Geeks from geeks Everything Toby Russell does gives him a big fan of the martial arts of the East. In general, almost nothing is known about this guy that we have in the West. Some sources with grief caught in half the year of birth – 1962 and that he was born in the family of the famous British director Ken Russell, who swung to 2 meters and somehow ended up in Gokong, fascinated by martial arts. Everything else is not a very rich filmography of a fan of kung fu fighters and a person who enters the narrowest circles of action masters of the genre. Toby Russell starred a little in action films, then decided to retrain as directors, epigonically shot several rather second-rate action films, and received fame as a documentary director, an expert on martial arts films.
Actually, “Best fighters” is an absolutely fanatic sketch created by a geek for geeks. It is the excessive enthusiasm of the author for his subject that creates certain problems for this good documentary. The director himself is so loyal and fanatical viewer that he does not deny himself the pleasure of revisiting his favorite scenes from his favorite films again and again, without asking the viewer whether the viewer needs long and rather monotonous fights. There is a problem, which in the film voiced Jackie Chan, saying that at the time when he came to the cinema, the mousta-fighters were one continuous hour and a half fight, and watch them ordinary viewer, not versed in the variety of martial arts styles and differences in the skill of fighting, is quite boring.
The film is almost a complete fight, in which at the end the shining of Asian faces, hands and feet begins to get a little annoying, despite all my great love for Asian cinema in general and Hong Kong action films in particular. If your love isn’t that great, I doubt you’ll see it through to the end. There are small informational inclusions – brief biographical and creative references of various actors-fighters and short interviews with some of them, which, of course, I would like to see more and more. Because people are really insanely interesting, bright and talented, to hear their opinion about each other, cinema, genre, kung fu, etc. is valuable, and you can see them in films at any time, while information about them – the cat cried.
Thanks to Russell, so it is for the fact that he collected in his film really the best fighters, in contrast, for example, from the documentary “Best Martial Arts Scenes”, where the short-sighted and not particularly versed in what they say, the authors stuffed next to Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan all sorts of whims like Pacino, Crowe, Stallone, Pitt, etc. Don’t get me wrong, I respect them all endlessly, but objectively – what kind of competition in martial arts can they make Jeta Lee or Sammo Hung? The authors confused the best martial arts scenes with the most spectacular scenes of fights, which gave them absolute non-professionals, besides clearly focused on Hollywood.
Russell, of course, the master of his craft, another problem - he undeservedly left without attention such outstanding fighters as Seagal, Norris, Lundgren, Dudicoff, Dacascos, Hughes, concentrating on Asian stars. Although for some reason I remembered Ron van Kleef and Jim Kelly (probably for their meetings with Bruce Lee - then why is there no Chuck?) and in sufficient detail - Van Damme, calling the Belgian jumper almost the best in the West in the genre, that if it corresponds (corresponding to the 95th year) to reality, then with very large reservations. Well, Russell doesn't have women as a class. Although there are magnificent heroines of militants who will give men cough. But Russell for some reason does not know about them, or knows about them, but he is an old sexist, he does not believe.
However, without the above personalities, there is someone to look at. In addition to the world-famous stars that flash in each such film - Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Jet Li and Yuen Biao, there are less obvious, known to a much narrower circle of viewers Yang Li Hwang (the same villain from the "Drunk Master" and "Snakes in the Shadow of the Eagle"), Bruce Lai (an excellent fighter whose career was spoiled by attempts to make him a second Bruce Lee), Liu Jia Hui (who gleamed in "Kill Bill"), Wang Yew (the same friend of Jackie Chan, from Kalozan, and many others).
All of them are excellent fighters and outstanding masters of their craft, who created the “face” of martial arts, charismatic, strong, passionate people. Someone broke into the stars, someone’s career stalled for one reason or another, but Toby Russell these people are very impressed, he sincerely bows to each of them and makes us feel respect and understanding for their difficult work. The films Russell chooses to showcase these masters are also far from obvious, nor are they the best. This is again a completely geek look - the director likes to dig into something forgotten, little known, not seen by anyone, caring not about the effectiveness of the shot, but the presentation of the skill of a particular artist. That's both bad and good. Good because the film will make someone go and dig into the filmography of some famous personalities, bad, because the director, firstly, does not give difficulty to designate the names of films, fragments of which shows, secondly, too carried away, forgetting that he needs to tell something and just admires his idols.
In art, this happens - the main achievement of the artist, as it were, absorbs everything he did before. Toby Russell put into this documentary all his roles, his directorial projects, his knowledge, his fanatical passion for martial arts and his dream to be just like his idols, the ones he talks about. Most of the films, excerpts from which flash in this film, have long been forgotten, some of these people have left the cinema and hardly anyone will remember their names. And, nevertheless, without them, would not have appeared, perhaps the genre of action as it is, there would be no bridge between East and West, there would be no such close attention to a very original Asian cinema, there would be no world’s best fighters with the most exciting fights without special effects, there would be millions of boys passionate about sports and martial arts. This idea, along with the forgotten legends and films, comes to life in the film “The Best Fighters”, in which such different people, such different goals met, and under the guidance of a director who misses stars from the sky, but sincerely devoted to them, turned out to be in a strikingly integral, as if made from one piece, film that is definitely worth watching for everyone who is interested in this genre.
8 out of 10