjDo&feature=related
I disagree the pole slide in Police Story was very much acrobatic because he had to time everything correctly or risk grave personal injury.

Also, that Damien Walters guy is good but he's more or less an amateur gymnast and an Olympic gymnast can do everything he can except far better.

BaronK

01-24-2010, 07:13 AM

I posted the link to show what i would consider acrobatics. Acrobatic feats. I could give a damn if he's an olympian or not. He could be my neighbor, his rank in life is insignificant. He's dope.
So, sliding down a pole for Chan is acrobatic, but a stunt in Hollywood? What would be the difference, if any? I don't see any acrobatic movement or feat. He's sliding down a pole and crashiing through some wood(real or fake). Were the stuntmen that fell off of rooftops onto pads in the old cowboy movies doing acrobatic feats? I'm trying to understand your particular defiintion. I'm not seeing what you're saying. It's an acrobatic feat to you and not a stunt, because he had to time it?
I consider this acrobatics
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jr5zi89kyA&feature=player_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hU9oihoytjU&feature=player_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0qEEv43GDc&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I28UXAknyhE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JogkyQJ8y74&feature=related

Of course there's more to acrobatics than just flips but as you read the original poster's mentioned feat was a flip.

Asmo

01-24-2010, 08:42 AM

Yuen wah in an awesome acrobat,ive read that he was the best at acrobatics at the peking opera school while he was there.

According to Jackie's book, during handstand practice Yuen Wah once fell asleep upside down. He would have to had great skills even then to withstand that.

AbeRudder

01-24-2010, 08:59 AM

Also, that Damien Walters guy is good but he's more or less an amateur gymnast and an Olympic gymnast can do everything he can except far better.

I disagree, that bloke can tumble with the best of them. Hes not amateur btw he has competed in world championships before.

According to Jackie's book, during handstand practice Yuen Wah once fell asleep upside down. He would have to had great skills even then to withstand that.

Its a shame he didnt show off his acrobatic skills more often, in Coward Bastard he did some wicked acrobatics.

One of the most impressive moves ive seen in a movie was the double arabian front on dirt in Of Cooks and Kung Fu, which was done by Wu Hao who doubled for Jacky Chen.

odioustrident

01-24-2010, 01:06 PM

Why are people naming stunts as acrobatic feats? Sliding down a pole isn't acrobatic. Dropping off the top of a building is a stunt.
The original poster named an acrobatic feat(singular action) that happened in one take. Many of the replies don't really fall in line with that. Most people are just naming stuff.
While not from any movie, i consider these acrobatic feats.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MeiwLLZjDo&feature=related

Yeah when I saw people naming stunts I figured I would too. It is safe to say most or many stuntmen in Hong Kong have an acrobatic background, at the least the Jackie Chan generation.

CDiablo

01-25-2010, 02:29 AM

I assume none of you kung fu nerds havent seen the action epic Gymkata (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089243/). There is all kinds of acrobatics in that movie in the most inappropriate places.

blue_skies

03-16-2010, 08:46 PM

as has been mentioned many times Tony Jaa and Yuen Biao have performed so many fantastic acrobatic feats it's impossible to just pick one.

I'd also like to mention the big fella, Sammo, was particularly nimble in his younger days. For someone so portly he could surely pull off some amazing sequences.

I disagree, that bloke can tumble with the best of them. Hes not amateur btw he has competed in world championships before.

.

You realise he could well have been an amateur performing in world championships? I think you'll find that there's an extremely large percentage of athletes and gymnasts who trained around regular jobs, thus amateurs.

BaronK

05-01-2010, 10:00 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNvJy0zoXOY&feature=player_embedded

The Dragon

05-02-2010, 03:15 AM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNvJy0zoXOY&feature=player_embedded

:ooh::nerd:

thedirtytiger

05-02-2010, 03:55 AM

Thanks to Shapes ( thanks ;) ) I once saw a clip from a Peking opera where a guy did this thing, I don't know what it's called but you grab your left foot with your right hand to make a ring, then you hop through the ring with your leg. I saw this guy do it 14 times in quick succession. Mad skills !!! Try it yourself and see if you can do it. Even acrobatic flippers have trouble with that move, I bet Tony Jaa couldn't do that :smile:. BTW I have Gymkata and it's actually quite good.