These Fists Break Bricks (Revised and Expanded Edition)

“These Fists Break Bricks is a total blast! A brilliant step-by-step tour through the chopsocky film genre.  The book is a jaw-dropping visual feast full of rare posters and forgotten stills.  Impeccably researched, it's perfect for both the Tarantino-level fanatic or a newbie who has only seen Enter the Dragon.  I was a twelve-year-old kid who took his nunchucks to the drive-in to see these films back in the day and I felt an insane rush of joy turning every page.”

“This intelligent, witty, respectful virtual encyclopedia is as fun as the subject it covers. Marvelously designed and written by two experts, it is the book all kung fu movie fans have been waiting for.”

“Full of great illos and facts about the producers, directors, stars, distributors, theaters, and the endless retitles and rip-offs. This book is excellent.”

“This book oughta be called KungFuPedia—you can just look at the pictures and increase your martial-arts movie knowledge by a thousand percent. If you don't own it, you deserve to be whopped on the right side of your face by Billy Jack's right foot.”

“In addition to being a terrifically entertaining and informative chronicle of these hard-hitting, explosive martial arts movies, Grady Hendrix and Chris Poggiali deliver an insightful glimpse into that bygone grindhouse era and the cultural ripples created by this cinematic tsunami. These Fists Break Bricks is a bone-crushing blast!”

“A fascinating and amazingly complete tome.”

“Truly a colossal effort . . . It's already the 'bible' of martial arts film.”

“"What Hendrix and Poggiali have done isn't just a history of a movie genre, it's a record of a true cultural phenomenon as the world embraced martial arts in the streets and on movie screens.  These Fists Break Bricks is that rare combination of a fun read combined with true scholarship, complemented by an amazing collection of images that transports the reader back to the era of triple bills and fifty-cent popcorn.  It is not to be missed.”

“This is no schlock-by-numbers quickie film book. Hendrix and Poggiali are twin ninjas of celluloid anthropology who combine deep-dish research, the insight of true obsessives and a dash of tart, off-kilter wit to explore the complex relationship between martial arts cinema and pop culture. The fast, funky narrative they create reveals their subject is the hip-hop of movie genres, an ongoing sample-and-remix art project that constantly reinvents itself to meet the world's ever-changing needs, and cult film buffs will devour every mind-expanding page.”

“Funny, fascinating, and encyclopedic.”

“A fascinating overview of martial arts movies.”

“Chris Poggiali and Grady Hendrix really have a special thing in These Fists Break Bricks, and I can't wait to suggest it to others.”