74 - Ip Man
Donnie Yen is one of the most underrated martial arts stars. The problem is he is a pretty bad actor. His emotional range is angry - calm. Still, for a long time Yen was the best screen fighter in the world. Jet Li and Jackie Chan got the world wide recognition that Yen will never have but no one who has seen him fight will debate who would win in a fight. Yen is a rare combination of athletic prowess and bone crushing power. He has a reputation for hitting his stuntmen rather hard and that isn't because he's a meany, it's his style. Ip Man was a strange choice for Yen (who is well known for his exceptional kicks) as Ip Man was a master of Wing Chun and Wing Chun fighters don't kick higher than the knee. Yen is also not a Wing Chun practitioner and had to learn the style for the film. However, it turns out that Donnie Yen's power is just what is needed to demonstrate the style of Wing Chun. Yen's insane speed and ferocity lend the fight scenes a tempo never before seen on film. The result is one of the more grounded Hong Kong kung fu movies, featuring little wire work or crazy moves.
Best bit: A furious Ip Man beating 10 Japanese black belts to a pulp to prove that the Chinese are not weak.
73 - Sword of Vengeance
Most of you will be more familiar with Shogun Assassin than Sword of Vengeance. Shogun Assassin took the first two films of the Lonewolf and Cub series and re-edited them, changing the narrative completely in the dubbing process. Sword of Vengeance is the first in the series and undoubtedly the best. Ogami Itto is the Shogun's executioner, a prestigious title that reflects his swordsmanship. When he is framed for an assassination he did not commit and his wife is murdered her embarks on a journey of vengeance. The violence is shockingly graphic, specially for its time. It is also wildly entertaining watching Itto cut up every fool who tries to kill him and his child.
Best bit: The duel in the waterfall.
72 - Sherlock Holmes
Ahh Guy Ritchie. You have made many mistakes in your life. Madonna, Swept Away, introducing the world to Jason Statham (only joking) but finally he lived up to the promise of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Sherlock Holmes took Arthur Conan Doyle's famous detective and turned him into an egomaniac, a drunk, a mad genius and a double hard dude. Nice. Holmes is still sharper than a razor but he is also an action hero. The casting of Robert Downy Jr was inspired, as his star power has never been better, plus he excels in these roles. Jude Law is also surprisingly excellent as Watson, playing it straight and exasperated and kicking just enough ass of his own. The heady mix of supernatural mystery, clever plotting and summer blockbuster thrills made Sherlock Holmes a hit and brought Richie back from the living dead.....I mean Madonna.
Best bit: Holmes' using his knowledge of anatomy to tear apart a brute in a fighting pit.
71 - Rambo: First Blood Part 2
Rambo. Is Rambo the ultimate action hero? He sure was throughout the 80s. The hair, the muscles, the incomprehension. It's all there. He might look like a hair dresser on steroids but he captured the hearts and POWs of a generation. Yes he looks about as much like a real soldier as Percy Pig but who cares. The guy is a killing machine, and when someone has to go back to 'Nam and get some POWs, who you gunna call? This isn't the sad and lonely tale of a vet who comes back to an America that shuns him, this is the story of a one man army showing the world that America could have won the Vietnam war, if only John Rambo had wanted them to.
Best bit: Anonymous Vietnamese soldier standing by a wall of mud, waiting for Rambo to show up. La la la. A pair of eyes open in the wall of mud.