I developed a love for martial arts the same way many people did, through movies and tv. There was a lot of ninja themed influence early on. 3 ninjas, Surf Ninjas, Ninja Turtles, etc. These gave me a taste for general martial arts genre of entertainment. But Jackie Chan’s “Police Story” franchise is the earliest work I can clearly recall that really made me want to actually train martial arts.

This scene from “Supercop”, aka “Police Story 3” is still one of my favorite film fights of all time. I attribute my love for the scene to 3 elements: its modern/traditional dynamic, its low stakes, and its little touches of realism.

Modern and traditional.

In the lead up to the fight above, Jackie Chan’s character discusses his training background with Michelle Yeoh.

Wrestling, Karate, Taekwondo, Hapkido, Boxing. And Kung Fu, sort of. An

The character is an MMA practitioner of sorts before the term had made its way into the public lexicon. He has trained in combat sports and traditional arts. His opponent, played by Ming-Sing Wong, seems to be using Hung Ga exclusively. A prototypical southern style. There is a slight tension between the two characters, which in the film seems to stem more from jurisdictional, national, and professional rivalry. But you could also see it as a tension between the modern fusion philosophy and a more hardline traditional martial arts purist.

However, the fight ends inconclusively, leaving no clear victor. Which fighter is superior is left up to the viewer, much like how each martial arts practitioner develops along a path of their own choosing.

The two characters may have a friendly sense of competition with each other, but it never progresses to outright antagonism, and it is polite throughout.

Low Stakes

It’s more of a sparring match than a fight. Nothing is at risk. There is no bomb ticking in the background, the opponent is not a villain who needs a righteous beating. The fight does not require an emphatic conclusion. It can just end naturally, with no repercussions for victory or defeat, which we do not bother to determine anyway.

The characters strive against each other, but in the end they’re just trying to have a good showing. This attitude is my favorite way to conduct sparring. You want to put in effort. You should be drilling down on technique, developing reactions, timing, distance, etc. But the effort is more important than the outcome.

I admit that the low stakes do not build much dramatic tension, but not everything needs to be life and death. The antithesis of this would be something like the John Wick franchise. The choreography and world building of those films are great, from what I’ve seen. But almost every minute is a kill. There are only so many times I can stand to see someone get shot in the face before it becomes nauseating murder porn.

The Little Touches

Jackie Chan is the master of the pained expression. He pulls a face better than anyone else I’ve seen. He’s at the top of his game here, conveying the gut twisting pain of a body shot for the audience to feel vicariously.

In other works he has laid it on too thick, but I think in this particular scene he finds the perfect balance.

One thing I have always noted when watching this scene is how Jackie seems to blow on his hands and wiggle his fingers at 1:28. I used to think this was just supposed to be a nervous twitch, something to express to us that his blood was pumping and the adrenaline was flowing. Now, after training in Hung Ga myself, I think this is supposed to be Jackie writhing in pain after cross forearms with Ming-Sing Wong. One of Hung Ga’s most prominent characteristics is its bridge hand and forearm conditioning. Whatever the true intent by the little detail, I will continue to see it both as pain and adrenaline, and its a little detail that I love.

The scene is not perfect by any means. There are hits that seem to land due to the sound effects but clearly are wide of their mark. This could be an artifact of the dub, but I’m too lazy to check. And the scene is just too short to and simple to be more noteworthy. But whatever its flaws, its one of my all time favorites.