My Favorite Martial Arts Movies
The 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.
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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- DirectorRyûhei KitamuraStarsAya UetoKenji KohashiHiroki NarimiyaRaised to deal in cold blooded death, the teenage assassin girl Azumi must defeat three evil warlords while also battling her own heart.Heart-rending stuff. Almost an existentialist epic - but some gripping fight scenes.
- DirectorTeddy ChanStarsXueqi WangTony Ka Fai LeungJun HuIn 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.
- DirectorPrachya PinkaewStarsJeeJa YaninHiroshi AbePongpat WachirabunjongAn 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.The little girl effortlessly demolishing the tough men must be seen to be believed.
- DirectorRobert ClouseStarsBruce LeeJohn SaxonJim KellyA 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.Bruce Lee's movies are, I suppose, beyond comment; but this is probably the best one, in theNeoplatonist's pathetic opinion.
- DirectorWei LoStarsBruce LeeNora MiaoJames TienA young man seeks vengence for the death of his teacher."Fist of Fury" or "The Chinese Connection" - same movie.
- DirectorGordon ChanStarsJet LiShinobu NakayamaSiu-Ho ChinIn 1937, a Chinese martial artist returns to Shanghai to find his teacher dead and his school harassed by the Japanese.Pretty much a remake of "Fist of Fury" (see above) but with interesting variations of character and motive.
- DirectorCheh ChangStarsTien-Chi ChengTien-Hsiang LungMeng LoA 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."Five Element Ninjas" - or "Super Ninjas". A feast for martial eyes.
- DirectorWilson YipStarsDonnie YenLouis KooRay LuiA 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.
- DirectorWoo-Ping YuenStarsYao Lin ChenYeh FangFung FungThe story of "Fok Yun Gap" also know as "Hou Yuan Chia" one of China's greatest martial artists.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.....!
- DirectorWilson YipStarsDonnie YenSimon YamSiu-Wong FanDuring 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.Donnie Yen's masterpiece. Unmissable.
- DirectorWilson YipStarsDonnie YenXiaoming HuangSammo Kam-Bo HungCentering on Ip Man's migration to Hong Kong in 1949 as he attempts to propagate his discipline of Wing Chun martial arts.And a fine sequel to Donnie's masterpiece.
- DirectorWilson YipStarsDonnie YenLynn XiongJin ZhangWhen 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.A worthy third part of the trilogy.
- DirectorWilson YipStarsDonnie YenSimon YamSammo Kam-Bo HungA 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.Another great entry in the Donnie Yen canon, with one or two fights so real, they must have been - er - real.
- DirectorChris NahonStarsJet LiBridget FondaTchéky KaryoA betrayed intelligence officer enlists the aid of a prostitute to prove his innocence from a deadly conspiracy while returning a favor to her.
- DirectorToshiya FujitaStarsMeiko KajiToshio KurosawaMasaaki DaimonA strikingly beautiful young woman is trained from birth to be a deadly instrument of revenge against the swindlers who destroyed her family.
- DirectorChia-Liang LiuJackie ChanStarsJackie ChanHo-Sung PakLung TiA young martial artist is caught between respecting his pacifist father's wishes or stopping a group of disrespectful foreigners from stealing precious artifacts.
- DirectorGareth EvansStarsIko UwaisSisca JessicaChristine HakimA young man from the countryside uses his skills in silat martial arts to survive the slave trade.Should be far more widely known and loved.
- DirectorHark TsuiStarsJet LiRosamund KwanBiao YuenLegendary 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.
- DirectorPrachya PinkaewStarsTony JaaPhetthai VongkumlaoPumwaree YodkamolWhen 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.Difficult to see how these fights are not real!!
- DirectorTony JaaPanna RittikraiStarsTony JaaSarunyu WongkrachangSorapong ChatreeA young Thai boxer learns the skills and inner meaning of martial arts.
- DirectorJackie ChanChi-Hwa ChenStarsJackie ChanMaggie CheungBrigitte LinA 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.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....!
- DirectorGareth EvansStarsIko UwaisAnanda GeorgeRay SahetapyA S.W.A.T. team becomes trapped in a tenement run by a ruthless mobster and his army of killers and thugs.Bloody (literally) good stuff, especially the climactic clash between the villain and the two heroes. Possibly the best fight ever.
- DirectorGareth EvansStarsIko UwaisYayan RuhianArifin PutraOnly 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.Good sequel, demanding a third installment.
- DirectorChia-Liang LiuStarsChia-Hui LiuYuka MizunoYasuaki KurataA 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 by the others. He must then prove how good Chinese Kung Fu really is through a series of duels with the seven Japanese martial artists who come to meet the challenge.One of the best.
- DirectorStanley TongStarsJackie ChanMichelle YeohMaggie CheungA Hong Kong detective teams up with his female Red Chinese counterpart to stop a Chinese drug czar.
- DirectorJung Byung-gilStarsKim Ok-binShin Ha-kyunSung JunA female assassin leaves a trail of bodies behind her as she seeks revenge.
- DirectorBruce LeeStarsBruce LeeChuck NorrisNora MiaoA man visits his relatives at their restaurant in Italy and has to help them defend against brutal gangsters harassing them.
- DirectorPrachya PinkaewStarsTony JaaNathan JonesXing JinA 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.Either "Warrior King" or "The Protector".