Quote from: dissolute ocelot on March 14, 2023, 03:53:40 PMand of course the late Burt Reynolds.

Good call, stuntman too. Reckon I wouldn't mess with old Turd Ferguson.

I remember when I was a kid, one of my friends did karate and he was always doing the same shit as Mac from always Sunny. When it came to it, if we were horsing about, I'd just throw myself at him, sit on him, and fart while I was sitting on him.

Scale that up and I imagine that Stallone could probably do that to JCVD.

Stallone must've learnt some basic boxing right? That would be an advantage in a fight. Unless in such a situation in the real world he'd pee his pants and run away.

Yeah he probably can box to a decent level. De Niro trained so much for Raging Bull that La Motta himself said that he could have turned professional and would have been one of the top 20 middleweights in the world.

Supposedly George Lazenby secured the role of James Bond when he mistimed a punch during a screen test and knocked out a stuntman.

William Smith (NB not to be confused with Will 'Girly Slap' Smith) was properly hard.  He made films with Eastwood and Arnie and said they weren't that tough.  Someone he did suggest would be able to look after themselves in a 'situation' was Rod Taylor.  In 'Darker Than Amber', a failed attempt to start a film series based around John D MacDonald's Travis McGee character, the two of them filmed a fight in which, in at least a couple of shots, the punches were real.  Smith claimed he suffered three broken ribs, although he did manage to break Taylor's nose.

Quote from: Bad Ambassador on March 14, 2023, 04:42:20 PMSupposedly George Lazenby secured the role of James Bond when he mistimed a punch during a screen test and knocked out a stuntman.

Come to think of it Connery was the real deal.  Wikipedia has a story about him fighting some Edinburgh thugs, and on the set of an early film he was threatened by Lana Turner's mafioso boyfriend Johnny Stompanato, who pulled a gun on him.  Connery grabbed it from his hand.

Quote from: dissolute ocelot on March 14, 2023, 03:53:40 PMCynthia Rothrock was an excellent athlete in her day in the incomprehensible world of martial arts, and still looks like she could get in a quick punch or two before you'd be able to react.

There are quite a few actors who were decent American football players in their youth: Terry Crews, Forest Whitaker, John Goodman, Ed O'Neill (presumably he took care of the players' shoes), and of course the late Burt Reynolds. Any of them could probably ram their helmet into your stomach. But I like how Britain's top hardman Jason Statham was a diver rather than doing anything that involved touching people. They wouldn't let him play contact sports because he was so hard.

Any of them go out on the last in Greater Yarmouth with Dion Dublin as his wingman?

Statham by a mile.

Quote from: bgmnts on March 14, 2023, 03:42:54 PMPresumably lots of actors in the 40s and 50s would have been trained military and potential kilers so they may have been tough, Audie Murphy being the most famous example.

Sensible answer is this.

Someone like Lee Marvin or Charles Bronson* still looked tough as nails in the 60s and 70s.

*except for his arms, obviously

If we're going outside action roles, Christopher Lee killed some blokes in WWII (they were Nazis, thankfully) when he was in the Special Operations Executive, which did espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance.



Tom Cruise, Keanu Reeves, Charlize Theron, Jamie Foxx (well, basically anyone who's starred in a Michael Mann movie) have all been through armed forces training at some point, although I don't know if they'd actually have it in them to kill someone. Well, Cruise might. Cruise is fucking crazy.

Quote from: El Unicornio, mang on March 14, 2023, 04:07:29 PMSeem to recall interviews with Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee where they said they weren't actually any good at real fighting, it was all just very convincing choreography.

Supposedly Lee used to get in street fights as a kid, and learned martial arts as a consequence of that. And he did like sparring. Although I don't know how much of that is part of the Bruce Lee Mythos as opposed to actual history.

Chan's films are expertly choreographed, but the guy can obviously take a punch (or a massive drop off a building) and at his peak had lightning-fast reactions, so I think he'd do all right against some random twat outside a kebab shop on a Saturday night.

Quote from: Keebleman on March 14, 2023, 04:53:25 PMJohnny Stompanato,

Who, a GIS suggests, looks almost exactly like Christopher Moltisanti.

Quote from: A Hat Like That on March 14, 2023, 05:01:10 PMSensible answer is this.

Someone like Lee Marvin or Charles Bronson* still looked tough as nails in the 60s and 70s.

*except for his arms, obviously

I read somewhere that Lee Marvin once got in a fight with Roger Moore - and lost.

Robert Mitchum fought in 27 professional boxing matches.

Quote from: Keebleman on March 14, 2023, 04:53:25 PMCome to think of it Connery was the real deal.  Wikipedia has a story about him fighting some Edinburgh thugs, and on the set of an early film he was threatened by Lana Turner's mafioso boyfriend Johnny Stompanato, who pulled a gun on him.  Connery grabbed it from his hand.

Mental

QuoteThe future Bond grabbed the enforcer's wrist in a swift move, twisted it until the gun came loose, and then decked him with one punch. Turner called Scotland Yard to escort Stompanato from the set, and he was deported for breaking England's gun laws. While the whole thing was supposedly caught on camera, no footage has ever surfaced.

QuoteOn April 4, 1958, Turner's 13-year-old daughter Cheryl Crane stabbed Stompanato to death with a butcher knife after witnessing him attack her mother and threaten to mess up her face. The killing was ruled justifiable homicide at trial but Stompanato's family sued Turner for $7 million.

QuoteConnery was staying at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel while making Darby O' Gill and the Little People. Depending on reports, he either got a call from Mickey Cohen or one of his henchmen with the message "Get out of town or a contract will be put on your life." While Connery had proved himself a brave Scotsman, he had no way to gauge how serious the threat was. On the advice of Disney executives, he checked into the San Fernando Valley's cheap Bel Air Palms Motel until the heat was off.

Quote from: Mister Six on March 14, 2023, 05:22:27 PMIf we're going outside action roles, Christopher Lee killed some blokes in WWII (they were Nazis, thankfully) when he was in the Special Operations Executive

David Niven was in Phantom squadron and part of the D-day landings receiving Legion of Merit. He never spilled the beans but I reckon yeah, I reckon he did some up close slotting.

Mickey Rourke was heavily into boxing, too.

Jesse Ventura was on the Seal teams in Nam.

Try holding a machine gun placement with this kill package emerging out of the ocean.

Quote from: El Unicornio, mang on March 14, 2023, 04:07:29 PMSeem to recall interviews with Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee where they said they weren't actually any good at real fighting, it was all just very convincing choreography.

Bruce Lee invented his own martial art, and was the best in the world at it, which isn't entirely conclusive. There are a lot of stories about him streetfighting as a teenager: I'm sure there is exaggeration but I still wouldn't fancy it.

Jackie Chan was very much an actor though, rather than a martial artist. But he could take a lot of pain.

Quote from: Dr Rock on March 14, 2023, 04:23:57 PMStallone must've learnt some basic boxing right? That would be an advantage in a fight. Unless in such a situation in the real world he'd pee his pants and run away.

Stallone in his Rocky prime would probably be quite handy in the ring, if only because he did learn how to bob, weave and all that other boxing stuff I don't really know anything about. He presumably knew how to dodge a punch.

But seeing as Rocky's main fighting strategy was being hit repeatedly in the head while wearing his opponent down, Sly would almost certainly be battered by a pro who knew how to get through an actual boxing match.

Yo Adrian! I'm fucked!

Danny Trejo not only spent much of his early life in the California prison system, but he was apparently a success on the prison boxing circuit.

Dolph Lundgren was a skilled martial artist and won the European karate championship or something like that? His fighting ability probably declined when he started roiding up in the 80s, but he would still win given that he is so much smarter than the rest of these guys and thus would be able to trick them into walking off a cliff or into a pit.

I reckon Woody Harrelson probably picked up a few tips about killing _(presidents) from his dad

If you believe QI, something Eastwood was very good at was firing the prop gun without blinking. Yul Bryner being another.

The wrestler Terry Funk appeared in a few films, such as Road House. He would probably be good at taking crazy amounts of punishment to win a scrap through attrition.

Quote from: bgmnts on March 14, 2023, 03:42:54 PMPresumably lots of actors in the 40s and 50s would have been trained military and potential kilers so they may have been tough, Audie Murphy being the most famous example.

Audie Murphy, tough? That's a masterly understatement!

"Chuck Norris were there, he were in Nam... so it isn't acting, it's real."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPVMi9MxabM

Terry Funk also choreographed the street right in Rocky 5. Funk is commonly regarded as almost legendarily tough/stupid.

The Rock is made out of those large, globe-like, papery lampshades with wire running across them. If you kick him below the midriff, he'll sail fourteen feet into the air and land on a railing.

Conversely, the now-elderly Nicholas Lyndhurst can deck an MMA fighter while having a complicated piss at a urinal. It's a funny old world!

When filming Rocky IV, Hollywood hard man Dolph Lundgren apparently punched Sly Stallone so hard his ribs crushed his heart and he was rushed to hospital, where he was kept in intensive care for eight days. A severely-battered Carl Weathers also threatened to quit the movie, when filming the scene where Dolph punches him to death.

Quote from: Dr Rock on March 14, 2023, 10:20:55 AMKeanu

I reckon at this stage Keanu has done many months of training to do 4 Matrix and 3 John Wick films. I'm not saying he's Bruce Lee but he'd make a better fist of putting you through a window than the average schlub off the street.

Arnie is just a bodybuilder and would get his bottom kicked by a tasty fighter. He never even did much convincing fighting on screen that comes to mind.

Dolph Lundgren was a karate champion if I'm not mistaken. Wouldn't want to fuck with him.

Lee Marvin was in the Marines and was a sniper in WW2. If that's not the real deal I don't know what is.

Jackie Chan could tear your heart out with kicks, obviously.

Russell Crowe is a street thug type with a temper on him and some bulk to back it up. I'd be well weary of him, especially if he'd had a drink or you stopped him reading a poem.

Matt Damon is an interesting one. He's definitely had some training and is quite chunky but who knows if he'd carry it into real life.

Vin Diesel. Not for me.

Jason Statham was a model so I doubt it.

Bruce Lee is quick but seems to have this mythology of invincibility around him. A middlweight boxer or decent MMA guy would probably squash him. Still the real deal though.

Steven Seagal could handle himself in his day I reckon.

Wesley Snipes. I doubt it but could be wrong.

Sly Stallone. No way. The boxing in the Rocky films is awful. Multiple haymakers with the same hand with no variation or head movement. He'd crumple instantly.

Van Damme was a kickboxing champion so he'd kill you.

Chuck Norris could kill you even if he was in a wheelchair.

Bruce Willis. No chance. Actor.

The Rock. Batista. John Cena. Big lads who know their way around a ring and are athletic could handle themselves most likely.

Quote from: beanheadmcginty on March 14, 2023, 12:44:11 PMMr. T is genuinely fucking hard. He was Muhammed Ali's bodyguard, won a competition called "America's Toughest Bouncer" and, when he was in the army, single-handedly chopped down an entire forest just to wind up a superior officer.

Yeah he was a bouncer in Chicago which by all accounts gives him extra hard man points because you have to be a right nutter to survive, let alone run the door there.

QuoteWesley Snipes. I doubt it but could be wrong.

According to Felix from CTH, Wesley Snipes is legit martial artist.

Mel Gibson is a toff but Russell Crowe could handle himself in a fight.

Question is how much training or military action did Gal Gadot see in the Israeli Army.