Ranging from the Chinese “Gun”, to the Japanese/Okinawan “Bo”, and even the European Quarterstaff, the staff has always been an integral long-range weapon in martial arts and possibly the simplest in design. While lacking the bladed end of a more lethal pole-arm, staffs are in some ways easier to handle with every single area of its surface being available for gripping. This versatility not only allows it to be more easily handled but also makes way for some incredibly creative fight choreography. Any fight scene in which at least one combatant wields a staff will count for this list. So here are my 12 favorite cinematic staff fights.
#12. The Matrix Reloaded (2003)
At the very bottom of the list is "The Burly Brawl" from The Matrix Reloaded, one of the most iconic action sequences in the Matrix series where Neo resists being assimilated by a rogue Agent Smith who has been spreading like a virus among the humans and sentient programs inhabiting the computer simulation. If you thought taking on a single Agent in the original Matrix film was nearly impossible imagine witnessing an entire army of them surround our hero. After staving off a few Smith clones through hand-to-hand combat, Neo realizes he'll need more than his bare hands and pulls a tether ball pole clean out from the concrete using it as a makeshift staff.
Neo's weapon mastery is just as impressive as is his unarmed combat skills showing off some awesome moves like kicking the metal pole, bouncing it off a Smith clone, and catching it. There's also of course the famous human flagpole technique in which Neo kicks off Smith clones like a carousel which he fails in doing the first time due to a tackle but successfully executes after utilizing the momentum of a punch from a Smith clone to amplify his own centrifugal force. This is probably the second most recognizable moment in the Matrix trilogy, at least action-wise, besides the popular bullet-dodging back bend from the first film which the Smith clones interestingly use themselves to dodge some swings from Neo's pole. As Neo gradually becomes more and more overwhelmed by the increasing number of Smith clones, he tries stepping off their heads to avoid being grabbed a hold of until "inevitably" being piled on top of by every Smith clone in the vicinity. Mustering all the remaining strength he has left, he breaks free, saying "Fuck it!" and flies off into the sky.
Besides the reality-bending martial arts prowess of Neo as well as the legion of Smiths, this fight sequence is made even more surreal by the possibly intentionally campy sound effects of Neo being knocked into a column of Smith clones like dominoes and Neo himself knocking down a group of Smiths like a line of bowling pins. Add to that the dated and somewhat jarring transition into motion-captured CGI mid-fight which was somewhat common in early 2000s' action movies. The wirework may also seem a bit silly, another product of it's era, but the live action segments look far more aesthetically pleasing. Which is no surprise given that the main fight choreographer for the Matrix series was Yuen Woo-Ping, whose international reputation had sort of peaked around the time of The Matrix Reloaded. Dion Lam is also credited as an assistant choreographer while Chad Stahelski, director of the John Wick films, served as both the martial arts coordinator and Keanu Reeves' stunt double. Continuing the Hong Kong tradition of spending longer periods of time to perfect the fight scenes, it took 27 days to film the entire sequence which was preceded by 8 months of training the whole cast. After another three and a half years of post-production for the editing and special effects, the Burly Brawl was officially complete featuring a total of over 80 Smiths contrary to the popular belief of there being 100.
#11. Bangkok Knockout (2010)
Thailand is the next country we'll be visiting and whenever Thai action cinema is being discussed, Tony Jaa is obviously the archetypal Thai movie martial artist to mention who demonstrates some great stick fighting despite being in chains in Ong-Bak 3. But this next entry will go to another lesser known Thai film, Bangkok Knockout. A team of martial artists must rescue their abducted friend from a life or death game where various criminals place bets on who will survive. One of the members of the team, Lerm, the only Chinese guy in an otherwise all Thai martial club, played by Thai actor Poonyaput Soonkunchanon, is suddenly attacked by a masked assailant. Unbeknownst to Lerm, this unidentified attacker is actually one of his own team mates in disguise.
Lerm, a Tai Chi specialist, tries his best to defend against the fast flurry of strikes from the masked man who seems to be a practitioner of Tiger Kung Fu. Similar to Neo's situation in The Matrix Reloaded, Lerm arms himself with a long metal pole to even the odds. Although this fight features the least amount of staff-based action on this list, the sheer length of the pole as well as the agility and speed with which it is wielded, especially by the masked man, elevates the movie's already over-the-top yet incredibly entertaining style of action without resorting to computer animation unlike the previous entry from The Matrix Reloaded. Tony Jaa's mentor and choreographer of many of his films, Panna Rittikrai, served as the movie's action supervisor also appearing in the film's final fight. However, the specifics of the fight scenes were left to two of the movie's cast members, martial arts choreographer Sumret Muengput and assistant action choreographer Thana Srisuke. Along with stunt coordinator Chatchapol Kulsiriwuthichai, Panna Rittikrai's stunt crew delivers the hard-hitting fight sequences we come to expect from his renowned team.
#10. Pacific Rim (2013)
Taking a trip back to Hollywood, we'll be diving, almost literally, into an entirely different subgenre. Pacific Rim is Guillermo Del Toro's tribute to kaiju cinema and mecha anime where
humanity must protect earth from colossal alien creatures by constructing their own colossal mech suits. These mech suits, called jaegars, require two neurologically linked pilots that must prove their mental and physical compatibility through various training regimens. Jaegar pilot Raleigh Beckett must find a new co-pilot after losing his brother in a battle against a kaiju. After effortlessly defeating three other pilots he decides to challenge Mako Mori, adopted daughter of Raleigh's commanding officer.
In contrast to the other entries on the list, this fight is less a competition or duel to the death than it is a mutual exchange of one's thoughts and feelings where words are substituted by the swinging of each combatants' staff. Raleigh meets his "match" in Mako as both a fighter and as a psychological counterpart. Also differing from every other fight scene on the list, is how this sparring session establishes the dynamic relationship between the two characters and perhaps even some romantic and sexual tension. That last part isn't mere speculation either as Del Toro himself admitted to having shot the sequence much like an actual "sex scene" furthering the thematic depth to what at a glance seems like just another martial arts contest. Also unique to this fight is its inclusion of the "jo", a Japanese staff commonly used in Aikido that is slightly shorter but broader in diameter than the better known "bo". In Raleigh's hands, the jo even functions as a kendo stick evident in some of Raleigh's kenjutsu stances and low two-handed grips.
Credit to the choreography goes to Brad Allen, former Jackie Chan stunt team member who has even had a couple kickboxing matches with Jackie in the film Gorgeous. Successfully importing the Hong Kong style of action to American cinema, Brad Allen is also the action director behind the Kung Fu mayhem in the upcoming Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. This is not the first time Guillermo Del Toro has selected Hong Kong fight choreographers as he had already recruited two of the best; Donnie Yen for Blade 2 and Man Ching-Chan for Hellboy 2: The Golden Army. Del Toro is clearly well aware of how to create engaging action sequences. Praise should also be given to actors Charlie Hunnam and Rinko Kikuchi who portrayed Raleigh and Mako respectively for pulling off some killer staff moves while at the same time managing to display some incredible on-screen chemistry. Honestly some impressive fight choreography for a movie revolving around giant robots fighting inter-dimensional sea monsters.
#9. Bushido Man (2013)
Coincidentally having come out the same year as Pacific Rim, the next cinematic staff fight also features a Japanese staff but this time the more popular "bo". In the Japanese web series Bushido Man, Mitsuki Koga is Toramaru, a master of a fictional fighting style called Mugen-ga-ryu, who must defeat seven of Japan's greatest martial artists to obtain scrolls containing their knowledge. After eating an unusual meal consisting of cheese sticks and vegetable juice in preparation, Koga must face a bojutsu expert named Mokunen played by Naohiro Kawamoto.
Kawamoto launches the sweeping end of his broom at Koga and the two begin a fierce staff duel before Kawamoto disarms Koga spinning his staff around the tip of his own like a propeller and finally knocking him down with it. Applying just enough shaky cam to ramp up the intensity, this scene was choreographed by Kensuke Sonomura who also made an appearance as the Praying Mantis Kung Fu master in the series' first fight. Mitsuki Koga who plays the protagonist, was already trained in Boxing, Karate, and Muay Thai before venturing into acting. Bushido Man definitely pushed his screen fighting skills to its limits against the likes of Japanese stuntman Naohiro Kawamoto who was not only the movie's Bojutsu master but also the choreographer of the recently released Japanese action thriller Hydra, which happens to be the directorial debut of Bushido Man's fight choreographer Kensuke Sonomura. As one of the few Japanese action directors capable of adopting the Hong Kong flavor of cinematic combat, Kensuke Sonomura's collaboration with the martial talents of Mitsuki Koga, Naohiro Kawamoto, and the rest of the cast made for one hell of a mini-series and one of the best among Japan's martial arts cinema.
#8. Extreme Challenge (2001)
Staff-on-staff fights will be making up the bulk of this list but for the sake of variety, this next film will be matching up the staff with a totally different weapon. Extreme Challenge has 3 staff-centered fight scenes to choose from with the opposing weapon ranging from a tonfa to double sticks. Yet it's the one with the nunchaku that wins the 8th spot on the list. Jin Fang, played by Jun Ngai Yeung, competes in what is labeled as the first ever martial arts tournament broadcast to the internet.
Yeung is the staff wielder while Scott Adkins wields the nunchaku in one of his earliest movie roles. Though not a traditional stick fight per se you can kind of think of the nunchaku as two shorter sticks attached by chain except in this case the two sticks are made of metal. In case you were complaining about the technicalities of categorizing this fight. Despite Scott Adkins' best efforts skillfully flailing his nunchuks all over his body and using the chain link for blocking, the match ends the way you'd expect with Yeung's longer range proving too much for Adkins' small and stubby 'chuks. Pacific Rim isn't the only movie being discussed on this list with a former Jackie Chan stunt team member acting as choreographer as Jack Wong Wai-Leung is the mind behind the action of Extreme Challenge who also cameo'd as an unnamed tournament fighter. With assistance from Chan Sai-Tang and Anthony Carpio, the film was directed by veteran Kung Fu movie actor Stephen Tung Wai, also known as Wei Tung, giving us an early glimpse into the martial arts powerhouse we would come to know as Scott Adkins.
#7. The Golden Cane Warrior (2014)
(only a sample of the fight discussed below)
(skip to 1:30:40 for full fight discussed below)
As we did with Bangkok Knockout, we'll again be covering Southeast Asia by listing a relatively obscure Indonesian film called The Golden Cane Warrior. The eponymous golden cane warrior is a master of Silat known as Cempaka who teaches four disciples. After one of these disciples, Dara, is chosen as her successor, two of the other disciples, Biru and Gerhana betrays and kills their teacher out of jealousy stealing the titular golden cane.
Dara eventually discovers another Silat practitioner named Elang and the two decide to ally themselves and challenge Biru and Gerhana to a two-on-two duel.
Dara and Elang eventually take full advantage of their training by synchronizing their movements to outmaneuver Biru and Gerhana. With only Biru left standing, he is soon disarmed of the golden cane he had stolen and appears to be defeated. Right when the fight seems to have come to an end, Biru charges forward out of the bushes carrying a massive tree trunk as his weapon of last resort (tree trunks can be staffs too, if you're strong enough) but is put down for good by Dara and Elang's "ultimate technique", a two-person forward thrusting attack that they had finally learned to master. Showing off the Indonesian martial art of Pencak Silat, The Golden Cane Warrior is unusual considering that Silat is normally associated with Hollywood action thrillers involving covert agents or the multitude of Indonesian films featuring Iko Uwais. This may be the only movie in existence focusing on Silat staff fighting in particular compensating well for the lack thereof with the final fight clocking in at around 10 minutes, the longest one on this list (if you don't count the non-staff centered first half of the burly brawl from The Matrix Reloaded that is).
Less about the gritty realism of other more mainstream Silat films like The Raid series and more about the graceful fantastical aesthetic of traditional Chinese martial arts films, many have interpreted The Golden Cane Warrior to be an Indonesian wuxia narrative and probably the country's most well-made answer to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. This Chinese style of action is due to the involvement of the famed Hong Kong martial arts actor and choreographer Xiong Xin-xin (aka Hung Yan-yan) who brought over some of his wire-fu expertise into the film from his days as a character in the Once Upon a Time in China series starring Jet Li. There may be one too many close-up shots making it harder to follow the staff work but the actors are certainly conditioned to perform the sequences with sufficient speed and elegance to make up for it. Main antagonist Biru's actor Reza Rahadian alone had undergone seven months of training for the role. It's rather unfortunate that this movie hasn't garnered as much attention as it deserves likely because of it being overshadowed by another far more successful Indonesian martial arts flick, The Raid 2, which came out the same year. At least we can fully appreciate it on our top staff fights list and maybe help in increasing its exposure to those out there who are still unaware of it.
#6. Drunken Master (1978)
With a list as varied as this one, Jackie Chan would have to show up at one point. From carrying a staff of his own in Magnificent Bodyguards, to playing a tug of war over a staff with Jet Li in The Forbidden Kingdom, or fending off staff-wielding foes with a ladder in Police Story 4: First Strike, the Chan man always brings his own creative twist to the fight. Though my personal pick is Jackie finding himself on the receiving end of someone else's staff in Drunken Master. As one of the first Kung Fu flicks that would establish Jackie Chan's special brand of action comedy, Chan portrays the Chinese folk hero and legendary martial arts master Wong Fei-Hung. While casually sipping on tea, Chan challenges an expert of the staff known as the "King of Bamboo" (or "The Stick King" in some English translations).
Chan nevertheless completely humiliates him with his trademark use of everyday objects like his own teacup and even a foldable wooden bench forcing the outskilled staff wielder to face-plant into a pile of animal feces. Jackie displays his incredible athleticism dodging the stick king's swings and strikes and utilizing various hand blocks showing off his mastery of two styles of Kung Fu. The first being Hung Ga, named after the family lineage of its most famous practitioner, Wong Fei-Hung, which of course Chan plays a fictionalized version of. The second style is Zuiquan, known more widely as "Drunken Fist", a Chinese martial art that imitates the movements of a drunken individual. Drunken Fist doesn't actually require someone to be drunk but Drunken Master successfully popularized this Kung Fu style by forever associating it with the image of an intoxicated person. Although Jackie Chan is not quite as inebriated as he is in his climactic showdown with Hwang Jang Lee, he still drinks just the right amount to lay down the Stick King with a deadly flesh-tearing finger pinch.
Chan normally choreographs his own fight scenes but Drunken Master was in fact directed by the one and only Yuen Woo-Ping who also worked with Jackie in directing the action during a time in Yuen's career when his preference for wires was far less prevalent. This would mark the second time Yuen Woo-Ping would direct a Jackie Chan movie as Snake in the Eagle's Shadow is yet another Chan classic that put Yuen in the directorial seat. Secondary fight choreographer Hsu Hsia actually played the part of the Stick King getting a chance to show off his cinematic stick fighting while Corey Yuen and Yuen Woo-Ping's brothers Yuen Shun-Yi and Brandy Yuen Jan-Yeung served as assistant martial arts directors.
A Shaw Bros. film by the name of Monkey Kung Fu also includes the protagonist testing his empty-handed Kung Fu against a master of the staff but it's Drunken Master which was theatrically released a year before that might've set the bar for the later Shaw Bros. movie.
#5. Kung Fu Jungle (2014)
(skip to 3:20 for staff fighting segment)
Now that Jackie Chan has officially made it on the list we'll have to throw in another of the most famous movie martial artists out there, Donnie Yen. Yen has an even larger selection of staff fights to choose from whether he's soloing an entire storm trooper battalion in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, facing a specialist of Praying Mantis Kung Fu in The Kung Fu Master, portraying a Chinese superhero in Dragon Tiger Gate, or even taking on Jet Li in two separate stick fights in Once Upon a Time in China 2. Yen's even displayed his proficiency with longer wooden poles from the six-and-a-half-point pole in Ip Man and Ip Man 3 to Iron Monkey where he fights WITH a large pole while balancing ON large poles. That's a lot of poles. Alas, the #5 spot will instead be a different fight also featuring ridiculously long poles from Kung Fu Jungle. Also given the title, Kung Fu Killer, Donnie Yen is a combat instructor for the local police department who is imprisoned for manslaughter but later, in exchange for his freedom, enlisted to help in the investigation of a serial killer who specifically targets retired martial artists. This killer is portrayed by Wang Baoqiang and the two finally meet and agree upon a Kung Fu duel in the middle of a traffic-heavy highway.
The first half of their duel is of unarmed combat whereas the second half is dedicated solely to the staff after a passing truck accidentally unloads its huge stack of massive bamboo sticks onto the road. Bringing in the biggest staffs that will appear on this list, Yen and Wang Baoqiang swing their huge bamboo poles with such spectacular swiftness that it makes Bangkok Knockout look like a mere demonstration. The two Kung Fu stick fighters are so adept with their elongated poles that they also double as pole vaults and javelins. Donnie Yen himself was the choreographic master of Kung Fu Jungle's fight sequences accompanied by a team of assistant martial arts directors Jack Wong Wai-Leung (from the #8 spot Extreme Challenge), Yeung Ching-Ching, Yu Kang, Che Kim-Fai, and Liu Guo-Qing.
Donnie Yen obviously needs no introduction but Wang Baoqiang has played a villainous role beside Yen before in The Iceman the same year Kung Fu Jungle was released. Although Wang is better known for comedy films, seeing The Shaolin Temple starring Jet Li lead him to his aspiration of working in martial arts cinema and studying Kung Fu when he was eight years old at the real Shaolin Temple in China's Henan Province. His authentic Shaolin background has granted him the screen presence necessary to act as a dangerous martial arts murderer who preys upon the Kung Fu masters in the urban concrete jungle of Hong Kong. Wang Baoqiang's face-off with one of these masters played by Louis Fan Siu-Wong switches things up by having Wang pull out a box cutter against Fan's metal pole but Kung Fu Jungle's top fight is undoubtedly the one between Wang and Donnie Yen claiming the 5th spot on our list of best movie staff fights.
#4. Tai Chi Master (1993)
(original cantonese dub)
(English re-sound)
We can cross off both Jackie Chan and Donnie Yen on our checklist for greatest staff fights but we've yet to add Jet Li. Like his martial colleagues Chan and Yen, Jet Li is an expert of a wide variety of wushu weaponry and that includes the staff. Also like Jackie Chan and Donnie Yen, Li's got his own collection of staff fight scenes to sort through such as the final sequence in Dragon Fight or his semi-comedic engagement with Vincent Zhao in Fong Sai-yuk. However, Jet Li gained a reputation for playing a Shaolin monk in his earlier days after his film debut The Shaolin Temple in 1982 which showcases an unconventional staff form based on the Drunken Monkey style of Kung Fu. Li's staff skills would be demonstrated again in the sequels Martial Arts of Shaolin and Kids From Shaolin. The 2011 remake of The Shaolin Temple has also got its own worthy staff fight between Andy Lau and Nicholas Tse. Out of all the staff scenes available, the 4th best staff fight on this list will be given to Tai Chi Master.
Known alternatively as Twin Dragons, Jet Li and Chin Siu-Ho are two close friends living as monks inside the Shaolin Temple. During a sparring match another student tries to cheat against Chin Siu-Ho who proceeds to almost beat him to death. The student's teacher tries to stop Chin Siu-Ho but Chin retaliates out of anger prompting the teacher to punish Chin Siu-Ho and Jet Li (for defending Chin) for their disrespect. To clear away any confusion, the movie does follow Jet Li's character's journey in mastering Tai Chi but that comes a little later in the story. For the purposes of this list, we'll be focusing on his Shaolin roots.
We've seen a 1 vs. many scenario in The Matrix Reloaded but how 'bout a 2 vs. many? As part of their disciplinary methods, the other Shaolin students form human walls completely surrounding Jet Li and Chin Siu-Ho. Our two poor Shaolin monks are pummeled by a hailstorm of staffs being fired at them like bows and arrows with the other Shaolin students working as a single coordinated unit thwarting any attempt at escape. Jet Li and Chin Siu-Ho eventually discover clever strategies like knocking over melting ceiling candles to wet the floor and when their own staffs are split in two, they use the remaining halves as dual sticks. Chin Siu-Ho even rides on top of another Shaolin monk like a surfboard. This entry definitely wins points for the most staffs seen on screen in a single fight scene.
As with Drunken Master, Yuen Woo-Ping not only directed the action but also the entire Tai Chi Master film. You may notice that the human flagpole move from another one of Yuen's choreographic works, The Matrix Reloaded, is used by both Jet Li and Chin Siu-Ho in Tai Chi Master as well which might be the first time it's ever been featured in a fight scene. Since it's Yuen Woo-Ping, some wire-fu is expected but its usage here is not augmented by cringey CGI but by practical effects to evoke a greater feel for the impact of the action with moments like when some Shaolin Monks crack the concrete floor with a powerful downward swing of their staffs. Though Jet Li's reputation precedes him, Chin Siu-Ho probably deserves as much admiration beginning his career starring in various Shaw Bros. movies until landing other roles like in Fist of Legend alongside Jet Li. Chin Siu-Ho's part almost went to Donnie Yen so it's great to see Chin having had the chance to shine in the spotlight before he began fading away into obscurity after the early 90s'. Also choreographed by Yuen Woo-Ping's brother Yuen Cheung-Yan as well as Ku Huen-Chiu and assisted by Tony Ling Chi-Wah, this staff fight sequence may not be as technically complex as the others on this list but it makes up for it with the wildly fun creativity of Yuen's veteran team.
#3. True Legend (2010)
Yuen Woo-Ping returns as director once again in our next entry with 2010's True Legend after having taken a long hiatus from directing for over a decade since 1996's Tai Chi Boxer, the sequel to Tai Chi Master which took the previous spot on the list. In True Legend, Vincent Zhao plays Su Can, or as most Kung Fu fans know him as, Beggar So. After being betrayed and left for dead by his step-brother Yuan who had recently been appointed as a governor, Su Can constantly falls into a drunken stupor where he hallucinates himself training with the "God of Wushu" played by Taiwanese music artist/actor Jay Chou. Among the wide array of weaponry the two use for their training sessions, the staff is just one.
Disregarding the obvious CGI-constructed mountains and green screen effects meant to enhance the movie's marketability as China's first 3D film, the staff fighting itself is superb. Jay Chou presents his literal god-like supernatural skill with the staff as a martial arts deity sometimes relying on only a single hand to effortlessly keep Vincent Zhao on his toes. Ironically, Zhao is the more experienced martial artist given his credentials as a former Beijing Wushu champion and even having briefly taken the role of Wong Fei-Hung in the Once Upon a Time in China series before being reclaimed by Jet Li in the final film. All that screen fighting time earned him the chance to portray Beggar So in a highly fantasized origin story. Beggar So was in fact a real Chinese martial artist and is often said to have taught the Kung Fu style of Drunken Fist to Wong Fei-Hung, a tale which was cinematically adapted in 1978's Drunken Master. Vincent Zhao doesn't fully develop his Drunken Fist until the final act of the movie but his 1-on-1 proficiency with the pole against Jay Chou is enough for you to be entertained before the main event. And their weapon work is made all the more masterful by the ingenious choreography of Yuen Woo-Ping, his brothers Yuen Cheung-Yan and Yuen Shun-Yi as well as Tony Ling Chi-Wah.
#2. Pedicab Driver (1989)
As we draw nearer to the top of the list, the best staff fights are coming straight out of the Golden Age of Hong Kong Action cinema with Sammo Hung as one of the figures at the forefront of the era. Dirty Tiger Crazy Frog allows Sammo and Lau Kar-Wing to show off their mastery in both the ordinary and three-sectioned staffs while Fatal Move proves Sammo's pole fighting capability even in his senior years. But the truest example of Sammo's staff skills is in Pedicab Driver. Sammo Hung is...you guessed it, a pedicab driver who falls in love with a young woman working at a bakery and decides to save her from her abusive and sleazy employer. Sammo later gets into an altercation with the owner of a gambling house played by another Hong Kong legend Lau Kar-Leung (who actually has a family lineage going back to Wong Fei-Hung himself).
The fights starts off as an open-handed affair before Sammo is kicked into a line of billiard sticks. Possibly the fastest stick fighting on this list, the long and slender sticks grant Sammo and Lau much greater speed. The loud, sharp sound of the stick-on-stick contact and exaggerated whooshing noises are made even more prominent by the absence of background music intensifying the already fast-paced staff fight. Being the younger of the two, Sammo exhibits his acrobatic talents while Lau Kar-Leung relies on his superior straight-forward technique. As was the case with his two other Peking Opera trained "brothers" Jackie Chan and Yuen Biao, Sammo blends the action with slapstick comedy with Lau Kar-Leung constantly insulting Sammo for his weight. Sammo is ultimately beaten and is forced into displaying some serious leg flexibility though Lau acknowledges the stocky staff fighter's martial skill. The film was both directed and choreographed by Sammo Hung and his own Stuntmen Association along with other veterans of the industry at the time Brandy Yuen Jan-Yeung and Mang Hoi who plays one of the pedicab drivers in Sammo Hung's crew. La Kar-Leung is usually the choreographer of his own fight scenes but allowed Sammo to take the lead this time producing one of the finest staff fights captured on screen.
#1. The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter (1983)
For the #1 spot on the list we're staying within the cinematic Kung Fu golden age with one of the most recognizable movie Shaolin monks, Gordon Liu. First breaking out into the Kung Fu film world as San Te in the cult classic The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, Liu would maintain his Shaolin persona with a plethora of other Fu flicks like Shaolin & Wu Tang featuring a climactic sword vs. staff fight. There are however a few films where Gordon Liu does not play a Shaolin character such as Challenge of the Masters where his wooden pole is pitted against Lau Kar-leung's spear. Since this is Gordon Liu we're talking about here, you gotta go with one of his Shaolin themed movies and in terms of what can be regarded as the pinnacle of pole fighting, the only real contender for the best cinematic staff fight is in The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter. Given the title Invincible Pole Fighter in the west, Liu plays one of two surviving sons of a Song dynasty general who takes refuge in the monastery of Mount Wutai. The monks forbid the use of any bladed weapons and so Gordon Liu adapts his spear techniques into a pole fighting discipline based on the eight diagrams (or eight trigrams) of Taoism. He later learns that he must save his sister, played by Kara Hui, who is taken hostage by the Liao dynasty army. Gordon Liu decides to forsake his Buddhist vows in search of his sister but is first tested by one of the monastery's Abbots played by Phillip Ko Fei.
Though Gordon Lu is an expert of Hung Ga, a Southern style of Kung Fu, the staff movements may actually be an application of an internal Chinese martial art called Baguazhang, also called "Eight Trigrams Palm", which utilizes circular footwork and a variety of weapons including the staff. The staffs themselves are used in every conceivable way possible with some staff-based grappling, hand strikes, and even aerial combat while the two Shaolin masters knock about and dance around cushions and wooden candle stands.
Gordon Liu manages to finally defeat his monastic superior by performing the most elaborate method of helping someone take off their shoes. With one last swing of his pole, Liu extinguishes every candle in the room while forming a yin-yang symbol across the floor, a symbol central to Taoism. Gordon Liu is given the Abbot's robe attaining the highest rank among the monks and sets off to face off against the Liao soldiers. The final showdown has Liu gruesomely "defanging" the Liao soldiers who are armed with uniquely designed staffs with coiling ends but it's the spectacular staff duel between Liu and Philip Ko Fei that truly earns the uppermost placement on this list. And this is due in large part to the choreographic artistry of Lau Kar-Leung (who appeared in the previous entry on the list) who also directed the film and cameo'd in it with assistance from one of the film's Wutai abbots, King-Lee King Chu, and Shaw Bros. regular Hsiao Ho. Loosely based on a real historical account of the 5th son of general Yang Yanzhao escaping to the Wutai Temple, Gordon Liu's role was originally given to another Shaw Bros. film star Alexander Fu Sheng who tragically died in a car accident before the movie was finished filming. As deeply saddening as it is to not have seen how Sheng would've approached the role, Gordon Liu certainly lived up to the expectations and provided us with the absolute best cinematic staff fight of all time.
Thanks again for reading through yet another Top Fight Scenes article. Make sure you whack me upside the head with a big ass stick if you disagreed with my rankings. Should Pacific Rim be ranked higher for its fight scene's narrative quality? Are these articles becoming a little too long? Comment down below. I'm planning on taking a short break so it may be a little while longer than usual before the next listicle is released but it is going to be on spear fights so please subscribe to the website so you'll be notified right away when it's out! And here's some more staff fights that deserve to be listed but were not mentioned on the main top 12.
Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace (Darth Maul vs. Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui Gon Jinn; sure Maul doesn't technically doesn't use a "staff" per se but the double-bladed lightsaber is used like a Wushu staff by martial artist/actor Ray Park)
Ninja: Shadow of a Tear (Scott Adkins vs. Kane Kosugi)
Dragon Blade (Chinese soldier vs. Roman Legionnaire)
Hell's Wind Staff (final fight featuring Hwang Jang Lee's staff vs. Mang Hoi's paddle)
Legendary Weapons of China (Lau Kar-leung vs. Lau Kar-wing)
Seven Grandmasters (Jack Long vs. Corey Yuen)
The Victim (Bryan Leung vs. henchmen)
Game of Death 2 (Shaolin monk fight)
Two Champions of Shaolin (final fight featuring three monkey style staff wielders)
Kung Fu Hustle (three heroes fight scene)
House of Fury (Anthony Wong and Stephen Fung vs. Jake Strickland)
The Twins Effect (Gillian Chung vs. Charlene Choi on rooftop)
Yes, Madam (Cynthia Rothrock in final fight)
Game of Thrones (Arya Stark vs. The Waif)
And like last time here are some indie fight scenes that can also be placed under this category. If you haven't subscribed to these channels yet then I really don't know what you've been doing with your life.
Sacrifice 2
Kali Diaries - Entry #7.
Staff vs. Sword
Staff
Tess Kielhamer vs. Shaun Charney
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