When it comes to action movies, most people tend to notice the actors on the screen trying to do their own fights and stunts. That’s all well and good, but for large-budget blockbusters, most actors aren’t actually allowed to do their own stunts, Tom Cruise being the main exception. When it comes to stunts and fight choreography, the real unsung heroes of action movies are generally not seen at all, and if they are, they’re in costumes, so you can’t tell who they are. Stunt men and fight choreographers are some of the most important people when it comes to action films. They have an eye for detail and sequences that most people will never see. There have been a number of stunt men that have become actors over the years, but most of them, unfortunately don’t stand out very well from the pack. There are exceptions, of course. One of them is British stunt-man Ray Park. Ray Park was baptized into the world of martial arts at an early age, studying Northern Fist kung-fu and then moving on to become an expert in various other styles, with Wushu being at the forefront. He would continue to participate in tournaments and exhibitions for well over 6 years, finally earning a gold medal for the Great Britain Wushu and Chin Woo Martial Arts teams. While Ray Park may not have the largest filmography in the world, he has made a name for himself over the years. Because of the size of his filmography, I will also be including some scenes where he’s a stuntman and not just an actor.
Star Wars: The Phantom Menace – Ray Park Vs. Liam Neeson and Ewan McGregor
Everybody has an opinion on the merits of George Lucas’ Prequel Trilogy and more importantly, the first entry: The Phantom Menace. I tend to be more forgiving than most, but the one that few people can deny is that Darth Maul is one of the most memorable villains in Star Wars, second only to Darth Vader. That is not an easy thing to accomplish. Ray Park delivers an electrifying physical performance as the black and red-skinned Sith Lord. This was the movie that actually made Ray Park a house-hold name. The fight scene with the two Jedi ranks as one of the best fight sequences in the entire Star Wars saga. George Lucas hand-picked Park specifically because of his stunt and martial arts background for the role. Ray Park does all of his own fighting and stunt-work in this film and most of it is done without wires. That’s why people responded well to this battle. It was fast, furious and non-stop.
Mortal Kombat: Annihilation – Raiden Stunt Double
I bring up Mortal Kombat: Annihilation not to mock Ray Park. Not at all. His stunt-work in this film is really good. The stunts in the film aren’t actually that bad. It’s everything else that sucks. I chose this fight between Raiden and the ninjas, specifically because of Ray Park’s stunt-work. Most of the close-up shots are of James Remar, who actually plays Raiden in the film, but he’s not a martial artist, so the actual fights that you see are Ray Park and there is a brief moment where you can see that it is Ray Park and not Mr. Remar. None of this is Ray Park’s or James Remar’s fault. The fault lies with the director and editors. The movie is not good, and the fight choreography isn’t that great, but a good chunk of the stunt-work, as in the flips and stuff like that, is pretty decent. I don’t think you have to like a movie to appreciate Ray Park’s contribution to it.
GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra – Ray Park vs. Byung Hun-Lee
I’m not trying to bring up bad movies on purpose. Seriously. No, I’m absolutely trying to showcase the best parts of those bad movies. For Rise of Cobra, the most compelling character moments are between the masked ninjas Snake Eyes(The good guy) and Storm Shadow(The bad guy). If the film spent more time focused on these two characters, it would have been a better movie. I didn’t think it was an awful film, but certain decisions were very…questionable. What isn’t questionable is Ray Park’s casting as the silent Snake Eyes. He says more with his body language in the film than most people with actual lines in other movies. This fight sequence between Park and Lee has a surprising amount of emotional weight to it. Granted, these two characters are the most fleshed out in an other-wise generic film, but it surprises me how much you can relate to these two characters.
Accident Man – Ray Park and Michael Jai White Vs. Scott Adkins
Now, this one is a bit of a cheat, I grant you, but it’s awesome because it has Scott Adkins, Michael Jai White AND Ray Park duking it out in one of the best fight scenes of the movie. Ray Park plays Mac, a partner of Michael Jai White’s Mick, and they are part of the same assassination group that Scott Adkins’ character is. Teaming Ray Park with Michael Jai White was a brilliant move as these guys can be pretty funny when on screen together. This fight scene has a lot going for it: Tight choreography, drama, humor, and intensity. Accident Man is loaded with awesome fight sequences and this is one of the best in the film. It’s definitely worth checking out.
While some of the films I brought up in this list are not the greatest, there is no doubt that Ray Park has at least made them watchable. Star Wars was both good and bad for Ray Park. It was good for Mr. Park, because it put him on the map with one of the coolest villains ever. But it was also bad for Mr. Park because he really hasn’t had a role that has matched Darth Maul, and he will always be known as “that guy that played Darth Maul.” That being said, I think Ray Park is really worth paying attention to in terms of movies, because he has grown in terms of acting. I think this is a guy that really needs to be given a chance to carry a movie as a lead actor, because I think he can. Not only can he do his own stunts, but he does also bring his own level of intensity to whatever role he’s given.