Best Martial Arts Movies of the 1970s by Year
The 1970s was the greatest decade in the history of martial arts movies (if not in the history of all movies).
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- DirectorJimmy Wang YuStarsJimmy Wang YuLieh LoPing WangA martial artist seeks revenge after his master and his entire Kwoon are wiped out by Japanese Karate masters who're in cahoots with a vile martial artist seeking to control the area by opening casinos and trapping people in debt.Most important fact about this movie: A Shaw Brothers movie written by, directed by, and starring Jimmy Wang Yu. That was the first and last time that ever happened. Shaw Brothers kept their studio model but actors with creative control dominated elsewhere.
- DirectorWei LoStarsPei-Pei ChengHan ChinYi ChangA young woman sets out to reunite feuding brothers to take out a gang of killers who have murdered their father.This movie seems to have non-stop action. The fights last a long time and there are plenty of fights. Sammo Hung at 18 years old was the fight choreographer. Pei Pei Cheng does all her fights and pulls off a 24 move sequence!
- DirectorFeng HuangStarsAngela MaoYuen KaoYing BaiLan Tin-lung, master of the Liangyi Castle, calls upon all upright swordsmen to help wipe out the notorious Lunar Sect.Golden Harvest begins and this is the company's second release with Angela Mao in the lead and a very young Sammo Hung setting up the action.
- DirectorMeng-Hua HoStarsPei-Pei ChengLieh LoSzu ShihMartial arts star Cheng Pei pei and versatile director Ho Meng hua were a great team, who elevated this tale of a virtuous swordswoman's revenge on the Black Demon who injured her to one of the best of both their careers.Simply my favorite Cheng Pei Pei movie. It has all the elements of a good story and great fights start to finish.
- DirectorWei LoStarsBruce LeeNora MiaoJames TienA young man seeks vengence for the death of his teacher.Bruce Lee therefore this movie must be on the list.
- DirectorWing-Cho YipStarsSzu ShihLi TungFeng KuThis sword-filled thriller centers on the title location-an inn where the down and dirty meet to plot nefarious doings.Any knowledgeable list of the best martial arts movies of all times, not just 1972, must include this movie.
- DirectorFeng HuangStarsYi ChangYing BaiChin HuIn the Shantung province everyone fears the bandits of the Green Dragon Gang. Only a man named Yin dares to stand up to them.Many actors were not martial artists when they played martial arts characters. Chang Yi was one of the first actors to subsequently become a martial arts master. He started as an actor in "King Rat" five years earlier. In this movie he does all his punches, kicks and weapons plus acrobatic moves such as a front flip off a table.
- 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.Not just Bruce Lee but best of Bruce Lee. There is nothing to add.
- DirectorPao-Shu KaoStarsYuan-Shen HuangChin HuYasuaki KurataFilial daughter seeks revenge on father's killer. She must associate with dishonest people to finance her mission.
- DirectorLung ChienStarsKang ChinYasuaki KurataChiang ChaoChained together in a ring of mistrust and hate the good and the bad fight in karate.
- DirectorCheh ChangStarsDavid ChiangLung TiKuan Tai ChenAssassin Chang and his brother Hung meet up with a soldier, Mu. Together, they form a small mountain army, but when Hung's wife arrives, emotions swell, and Mu leaves for the army. After long, Mu summons his friends to join him, but all the while, he has longed for Hung's wife, and tries to have Hung murdered. This treason forces Hung to take up arms against his former comrade.
- DirectorCheh ChangStarsDavid ChiangLung TiKuan Tai ChenA town is taken over by a brutal gang, which has taken a safe in a robbery of another town and needs to find someone who can open it for them. They terrorize the townsfolk, beating up and even killing some of them, until several young men who know martial arts decide to stand up to the criminals
- DirectorCheh ChangStarsSheng FuKuan-Chun ChiYi Ling ChenWhen the ruling dynasty in China sends soldiers to destroy the Shaolin Temple, students use their martial arts to defend the school.
- DirectorFeng HuangStarsAngela MaoCarter WongLung ChanThe head of a Chinese martial arts school owes money to some local hoods, so he sends two of his students to Bangkok, Thailand to participate in a kickboxing tournament in order to raise the necessary money to pay off the debt. After one student gets injured and the other killed, the disgraced head of the school loses face with the Chinese Martial Arts Association and feels so ashamed that he commits suicide. It's up to the man's daughter and the injured student to not only avenge his death, but also to restore the honor of the school.
- DirectorMeng-Hua HoStarsKuan Tai ChenFeng KuHung WeiAn assassin, trained in the use of a throwing weapon that can behead its victims from a distance, questions the morality of his missions and becomes a fugitive hunted by his former comrades.
- DirectorChia-Liang LiuStarsYue WongChen-Chi LinLung TiA con artist uses Kung Fu to swindle villagers for money by pretending to be possessed by angry gods. However, when the villagers are later threatened by bandits he must use the same skills for good.
- DirectorBrian Trenchard-SmithJimmy Wang YuStarsJimmy Wang YuGeorge LazenbyHugh Keays-ByrneWhile on dispatch in Australia to extradite a drug courier, a tough Hong Kong cop wages a one-man war against Sydney's most powerful kingpin.
- DirectorJimmy Wang YuStarsJimmy Wang YuTien Wu ChuKang ChinAfter his students are killed by the One Armed Boxer, a vengeful and blind Kung Fu expert travels to a village where a martial arts contest is being held and vows to behead every one armed man he comes across.
- DirectorChia-Liang LiuStarsYue WongChia-Hui LiuLieh LoA prince enlists a thief to serve as his bodyguard to protect him from assassins.
- DirectorWing-Cho YipStarsHua TsungChiao ChiaoYing BaiEunuch Gui Dehai avoids assassination and extracts a most bloody revenge on the royal family. This revenge extends to the absent Prince and the Eunuch sends out men to find and kill him. Fortunately for Prince Chuchin, a fake kidnapping and cry for help draws him after the Leisurely Old Man of the Green Bamboo Forest (a legendary pole fighter) and thus he is under his wing when Gui's men come. At the same time Gui is having a surprise as his father turns up after 20 years to tell him he has a daughter. Knowing that such information would hurt his standing even though it occurred before his castration, Gui kills his father and seeks to have the girl killed too so that the secret may be hidden. Fortunately for Yanyan, she is rescued by the Old Lady of Green Bamboo Forest (herself no slouch with the bamboo pole). Husband and wife come together with their new students and set about helping train them up to take revenge - although what that actually means may be different for each of the two students.Actor Pai Ying stars as the villain in the title of this excellent movie. The story is compelling and the action top quality. James Tien and Sammo Hung can be spotted as stunt men in the background but Pai Ying pulls his weight doing almost all of his fights sequences.
- DirectorFeng HuangStarsAngela MaoYuen KaoYing BaiLan Tin-lung, master of the Liangyi Castle, calls upon all upright swordsmen to help wipe out the notorious Lunar Sect.In this movie Angela Mao must ride across Angry River, through Merciless Pass, and enter Soul Valley to get the Black Herb to cure her father. How can it not be good with such places on the map? This is one of if not the first of Angela Mao's martial arts movies and I loved every minute of it.
- DirectorChing-Chen YangStarsLing ChiaBarry ChanFu-Sheng TsuiExcellent comedic spoof of all martial arts movies of the era.
- DirectorYuen ChorStarsFei AiShen ChanPing ChenTwo clans compete for dominance over the martial arts world in this classic of violent swordplay and political intrigue. A complex tale of deception and double crosses. Killer Clans leaves viewers guessing every step of the way. Masterful fight choreography from Yuen Cheung Yan (Yuen Clan member and brother of Yuen Woo Ping) and Tong Gaai fills the screen with bloody sword fighting and imaginative weaponry, delivering both great drama and fantastic martial arts.
- DirectorChi-Hwa ChenStarsPu-Liao HsuAngela MaoDean ShekA woman uses her knowledge of kung fu to kill many warriors by kicking them in the ribs and head.Almost non-stop action and comedy with Angela Mao.
- DirectorSeok-hoon NamSee-Yuen NgStarsJohn LiuDon WongJeong-lee HwangA classic kung fu movie! Wang Tao plays Shen Yi Wei, the son of a General, who travels to the Gold Valley in Korea to investigate a gold heist that took place 3 years ago.Different from any previous martial arts movie and changed the genre thereafter, plus white eye brows for a bonus!
- DirectorKuan Tai ChenStarsKuan Tai ChenKuan-Chun ChiChia-Lin SunIron is the son of a rebel leader, but prefers to spend his days gambling and getting into fights. When his father's group is arrested and executed, Iron is forced to flee and hide in the woods as a beggar and thief. After being taken in by a Shaolin monastery and trained in the art of Monkey-Style Kung Fu, Iron vows to hunt down his father's killer and avenge his death.Change the title to "The Iron Monkey" and fast forward past the animal cruelty at the beginning then enjoy Chen Kuan Tai's best.
- DirectorChang-hwa JeongStarsAngela MaoMichael Wai-Man ChanSiu-Lung LeungAngry and aggressive orphan Lotus Lin gets raised as a Buddhist in a Shaolin temple after her mother dies in the wake of giving birth to her in prison. Consumed with rage, Lin gets expelled from the temple and decides to exact a harsh revenge on the four men who killed her father and sent her mother to jail.Angela Mao's remake of "Lady Snowblood".
- DirectorSee-Yuen NgStarsJohn LiuJeong-lee HwangTino WongA corrupt official frames a man for murder. The man studies a martial arts style that makes his body as strong as iron, so he can counter the official's own incredible fighting skills.Hwang Jang Lee is too good a martial artist to use in just one - cast him as two characters!
- DirectorFeng HuangStarsSing ChenHo WangJames TienA brutal Manchurian prince is determined to collect every Chinese martial arts manual. After obtaining all but two, the prince devises a daring scheme to get his hands on the heavily guarded manuals located at the Shaolin temple.Sammo Hung as the renegade monk.
- DirectorChia-Liang LiuStarsKuan Tai ChenLieh LoYue WongHong Hsi-Kuan devotes years to mastering Tiger style Kung Fu in order to defeat the evil priest Pai Mei. His wife, who is an expert in Crane style Kung Fu, has a feeling training in only one style won't be enough.
- DirectorChia LiStarsPeng TienBao-Yun TangYing Bai"A man cannot rely on tricks, he must depend upon himself".
- DirectorChung SunStarsDavid ChiangHua TsungLi ChingA clan clash centered on the trial of an admitted mass murderer and serial rapist."One does not simply walk in Fa Mansion!" (Nor Mordor neither, from what I have heard,)
- DirectorYuen ChorStarsLung TiTony LiuLieh LoMaster of the "swordplay thriller" genre, Chu Yuan and renowned kung-fu choreographer Tang Chia tell the fabulous tale of the "Fastest Swordsman in the World" facing the "1000 Face Devil" and no less than seven murderers.Not to be left behind, Lo Lieh presents his best side for the best ending ever, no butts about it! Actually, yes butts.
- DirectorChia-Liang LiuStarsChia-Hui LiuLieh LoYue WongA man studies kung fu at the Shaolin Temple to fight back against the oppressive Manchu government.Nothing more to say.
- DirectorCheh ChangStarsKuan Tai ChenFeng LuPhillip Chung-Fung KwokThree men who have been physically disabled by an evil warlord and his physically-disabled son become friends and learn kung fu so that they can seek revenge with help from an elderly martial-arts teacher and his mentally-disabled pupil.
- 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.
- DirectorCheh ChangStarsSheng ChiangChien SunPhillip Chung-Fung KwokThe sixth and final pupil of a dying martial arts teacher is instructed to find the teacher's five former pupils and defeat any evil ones that are among them.
- DirectorWoo-Ping YuenStarsJackie ChanSiu-Tin YuenJeong-lee HwangWong Fei-Hung is a mischievous yet righteous young man, but after a series of incidents his frustrated father has him disciplined by a master of drunken martial arts.
- DirectorSammo Kam-Bo HungStarsKa-Yan LeungHo WangSammo Kam-Bo HungA bank cashier discovers a plot to kill the mayor. His attempt to warn the mayor is foiled, and he almost gets killed, but a mumbling Shaolin disciple rescues him and takes him to his master to teach him a formidable form of kung fu.
- DirectorChia-Yung LiuStarsYue WongCecilia WongKarl MakaGao Jai is a young man with minimal Kung Fu skills who spends his time spotting wanted criminals, then finding bounty hunters who fight the villains and claim the reward, in the hope of earning a percentage.
- DirectorYang-Ming TsaiStarsYing BaiMiao TienA wealthy kung fu man with exceptional martial arts skills wanders the land fighting for justice.I have 1978 as a release date for this excellent kung fu comedy with Sek Fung, Wong Goon-Hung, Pai Ying and three lovely kung fu chicks.
- DirectorChung SunStarsWei-Hao TengSheng LoKang ShihA fearful crime syndicate known as the Qi Sha clan is terrorizing towns across the Chinese empire. The syndicate, infamous for their atrocities, is controlled by Seven Chiefs that rule their own separate territory. Not wanting to yield to their widespread terror, the Government assign the Minister of Crime Investigation Department who then devises a plan to wipe out the gang from "within" by infiltrating his spy, whose identity is as enigmatic as the leader of the syndicate, into the Qi Sha clan. Haunted by internal conflicts among the Qi Sha Chiefs that lead to treachery and cold-blooded murders, it is only a matter of time before the mysterious mastermind must reveal his identity, and the enigmatic spy must confront him in a duel-to-the-death showdown.
- DirectorChia-Yung LiuStarsSammo Kam-Bo HungKa-Yan LeungChia-Yung LiuThe self proclaimed 'king of sabres', and 'king of spears', decide to settle whose weapon is better by each taking a student and training them in the use of their favorite weapon, and whoever students' comes out on top is the winner.
- DirectorMar LoStarsChiu-Sing HauSiu-Hung LeungAustin WaiThree young martial arts students and their teacher are beaten up badly by a wandering man who proclaims himself ''a corrector of bad kung-fu.'' Determined to avenge their teacher and regain their honor, the three students all go their separate ways to find kung-fu masters who will take them as students.
- DirectorMing ChinPo-Sheng LuStarsMing-Tsai WuKwok-Choi HonJason Piao PaiYoung pork butcher Lam Sai Wing and his fishmonger friend run afoul of some local thugs. A local doctor and martial artist Wong Fei Hung, trains them to fight and they take on the thugs' boss.
- DirectorChuan ChenStarsYuet-Sang ChinAlan Chung San ChuiDupar SinghTiger partakes in a Kung Fu contest, he wins the contest and the grand prize: the right to marry the daughter of the town's most wealthy figure. In order for Tiger to marry Ting, Tiger must accomplish 3 objectives: obtain a Kung Fu manual from a bitter Shaolin Monk, visit a brothel and steal a jade from a lady boy there, and steal a ruby from a deadly yoga master.
- DirectorShan HuaStarsBilly ChongCarl ScottLouis NegliaWhen a Black Panther's whole family is wiped out by a ruthless band of assassins, he's determined to avenge their murder. The gang think he's weak but they didn't reckon with him employing the aid of a martial arts genius.