Consider: When Bruce Lee enchanted the world with Fist of Fury in 1972, he gave legitimacy to kung fu cinema, as well as a sense of identity to Asian-Americans and Chinese. Lee, while living and after passing, has done more to spread martial arts than anyone in history. In my book, that makes him the GOAT, the greatest of all time, in the martial arts world, and via several projects inspired by him, he managed to counter the rat that was 2020. Specifically, he did this through Enter the Fat Dragon, Paper Tigers, Be Water and the work that will be covered here: the poignant second season of Warrior.
Season 2 shocked the psyche of viewers with snippets of forgotten Chinese-American history that rival the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II and the lynching of Blacks in the deep South. Sobering scenes in the season’s final two episodes manifested into a longtime-coming climax that had powerful fight scenes filled with pride-inducing symbolism. It was as compelling as it was moving.
One such scene is a re-enactment of when whites and Mexicans mass-lynched Chinese in 1871 in Los Angeles — when killing a Chinese national resulted in nothing more severe than a $12 fine. When Warrior recreated this Chinatown, it had two tongs unite to defend their people against a rampaging mob made up of bashing and mashing “fighting Irish” workers who had been incited by white government officials.
In the Cinemax series, Andrew Koji, who plays Ah Sahm, ponders that as human beings, we’re all looking for peace and happiness. Sadly, the closest the character gets to that is in Episode 5 in Season 1, when he samples a simple life and his heart longs to have a family.
Denne historien er fra February/March 2020-utgaven av Black Belt.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra February/March 2020-utgaven av Black Belt.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
HOW TO CREATE A MARTIAL ART CASE STUDY: COMBAT HAPKIDO
On October 22, 2022, the International Combat Hapkido Federation celebrated its 30th anniversary. As you might expect, we're proud of our organization's longevity, stability and success.
MARTIAL ARTS ANATOMY 101
PHYSIOLOGY OF THE LIVER SHO
LOCK UP
THE CLINCHING LESSONS TAUGHT IN THE ANCIENT GREEK MARTIAL ART OF PANKRATION ARE STILL RELEVANT - AND EFFECTIVE!
KILLER CHARACTER ACTOR
When Scott Adkins Isn't Headlining His Own Action Movies Like \"Boyka: Undisputed,\" He's Stealing Scenes in Blockbusters Like \"John Wick\" and \"Ip Man\"!
A DEEP DIVE WITH BENNY URQUIDEZ
Few fighters have a reputation as formidable and a record as impressive as Benny “The Jet” Urquidez. As you will see, his path from the traditional martial arts to full contact and then to kickboxing had more than its share of bumps.
PRE-EMPTIVE STRIKES: THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY, PART 1
In my six previous columns, pre-emptive striking featured prominently.
THE DAY JUJITSU DIED
Let us look at one historical instance that illuminates a lesson in task saturation, or what Miyamoto Musashi called \"sword flowers.\"
WHERE ARE THEY NOW? GUY MEZGER: FROM MMA FIGHTER TO HEALER
To be successful in mixed martial arts nowadays, you need an all-around game.
KILLER INSTINCT
It's not the size of the woman in the fight but the size of the fight in the woman.
HAPKIDO'S BONG SOO HAN: THE MAKING OF A MARTIAL ARTS LEGEND
Much has been written about Bong Soo Han (1933-2007), his career as a hapkido master and his connection to the Billy Jack films.
