Napoleon Dynamite said it best. “I don’t even have any good skills. You know, like nunchucks skills … Girls only want boyfriends who have great skills. A “nunchaku” (industry speak) is a melee weapon comprised of two sticks or rods connected by a rope or chain. Using centrifugal force, the wielder uses it for offensive strikes or defensive protection, often to disarm enemies. Incredibly difficult to become proficient in, nunchucks are considered to be a niche weapon, like Steven Wright to comedy, bananas to fruit salad, or Bobcat Goldthwait to acting. As a result, nunchaku usage in movies is rare. However, cinematic glory is achieved when used properly on screen. Here is the DEFINITIVE list of nunchaku usage in movies.

I mean, come on. The list starts here. Does Bruce Lee need nunchucks to dispatch a group of attackers? Of course not. But he does. And it’s glorious, clearing the room in seconds. We even get a patented Bruce Lee pec pop when he’s done wiping the floor with these poor schmucks. Han’s forces didn’t know what hit them.

After absurd fight scenes in Dumb & Dumber, Kingpin, and There’s Something About Mary, we should have known that a nunchucks fight was the Farrelly Brothers’s logical escalation. Moments after carrying his bride across their home threshold, Jim Carrey’s Charlie unwittingly insults Tony Cox’s black little person limo chauffeur Shonte. We get the impression that Shonte has endured years of verbal abuse and ridicule and that Charlie’s faux pas was the straw that broke Shonte’s back. Wielding the nunchucks kept on his back, Shonte beats a befuddled and embarrassed Charlie. Impressively demonstrating his nunchaku skills, the audience should know to not underestimate Tony Cox.

Is there anything John Wick can’t do? Early in the film, John is attacked in an art gallery by the High Table’s body armor-clad Myrmidon warriors. Breaking out a set of metal nunchaku on display, John uses these in combination with his signature pistol to brutally take out the assailants. Always committing to the bit, Keanu Reeves trained for six months to properly wield the weapon. Strange things are afoot at the Circle K.

Covered in Let’s Talk About Flix episode 150, Black Dynamite flexes his many muscles in this zany celebration/parody of 70’s blaxploitation and kung fu films. Although not a primary weapon, the eponymous and gloriously shirtless Black Dynamite trains against several students. Providing his own sound effects, Black Dynamite wields nunchaku against his proteges, harkening back to the similar scene from Enter the Dragon. After delivering an unyielding beatdown to his trainees, Black Dynamite once again proves he is smiling.

If this list begins with Bruce Lee, it ends with Michelangelo. Cornered by Foot Clan members in April O’Neil’s apartment and protecting their critically wounded teammate Raphael, a villain steps forward to exhibit his nunchucks skills. Uttering what may be my favorite line in cinema history, “Fellow ‘Chucker, Eh?,” Michelangelo nonchalantly and arrogantly shows off his nunchaku proficiency. Dismayed by Michelangelo’s skills, the Foot Clan member struggles to keep up, prompting Michelangelo to dismissively state, “Keep practicing,” instigating the full fight between the two parties. Cowabunga, dude!

What do you think? Did I miss a glaring example of peak nunchuck usage? I doubt it. Sound off in the comments below and let me know which movie you think showcases the skill the best.