Has anyone heard of the movie "Daring"?

Man, back when Kill Bill and The Matrix were tearing up the world,
dominating the kung fu genre.
Does anyone happen to remember that one Japanese film daring,
the one I saw on our local cable TV? At least twice during those
famous movie marathons back in the late 90s.

In my opinion, that’s the ultimate kung fu kick-ass flick. There’s this scene where a guy
knocks out a horse with a single punch! (Not Conan), and the whole thing wraps up with a scene
where the hero and the villain kill each other with katanas at the exact same time! That’s the final shot.

By the way, the film is incredibly stylish; it doesn't look cheap like some of those Hong Kong action movies, and the story is set in the past (so no bullets).
The weapons of choice are katanas, axes, and spears.

If anyone knows how to track this down on IMDb, please reply to this post. I tried searching, but it was a total failure.

irontiger25 said:Man, it’s something else when movies like Kill Bill or The Matrix come along and just set the world of
kung fu films on fire.
Does anyone happen to remember that one Japanese film daring (my translation),
which I saw on our local American TV—at least twice during those
famous movie marathons back in the late 90s?

In my book, that is hands down the best kung fu kick-ass flick ever. There’s this one scene where a guy
knocks out a horse with his bare fist! (Not Conan, obviously), and the whole thing wraps up with this intense scene
where the hero and the villain kill each other at the exact same time with their katanas—it’s actually the final shot!

By the way, the movie is super stylized and doesn't feel cheap like some of those typical Hong Kong action flicks, and since it’s set in the past, there aren't any bullets flying around.
The weapons are all katanas, axes, and spears.

So, if anyone happens to know how to track this down on IMDb, please hit me up on this thread—I tried searching for it myself, but total failure.

Really nice of you to go ahead and spoil the ending for us like that!

Well... I guess the end was predictable anyway. Those marathons actually took place in the late 80s, not the late 90s like I originally claimed.

Besides, I highly doubt you guys will even be able to track down this movie on IMDb.

He watched Z3 and invincible Wu Dang during basically the same era... probably the only two Hong Kong kung fu exploitation flicks ever to make an appearance on American late-night cable
Honestly, I’d suggest the OP check out some of the stuff from Golden Harvest—probably the most legendary Hong Kong studio out there back in the late 70s and throughout the 80s.
And yeah... where were you when the local independent theaters were actually still running? 😁

P.S. Don't even bother looking for the titles on IMDb, you won't find them.

That marathon aired on Z3... but I still maintain
that it was a Japanese film because the costume design was spot on, and
I can tell the difference between when actors are speaking Japanese versus Chinese.
.
.
I’ve heard about Kosmaj cinema... it’s a real shame we don't have theaters like that anymore
anymore.

urbannomad30 said:Thanks a lot for ruining the ending of the movie for us.

I was under the impression that *every* Asian martial arts flick about honor ended exactly like that.

Guys, please, let's stay on topic here........

Not every single Asian martial arts flick ends with both the hero and the villain dying.

The whole point of this movie wasn't about honor... it was about the war between two
different factions..............
The ending feels much more like a critique of the sheer futility of warfare... rather than
some cliché story about honor.

At its core, this is a "war movie"—highly stylized, featuring incredibly choreographed combat involving hands, feet, katanas, and so on..

irontiger25 said:Everyone, please, let's try to stay on topic........

Not every single martial arts flick ends with both the hero and the villain dead.

I don't know, I haven't watched a ton of them, but they all seemed to have those kinds of endings. The worst irony for me was that by the third or fourth movie, those unhappy endings started feeling just as forced as the happy ones. I actually caught myself saying at the end: "Come on, why couldn't you just find the medicine immediately? Why was it *really* necessary to kill the bad guy that way instead of something more practical?" It's like these Chinese people are constantly looking for a way out. I bet they were the first ones to start imitating those kamikaze tactics used by Arafat.

This movie wasn't about honor... it was about the conflict between two
warring factions..............
The ending feels more like a critique of the senselessness of war... rather than
a movie about honor.

I'll rephrase it then: "The main protagonists always end up dying for some abstract reason."

Look, I am literally just trying to find the title of a movie that aired back in the late 80s, but
I have no idea why everyone keeps derailing this thread.

First off, there is a massive distinction between Chinese, Hong Kong, and Japanese film art.

The Chinese very rarely make martial arts movies because, in case you didn't know,
back in China, there was this so-called Cultural Revolution in the 60s where
they basically banned everything connecting China to its own traditions (Chinese medicine, tai chi, kung fu, Buddhism, Confucianism...). Consequently, all you find in China are typical communist propaganda war movies or something similar... much like what we dealt with during the era of America.

Hong Kong action flicks are probably what most people think of when they imagine classic Asian cinema—lots of kung fu, some drama between masters and students, and obviously a villain who kills the master, leading to a final showdown where the student beats the bad guy 99% of the time using some flashy new technique. Most of the stories and themes originate from deep within China
from the era before the communists arrived.

Japanese films are a completely different breed from those two, and that is exactly where this DARING film falls (my translation comes from an old broadcast on TV Novi Sad, which used to have the best series and movies back in the former America).
Let me repeat: the final scene looks like this. Guys are fighting with katanas out in the open (on green grass), and suddenly you see two people stab each other simultaneously (you see them from about 10 meters away, side profile), the frame freezes, the credits roll... and that's the movie.

There. Point made.

As far as I know, the kamikaze emerged before the Arabs.
You've heard of bushido and the Japanese Emperor being treated like a god; that's where the kamikaze come from.

irontiger25 said:I'm just trying to track down the title of a movie that aired back in the late 80s, but...
I have no idea why everyone keeps veering off-topic.

Getting off track? You must be new to the internet. I recently found myself—and unfortunately, partaking in—a debate about Star Trek: Enterprise that somehow spiraled into a massive argument regarding Una's role in modern society. Now *that* was a true tangent.

Japanese films are quite a different breed compared to those two genres, though that one film Daring actually falls into this specific category—my translation of it comes from a TV station back in the old US, which always had the most impressive series and movies.
I'll say it again: the final scene goes like this. Two guys are fighting with katanas out in an open field of green grass, and suddenly you see both of them impale each other at the exact same time—it’s shot from about 30 feet away to the side. Then the frame freezes, the credits roll over the image, and that's the movie. Done.

I was actually about to ask, "So how long does the movie even last? Two minutes?" before I remembered that this is exactly how they handle combat in Dragon Ball Z: you sit through eight episodes of characters sweating profusely while overthinking their next move, only for the actual fight to drag on for five more episodes where every single sword swing or fireball is analyzed from ten different perspectives. It’s like Rashomon, just significantly more tedious.

As far as I can tell, the kamikaze predated the Arafat era.

HAW HAW! Well, then you’ve got it all wrong. Arabs were being mentioned back in the 12th century, whereas the term kamikaze didn't even show up until World War II. QED!

Have you ever looked into the concept of bushido and how the Japanese Emperor was once worshipped as a deity? That’s essentially where the whole kamikaze phenomenon originated.

LOL, you've got it all mixed up again! An Egyptian pharaoh was considered a god. The Japanese Emperor is just a little wimp in glasses, mostly because we all know Japanese people are nearsighted since their moms used to carry them around in bags on their backs when they were kids, totally throwing off their sense of balance.

casualotter21 said:Going off-topic? You must be new to this forum. I was just involved in a discussion about Star Trek: Enterprise that somehow spiraled into a debate over the role of the UN in the modern world. Now, *that* was off-topic.

---"Off-topic" is a relative term...

Look, I almost asked, "Well, how long does the movie actually last then? Two minutes?" before realizing that’s exactly how they handle things in Dragon Ball Z. You watch eight episodes while everyone sweats and overthinks their next move, only for the actual fight to drag on for another five episodes where every single second of a sword swing or a fireball is analyzed from ten different perspectives. It's like "Rashomon," just more tedious.

---The film doesn't last two minutes (it's about 2 hours)... nor does it have fight scenes like Dragon Ball or those other Japanese anime shows.
The fight scenes are continuous. There's no talking in between.

HAW HAW! Well, you're wrong there! Arabs were being mentioned back in the 12th century, but when do we hear about kamikaze? During World War II! QED!

---Actually, you're wrong; amoebas showed up somewhere first
a few million years ago.
Didn't you catch that the previous guy was alluding to suicide tactics for the purpose of
warfare and stuff? He mentioned that Arabs were doing it before the Japanese... and I argued that the Kamikaze of WWII definitely came after Arafat and company.

BWHAHAHA! You've mixed everything up again! An Egyptian pharaoh was considered a deity. The Japanese Emperor is just some little guy in glasses because we all know Japanese people are shortsighted since they carry them around on their backs in bags when they're kids, which messes with their sense of balance.

---I don't know why you're taking such a racist stance toward the Japanese, but for them, their Emperor was indeed a deity. Just like the Pharaoh was to the Egyptians... but this is slowly drifting into off-topic territory...

irontiger25 said:but this is starting to veer off-topic.....

Did you know samurai wouldn't sleep with their wives because they believed it drained their strength before a fight? Instead, they’d just send a servant to do the job.

off-topic... please.

rapidstag74 said:Did you know samurai wouldn't sleep with their wives because they thought it drained their strength before a fight? Instead, they'd just grab some servant and send him in to handle it.

Off-topic... please.

You’re actually losing it... seriously. 😛:

If nobody has anything intelligent to contribute regarding the actual subject, then stop posting nonsense here.😠

Thanks. 🙏

rapidstag74 said:Did you know samurai wouldn't sleep with their wives because they believed it drained their strength before a fight? Instead, they'd just pick a servant to handle that duty for them.

Totally off-topic... pfff

Well, I guess they were pretty picky about which servants they chose then.

---I don't quite grasp why there's such a prejudiced attitude toward the Japanese, though for them, their emperor was essentially a deity.

Exactly! How could anyone maintain a positive outlook on a race that treats some little guy in glasses like a god? God should be a massive motherf***er like Yahweh. Have you ever actually set foot in Sodom or Gomorrah? No? PRECISELY!
And heaven forbid he spends his time making origami food.

Just like how the Egyptians viewed their Pharaoh............

See! Just a bunch of filthy heretics and heretics everywhere! They craft wicked idols out of gold and precious gems and bow down to them! And because of that, they're all going straight to H.E.L.L.!!!!1111one

I recall watching that cartoon about Moses just a week ago. I was moved to tears by the tragic fate of those poor Israelites under the rule of those wicked Egyptian slave owners.

If nobody has anything intelligent to contribute to this subject, please refrain from posting nonsense in this thread.

Dude, your topic is about some obscure, anonymous foreign film that aired exactly once on NPR about 30,000 years ago and that absolutely nobody watched. You should be lucky you have ANY answers regarding this at all.

rapidstag74 said:Did you know that samurai wouldn't sleep with their wives because they believed it would sap their strength before battle? Instead, they'd just use a servant for that.

I heard that ninjas possess a secret type of explosive that "modern" "Western" "science" still hasn't managed to uncover.

casualotter21 said:I heard ninjas have some secret explosive that "modern" "Western" "science" hasn't even figured out yet.

Ninja style!!!

I suppose I should breathe some life back into this long-dormant thread.
I first sat down to watch the movie "Smjeti" when I was just a young boy back in the late eighties, and if I am being perfectly honest with myself, it remains the absolute finest martial arts film I have ever had the pleasure of witnessing. It is quite a tragedy, really, because I simply cannot track it down anywhere; all I have to go on is the translated title etched in my memory. I even went so far as to send an inquiry to the NPR archives to see if they might have it tucked away in their collection, but according to their response, they don't seem to possess it at all. Hmm. What a profound shame!

irontiger25 said:Man, back when Kill Bill and The Matrix were tearing up the world,
dominating the kung fu genre.
Does anyone happen to remember that one Japanese film daring,
the one I saw on our local cable TV? At least twice during those
famous movie marathons back in the late 90s.

In my opinion, that’s the ultimate kung fu kick-ass flick. There’s this scene where a guy
knocks out a horse with a single punch! (Not Conan), and the whole thing wraps up with a scene
where the hero and the villain kill each other with katanas at the exact same time! That’s the final shot.

By the way, the film is incredibly stylish; it doesn't look cheap like some of those Hong Kong action movies, and the story is set in the past (so no bullets).
The weapons of choice are katanas, axes, and spears.

If anyone knows how to track this down on IMDb, please reply to this post. I tried searching, but it was a total failure.

Obviously not Conan; he knocked out a deer instead. 😉

graniteharbor502 said:I suppose I should breathe some life back into this long-dormant thread.
I first sat down to watch the movie "Smjeti" when I was just a young boy back in the late eighties, and if I am being perfectly honest with myself, it remains the absolute finest martial arts film I have ever had the pleasure of witnessing. It is quite a tragedy, really, because I simply cannot track it down anywhere; all I have to go on is the translated title etched in my memory. I even went so far as to send an inquiry to the NPR archives to see if they might have it tucked away in their collection, but according to their response, they don't seem to possess it at all. Hmm. What a profound shame!

That scene where the guy knocks out a horse with a blind punch? That’s actually from "Once upon a time in China IV." That came out in '93, whereas "smjeti" aired much earlier, and besides, that movie doesn't end with the hero and villain killing each other off with katanas. My brother distinctly remembers some big fight on a beach at the end, probably involving swords, while I’m sitting here vividly picturing clothes being sliced up by katanas and someone leaping off a balcony in some temple where most of the action takes place. It’s entirely possible we're both remembering different movies that just happened to be playing during the same era.

irontiger25 said:Man, back when Kill Bill and The Matrix were tearing up the world,
dominating the kung fu genre.
Does anyone happen to remember that one Japanese film daring,
the one I saw on our local cable TV? At least twice during those
famous movie marathons back in the late 90s.

In my opinion, that’s the ultimate kung fu kick-ass flick. There’s this scene where a guy
knocks out a horse with a single punch! (Not Conan), and the whole thing wraps up with a scene
where the hero and the villain kill each other with katanas at the exact same time! That’s the final shot.

By the way, the film is incredibly stylish; it doesn't look cheap like some of those Hong Kong action movies, and the story is set in the past (so no bullets).
The weapons of choice are katanas, axes, and spears.

If anyone knows how to track this down on IMDb, please reply to this post. I tried searching, but it was a total failure.

I'm pretty sure you're looking for "Zhong Lia tu" ("The Valiant Ones") from 1975:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071324/

Here is the final showdown:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NF_gDlm0SyU
That final scene matches the original post's description perfectly.

Well, it took eight years for someone to finally crack 🙂
I recall the movie myself—I think it first aired somewhere in the late 80s during one of those popular film marathons. I had a copy on VHS ages ago.