Hi, A friend of mine, Lastnameleft, won't stop insisting that Jet Li is better than Bruce Lee. I can't see how he could even think this so I decided to get some other peoples opinions. Its obvious Bruce Lee is better than Jet he's the original martial arts star. However, Lastnameleft insists that Jet is not only a better film star but also a better martial artist, with better fight scenes in his films. So, if you could please give me your own opinions on this and help me prove Lastnameleft wrong. thanks, Jimmi
I haven't seen many Jet Li films, so I can't comment properly on the martial arts ability. Points you might want to use though are:
Bruce Lee was not only the origional martial arts star, he made the whole concept popular in the West, and did more than his fair share to change how oriental people are portrayed in film. (Admitedly, there are now people who think that every oriental person is a martial arts master).
As the origional martial arts film star, Bruce was making it up from scratch Jet Li has had dozens of other stars in hundreds of films to copy the techniques and ideas that look good on film, and to give him ideas to work from.
Films of Bruce Lee had to be SLOWED so that we could see what was going on, as he was too fast for the camera. I haven't heard this be claimed for any other martial artist (although cameras have got better since Bruce's day).
Originally posted by nktwildJackie Chan was brilliant, until Hollywood got a hold of him. I think that you can't compare him to Bruce, as that is comparing 2 very different styles - the pure kung fu of Bruce Lee against the gymnastic, comedy style of fighting Jacky uses. Again, Jackie used a style of fighting (using usual objects as weapons, such as a bicycle) that has since been copied by many others.
what about jackie chan?
lots of films, cartoon series... the skill of bruce, the action of jet
Jet Li has done some absolutely stunning things. Just watch Fist of Legend. At one point Jet Li flips upside down, kicks his "teacher" in the head, then lands in a one-foot ready stance. It's mind-boggling. This is quite a famous scene as it was supposedly done with no trickery. A friend of mine and I watched this obsessively in slow motion to see if there was any funny stuff going on, but we couldn't detect any wires or other devices.
Actually, now that I've done a search, just go to this site: http://www.netasia.net/users/sgc_wdi/movies.htm and you can see clips of some killer stuff. Some is (very obviously) done with wires, some not.
All of Jet Li's non-Hollywood stuff is very entertaining. Same goes for Brice Lee. I don't think making a comparison is really possible. Yeah, Bruce was the Originator, but watch some of those clips and you'll see that Jet Li is pretty amazing as well.
Originally posted by belgianfreakI believe this is a bit off kilter. Jackie Chan actually is very talented in Kung Fu alone, and uses the objects as an addition. He is very skilled in Martial Arts, built up by more than a decade of chinese opera training. Bruce Lee originated his own fighting style called Jeet Kune Do, but may have used Kung Fu in his many of his movies, I'm not really sure. You may be right though, I just got finished reading Jackie Chan's biography, which was pretty good! 😀
Jackie Chan was brilliant, until Hollywood got a hold of him. I think that you can't compare him to Bruce, as that is comparing 2 very different styles - the pure kung fu of Bruce Lee against the gymnastic, comedy style of fighting Jacky uses. Again, Jackie used a style of fighting (using usual objects as weapons, such as a bicycle) that has since been copied by many others.
Bruce Lee is the best ever. Jet Li is awesome but many of his stunts are done with the help of special effects. Bruce Lee had no assistance in his fights and as others have pointed out, he had to be slowed down.
My personal favorite however is Jackie Chan. His is amazing in his knowledge of many different styles and his comedic fight scenes are the best.
Just my humble opinion...😉
Thanks, I realise that a comparison is a bit unfair. Lastnameleft just wouldn't shut up. I agree that they're both very impressive.
In answer to !~tony~! Bruce Lee did invent his own style but he didn't use it in films until the later ones, Enter The Dragon was Wing Chung Kung Fu (sp?), which is what he learnt until moving to america.
Jackie Chan is another very impressive martial artist (Drunken Boxer is amazing), but his films have a very different style. Although you may want to know that most of Jackie Chan's films aren't fake at all (he does hold the record for the most ever retakes for one scene though😀, something in the thousands!)
Thanks for your responses though, Jimmi
Feel free to continue posting on this if you want, I'll still check it as its a subject close to my heart. Also I can rub it in Lastnamelefts face🙂
Ok guys, here's my honest opinion.
First off, I have to give props to Bruce. Like Elvis, I may not appreciate his work very much but I must give credit to such an innovator.
Honestly guys, if we're talking about a Bruce vs. Jet match, I have to say that Jet Li would probably win. The strong point of my theory is in that Jeet has some flaws in it that are eagerly exposed and exploited by todays artists that don't hold to a singular form. Personally, I don't buy the hype. Jeet is a very good style and I don't find any huge flaws in it. Nonetheless, there are some areas that it is somewhat weak in that it gives ground in one area to gain ability in another. One example would be that I often see Jeet guys give preference to a counter than dodging. This is good and well in many respects, but if we counter that with say Brazilian Jujitsu, the Jeet practicer is going to be in for a ride.
I can't really compare Jet and Bruce on a physical level. They're both amazing. Based on technique alone, I believe Jet would win due to his modern understanding of the Martial Arts and his multifaceted technique. My two cents.