The Ultimate Movie Binge: Jawbreaker!

Each month the Cinelinx staff will write a handful of articles covering a specified film-related topic. These articles will be notified by the Movielinx banner. Movielinx is an exploration and discussion of our personal connections with film. This month, we're picking our favorite films for binge watching. We'll suggest a theme and the four movies we think would be most enjoyable to watch back-to-back while being related to this theme. 

Binge watching TV shows is fun way to spend an afternoon, and it can work equally well for movies. While it may be fun to watch all the films in a trilogy or franchise, it can be equally entertaining to watch if they are not directly related but have a common theme or idea. Binge watching can be a way to re-watch the films of your favorite genre, or get caught up on films that you haven’t gotten around to seeing, but everyone tells you that you should. If you’re snowed in for a day, sick, or maybe just don’t feel like getting up off the couch, then movie binge watching can be a somewhat productive way to spend the day.

When selecting movies to binge watch, the most important thing is to make sure that you will never be bored. This can be accomplished by finding movies that you’ve never seen before (and therefore they will be a new experience), or by selecting movies that are very engaging. Furthermore, you need a good theme. When you are binge watching a TV show, you get connected to the characters and the themes. Watching something else just isn’t appealing. The same characters are not always possible when binge watching movies, but common themes is something that can be accomplished if you plan accordingly.

With this thought in mind, I’ve made a selection of action films that focus on hand-to-hand combat. These films are rough, dynamic, and full of gritty violence. They celebrate the awesomeness that is martial arts and showcase some of the best filmmakers and actors to do it onscreen. So, if you’re enjoying a lazy day at home, this is definitely one collection of movies that will keep you engaged and entertained. Enjoy!

Movie # 1: Enter the Dragon

 The Premise: Bruce Lee plays a martial-arts expert determined to help capture the narcotics dealer whose gang was responsible for the death of his sister. Lee enters a kung fu competition in an attempt to fight his way to the dealer's headquarters with the help of some friends.

The Reasoning: What can I say about this movie? It needs no introduction, no reasoning for its selection in this group. To put it simply, Enter the Dragon is a classic. Among the best (if not THE best) of the 70’s Kung-Fu flicks, this one featured the great Bruce Lee at the height of his short career. Although it is brutal, straightforward, and brash, this film is truly an artistic expression. There’s just a certain enjoyment you get from watching Bolo Yeung breaking people’s backs with his knee, and Bruce Lee annoying his opponent by repeatedly smacking and kicking him in the face (it also features Jackie Chan in an early role, see if you can spot him). It shows off some of the finest martial arts ever seen onscreen before or since, and it delivered its action with an excitement that wouldn’t be matched again until increased production values gave birth to blockbuster films in the 1990’s. Sure, it’s not the most exciting or meaningful film on this list, but what it does it does very well. This one doesn’t start things out with a bang, it starts things out with an explosion of fury

Movie #2: The Raid: Redemption

The Premise: A rookie member of an elite team of commandos, Rama (Iko Uwais) is instructed to hang back while his comrades-in-arms go ahead with their mission to take down a brutal crime lord called Tama (Ray Sahetapy). However, the team's cover is blown, and Tama offers sanctuary to every criminal in his high-rise apartment block in exchange for the cops' heads. Now Rama must take command and lead his remaining team on an ultraviolent charge through the building to complete -- and survive -- the mission.

The Reasoning: The premise of the film is straightforward, the acting borders on cheesy, and the production can be lacking at times. However, despite these faults, The Raid is a modern masterpiece. It’s all about the execution, or, to be more precise, the ultra-violent action. This is a film that holds nothing back. If Enter The Dragon shows off hand-to-hand combat as a piece of art, The Raid utilizes it like an addictive drug. Right from the start, the film is unrelenting and brutal. The best part is that although we’ve seen plenty of martial arts films before, The Raid showed them to us with a slightly different perspective. It is a member of a new wave of martial arts flicks that are designed to appeal to the video game generation rather than their parents. Therefore, it takes pride in its stylized bloody violence, and we’re waiting on the edge of our seats for more.

Movie #3: The Raid 2 (aka The Raid: Berendal)

The Premise: After surviving a bloody fight with powerful gangsters, Jakarta cop Rama (Iko Uwais) thinks he can resume a normal life. However, his exploits during that fateful incident have attracted the attention of criminals even more deadly than the last. His family at risk, Rama has no choice but to go under cover. He gets himself thrown in prison, where he befriends the son of a prominent crime kingpin. Rama must lay his own life on the line to finally destroy the criminal empire.

The Reasoning: Did you say you wanted more? Well, lucky for you, The Raid has a sequel. Even better, that sequel is better than the original film. The Raid 2 takes what was so successful in The Raid and turns it up a few notches. Most importantly, it’s the story that gets more effort, and as a result, you have a more well-rounded film. Think of it as a Indonesian version of The Godfather, but with death-defying stunts and brutal bone-crushing fight sequences. Those of you who like the films of Tarantino will appreciate what the Raid 2 has to offer. Furthermore, as part of a movie binge session, in addition to a little continuity among the films, you want to make sure that there are no lulls within which you might lose interest. The Raid 2 is very engaging. And even if you don’t want to follow the story, just enjoy the action.

Movie #4: The Legend of Drunken Master (aka Drunken Master II)

The Premise: From a land where honor and tradition reign, comes the legend of a martial-arts hero unlike any other -- the "Drunken Master" -- who can turn just one drink into devastation and humiliation for his enemies. His technique is fast, furious... and powerfully funny

The Reasoning: This is my favorite martial arts film, because it’s the one I enjoyed watching the most. To sum it up, its pure entertainment. No, it doesn’t have a meaningful or coherent story, and the english dub may scare some younger viewers away, but the martial arts and the action sequences in this film are second to none. If you’ve never seen a real Jackie Chan film (Rush Hour and The Forbidden Kingdom don’t count), this is the one you should watch. The stunts are simply incredible, and Jackie Chan does what he is known for, putting his body on the line for the sake of impeccably choreographed and jaw-dropping (i.e. dangerous) action sequences. Even with the use of sophisticated CGI and multi-million dollar sets, Hollywood has still not created action sequences as impressive as what you will find here. Our movie binge session ends on a high note, that high note being the entertainment that is drunken style fighting and Jackie Chan defying the laws of physics.

Want more binge-watching suggestions? Check out The Ultimate Movie Binge: Space Adventures!