Terrifying Dance of Death: Action Movies

[TooManySecrets]

Okay, I'm looking to see some action movies with some "elegant violence". 1) I like these type of movies and want to see some I haven't seen before and 2) I want to run a game with a similar aesthetic.

So, what exactly do I mean by "elegant violence"? I mean action movies where the action is like a ballet ... but with swords/guns/chainsaws/etc.

Examples:
The Killer
Kill Bill
Yojimbo
Equilibrium
The Matrix
The Professional
Serenity (re: River, at least)

Hopefully you get what I mean.

So, have you seen any other action films like these? Or any film which has an action scene like these?

(Man, I really want to play a game with martial art chainsaw fights now...)

[grolim]

Hero with Jet Li, definitely.
I liked 5th Element
And, ok not very dignified, but also Kung Fu Hustle.

[TheThan]

Off the top of my head:
The Transporter series
Hero
Crouching tiger, hidden dragon
The One

[TooManySecrets]

Aw man, you're right. Completely forgot about those.

Haven't seen Hero or Fifth Element in a while, but I remember them being like that. (Well, at least the parts with Leeloo in Fifth Element)

Lurve Kung Fu Hustle. The ending fight between Stephen Chow's character and the Axe Gang and the Beast definitely counts.


Transporter is up to 3 right now, correct? I saw the first one. It was good, but I don't remember it being "elegant action" (though action was very good). Does that change later on in the series and/or am I misremembering?

[Icewalker]

Now, in a rather brutal fashion, I think The Protector (Ong Bak) could qualify for this. Not as much as some, but it's viable.

And another vote for Hero, I'm not sure you'll get closer to what you're trying to see than that movie.

[comicshorse]

' Tiger on the Beat' climaxes with an excellent chainsaw duel between the hero and the main bad guy

'The Princes Bride' has probably the most stylish sowrd -fight ever ( and is just a great film anyway)

[13_CBS]

There are other Jet Li movies to consider. The One might suit your needs, along with Fearless. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRMKMGhwWxo)

Fearless is a little more on the realistic side of things than the usual high-flying Wushu or bullet-time stuff.

[Fri]

This. Absolutely watch this. Dunno whether you can find it though.

Absolutely one of my favourite action movies ever.

The Good, The Bad, The Weird (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SukNDHx4Qs8&feature=related)

It's a korean 'remake' of Sergio Leone's The Good, The Bad, The Ugly. Set in The Roaring Twenties.

Sergio Leone meet John Woo

In a movie with the biggest budget ever from Korea. Amazing stylized violence and freakin awesome soundtrack.

[Joran]

There's a Thai movie named Chocolate, available in Netflix and Blu-Ray. It has a whole lot of waif-fu but I'm not quite sure what you mean by "elegant". There's a lot of muay thai, with the requisite elbows to the head, kicks, and knees.

[BlackHearts09]

Romeo Must Die
Fearless
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon

[Brine]

A Clockwork Orange. An early scene where the Droogs face another gang in the midst of a *ahem* performance has some interesting choreography.

[Brewdude]

Hard Boiled: The first 15 minutes of this is the standard by which all other "gun ballet" sequences are measured.

Old Boy

[Bhu]

City of Violence

[Nerd-o-rama]

Add House of Flying Daggers to the Wuxia pile, even if the plot makes even less sense than Hero or CTHD.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Add House of Flying Daggers to the Wuxia pile, even if the plot makes even less sense than Hero or CTHD.

I never actually got a chance to see House of Flying Daggers, was it any good or a bust?

[Nerd-o-rama]

I liked the action, but I've pretty much completely forgotten the plot, if that tells you anything.

[CarpeGuitarrem]

Definitely gonna second Hero, Fearless, Crouching Tiger, etc. I LOVE Wushu films, especially because there's generally way more to them than just the action.