Love Jiu-Jitsu? Consider These Martial Arts Movies

By Nolan Barias


Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is not just a way to keep strong and fit, it is a form of self defense and, for many, and it is a way of life. If much of your life revolves around Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu or perhaps even another form of martial arts, here are some movies that are sure to entertain you.

While you might think that a martial arts movie would be all fight and no story, this certainly is not the case with "Warrior." This film, which stars Nick Nolte, Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton, is not only filled with some great fight scenes, the story is riveting. Hardy and Edgerton play brothers who have not spoken in years, much of this due to conflicts surrounding their father, a recovering alcoholic. Both have entered a martial arts competition in order to win the prize, which is several million dollars. One intends to use the money to help the family of a fallen marine, while the other is trying to save his home and take care of his family. In the end, the two brothers face each other for the grand prize. As for Jiu-Jitsu, this is the skill that the older brother utilizes in the ring, so you see some excellent BJJ scenes.

When one thinks about David Mamet, you might not think about action movies; however he is the genius behind the movie "Ronin." If you enjoyed "Ronin," and love Jiu-Jitsu, consider his martial arts offering, "Redbelt." This film addresses the issue between those that enjoy Jiu-Jitsu for competition and those that view it purely as an art and way of life. The main character, played by Chiwetel Ejiofor, holds the latter position, stating that competition weakens the fighter. However, in the end, he is faced with having to compete in order to save his Jiu-Jitsu school among other things. In addition to Ejiofor, the film stars Max Martini and includes scenes with Randy Couture and Enson Inoue.

"Lethal Weapon" is a great movie on many of levels, but more importantly, it features some great scenes with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. In fact, before he co-founded the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Rorion Gracie taught Jiu-Jitsu to Mel Gibson for this movie. At the end of the movie, Gibson overtakes the evil henchman Joshua (Gary Busey) with a triangle choke.

If you can struggle through the futile attempts at acting and weak plot, take a look at the movie, "Brazilian Brawl." For all of its many, many shortcomings, this film does feature some amazing fight scenes. The film was choreographed by Carlos Machado, who stars in the film as do his four famous brothers. In addition to this movie, Machado is the expert behind many fight scenes of the Chuck Norris' classic, "Walker, Texas Ranger."

While, it isn't really about Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and you won't even really see any clear Jiu-Jitsu techniques during the film, "The Matrix," is a must-see for anyone who loves fight scenes and martial arts. For the nine people on the planet who have not seen the movie, Keanu Reeves plays Neo, an unlikely hero who is plugged into a machine that teaches him Jiu-Jitsu in just a matter of minutes. Mostly, Neo showcases Kung Fu skills, but we know that Jiu-Jitsu is in there somewhere. At any rate, many Jiu-Jitsu schools reported huge jumps in enrollment after this film hit the theaters.




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