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In the US perhaps, but I think that is largely because so many of the '80s and '90s flicks were so bad. People will only eat junk food for so long before they get sick of it.
But as soon as a good director comes along and makes a great martial arts movie, it will be a huge hit. The last time this happened in the U.S. was the year 2000:
David Mamet wrote and directed Redbelt (2008), which starred Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sonia Braga, Tim Allen and Joe Mantegna. I thought it was very well done, a pinch shy of excellent. It deserved a sizeable promotional push, but Redbelt is not an over-the-top action movie, so it didn't get it.
David Mamet wrote and directed Redbelt (2008), which starred Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sonia Braga, Tim Allen and Joe Mantegna. I thought it was very well done, a pinch shy of excellent. It deserved a sizeable promotional push, but Redbelt is not an over-the-top action movie, so it didn't get it.
The guy is an excellent writer/director and he focuses on realism and drama angle regardless of the genre of the movie. One of my all time favorite movies is also his, called Spartan with Val Kilmer. It is such a awesome movie, and definitely underrated.
Redbelt had a very good, a bit sad, story and definitely didn't focus on the action or flashy moves.
If you want those, then check out Scott Adkins as Boyka in Undisputed series.
To me, Redbelt was a MA movie for a mature audience, very similar to Kuro-Obi (Blackbelt) which is another favorite of mine.
David Mamet wrote and directed Redbelt (2008), which starred Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sonia Braga, Tim Allen and Joe Mantegna. I thought it was very well done, a pinch shy of excellent. It deserved a sizeable promotional push, but Redbelt is not an over-the-top action movie, so it didn't get it.
I've never even heard of it. I'll try to check it out. Thanks!
Martial arts go through/have gone through different periods of popularity. As martial arts wane in popularity, we see that change in the media as well.
Tae Kwon Do was very popular in the 1990s, and most classes everywhere had an adult class full of adults. Nowadays the majority of Tae Kwon DO schools I see have hardly any adults.
Currently, the current Art I would say is popular is either Brazilian Jujitsu and/or the eclectic style of "Mixed Martial Arts."
I would think we would see more of THAT in movies. But nothing I am aware of.
Martial arts go through/have gone through different periods of popularity. As martial arts wane in popularity, we see that change in the media as well.
Tae Kwon Do was very popular in the 1990s, and most classes everywhere had an adult class full of adults. Nowadays the majority of Tae Kwon DO schools I see have hardly any adults.
Currently, the current Art I would say is popular is either Brazilian Jujitsu and/or the eclectic style of "Mixed Martial Arts."
I would think we would see more of THAT in movies. But nothing I am aware of.
We need more Steven Seagal! LOL
Now since the BJJ guys won those first my martial arts style is greater than yours fights before the MMA rule changes came those teachers have an leg up to compete with the more visual Olympic sports. ON TV you often see a pair go down and one tries for an arm bar which is always countered before it can lock in
However rarely would the movies plots get down to exclusively one on one fights thus a lot of sport MMA and ground fighting doesn't work for the film hero. But I have recently seen a Korea series where the hero was a judo player and he was able to hold his own with gangster's flashier kicking and punching styles as he made a throw but released to take on another threat instead of going to BJJ.
I think we needed Jeff Speakman to keep making films
A friend of mine, trained in Karate is a Jeff Speakman fan. But I think he was only in 2 movies, correct?
Actually, Steven Seagal IS legit as a martial artist. And he showcased it well in his earliest films.
I personally think Steven Seagal struggles with some issues, perhaps deep mental health issues, and has not found more of the balance he may have had in his youth.
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