Need tips on martial arts screenplay

R

rc444

Well-known member
I'm writing a low budget martial arts digi feature. It's going to be a karate film.

There are several martial genres out there already:

- The boy overcomes all difficulties plot (Karate Kid)
- The epic martial arts film (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon)
- The slapstick martial arts film (any Jackie Chan film)

I don't want to write any of these films. I just want to write a gritty, urban karate flick with an 80s sensibility. Something similar in genre to Showdown in Little Tokyo. It's not going to be slapstick, but it's humour will be firmly tongue-in-cheek.

My question is:

What resources would anyone recommend that would be helpful in researching this type of film? Would anyone recommend any other good martial arts B movies from the 80s / early 90s?
 
Wow man, that sounds cool, something I would love to be involved in... I wish you the best with it.

Don't know if you ever seen "The Last Dragon" may not be a good reference for what ur lookin to do but it was a good film, check it out.
 
I could sort of recommend Big Trouble in Little China. I liked the whole ancient mystical side of it, like Golden Child with Eddie Murphey.
 
forgotten little movie with charles bronson called "hard times." also check out a brilliant honk kong flick called "the blade" which is a artsy/gritty adaptation of the one armed swordsman legend.
 
Since you're posting this on a DVX website, I'm going to steer clear of the obvious, bigger budget martial arts genre films.

A few martial arts films from the time period you mentioned that were notable to me include:

1. Night of the Warrior (Lorenzo Lamas)- sort of an arthouse martial arts film.

2. No Retreat, No Surrender (early Van Damme) - VERY low budget!

3. Excessive Force (Thomas Ian Griffith) - maybe because the acting was above par for the genre, but I thought this was a very underated sleeper for the time.
 
yeah and the opening sequence in the enormous tree is fantastic.
so many excellent sequences to mention. It's clean, raw and without any lame effects, if you're a fan of the genre then definately check it out.
 
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