My Favorite Martial Arts Movies
by theNeoplatonist | created - 16 Jun 2014 | updated - 29 Oct 2020 | PublicThe Martial Arts movies that appeal most vividly to the twisted sensibilities of theNeoplatonist.... In attempted alphabetical order, except that IMDb keeps changing the titles. In the words of the celebrated martial arts expert Tony Hancock, they need a punch up the bracket.
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1. Azumi (2003)
Not Rated | 128 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Raised to deal in cold blooded death, the teenage assassin girl Azumi must defeat three evil warlords while also battling her own heart.
Director: Ryûhei Kitamura | Stars: Aya Ueto, Kenji Kohashi, Hiroki Narimiya, Takatoshi Kaneko
Votes: 15,154
Heart-rending stuff. Almost an existentialist epic - but some gripping fight scenes.
2. Bodyguards and Assassins (2009)
Not Rated | 139 min | Action, Drama, History
In 1905, revolutionist Sun Yat-Sen visits Hong Kong to discuss plans with Tongmenghui members to overthrow the Qing dynasty. But when they find out that assassins have been sent to kill him, they assemble a group of protectors to prevent any attacks.
Director: Teddy Chan | Stars: Xueqi Wang, Tony Ka Fai Leung, Jun Hu, Bo-Chieh Wang
Votes: 8,536
3. 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: 18,848 | Gross: $0.01M
The little girl effortlessly demolishing the tough men must be seen to be believed.
4. Enter the Dragon (1973)
R | 102 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A Shaolin martial artist travels to an island fortress to spy on an opium lord - who is also a former monk from his temple - under the guise of attending a fighting tournament.
Director: Robert Clouse | Stars: Bruce Lee, John Saxon, Jim Kelly, Ahna Capri
Votes: 112,890 | Gross: $25.00M
Bruce Lee's movies are, I suppose, beyond comment; but this is probably the best one, in theNeoplatonist's pathetic opinion.
6. 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: 33,838 | Gross: $1.29M
"Fist of Fury" or "The Chinese Connection" - same movie.
7. 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: 24,908
Pretty much a remake of "Fist of Fury" (see above) but with interesting variations of character and motive.
8. Five Elements Ninjas (1982)
R | 107 min | Action, Drama
A Chinese martial arts school is infiltrated and destroyed by ninjas. Tian Hao survives the massacre and seeks to uncover the trickery of ninjutsu in order to beat the Five Element Ninjas and avenge his family.
Director: Cheh Chang | Stars: Tien-Chi Cheng, Tien-Hsiang Lung, Meng Lo, Michael Wai-Man Chan
Votes: 3,169
"Five Element Ninjas" - or "Super Ninjas". A feast for martial eyes.
9. 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: 13,813 | Gross: $0.00M
10. Legend of a Fighter (1982)
Unrated | 89 min | Action, Drama, History
The story of "Fok Yun Gap" also know as "Hou Yuan Chia" one of China's greatest martial artists.
Director: Woo-Ping Yuen | Stars: Yao Lin Chen, Yeh Fang, Fung Fung, Hark-On Fung
Votes: 700
The movie almost seems comical until you get to the final segment, when it suddenly morphs into heart-rending tragedy. By the way, I doubt that he was really a "marital artist" as the description says.....!
11. 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: 233,456
Donnie Yen's masterpiece. Unmissable.
12. Ip Man 2 (2010)
R | 108 min | Action, Biography, Drama
Centering on Ip Man's migration to Hong Kong in 1949 as he attempts to propagate his discipline of Wing Chun martial arts.
Director: Wilson Yip | Stars: Donnie Yen, Xiaoming Huang, Sammo Kam-Bo Hung, Lynn Xiong
Votes: 110,934 | Gross: $0.21M
And a fine sequel to Donnie's masterpiece.
13. Ip Man 3 (2015)
PG-13 | 105 min | Action, Biography, Drama
When a band of brutal gangsters led by a crooked property developer make a play to take over a local school, Master Ip is forced to take a stand.
Director: Wilson Yip | Stars: Donnie Yen, Lynn Xiong, Jin Zhang, Mike Tyson
Votes: 60,126 | Gross: $2.68M
A worthy third part of the trilogy.
14. Kill Zone (2005)
Not Rated | 93 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A near retired inspector and his unit are willing to put down a crime boss at all costs while dealing with his replacement, who is getting in their way. Meanwhile, the crime boss sends his top henchmen to put an end to their dirty schemes.
Director: Wilson Yip | Stars: Donnie Yen, Simon Yam, Sammo Kam-Bo Hung, Jing Wu
Votes: 13,188
Another great entry in the Donnie Yen canon, with one or two fights so real, they must have been - er - real.
15. Kiss of the Dragon (2001)
R | 98 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A betrayed intelligence officer enlists the aid of a prostitute to prove his innocence from a deadly conspiracy while returning a favor to her.
Director: Chris Nahon | Stars: Jet Li, Bridget Fonda, Tchéky Karyo, Ric Young
Votes: 66,558 | Gross: $36.85M
16. Lady Snowblood (1973)
Not Rated | 97 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A strikingly beautiful young woman is trained from birth to be a deadly instrument of revenge against the swindlers who destroyed her family.
Director: Toshiya Fujita | Stars: Meiko Kaji, Toshio Kurosawa, Masaaki Daimon, Miyoko Akaza
Votes: 16,276
17. 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: 48,879 | Gross: $11.55M
18. Merantau (2009)
R | 134 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
A young man from the countryside uses his skills in silat martial arts to survive the slave trade.
Director: Gareth Evans | Stars: Iko Uwais, Sisca Jessica, Christine Hakim, Mads Koudal
Votes: 11,445
Should be far more widely known and loved.
19. Once Upon a Time in China (1991)
R | 134 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Legendary martial arts hero Wong Fei-Hung fights against foreign forces' plundering of China. When Aunt Yee arrives back from America, Wong Fei-Hung assumes the role of her protector.
Director: Hark Tsui | Stars: Jet Li, Rosamund Kwan, Biao Yuen, Jacky Cheung
Votes: 19,868
20. 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: 78,135 | Gross: $4.56M
Difficult to see how these fights are not real!!
21. Ong Bak 2 (2008)
R | 98 min | Action
A young Thai boxer learns the skills and inner meaning of martial arts.
Directors: Tony Jaa, Panna Rittikrai | Stars: Tony Jaa, Sarunyu Wongkrachang, Sorapong Chatree, Primrata Dej-Udom
Votes: 31,894 | Gross: $0.10M
22. 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: 41,784 | Gross: $0.11M
Watch it for the climactic fight in the shopping center. Stunning. The rest of the movie is so-so from a martial arts standpoint. But that ending....!
23. 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: 216,893 | Gross: $4.11M
Bloody (literally) good stuff, especially the climactic clash between the villain and the two heroes. Possibly the best fight ever.
24. The Raid 2 (2014)
R | 150 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
Only a short time after the first raid, Rama goes undercover with the thugs of Jakarta and plans to bring down the syndicate and uncover the corruption within his police force.
Director: Gareth Evans | Stars: Iko Uwais, Yayan Ruhian, Arifin Putra, Oka Antara
Votes: 131,171 | Gross: $2.63M
Good sequel, demanding a third installment.
25. Heroes of the East (1978)
R | 105 min | Action, Comedy
A Chinese man (Liu) marries a Japanese woman through an arranged marriage and manages to insult all of her Japanese martial arts family by issuing a challenge to her that is misinterpreted ... See full summary »
Director: Chia-Liang Liu | Stars: Chia-Hui Liu, Yuka Mizuno, Yasuaki Kurata, Naozo Kato
Votes: 2,661
One of the best.
26. Supercop (1992)
R | 91 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
A Hong Kong detective teams up with his female Red Chinese counterpart to stop a Chinese drug czar.
Director: Stanley Tong | Stars: Jackie Chan, Michelle Yeoh, Maggie Cheung, Kenneth Tsang
Votes: 24,242 | Gross: $16.27M
27. The Villainess (2017)
Not Rated | 124 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A female assassin leaves a trail of bodies behind her as she seeks revenge.
Director: Jung Byung-gil | Stars: Kim Ok-bin, Shin Ha-kyun, Sung Jun, Kim Seo-hyeong
Votes: 16,764 | Gross: $0.03M
28. The Way of the Dragon (1972)
R | 90 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
A man visits his relatives at their restaurant in Italy and has to help them defend against brutal gangsters harassing them.
Director: Bruce Lee | Stars: Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, Nora Miao, Ping-Ou Wei
Votes: 40,987 | Gross: $4.06M
29. 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: 38,970 | Gross: $11.91M
Either "Warrior King" or "The Protector".
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