The Art of Action: Martial Arts in Motion Picture

This documentary was made in an attempt to show the majority western audience that Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon didn’t arise out of nothing. The space dedicated to the impressions that the film made on those addressed here was not adequate. I would like to stop here with that reproach, but in comparison with the first half, which is very revealing and rich in names that you probably have never heard before (and that you will probably never remember anyway), I found the whole second half of The Art of Action to be based excessively on feelings and personal experiences. (An exception is the half-baked idea to examine “not martial arts” films in which it is possible to see martial arts.) Objectivity is hindered by the emotional ties of the selected people, not by the experts in film theory (with the exception of Steven Seagal, an expert in both theory and practice in the field of destroying one’s own career), but only famous faces from the industry. If you’re going in that direction, why not make room for a maniac like Quentin Tarantino? Because he would take over the whole documentary for himself? Maybe so, but that would at least lend some verve to The Art of Action, which is praiseworthy in its intent, but superficial in its execution. Appendix: Very good editing sequences (in terms of shot selection and music). 65% (07/12/2011)