57 - 13 Assassins
Takashi Miike is a director who is criminally overlooked in his own nation. Good thing Western Asian movie aficionados like me worship him as something of a god. Albeit, a rather disturbing god. Shocking themes, content and visuals are what we traditionally associate with Miike's work. Many of his films have been censored even with today's liberal BBFC. Nipples have been stretched across tables before being cut off, vomit has been eaten from a dog bowl and penises have gotten stuck inside dead people. So, a straight up samurai film isn't really what was expected when 13 Assassin's hit the international market. Yet, that is exactly what we have and you know what? Thank god because 13 Assassins is awesome. Many Miike fans were disappointed with a balls to the wall martial arts drama but I couldn't be more pleased. The first half of the film is spent setting up the characters and the situation. There is even a brutally mutilated woman, a brief nod to Miike's past works, but generally we are treated to a tale of a feudal lord bent on returning Japan to an era of warfare. We are given a black and white scenario for good and evil here; bad shogun needs killing, good samurai gets the job done. What this film is really about is the 30 minutes + of pure action that closes the film, as 13 samurai take on about 250 samurai in a town that has been turned into a death trap. It is gripping, dramatic and stylishly executed without relying on fantasy martial arts or deus ex machina to justify the outcome.
Best bit: Nothing like spiky bamboo walls to trap your enemies.
56 - The Amazing Spider-Man
I will probably get abuse from the Raimi fans....but I'm a huge Raimi fan so you're wasting your hate I assure you. Still, as much as I love Spider-Man 2, and loved Raimi's work on the franchise (the third instalment less so), from an action perspective The Amazing Spider-Man wins hands down. Yes it has its flaws but most of them come from trying not to step on Raimi's toes. Yes a reboot wasn't necessary after only a few years but that's Hollywood and if they're gunna do it, I'm glad they did it this way. Andrew Garfield is exceptional as both Peter Parker and Spiderman (Maguire never managed to look comfortable in the suit) and as an eloquent friend of mine said; "Garfield doesn't make you wanna smack him when he's crying over uncle Ben. I just wanted to tell Maguire to stop blubbing and man up!" But Garfield's performance isn't why I chose this film to represent the whole Spiderman franchise, it was the amazing stunt work and special effects. For a start, much more emphasis was placed on practical stunts; men on wires and super talented gymnasts, martial artists and free-runners make Spiderman feel real. This means that when the cross over to CGI happens, Spiderman doesn't suddenly move in a totally different way. Spider-Man's fighting is also much closer to the comics, using his webbing as a weapon to fight the physically stronger Lizard. Yes the Lizard isn't amazing but when they fight, magic happens. If you disagree, I don't care.
Best bit: Peter Parker gets thrown through a wall. Spiderman jumps out of the hole.
55 - The Drunken Master
After the sudden death of Bruce Lee the Hong Kong film industry struggled to find the next big thing in kung fu. For a few years they pushed out Bruce Lee clones and while there was a few moderately successful ones such as Bruce Le and Bruce Li (insane creativity) Jackie Chan was not one of them. It wasn't until Jackie was given free reign to do a kung fu movie his way that he made it big. Snake in the Eagle's Shadow combined martial arts and comedy and was a mega hit. The Drunken Master, a spiritual successor (featuring largely the same cast) was an even bigger hit. Based on the early life of kung fu legend Wong Fei Hung, Jackie turned the benevolent master into an unruly teen. The young Fei Hung has yet to truly master kung fu and is subsequently thrashed by a high kicking assassin. He turns to a drunken vagabond who teaches him the secret style of drunken boxing. When the assassin is hired to kill Fei Hung's father, Fei Hung uses his new skills to defend his family and regain his honour. The Drunken Master is remarkable from 2 reasons. 1, it made Jackie Chan a mega-star. 2, it kick started the career of the films director and fight choreographer, Yuen Wo Ping. Legend. Even now, the fights are remarkable and while many films came later that copied Jackie's style, none quite match the quality found in The Drunken Master.
Best bit: Jackie performing the 8 drunk gods in an extended montage.