Rapper and filmmaker RZA, who directed “Cut Throat City,” has culled inspiration from various action films that came before him. The Wu-Tang Clan founding member broke down a list of the top five fight scenes that have served as cinematic inspiration throughout his career.
The top spot goes to “Enter the Dragon.” Bruce Lee’s character finds himself spotted by enemies and is forced to take on an army of combatants with nothing but his hands, sticks and nunchucks.
“The speed that Bruce moves at and the agility — that scene, I’ll never forget seeing that as a kid and everything that he had, I wanted,” RZA said. “I wanted the gloves, I wanted the two sticks and I wanted the nunchucks.”
Another notable moment for him comes from the Quentin Tarantino-helmed “Kill Bill: Volume 1,” starring Uma Thurman. Thurman’s character The Bride takes on the Crazy 88 army in the House of Blue Leaves, dodging axes and matching katana blows with the many enemies swarming her. RZA touted the scene as a skillful execution of martial arts choreography, praising Yuen Woo-Ping for choreographing it.
Other iconic moments for RZA include scenes from classics like “They Live,” “The Raid 2” and “The Matrix Reloaded.” Watch the full video above for his breakdown of each influential scene.