Keanu Reeves attached to Cowboy Bebop [Archive]

NonCon

01-16-2009, 03:16 PM

Source (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i4b7a99706a1f6a077033886984143b61)

Twentieth Century Fox is bringing the Japanese anime TV series "Cowboy Bebop" to the big screen, with Keanu Reeves attached to star as a bounty hunter traveling through space in 2071.

I already doubted the ability of people to make a good movie out of it, but now that Keanu is gonna be Spike, I don't think it has any hope. Maybe I'm being a little negative, but I just don't see him working as Spike in any way, shape or form.

P.S. I know info of this leaked last year, but this is the first official confirmation so yeah...

Regulus Tera

01-16-2009, 03:25 PM

PUKE

PUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUKE

Okay, now that that's out of the way, I nominate Cameron Díaz as Faye just so this has a chance to beat Dragon Ball: Evolution as the best comedy ever.

http://i41.tinypic.com/110yxxd.jpg

P.S. BRING YOKO KANNO FOR THE SOUNDTRACK

EDIT: Hey, this has a chance to not totally suck! (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-01-15/live-action-cowboy-bebop-proposal-officially-announced)

The Japanese animation studio Sunrise has officially announced the plans for a live-action film adaptation of its Cowboy Bebop science-fiction anime franchise. The American film studio Twentieth Century Fox, the production company 3 Arts Entertainment, and Sunrise itself are collaborating on the project. Keanu Reeves (The Matrix, A Scanner Darkly, Johnny Mnemonic) is slated to star. Joshua Long is acting as a production supervisor, and Erwin Stoff, a film producer who worked closely with Reeves on The Matrix and A Scanner Darkly, is also attached. The associate producers are Sunrise President Kenji Uchida, the original Cowboy Bebop director Shinichiro Watanabe, and the original series script supervisor Keiko Nobumoto. The Sunrise studio itself and Masahiko Minami (former Sunrise producer and BONES studio co-founder) are both acting as production consultants.

Stoff first revealed the existence of the proposed project last July to the IFMagazine.com entertainment website after the parties "just signed it the other day." Reeves confirmed the plans and his intentions to play the lead role with MTV Movies Blog last month. He also indicated that the preliminary story outline partly draws inspiration from the "Red Eye" storyline from the first episode of the animated series. Reeves and Watanabe had previously worked together on the "Kid's Story" segment of The Animatrix animated video anthology.

Bells

01-16-2009, 03:55 PM

EDIT: Hey, this has a chance to not totally suck! (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-01-15/live-action-cowboy-bebop-proposal-officially-announced)

http://screenrant.com/wp-content/uploads/keanu-reeves-7.jpghttp://www.toplessrobot.com/spike-spiegel.jpg

eeeeh.... naw... it still will probably suck...

But who will they call to be Jet Black? Morgan Freeman or Samuel L Jackson?

shiney

01-16-2009, 04:07 PM

Really though most of Reeves' career has been leading toward this moment. His characters have all been shameful bits of the man himself, and now he has a chance for the whole deal. I hoep it doesn't, you know, become a Keanu Reeves movie though.

Mirai Gen

01-16-2009, 05:36 PM

I could see it working.

He's going to have to put a lot more of his Constantine-ish jackassery into it to do it, but I could kind of see it work.

Aerozord

01-16-2009, 05:40 PM

P.S. BRING YOKO KANNO FOR THE SOUNDTRACK

Personally thats the deal breaker for me. The soundtrack of Cowboy Bebop wasn't just background music, it was part of the narrative. Episodes were litterally a fusion of music and animation. Not many composers could pull off what she did, and without someone of that ability I don't care if its a shot for shot duplicate of Knocking on Heaven's Door, its not gonna be worthy of the title Cowboy Bebop

Meister

01-16-2009, 05:51 PM

Can we not use Aint It Cool Hey Look Mom I'm A Journalist News style thread titles, pretty please?

TheSparrow

01-16-2009, 05:52 PM

http://screenrant.com/wp-content/uploads/keanu-reeves-7.jpghttp://www.toplessrobot.com/spike-spiegel.jpg

eeeeh.... naw... it still will probably suck...

But who will they call to be Jet Black? Morgan Freeman or Samuel L Jackson?

Thats nice, they sort of look alike. Now if only Keanu could act. I mean the guy is so bad that despite the fact he is a wooden actor, he couldnt even pull off playing a wooden alien. :|

EDIT: My favorite acting decisions ever by Keanu Reeves were refusing Platoon to be replaced by Charlie Sheen and, THANK GOD, pulling out of Heat to be replaced by Val Kilmer.

Kaneda

01-16-2009, 09:52 PM

TheSparrow

01-16-2009, 11:44 PM

Wasn't this already known, or was it just speculation based on the fact that every other one of the producer's movies starred Keanu?

I don't think this is as terrible as it immediately seems. I mean, I could see his style of "acting" being appropriate for Spike. More so than it would be for most other characters at least.

Lost faith in his style of acting being appropriate for anything when he couldnt pull off Klaatu. I mean if one role was suited for him, its the alien that doesnt know how to emote and acts wooden.

POS Industries

01-16-2009, 11:51 PM

Can we not use Aint It Cool Hey Look Mom I'm A Journalist News style thread titles, pretty please?
Please tell me that "Keanu Reeves attached to Cowboy Bebop" was not the original thread title, because otherwise I think you just hurt my brain.

NonCon

01-16-2009, 11:57 PM

The original thread title was "Cowboy Bebop Movie Fail Confirmed" or some such.

POS Industries

01-16-2009, 11:58 PM

The original thread title was "Cowboy Bebop Movie Fail Confirmed" or some such.
Oh, okay. Then apparently Krylo is just a stupidhead for IMing me about.

Bitchy old woman...

Mike McC

01-17-2009, 01:06 AM

It was "Cowboy Bebop Fail Confirmed" (no 'movie'). Which is surprisingly vauge and ambiguous because that could very well be an anime title.

I support Meister's vendetta against thread titles that are all fluff and little information about what is contained within. Sir, I salute you!

NonCon

01-17-2009, 01:12 AM

Cowboy Bebop: Fail Confirmed

Synopsis: A bounty hunter named Spike, played by Keanu Reeves, sets off to find an internet terrorist who has hacked the entire internet. Along the way he is aided by his black friend Jet, played by Samuel L. Jackson, his girlfriend Faye, played by Kirsten Dunst, and a little girl named Ed, played by Dakota Fanning. As Spike tries to overcome his past, he learns to forgive himself and realizes that he knows the hacker better than he thought.

Directed by Michael Moore.

Aerozord

01-17-2009, 01:28 AM

I support Meister's vendetta against thread titles that are all fluff and little information about what is contained within. Sir, I salute you!

yea though now Seil's thread titles will make sense. Do we really want to live in that kind of world?

Premonitions

01-21-2009, 05:18 AM

Zilla

01-21-2009, 06:10 AM

You guys know Jet isn't black, right?

http://animekouhyou.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/09/Bebop4.jpg

Does Val Kilmer still work? I think he'd make a great Spike if he added his Doc Holliday dash to it.

Spike is way too emotionally complex for Reeves. He's too much of a wiseass taoist with a hotheaded temper, nothing like anything Reeves has done before. Heck, I'd have to say Ted is his closest character to Spike, at least when he's not antagonized about anything.

Since the original writing team is actually working on the movie, I hope this will work out. I REALLY admire the direction in Cowboy Bebop's action scenes. After watching the movie and rewatching the series, I am ready to call it the best anime ever. It really spits on every so-called action scene I can care to think of, because it's so beautiful and fluid. Of special note is Spike fighting to get to Vicious in the last part of the last episode, that whole sequence is beautiful and reminds me of the one good scene in Hard Boiled, the really long take where Tequila and Tony are fighting through the hospital. I really hope they bring that to live-action, and I really hope that the directing is good enough that even Reeves can play Spike and still not ruin the series.

Aerozord

01-21-2009, 10:14 AM

You guys DO know that Sam Jackson's not the only black actor ever right? Vhing Rhames or Michael Clark Duncan would fit better, both play old grizzled guys well, both are big and have the voice depth for it.
yea but he is the one that gets hired 90% of the time. However that doesn't really matter anyways because

You guys know Jet isn't black, right?

Is very true. Still wouldn't suprise me (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RaceLift) though.

Savage Thinking

01-21-2009, 11:38 AM

I think Ron Perlman would make a great Jet.

http://i41.tinypic.com/wivyua.jpg

I can't be the only one who thinks this.

Mirai Gen

01-21-2009, 05:50 PM

Isn't he a bit old? That'd be tough on the action scenes.

Well, than again, a majority of the action scenes that aren't shooting people is punching them with the robo-arm. I could see it happen.

Premonitions

01-21-2009, 07:34 PM

Jet IS darker than everyone else on the show, black people come in all shades ya know, and always seemed black to me Anime's wierd like that, it's either Mr.popo, or a tan when it comes to black people. I don't recall Jet having many action scenes where he's doing a lot of fighting, per se, mostly shootouts and running. Have you Seen the Remake of Dawn of the Dead? Vhing Rames(sp?) can still throwdown.
P.S. ron perlman would make a great anyone IMO

Magus

01-21-2009, 07:51 PM

This seems like it would be severely dumbed down since you could basically only cover the events of the 7 episodes involving Vicious/Julia if you only did one movie, because those are some of the only "unifying" episodes of the series, interspersed as they are throughout stand-alone adventures.

Of course, the idea that 20th Century Fox will even keep such a basic plot as the Spike vs. Vicious is probably absurdly hopeful, even if it sucks all the juice out of it completely, they will find a way to make it even more dry and mundane.

Unless this is a series of movies Fox cannot even hope to match the scope of it, nor will they even try in their one movie attempt. Besides the idea that doing this to a beloved anime is horrid, they are incompetent to boot, as they couldn't even adapt Max Payne properly, a game which is 90% shooting things and 10% easily developed noir cliches.

Aerozord

01-21-2009, 08:05 PM

Jet IS darker than everyone else on the show,

Ed's darker then Jet

Still she isn't black. That guy from that bounty hunting show they watched like once an episode, now thats a black guy

Mirai Gen

01-21-2009, 08:30 PM

For some reason, the crazy-ass beard he's got makes people think he's black, I think.

Aerozord

01-21-2009, 08:47 PM

nah its totaly the bald thing

or more likely the fact his name is Jet Black

Premonitions

01-22-2009, 01:14 PM

Ed's darker then Jet

Still she isn't black.

Thats exactly my point with
Anime's wierd like that, it's either Mr.popo, or a tan when it comes to black people.
this statement,

maybe it's just his general appearance and behavior, I look at him, I see Vhing rames. Bebop was pretty cool when it came to showing a world that was'nt just european with asian sprinkles.
That guy from that bounty hunting show they watched like once an episode, now thats a black guy
I thought they were trying to pass him off as Latino, hence the bad accent.

Magus

01-22-2009, 01:38 PM

I'd say Jet isn't black, as people who are obviously black seem to be the guy on Big Shot (he drops the accent when not on the show), Udai Taxim, the guy who supposedly ruined Jet's arm in Black Dog Serenade, and the guy who drags around a coffin on his back in Mushroom Samba, amongst others. It seems clear who is black and who isn't in Cowboy Bebop, unlike in some anime which may be ambiguous.

I wouldn't mind if Jet was played by a black guy, though. I don't think it would affect the plot in any way and a lot of people seem to think he is black already so...

Tev

01-22-2009, 01:52 PM

Have they announced who they might cast to play Ed yet? Because I think that how Edward is done will make or break this movie for me more than any other character.

Aerozord

01-22-2009, 05:27 PM

Have they announced who they might cast to play Ed yet? Because I think that how Edward is done will make or break this movie for me more than any other character.

ten bucks says Ed's played by a guy. Any takers?

Mirai Gen

01-22-2009, 05:55 PM

Who says that's a bad thing? If they try and get someone who can play the part, say, like Gabriel in Constantine or 'Jack' in Pitch Black and lean them towards feminine in a hyperactive teenager sort of way (Or even gender neutral) I could see it happening.

Aerozord

01-22-2009, 06:18 PM

well Ed's gender ambiguity was part of her character, not that I expect them to keep that intact. Heck I would expect some conservative outrage on crossdressing.

But to me the only thing that really made one think Ed was a girl, was the fact her name was Ed and we are so used to women her age in anime having D cups

Azisien

01-22-2009, 06:49 PM

Any thoughts on why they picked probably the worst episode of the entire series as the inspiration for the movie?

Oh, Keanu Reeves....right....

Mirai Gen

01-22-2009, 06:51 PM

Any thoughts on why they picked probably the worst episode of the entire series as the inspiration for the movie?
Sequels.

Sequels like what.

Magus

01-22-2009, 09:50 PM

Any thoughts on why they picked probably the worst episode of the entire series as the inspiration for the movie?

Oh, Keanu Reeves....right....

Which episode is the inspiration?

EDIT: Oh, never mind. "Red Eye".

I guess you have to start somewhere? It's actually pretty funny that they chose the first episode to start with, though. It's almost like sort of making sense or something. But it's eminently skippable, so...

It really seems like they should mash together Episode 2, 3, and ...7 I think (whichever one introduced Ed) as well, just to get all the characters in there. Or something.

bluestarultor

01-22-2009, 11:43 PM

As for the characters:

- Never saw Jet as being a black guy. Really. I mean, he's darker and all, but probably mixed race at most. You could argue that his skin tone and hair color indicate a buttload of heritage, which in a space opera would not be inappropriate. To with, he's got a darn square jaw, which is common among Native Americans, a build that could indicate a mixture of origins including black and Mexican, hair that's black and would indicate roots in, well, pretty much anything but being white, and a light skin tone that pretty much allows you to assume he's got more than a few Europeans in there somewhere. I'd say the safest bet is to toss a Hispanic guy in the role, really, but Ron Perlman is awesome and I can see him pulling it off no problem.

- Faye would make a good case for being cast as Asian. She's got fair skin and dark hair, and God knows that's how the Japanese draw themselves half the time. I don't see Cameron Diaz in the role, like with that old poster. She just doesn't fit the part for me, in part because she doesn't look the part and also because I don't think she could pull off the strong personality after so many roles involving her trying to look strong and ultimately having it just be show and needing to be rescued in one way or another. She's good at complaining, not so good at accomplishing much in a believable way.

- Ed should totally be played by a girl. I always saw her as one and even if people didn't, gender confusion on a girl is much more acceptable in our society than gender confusion on a boy. She actually makes a good case for being cast as black, but I'd really like them to actually break down and find someone mixed race for the role. Give a hopeful a chance, you know?

- Keanu looks enough like Spike that I think with enough poking and prodding, he could be forced to pull it off. If nothing else, he'll shine in all the action scenes, because what's Bebop if not littered with sexy action?

- And I swear, if they CG the dog, I'm going to be pissed.

Now all they have to do is come up with someone to play Vicious. For the life of me, I can't think of a single person for the role.

NonCon

01-23-2009, 12:16 AM

Johnny Depp as Vicious. Everything is better with Depp. Actually, I don't think he could pull of Vicious, but I do think he'd be a better Spike than Keanu.

Azisien

01-23-2009, 09:50 AM

Vicious can just be 100% CG.

Preturbed

01-23-2009, 10:11 AM

Now all they have to do is come up with someone to play Vicious. For the life of me, I can't think of a single person for the role.

He's not in Red Eye, is he? And trust me, if you think this movie is going to be bad, you don't want to think about sequels.

Savage Thinking

01-23-2009, 10:30 AM

As for the characters:

- Never saw Jet as being a black guy. Really. I mean, he's darker and all, but probably mixed race at most.
The biggest thing that made me question whether he was black was the voice (in the dub anyway), really. Because you know, the voice actor actually is (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0082507/). But then again, it makes me think whether my opinion on it would change if they chose a different guy to do it.

Sequels.

Sequels like what.
Yeah, when I first heard that they're doing the first episode, this is the first thing that came to mind. Although I wonder how they're gonna do it. Like, each sequel will be dedicated to each character, or mesh some together (like when they introduce Faye and put it together with Vicious's debut).

Aerozord

01-23-2009, 11:52 AM

You know I hate to be that guy, but something about these actor/actress picks is that they only speak of the big names. FLCL has shown that if your top priority is finding the person that best fits the role instead of the most well known, you can make something awesome

because what's Bebop if not littered with sexy action?

A story littered with drama, commentary, and modern analogs that seemlessly meld with what is arguably the best soundtrack of all time

Melfice

01-23-2009, 11:57 AM

I'd say Jet is of Arabic or North African origin. Quite possibly very watered down. Moroccan or Tunesian. Turkish? That "general" area.
He has the name against him, but then again... Spike?

Anyway, this sounds like it would at least be an entertaining movie.

Also, doing the first episode? I thought they were just going to tie it in with the Red Eye story FROM the first episode?

Preturbed

01-23-2009, 03:45 PM

[QUOTE=Savage Thinking;888469the voice actor actually is (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0082507/).[/QUOTE]

Whoa... that guy could actually look the part, I think. Hire him!

Nique

01-24-2009, 01:19 AM

Have Joss Whedon direct! Have Joss Whedon direct!

...Oh wait it's through Fox.

... :(

Spekkio

01-29-2009, 08:04 PM

The reason they're doing the first episode, I'll almost guarantee, is that they only WATCHED the first episode, and then said "Oh, so that's what this is. Let's make a movie out of it, and cash in for whatever it's worth."

TheSparrow

01-30-2009, 06:36 AM

FLCL has shown that if your top priority is finding the person that best fits the role instead of the most well known, you can make something awesome

Ah but the problem with that is the job of Hollywood exec doesn't allow for that kind of freedom. I read an interesting article on this recently, basically on how big name stars never get the blame for a movie doing badly, and yet movies with big name stars don't actually do any better proportionally than their counterparts with no names. For some reason big name stars are Teflon. For example look at Nicole Kidman. Her last several movies have all been flops and poorly reviewed; Australia, The Golden Compass, Invasion, Bewitched, The Interpreter, Cold Mountain[this one was actually well reviewed, though some, like Ebert & Roper both, blasted Kidman's performance, while still giving the film thumbs up], The Stepford Wives. Yet she is still one of the top 10 earning women on a per movie basis in Hollywood.

The idea goes like this: Hollywood exec makes a giant budget movie staring, say, Tom Cruise, and the movie flops. The movie exec gets to say "well we put a big name everyone liked into it, so who knew?" And Hollywood agrees. If he makes that exact same movie with a no name, and it flops, invariably the reason for the flop is pinned on bad casting, because there were no big name draws, and that must be the reason, and said Hollywood exec looses his job.

THAT is why these guys would rather rewrite a script to fit a big name in than find someone who can fit the script. And we get stuck with these big budget summer monstrosities staring Will Smith or Bruce Willis every damn summer.

Damaged

01-30-2009, 07:35 AM

Will Smith. He's a damned fine actor AND has a big name, therefore, he gets good cast options and goes with ones he knows he can do right. He is the exception to Hollywood's endless cycle of big-named retardation, which is likely soon to make Cowboy Bebop into its next victim. Seriously, who's idea was it to even consider casting Keanu Reeves? This Cowboy Bebop fan is rabid, I say! Rabid for blood! Keanu has absolutely zero roguish charm! He'll make Spike sound flat and boring. I can just imagine it now... Oh god... Blasphemy! Stop the film! Make it stop! Somebody put me out of my misery!

Oh well, at least there will actually be a movie.

TheSparrow

01-30-2009, 08:28 AM

Damaged

01-30-2009, 09:26 AM

The problem with Will Smith is that in 99% of the movies he is in, he plays Will Smith (Ali and Happyness not withstanding).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_Smith#Filmography

Accordingly, he has played over twenty legitimate acting roles over film and television. Only six could even be counted as playing himself, one of which is just the Fresh Prince role in another show. Even then, the entire Fresh Prince series is skewed and was only a start for him, and isn't even a movie.

So. legitimately, we're looking at twenty-four movies, four of which he respectively played as himself. Four divided by twenty-four, rounded up to the nearest hundredth equals...

17% of movies Will Smith stars in, he plays himself.

Oh wait, it gets better. One of those movies is just a popular music video. Hardly an acting role. Two of them are just cameos, one of which he is not even credited for.

One divided by twenty-one...

Roughly 4.6%

One movie, "Welcome to Hollywood." One crummy mockumentary, in which he doesn't even seriously play himself, and is, once again... just a cameo, which is hardly acting and is hardly paid.

That cuts us back to zero divided by twenty equals... In other words, you're basically wrong.

Kaneda

01-30-2009, 11:07 AM

17% of movies Will Smith stars in, he plays himself.

Oh wait, it gets better. One of those movies is just a popular music video. Hardly an acting role. Two of them are just cameos, one of which he is not even credited for.

One divided by twenty-one...

Roughly 4.6%

One movie, "Welcome to Hollywood." One crummy mockumentary, in which he doesn't even seriously play himself, and is, once again... just a cameo, which is hardly acting and is hardly paid.

That cuts us back to zero divided by twenty equals... In other words, you're basically wrong.

Y'know, Im 99% sure that Sparrow had an entirely different idea of what "Will Smith playing himself" is. Looking at that filmography now, I'm also seeing a lot of the same Will Smithy roles.

The success of Will Smith movies has always baffled me, seeing as the entire marketing campaign of those movies has seemed to be "THIS MOVIE HAS WILL SMITH IN IT" and that somehow miraculously works.

TheSparrow

01-30-2009, 11:08 AM

I count four just in Bad Boys and Men in Black movies, plus I-Robot, Enemy of the State, Wild Wild West, Hancock and Independence Day.

All of those movies he plays basically the same guy. They guy that runs around going, as the comic so aptly pointed out "awww HELL naw" and fighting things

Maybe I didnt mean so much "playing Will Smith" as I meant "playing the same goddamn character"

EDIT: Also the whole "rewriting the script for a star rather than getting someone who can play the character" is exactly what happened with I-Robot, and that movie turned out awful. (Also because Fox was butting in and making more script changes to make it more "actiony")

Zilla

02-02-2009, 03:20 AM

maybe this time will be different because they have the original writers and producers and Watanabe on board, and if they don't like what Fox is doing to it, they can take their IP and go home.

I certainly hope so anyway.

Hatake Kakashi

02-02-2009, 03:47 AM

I do know that Ed actually declared herself as a "little girl" in the anime series. That pretty much should have cleared up any gender confusion anyone had.

I honestly cannot believe this one will turn out well, even with Watanabe involved. Fox has a penchant for destroying whatever it gets it's hands upon, whether it's news, anime, or movie scripts.

And the moment I hear Spike Reeves utter an imbecilic "Whoa," I'm going to burn the local theater down, just for showing yet another perfectly good character on the screen being made to look like an utter dipshit. Then I'll have to research the Geneva Convention papers to see if there might just be enough excuse to send a few dozen nuclear warheads flying in the general direction of Fox studios... just to get the point across.

*sigh* One can dream... right?

Mirai Gen

02-02-2009, 03:51 AM

And the moment I hear Spike Reeves utter an imbecilic "Whoa," I'm going to burn the local theater down, just for showing yet another perfectly good character on the screen being made to look like an utter dipshit.
Hey now, Keanu Constantine didn't do it, don't go raisin hell yet.

Hatake Kakashi

02-02-2009, 01:40 PM

He didn't? Must have missed watching that movie due to expectancy that it would be just like every other damn Keanu "Whoa" Reeves movie.....

Mirai Gen

02-02-2009, 01:46 PM

Not that I'm aware of.

He needs to convey a bit more smugness as Spike but with Constantine as a comparison I'd say he's got a shot at this.

Aerozord

02-02-2009, 01:59 PM

Spike is aloof if anything. Something very different from what Mr Reeves usually plays

Nique

02-02-2009, 06:02 PM

But how will the green wig work on film? HOW?

Mirai Gen

02-02-2009, 06:35 PM

That right there is the defining line upon which this film's quality shall be judged.

Hatake Kakashi

02-02-2009, 08:11 PM

I can see it now...

Spike Reeves: "You look surprised."
Red Eye Dealer: "You look ridiculous in that outfit."
Spike Reeves: "I know kung-fu...."

Mirai Gen

02-02-2009, 08:20 PM

No, see, cause Spike doesn't know Kung Fu, he knows Jeet Kune Do!

Its ironic and funny!

Aerozord

02-02-2009, 08:27 PM

TheSparrow

02-02-2009, 09:07 PM

technically kung fu a slang term for chinese martial arts, there is no such style as "kung fu". So in a way it still works. I think Spike's fighting style is dirived from drunken boxing (which I think is called suiken) which itself comes from tai chi

hooray for useless knowledge

I am pretty sure Mirai Gen is right...Spike knows Jeet Kune Do, Bruce Lee's style, which was derived Wing Chun and european Fencing.

Mirai Gen

02-02-2009, 09:19 PM

Bam. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spike_Spiegel)
He is a superb martial artist, using Jeet Kune Do, which was developed by Bruce Lee.
I know Wikipedia isn't the source of all knowledge, but the guy who made Cowboy Bebop said at one point that yeah, that's totally what he does. Plus you can totally tell by the way he fights.
technically kung fu a slang term for chinese martial arts, there is no such style as "kung fu".
Okay so technically Keanu Reeves knows 'chinese martial arts', happy Mr. Smarty Aeropants?

Premonitions

02-03-2009, 01:35 AM

*produces glasses and pushes them up on his nose*
Actually, the term is Gung-fu and does in fact mean Chinese martial arts. Kung-fu is a western mispronounciation of the term. As for drunken fist, it is actually a concept found many styles of kung-fu, hence you may see drunken northern shaolin, drunken monkey, drunken hung-gar. It is often called Xingyiquan, and I've never heard suiken used.
*puts douche bag glasses away*

Hatake Kakashi

02-03-2009, 04:08 AM

Suiken is actually a Japanese term for it. It can be translated as "Water Fist" or very loosely "Water Boxing" which is a payment of homage to the alternative name for most things alcoholic: aqua vitae, or "Water of Life."

Essentially, it also refers to the constant motion of drunken boxing, much like water would flow, so does the movement of a user of Drunken Fist.

I'm such a nerd....

Kudos on bringing the term "Gung Fu" to the table. Geek points for you, Premonitions.