Ranking Film: Martial Arts
by Movienaut | created - 13 Oct 2020 | updated - 4 weeks ago | PublicRanking my favorite martial arts films, best to worst, wuxia included.
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1. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
PG-13 | 120 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A young Chinese warrior steals a sword from a famed swordsman and then escapes into a world of romantic adventure with a mysterious man in the frontier of the nation.
Director: Ang Lee | Stars: Chow Yun-Fat, Michelle Yeoh, Ziyi Zhang, Chang Chen
Votes: 281,554 | Gross: $128.08M
2. Hero (2002)
PG-13 | 120 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A defense officer, Nameless, was summoned by the King of Qin regarding his success of terminating three warriors.
Director: Yimou Zhang | Stars: Jet Li, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Maggie Cheung, Ziyi Zhang
Votes: 187,605 | Gross: $53.71M
3. 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: 17,215 | Gross: $14.68M
4. Kung Fu Hustle (2004)
R | 99 min | Action, Comedy, Fantasy
In Shanghai, China in the 1940s, a wannabe gangster aspires to join the notorious "Axe Gang" while residents of a housing complex exhibit extraordinary powers in defending their turf.
Director: Stephen Chow | Stars: Stephen Chow, Wah Yuen, Qiu Yuen, Siu-Lung Leung
Votes: 150,783 | Gross: $17.11M
5. 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: 112,951 | Gross: $25.00M
6. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
R | 111 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
After awakening from a four-year coma, a former assassin wreaks vengeance on the team of assassins who betrayed her.
Director: Quentin Tarantino | Stars: Uma Thurman, David Carradine, Daryl Hannah, Michael Madsen
Votes: 1,193,082 | Gross: $70.10M
7. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)
PG-13 | 132 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Shang-Chi, the master of weaponry-based Kung Fu, is forced to confront his past after being drawn into the Ten Rings organization.
Director: Destin Daniel Cretton | Stars: Simu Liu, Awkwafina, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Ben Kingsley
Votes: 435,200 | Gross: $224.54M
8. 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: 233,524
9. True Legend (2010)
R | 115 min | Action, Drama, History
China, 1861: After rescuing the Qing prince from rebels, General Su retires to start a martial arts school. His foster brother betrays him and Su barely survives. Su has a new enemy to defeat.
Director: Woo-Ping Yuen | Stars: Wenzhuo Zhao, Xun Zhou, Andy On, Xiaodong Guo
Votes: 9,223 | Gross: $0.08M
10. The Karate Kid (1984)
PG | 126 min | Action, Drama, Family
A martial arts master agrees to teach karate to a bullied teenager.
Director: John G. Avildsen | Stars: Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue, Martin Kove
Votes: 244,375 | Gross: $90.82M
11. Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)
R | 137 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
The Bride continues her quest of vengeance against her former boss and lover Bill, the reclusive bouncer Budd, and the treacherous, one-eyed Elle.
Director: Quentin Tarantino | Stars: Uma Thurman, David Carradine, Michael Madsen, Daryl Hannah
Votes: 804,976 | Gross: $66.21M
13. Shanghai Noon (2000)
PG-13 | 110 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
A Chinese man travels to the Wild West to rescue a kidnapped Princess. After teaming up with a train robber, the unlikely duo takes on a Chinese traitor and his corrupt boss.
Director: Tom Dey | Stars: Jackie Chan, Owen Wilson, Lucy Liu, Brandon Merrill
Votes: 135,183 | Gross: $56.94M
14. 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: 18,352
15. Man of Tai Chi (2013)
R | 105 min | Action, Drama
A young martial artist's unparalleled Tai Chi skills land him in a highly lucrative underworld fight club.
Director: Keanu Reeves | Stars: Tiger Hu Chen, Keanu Reeves, Karen Mok, Hai Yu
Votes: 40,960 | Gross: $0.10M
16. Dragon (2011)
R | 98 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A papermaker gets involved with a murder case concerning two criminals leading to a determined detective suspecting him and the former's vicious father searching for him.
Director: Peter Ho-Sun Chan | Stars: Donnie Yen, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Tang Wei, Jia-Min Li
Votes: 15,794 | Gross: $0.01M
17. The Grandmaster (2013)
PG-13 | 130 min | Action, Biography, Drama
The story of martial-arts master Ip Man, the man who trained Bruce Lee.
Director: Kar-Wai Wong | Stars: Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Ziyi Zhang, Jin Zhang, Chang Chen
Votes: 36,750 | Gross: $6.59M
18. Game of Death (1978)
R | 100 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A martial arts movie star must fake his death to find the people who are trying to kill him.
Directors: Robert Clouse, Bruce Lee | Stars: Bruce Lee, Gig Young, Dean Jagger, Hugh O'Brian
Votes: 22,345 | Gross: $10.00M
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: 93,944 | Gross: $11.81M
20. The Forbidden Kingdom (2008)
PG-13 | 104 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
A discovery made by a kung fu obsessed American teen sends him on an adventure to ancient China, where he joins up with a band of martial arts warriors in order to free the imprisoned Monkey King.
Director: Rob Minkoff | Stars: Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Michael Angarano, Juana Collignon
Votes: 109,507 | Gross: $52.08M
21. Brotherhood of Blades (2014)
Not Rated | 111 min | Action
This is a movie set in the late Ming Dynasty. The 3 main characters are all elite guards for the palace. One of their fellow guardsmen goes bad. His former companions must now forget their ... See full summary »
Director: Yang Lu | Stars: Chang Chen, Qianyuan Wang, Yuan Nie, Shih-Chieh King
Votes: 3,704
22. Shanghai Knights (2003)
PG-13 | 114 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
When a Chinese rebel murders Chon's estranged father and escapes to England, Chon and Roy make their way to London with revenge on their minds.
Director: David Dobkin | Stars: Jackie Chan, Owen Wilson, Fann Wong, Aaron Taylor-Johnson
Votes: 112,501 | Gross: $60.48M
23. Mr. Nice Guy (1997)
PG-13 | 88 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
A Chinese chef accidentally gets involved with a news reporter who filmed a drug bust that went awry, and is now being chased by gangs who are trying to get the video tape.
Director: Sammo Kam-Bo Hung | Stars: Jackie Chan, Richard Norton, Miki Lee, Karen McLymont
Votes: 28,801 | Gross: $12.67M
24. 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: 41,009 | Gross: $4.06M
25. Ninja Assassin (2009)
R | 99 min | Action, Thriller
A young ninja turns his back on the orphanage that raised him, leading to a confrontation with a fellow ninja from the clan.
Director: James McTeigue | Stars: Rain, Rick Yune, Naomie Harris, Jonathan Chan-Pensley
Votes: 75,560 | Gross: $38.11M
26. Ninja: Shadow of a Tear (2013)
R | 95 min | Action, Thriller
Ninjitsu master Casey is back and out for revenge when his pregnant wife is murdered.
Director: Isaac Florentine | Stars: Scott Adkins, Kane Kosugi, Mika Hijii, Markus Waldow
Votes: 13,393
27. The Karate Kid (2010)
PG | 140 min | Action, Drama, Family
Work causes a single mother to move to China with her young son; in his new home, the boy embraces kung fu, taught to him by a master.
Director: Harald Zwart | Stars: Jackie Chan, Jaden Smith, Taraji P. Henson, Wenwen Han
Votes: 205,398 | Gross: $176.59M
28. Ninja (2009)
R | 86 min | Action, Thriller
A westerner named Casey, studying Ninjutsu in Japan, is asked by the Sensei to return to New York to protect the legendary Yoroi Bitsu, an armored chest that contains the weapons of the last Koga Ninja.
Director: Isaac Florentine | Stars: Scott Adkins, Tsuyoshi Ihara, Mika Hijii, Todd Jensen
Votes: 13,999
29. Kung Fu Jungle (2014)
Not Rated | 100 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A martial arts instructor from the police force gets imprisoned after killing a man by accident. But when a vicious killer starts targeting martial arts masters, the instructor offers to help the police in return for his freedom.
Director: Teddy Chan | Stars: Donnie Yen, Baoqiang Wang, Charlie Yeung, Bing Bai
Votes: 11,957 | Gross: $0.13M
30. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny (2016)
PG-13 | 96 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A story of lost love, young love, a legendary sword and one last opportunity at redemption.
Director: Woo-Ping Yuen | Stars: Donnie Yen, Michelle Yeoh, Harry Shum Jr., Natasha Liu Bordizzo
Votes: 20,884
31. The Karate Kid Part II (1986)
PG | 113 min | Action, Family, Sport
Daniel accompanies his mentor, Mr. Miyagi, to Miyagi's childhood home in Okinawa. Miyagi visits his dying father and confronts his old rival, while Daniel falls in love and inadvertently makes a new rival of his own.
Director: John G. Avildsen | Stars: Pat Morita, Ralph Macchio, Pat E. Johnson, Bruce Malmuth
Votes: 98,843 | Gross: $115.10M
32. The Man with the Iron Fists (2012)
R | 95 min | Action
On the hunt for a fabled treasure of gold, a band of warriors, assassins, and a rogue British soldier descend upon a village in feudal China, where a humble blacksmith looks to defend himself and his fellow villagers.
Director: RZA | Stars: Russell Crowe, Cung Le, Lucy Liu, RZA
Votes: 64,252 | Gross: $15.63M
33. The Karate Kid Part III (1989)
PG | 112 min | Action, Drama, Family
Ostracised villain John Kreese attempts to gain revenge on Daniel and Miyagi, with the help of a Vietnam War comrade, the wealthy owner of a toxic waste disposal business.
Director: John G. Avildsen | Stars: Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Robyn Lively, Thomas Ian Griffith
Votes: 69,131 | Gross: $38.96M
34. The Sorcerer and the White Snake (2011)
PG-13 | 102 min | Action, Fantasy, Romance
A master monk tries to protect a naive young physician from a thousand-year-old snake demon. A contest of psychic powers results in mayhem.
Director: Siu-Tung Ching | Stars: Jet Li, Shengyi Huang, Raymond Lam, Charlene Choi
Votes: 8,975 | Gross: $0.02M
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