Action is a popular genre of movies, and genres from superheroes to spy films show a wide variety of what the genre can accomplish. One of the most beloved types of action is the martial arts films. Many modern-day blockbuster franchises like John Wick and Mission: Impossible draw heavily from the legendary martial arts films of China, Thailand, Indonesia, and Japan. The Matrix, in particular, was directly inspired by Shaolin Kung Fu and Tai Chi. The Wachowskis hired famed Hong Kong choreographer Yuen Woo-ping to coordinate its fight sequences.
Update May 31, 2023: This article has been updated by Danilo Raúl with even more action-packed entries for martial arts fans.
Martial arts movies have been widely regarded among film fans, but in the past two years, they’ve gotten their largest Western audience platforms with films like 2021’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and 2022’s Everything Everywhere All At Once. Everything Everywhere All At Once won an Academy Award for Best Picture, the first time a martial arts-related film could make that claim. With that in mind, look back at some great movies with kung fu, wuxia, muay thai, and other martial art films from around the world. These films wowed audiences with their stunt work and their intense portrayals of hand-to-hand combat. These are the best martial arts movies of all time, ranked.
14 Fearless (2006)
Jet Li has been a staple of martial arts films for quite some time. His uncanny physical performances are the stuff of legends. Fearless (or Huo Yuanjia, as it’s known in mainland China) is a collaboration with Ronny Yu, who directed the feature, loosely based on the life of Huo Yuanjia, a Chinese martial artist who constantly challenged foreign fights in highly publicized events to boost national morale in a period when western imperialism and Japanese politics where dismantling the remnants of the Quin Dynasty.
It’s a straightforward story about a proud warrior who overcomes multiple challenges until he meets the match that finally humbles him. With his popularity in shambles and the lavish life of expenditure denied to him, Yuanjia retreats to the countryside to build himself back together. He returns at full strength facing four opponents in a single match. Political interests don’t want Huo boosting national pride, so they decide to take matters into their own hands. In the end, Huo loses his life, but he becomes a legend.
13 The Protector (2005)
The Protector has a very important lesson: don’t steal Tony Jaa’s elephants. The story reads like a cross between John Wick and Ong-Bak, an elephant keeper who has his prized animals stolen by gangsters and must go on the offensive to get them back. Featuring the incredible muay-thai skills of Tony Jaa, The Protector (or Tom-Yum-Goong in Thai) is a masterclass in stunt work and martial arts.
12 Yes, Madam (1985)
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Michelle Yeoh has been kicking butt since 1985. In the film Yes, Madam, directed by Corey Yuen and produced by Sammo Hung, she plays Senior Inspector Ng, teaming up with Inspector Carrie Morris (played by Cynthia Rothrock), who must track down a microfilm containing sensitive data from a couple of low-level swindlers.
While the film is a martial arts fest, it has a few tidbits of comedy in place. The complex chase is full of lies and deceptions as a big mob boss named Mr. Tin does everything in his power to stop the ladies from getting their hands on the microfilm. The couple of lowlifes who have it in them don’t know half the value of what they have, so many hijinks ensue as the girls track down the piece of evidence they need to make justice prevail.
11 Fist of Legend (1994)
Fist of Legend is a remake of Bruce Lee’s Fist of Fury that sticks closely to the original script written by Lo Wei. This time, Jet Li takes on the role of Chen Zhen, a Chinese martial artist attending a Japanese college. While facing xenophobic attacks, he gets news of his master’s school being overtaken by a man named Akutagawa. He decides to quit school and return to China to investigate his master’s fate. The movie was written and directed by Gordon Chan.
After fighting Akutagawa, Chen suspects foul play in his master’s death since he could trounce the so-called master. Chen is willing to go all the way until he finds out who ordered the death of his master and fights him to the end to bring honor back to his school. A web of intrigue will untangle from this moment on, as officials of the Imperial Japanese Army seem to be in to plot to discredit and kill his former master.
10 The Last Dragon (1985)
The Last Dragon is the American cult classic that follows the adventures of a young man named Leroy Green, who dreams of becoming the most incredible martial arts of his time. After completing his training, he must embark on a quest for Master Sum Dum Goy, who can help him achieve the final stage of his training by earning a special ability named The Glow. Written by Michael Schultz, Louis Venosta directed the film, and the cast stars Taimak Guarriello and Julius Carry.
Leroy’s quest is not without challenges, as Sho’nuff, the Shogun of Harlem, is more than willing to become the best martial artist on his turf, and he’ll take out anyone in his way to accomplish his goal. After learning the truth behind Master Sum, Leroy must return to his hood and take care of a hoodlum named Arkadian, who wants to coerce local media to promote garbage. He hires Sho’nuff as his muscle, and he’s ready to fight Leeroy to the end, with both warriors commanding The Glow in a fight to the end.
9 Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
Following the Wachowskis, Quentin Tarantino tapped legendary fight choreographer Yuen Woo-ping to work on his martial arts duology, Kill Bill. The first entry, Kill Bill: Vol. 1, earns its place on this list for one scene alone: the battle at the House of Blue Leaves, a restaurant in Tokyo that becomes the site of a massive death match between our protagonist (the Bride) and 88 Japanese fighters.
It’s bloody good fun and features some of the best sword fight choreography in film history. The Kill Bill movies are Tarantino’s most explicit homage to martial arts and kung fu movies of his youth, and the director admirably is able to replicate some of the best in the genre.
8 Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior (2003)
Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior is the film that made Thai martial artist Tony Jaa a star. In the ten years since its release, its fight choreography has yet to be surpassed. The weight and ferocity of Jaa’s blows can be felt through the screen, and his slicing elbows and flying knees are set pieces in their own right. Don’t expect much in the way of the story; instead, watch this one for what Jaa accomplishes with his fists (and feet, shins, and knees).
7 Hero (2002)
Hero might best be described as high art wuxia. Its breathtaking use of color remains unparalleled, as the film is broken into five visually distinct, color-coded sections: black, white, red, green, and blue. Its ensemble cast includes Jet Li, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Maggie Cheung, and Donnie Yen, who help bring this ambitious representation of historical China to life. Quentin Tarantino was such a fan he convinced Miramax to release the movie in America in 2004 after they held onto the distribution rights for two years.
6 The Raid: Redemption (2011)
The Raid: Redemption put Indonesian martial arts cinema on the map. Following its release in 2011, lead actor Iko Uwais became one of the country’s biggest stars, not least for his impressive physical prowess and skill in silat martial arts. His battles with a figure known in the film as “Mad Dog” have become legendary among martial arts fanatics and helped earn The Raid a highly regarded sequel in 2014 titled The Raid 2.
5 The Legend of Drunken Master (1994)
Perhaps more than any other film, The Legend of Drunken Master reminds us why martial arts are, well, art. There is great beauty in Jackie Chan’s fight choreography, even when he’s guzzling alcohol to increase his strength. This sequel to the lesser-known Drunken Master is less stunt-heavy than some of Chan’s other movies, but it offers up the perfect blend of action, comedy, and drunken boxing beatdowns with a few completely outrageous stunts thrown in for good measure. It’s a shining example of what martial arts movies are all about.
4 Ip Man (2008)
Donnie Yen had already established himself as an actor and martial artist when Ip Man was released in 2008, but its success made him an international celebrity. Based on the true story of Wing Chun’s grandmaster, Ip Man portrays events from his life during the time of the Sino-Japanese War. Under occupation from Imperial Japan, Yen’s character and his family faces poverty, starvation, and persecution. Hesitant to use his martial art for violence, Ip Man must fight to defend himself and his people from tyranny – even if it means battling ten black belts at once.
Ip Man launched was the first in a long-running series, with the most recent premiering in 2019 titled Ip Man: The Finale. Despite the title, Donnie Yen recently announced Ip Man 5was in development. The success of Ip Man led to Yen being cast in films like Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Mulan, and recently John Wick: Chapter 4.
3 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
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The most internationally-acclaimed martial arts movie of all time, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon won Best Foreign Language Film, Best Art Direction, Best Original Score, and Best Cinematography at the 73rd Academy Awards. A beautiful, romantic wuxia film, it was a rare foreign language film that was a hit in the United States, becoming a certified blockbuster.
It helped to increase the global popularity of East Asian cinema. It’s also noteworthy for centering on three heroic female characters, making it a more inclusive project than many of the other films on this list. Any newcomers to martial arts cinema may find Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon the best place to start.
2 Police Story (1985)
Jackie Chan’s Police Story almost transcends the genre of martial arts film. With its high-speed chases, mammoth explosions, gunplay, and parkour, it has more in common with Hollywood’s many action blockbusters. But, being a Jackie Chan movie, it also contains some of the most impressive hand-to-hand combat sequences in film history.
Chan’s choreography is noteworthy for the way it incorporates props and death-defying stunt work as part of his fight scenes. The final brawl at a Hong Kong shopping mall is one of the best of Chan’s career. Police Story also spawned a massive franchise with seven entries. Yet none hold a candle to the first, which is considered by many to be one of the greatest action movies of all time.
1 Enter the Dragon (1973)
No martial arts retrospective would be complete without singing the praises of Bruce Lee. Perhaps the most famous martial artist to ever live, Lee helped bring East Asian combat sports to the West. His legacy is monumental, and Enter the Dragon is one of his greatest films. In 2004, it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress, showcasing how important the movie is.
Even its setup is iconic: working undercover, a martial arts expert must fight his way through a tournament to gain information on a drug lord. Enter the Dragon is notable for being the last movie Lee completed before his death. With brutal fights and a cast of villains that rivals James Bond’s, Enter the Dragon is the best martial arts movie of the ’70s.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
