Martial Arts: 82

In the film John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017), directed by Chad Stahelski and written by Derek Kolstad, John finds his stolen Ford Mustang in the hands of Abram Tarasov, brother of Viggo who was killed in the first film. He goes on a violent rampage against Tarasov’s men, causing significant damage to his car. However, he spares Tarasov and returns home. John then takes his Mustang to be repaired by chop-shop owner Aurelio. Later on, he is visited by Santino D’Antonio, a crime boss from the Camorra who reminds him of the ‘impossible task’ that John ...

Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016) is an animated martial arts comedy brought to life by the collaborative efforts of DreamWorks Animation, China Film Group Corporation, Oriental DreamWorks, and Zhong Ming You Ying Film. The film follows Grand Master Oogway as he battles General Kai, a formidable spirit warrior yak who has stolen the chi of all the other deceased kung fu masters. Despite warning Kai about his eventual defeat at the hands of another, Oogway falls victim to the chi-stealing technique and Kai returns to the Mortal Realm. Meanwhile, after announcing his retirement from teaching, Master Shifu appoints Po as his successor. However, Po’s initial attempts at ...

Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Scroll (2016) is an animated short in the popular film series. Taking place before the third movie, it depicts Po’s father, Mr Ping, mistakenly giving away his toys of the Furious Five as bonus gifts to customers. As Po frantically searches for them, Oogway’s narration prompts a question about fate and coincidence. Set a decade prior to the original film, a young Tigress is training under Shifu but struggles to meet his strict expectations. When Master Oogway and Shifu order noodles from Mister Ping’s restaurant, Po (who is temporarily in charge) accidentally sneezes into Shifu’s bowl, resulting in him ...

Directed by Ryan Coogler and co-written by Aaron Covington, Creed (2015) is an American sports drama film that serves as the first spin-off in the Rocky franchise. Adonis ‘Donnie’ Johnson, the illegitimate son of former heavyweight champion Apollo Creed, meets his father’s widow Mary Anne while serving time in a Los Angeles youth detention center in 1998. Despite her initial reluctance, she offers to take him in. Fast forward to 2015 and Adonis is training for an amateur boxing bout in Tijuana. After returning from the fight, he quits his job at ...

The Equalizer (2014) is an American action-thriller directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by Richard Wenk. Robert McCall, a former U.S. Marine and DIA / DCS officer, now leads a quiet life in Boston, working at a hardware store and helping his colleague Ralphie train to become a security guard. Often unable to sleep, Robert spends late nights reading at an all-night diner, where he has befriended teenager Teri. They often discuss the books Robert has been reading and his goal of reading 100 books, which was also his late wife’s goal. One night, Teri reveals her real ...

Scooby-Doo! WrestleMania Mystery (2014) is an animated comedy mystery film and the twenty-second installment in the Scooby-Doo direct-to-video series. While out for a jog near WrestleMania, The Miz has an encounter with Kane and is later attacked by the Ghost Bear. Meanwhile, after conquering a challenging level on a WWE video game, Scooby-Doo and Shaggy win an all-expenses-paid trip to WWE City for WrestleMania. Fred, Daphne, and Velma reluctantly agree to accompany them. However, their arrival is marked by some mishaps as Fred narrowly avoids hitting a raccoon and their van ends up in a ditch. With help from wrestler John Cena and his trainer Cookie (and ...

John Wick (2014), an American action thriller film directed by Chad Stahelski and written by Derek Kolstad, tells the story of a grieving man in New York City. After the death of his wife Helen, John receives a beagle puppy from her to help him cope. However, a group of Russian gangsters led by Iosef Tarasov approach John at a gas station, attempting to intimidate him into selling them his prized 1969 Boss 429 Mustang. When their efforts fail, they break into John’s home, attacking him and ultimately killing the puppy while stealing the car. In an attempt to remove ...

Falcon Rising (2014) is an American action film directed by Ernie Barbarash. The protagonist, John ‘Falcon’ Chapman, is a former Marine with posttraumatic stress disorder. He finds himself in a convenience store during an attempted robbery and takes action to stop it. Afterward, his sister Cindy scolds him for not adhering to his medication regimen and informs him of her plans to return to Brazil, where she works for a non-profit organization. In the midst of this, he receives distressing news from his friend and veteran colleague Manny Ridley that his sister has been brutally attacked. Without hesitation, ...

The Expendables 3 (2014) is an American action film directed by Patrick Hughes and written by Creighton Rothenberger, Katrin Benedikt and Sylvester Stallone. Led by Barney Ross, the team of mercenaries includes Lee Christmas, Gunner Jensen, and Toll Road. They successfully extract their former member Doctor Death from a dictator’s fortress prison-camp while he is being transported on a train. Doctor Death, who specializes in medicine and knives, joins them to help ...

The American epic film, 300: Rise of an Empire (2014), directed by Noam Murro and written by Zack Snyder and Kurt Johnstad, retells the story of the Battle of Marathon. During this battle, King Darius of Persia is killed by Themistocles of Athens. Witnessing his father’s death, Darius’s son Xerxes is advised to avoid war with the Greeks. However, Artemisia, Darius’s naval commander, convinces Xerxes to become a god and sends him on a journey through the desert. After bathing in a mystical liquid in a cave, ...

The Indonesian action thriller, The Raid 2 (2014), was written, directed, and edited by Welsh filmmaker Gareth Evans. Following his successful takedown of his boss in the previous film, Rama’s brother seeks to help him take down Jakarta gang boss Andi. However, before they can do so, Andi is captured and executed by another criminal called Bejo. Meanwhile, Rama brings his injured squadmate Bowo and corrupt superior Lt. Wahyu to meet with Lt. Bunawar from the internal investigation unit. While Bunawar sends Bowo for treatment, he has Wahyu killed under the guise of keeping Rama safe from other corrupt officers. He ...

The film Machete Kills (2013) is an American action exploitation film, directed by Robert Rodriguez with a screenplay by Kyle Ward based on a story by Robert and Marcel Rodriguez. The movie follows Machete Cortez and agent Sartana Rivera as they attempt to stop corrupt military members from completing a weapons deal with a Mexican drug cartel. Despite their efforts, the gangsters are eliminated by another group of masked men led by a luchador-masked figure who tragically ...

47 Ronin (2013) is an American film set in feudal Japan. It tells the story of the forty-seven rōnin, a group of masterless samurai who sought revenge for their daimyō Asano Naganori’s death at the hands of his rival Kira Yoshinaka. The film, based on the Japanese legend of Chūshingura, was directed by Carl Rinsch and written by Chris Morgan and Hossein Amini from an idea by Morgan and Walter Hamada. In this ...

Man of Tai Chi (2013), directed by Keanu Reeves, tells the story of Hong Kong police officer Sun-Jing and his investigation into Donaka Mark’s illegal fighting operation. Donaka sets his sights on recruiting Tiger, a young working-class disciple of Tai Chi who is competing in a Wu Lin Wang Competition. Despite Donaka’s tempting offers of large sums of money, Tiger refuses to fight for him as it would compromise his honor. However, when inspectors declare Tiger’s Tai Chi temple unsafe and plan to demolish it, he decides to apply for historic protection status to save it. In order to repair the temple ...

Grudge Match (2013) is an American sports comedy film directed by Peter Segal. Two Pittsburgh boxers, Henry ‘Razor’ Sharp and Billy ‘The Kid’ McDonnen, were fierce rivals during their prime. Despite each having only one loss on their records, Kid defeating Razor in one fight and Razor defeating Kid in the other, they never had a chance for a rematch. When Razor suddenly retires without explanation, Kid is left infuriated and robbed of a big payday. Many years later, Razor finds himself short on cash and working at a shipyard when he is approached by promoter Dante Slate Jr., the son of the man ...

Philly Kid (2012) is an American drama film directed by Jason Connery and produced by After Dark Films. Written by Adam Mervis, the movie was shot in Baton Rouge, Louisiana starting in May 2011. Its production team included around ten department heads associated with the Wright State University film program or Dayton, Ohio. The film received an ‘R’ rating from MPAA and hit theaters on May 11, 2012. It was also part of the After Dark Action bundle and had a simultaneous video on demand release. While it received mixed reviews, Variety noted that it provided ...

The American action film, The Expendables 2 (2012), was directed by Simon West and written by Richard Wenk and Sylvester Stallone. Based on a story by Ken Kaufman, David Agosto, and Wenk, the movie follows the team of mercenaries as they are sent to Nepal to rescue a Chinese businessman being held by the Nepalese militia. This elite group is led by Barney Ross and includes Lee ...

Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness (2011–2016), an American animated TV comedy spin off from DreamWorks’s Kung Fu Panda films, serves as a link between the first and second films. It follows Po’s journey to becoming a successful Dragon Warrior. According to series creator Peter Hastings, the later series can be compared to a lengthy 3-D version of one of our episodes. Originally slated to air on Nickelodeon in 2010, it was rescheduled for 2011. The series premiered with a special preview on September 19, 2011 and became regular programming on November 7th. Three seasons were created until the ...

Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Masters (2011) is an animated short film from DreamWorks Animation. In the middle of the night, Master Po leads his fellow masters Tigress and Mantis on a secret mission to break into the new Masters’ Council exhibit in honor of Thundering Rhino, Ox, and Croc. Although Tigress and Mantis are initially frustrated with Po’s deception, he captures their attention with the intriguing tale of how these three masters first crossed paths. Long ago in Jinzhou, a city where Kung Fu was dominated by street fighting, Rhino, Ox and Croc were up-and-coming pit fighters who caught the eye of Grand Master Oogway. Recognizing their skill and ...

The animated martial arts comedy, Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011), was produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The rulers of Gongmen City, known as the peacocks, first created fireworks for peaceful purposes. However, their son, Lord Shen, discovered that gunpowder used in firecrackers could also be used as a weapon. Concerned about Shen’s fixation on this destructive potential, his parents consulted a soothsayer who predicted that his actions would ultimately be thwarted by a ‘warrior of black and white’. Upon hearing this prophecy, Shen concluded that the warrior would be a panda and ordered his wolf army to eradicate all ...