Oh, yeah, I totally made my opinion clear (perhaps a little stronger than intended, as you said) but I didn't just want everyone to agree with me. I'm more interested in what people feel are the benefits of the American style of filming as it must be popular to keep being used. So your input was valuable as you're one of the supporters of the American style (if done well).
It's all good! One fight scene I like is from Officer and a Gentleman. Where Richard Gere and Louis Gosset Jr. duke it out. It was the first time I'd seen a movie attempt to show real damage being done with each blow in a fight choreographed to be at least somewhat realistic. It was the first movie that departed from the HK style, kung fu standard that I'd been used to, without slipping into the typical up to that point hollywood style brawl. Edit: To be clear, the first movie I saw... there may have been earlier movies.
