Best Martial Arts Films/Movies
by chickenjackson | created - 09 Aug 2011 | updated - 02 May 2021 | PublicAn on-going list of the best martial arts films: trying to consider the film as a whole, of course weighing impact of the fight choreography over plot (which definitely makes a film better but is not the most important thing in a martial arts movie).
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1. Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior (2003)
R | 105 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
When the head of a statue sacred to a village is stolen, a young martial artist goes to the big city and finds himself taking on the underworld to retrieve it.
Director: Prachya Pinkaew | Stars: Tony Jaa, Phetthai Vongkumlao, Pumwaree Yodkamol, Suchao Pongwilai
Votes: 78,212 | Gross: $4.56M
overall a consistently jaw dropping, bone crushing, and wow inducing film. tony jaa does all his stunts like old school jackie, with the acrobatic kicking of jet, and the power of bruce.
2. Fist of Legend (1994)
R | 103 min | Action, Drama
In 1937, a Chinese martial artist returns to Shanghai to find his teacher dead and his school harassed by the Japanese.
Director: Gordon Chan | Stars: Jet Li, Shinobu Nakayama, Siu-Ho Chin, Billy Chow
Votes: 24,939
a homage to bruce lee's chinese connection (aka fists of fury) that still, straight-up, delivers the most and best hand-to-hand martial arts in a single film i've ever seen.
3. Drunken Master II (1994)
R | 102 min | Action, Comedy
A young martial artist is caught between respecting his pacifist father's wishes or stopping a group of disrespectful foreigners from stealing precious artifacts.
Directors: Chia-Liang Liu, Jackie Chan | Stars: Jackie Chan, Ho-Sung Pak, Lung Ti, Anita Mui
Votes: 48,948 | Gross: $11.55M
aka Drunken Master 2. the best blend of jackies comedy and awesome action...in drunken style!
4. The Raid: Redemption (2011)
R | 101 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A S.W.A.T. team becomes trapped in a tenement run by a ruthless mobster and his army of killers and thugs.
Director: Gareth Evans | Stars: Iko Uwais, Ananda George, Ray Sahetapy, Donny Alamsyah
Votes: 217,193 | Gross: $4.11M
a brutal brutal film of tooth and nail fighting to survive, trapped in a gang infested apartment complex from level to level . Iko Uwais shines through. and that fight with Ruhian. dang.
5. Ip Man (2008)
R | 106 min | Action, Biography, Drama
During the Japanese invasion of China, a wealthy martial artist is forced to leave his home when his city is occupied. With little means of providing for themselves, Ip Man and the remaining members of the city must find a way to survive.
Director: Wilson Yip | Stars: Donnie Yen, Simon Yam, Siu-Wong Fan, Ka-Tung Lam
Votes: 233,679
donnie yen is quickly becoming the bruce lee of this generation...and whats more amazing is that he finally gets this recognition when he is now well past his 40's too! donnie's amazing speed, strength, and control are showcased in this wonderful film about the man who was bruce lee's master.
6. Flash Point (2007)
R | 88 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A hot-headed inspector takes on a small but powerful Vietnamese-Chinese gang, after a series of crimes and murder attempts committed and putting an undercover cop and his girlfriend in great danger.
Director: Wilson Yip | Stars: Donnie Yen, Louis Koo, Ray Lui, Collin Chou
Votes: 13,823 | Gross: $0.00M
this film came out of nowhere for me, demonstratings donnie yen's true passion for marital arts as he integrates kung-fu, wrestling, and all sorts of mixed marital arts madness.
7. Police Story (1985)
PG-13 | 100 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
A virtuous Hong Kong Police Officer must clear his good name when the drug lord he is after frames him for the murder of a dirty cop.
Directors: Jackie Chan, Chi-Hwa Chen | Stars: Jackie Chan, Maggie Cheung, Brigitte Lin, Yuen Chor
Votes: 41,914 | Gross: $0.11M
the craziest stunt work i have ever seen! that bus scene, that final mall scene...jackie chan at his best...pure insanity!
8. The City of Violence (2006)
92 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
After their childhood friend is murdered, a two-man martial arts army beats a path to the perp.
Director: Ryu Seung-wan | Stars: Ryu Seung-wan, Lee Beom-su, Kim Byeong-Ok, Jo Deok-hyeon
Votes: 4,772
i just cant quite put my finger on the great work of this director and these actors...the action packed fight sequences in this film have so much tooth and nail intensity that i can almost feel the pain...esp. the sequence with the hall of gangsters with knives.
9. 13 Assassins (2010)
R | 141 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A group of assassins come together for a suicide mission to kill an evil lord.
Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Koji Yakusho, Takayuki Yamada, Yûsuke Iseya, Ikki Sawamura
Votes: 68,644 | Gross: $0.80M
a 45 min. straight showdown sequence of swords in bloody battle. 'nuff said.
10. Mad Monkey Kung Fu (1979)
R | 116 min | Action, Comedy
A disgraced former Kung Fu expert makes a living as a merchant with the help of a hot headed friend. When the men are harassed by gangsters, the merchant decided to teach his friend monkey boxing so they can defend their business.
Director: Chia-Liang Liu | Stars: Chia-Liang Liu, Hou Hsiao, Kara Wai, Lieh Lo
Votes: 1,162
probably one of my favorite fight choreographers ever (also known for directing drunken master 2). in "mad monkey kung-fu" he directs and acts. the precision of the monkey style in this film, and the other main actors commitment to the part (like a real monkey), are a testament to his skill.
11. Fist of Fury (1972)
R | 107 min | Action, Drama, Romance
A young man seeks vengence for the death of his teacher.
Director: Wei Lo | Stars: Bruce Lee, Nora Miao, James Tien, Maria Yi
Votes: 33,913 | Gross: $1.29M
man...this guy was the (marital arts) man. only he could get away with screaming and being bad @$$. he had such presence.
12. The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978)
R | 116 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A man studies kung fu at the Shaolin Temple to fight back against the oppressive Manchu government.
Director: Chia-Liang Liu | Stars: Chia-Hui Liu, Lieh Lo, Yue Wong, Chia-Yung Liu
Votes: 18,386
the whole movie is like a crazy montage training sequence of awesomeness.
13. Once Upon a Time in China II (1992)
R | 113 min | Action, Adventure, Biography
Arriving by train in Guangzhou, 1895, the trio fight off White Lotus followers, who want to kill all foreigners and the cute, European dressed 13th Aunt. It's not kung fu master Dr. Wong's (Jet Li) last fight.
Director: Hark Tsui | Stars: Jet Li, Rosamund Kwan, Siu Chung Mok, David Chiang
Votes: 10,638
great showdown between jet li and donnie yen.
14. Iron Monkey (1993)
PG-13 | 85 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A martial artist/doctor steals from the corrupt authorities as a masked thief to give to the poor while another martial artist/doctor is forced to hunt him down. But a major threat unites them as a powerful and traitorous shaolin monk takes over the authorities.
Director: Woo-Ping Yuen | Stars: Rongguang Yu, Donnie Yen, Jean Wang, Sze-Man Tsang
Votes: 17,231 | Gross: $14.68M
yuen woo ping, pre "matrix" fame, directs this great film. the final fight sequence on poles over fire still stays in my mind.
15. The Protector (2005)
R | 111 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A young fighter named Kham must go to Australia to retrieve his stolen elephant. With the help of a Thai-born Australian detective, Kham must take on all comers, including a gang led by an evil woman and her two deadly bodyguards.
Director: Prachya Pinkaew | Stars: Tony Jaa, Nathan Jones, Xing Jin, Phetthai Vongkumlao
Votes: 39,010 | Gross: $11.91M
some amazing fight choreographed scenes: from the single take shot up the flights of stairs to the capoiera fight to the consecutive bone breaking battle.
16. Tai Chi Master (1993)
R | 96 min | Action, Comedy, Drama
Two friends, ex Shaolin monks, part ways as they brush with the ongoing rebellion against the government. The ambitious one rises up to be a powerful military commander, while his betrayed friend resorts to learn the calm ways of Tai Chi.
Director: Woo-Ping Yuen | Stars: Jet Li, Michelle Yeoh, Siu-Ho Chin, Fennie Yuen
Votes: 10,844
another yuen wo ping piece with jet li and michelle yeoh in this film showcasing the flowing tai chi style.
17. The Matrix (1999)
R | 136 min | Action, Sci-Fi
When a beautiful stranger leads computer hacker Neo to a forbidding underworld, he discovers the shocking truth--the life he knows is the elaborate deception of an evil cyber-intelligence.
Directors: Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski | Stars: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving
Votes: 2,055,173 | Gross: $171.48M
18. Chocolate (2008)
R | 110 min | Action, Drama
An autistic girl with powerful martial art skills looks to settle her ailing mother's debts by seeking out the ruthless gangs that owe her family money.
Director: Prachya Pinkaew | Stars: JeeJa Yanin, Hiroshi Abe, Pongpat Wachirabunjong, Taphon Phopwandee
Votes: 18,866 | Gross: $0.01M
19. Bloodsport (1988)
R | 92 min | Action, Biography, Drama
"Bloodsport" follows Frank Dux, an American martial artist serving in the military, who decides to leave the army to compete in a martial arts tournament in Hong Kong where fights to the death can occur.
Director: Newt Arnold | Stars: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Donald Gibb, Leah Ayres, Norman Burton
Votes: 94,085 | Gross: $11.81M
20. Equilibrium (2002)
R | 107 min | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
In an oppressive future where all forms of feeling are illegal, a man in charge of enforcing the law rises to overthrow the system and state.
Director: Kurt Wimmer | Stars: Christian Bale, Sean Bean, Emily Watson, Taye Diggs
Votes: 347,195 | Gross: $1.20M
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