Are you ready to get donkey kicked with martial arts excellence? Roundhoused with hand to hand glory? Punched, slapped, backhanded and judo tossed into cinematic submission? If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, please sign your name in the comments section – I’ll take it as your waiver. Only then will you be ready to receive this list of the ten martial arts movies of all time, so I can’t be held liable if you try any of these onscreen stunts at home! If you want to karate chop a cinderblock blindfolded while balancing on a wooden pole, that’s between you and whatever deity you pray to. I won’t responsible for whatever grueling martial arts training methods you subject yourself to after being inspired by these movies, but I fully support your commitment.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is so much more than just a martial arts film. It’s an epic, it’s a drama, it’s a romance, it’s a tragedy, it’s one of the greatest martial arts movies of all time, and it deserves your undivided attention. This is the story of Li Mu Bai and Yu Shu Lien, two warriors living in Qing dynasty China. Though these middle aged martial artists have long held feelings for each other, duty has prevented their romance from taking root. Mu Bai entrusts Shu Lien with his fabled sword “Green Destiny,” which is immediately stolen by a masked thief, and the love Shu Lien feels for her companion compels her to steal it back. While the finer details of the plot are a bit confusing to follow (Gobi Desert love stories and secret martial arts manuals abound) the wire work martial arts sequences and swordplay are more than just accessible, they’re totally awesome.
The Karate Kid
One of the most enduring films of the 1980’s, John G. Avildsen’s The Karate Kid is the story of Daniel LaRusso, a bullied teenager who starts learning martial arts from an Okinawana named Nariyoshi Miyagi. The movie fools the viewer into thinking that Mr. Miyagi has hoodwinked Danny into doing household chores instead of learning martial arts training methods, but once Danny starts sparring, the true meaning of “wax on, wax off” is revealed. The Karate Kid is the ultimate underdog story, a David and Goliath tale about how discipline and training can overcome an opponent’s size and aggression. In this case, that aggression comes from Cobra Kai: a sociopathic martial arts studio that takes a leaping kick to the jaw by film’s end.
Enter The Dragon
The greatest movie made by the cinema’s greatest martial artist, Enter The Dragon is a contender for the best martial arts film of all time. Bruce Lee plays a Shaolin master tasked by the British government to investigate a crime lord named Han. How? By entering into Han’s martial arts tournament, of course! The film is essentially a two hour PSA on why you should never, ever mess with Bruce Lee. The man’s hands are widely considered lethal weapons for a reason, and this film will demonstrate why. If you need a specific example, Lee’s climactic fight with O’Hara is all the proof you need. While some martial arts matches are fought until knockout, this one is fought to the death.
Everything Everywhere All At Once
Directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, Everything Everywhere All At Once is truly one of a kind. This absurdist comedy sci-fi masterpiece stars Michelle Yeoh as Evelyn Quan Wang, a burned out laundromat owner living with her estranged family in California. After being visited by an alternate dimension version of her husband, Evelyn is informed that an evil, parallel universe version of her daughter is attempting to destroy reality with a black hole made out of a bagel. In order to stop the multiverse’s destruction, Evelyn will need to face an onslaught of inter-dimensional martial artists and, even worse, her own repressed feelings. Side-splittingly funny, woefully romantic, and deeply moving, this movie hits you with a barrage of emotional punches – each one landing harder than the last.
Kill Bill Vol. 1
Directed by Quentin Tarantino, Kill Bill Vol. 1 is a love letter to martial arts movies of yesteryear. The film stars Uma Thurman as “The Bride,” a former assassin whose wedding day was brutally cut short by her old colleagues. Beaten, widowed, and left for dead, The Bride launches the ultimate comeback – a seven course revenge meal that is served cold as Antarctica. Donning a yellow jumpsuit like the one Bruce Lee wore in Game of Death, The Bride cuts a bloody, high-flying swath through her opponents with the help of Hattori Hanzo forged steel. Come for the death matches fought in suburban kitchens, stay for the schoolgirls swinging meteor hammers – you won’t be disappointed.
Ip Man
Directed by Wilson Yip, Ip Man is the biographical film about the martial arts master who trained Bruce Lee. Born at the turn of the 19th century, Ip Man began training in the art of Wing Chun when he was only a child. The film follows the master at the height of his powers, a maturation which coincided with the Japanese occupation of China. After finding out that Japanese officers are making Chinese citizens compete in martial arts death matches for bags of rice, Ip Man decides to enter into a bout himself. It’s the ultimate story of resistance, as Ip Man wages a one man war against an invading nation – often taking on ten or more foes at once. While no martial artist can ever quite compare to the legacy of Bruce Lee, Donnie Yen’s performance as Ip Man sure comes close.
Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior
Created by the most underrated martial artist in movie history, Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior is the breakout film of Tony Jaa. Who is Tony Jaa? Perhaps the world’s greatest living movie martial artist, a man who uses absolutely bonkers abilities to create some of the most staggering fight sequences in cinema. Jaa plays Ting, a Buddhist monk and martial arts master tasked to retrieve the stolen head of a Buddha statue. How? By beating the pus out of Bangkok’s criminal underworld, duh. The film is essentially a compilation of mind blowing stunts and brutal action sequences, where Ting dukes it out in underground fighting pits against multiple foes. Honestly, you could fill this list with Tony Jaa movies and it would still be an accurate “Best of All Time” compendium, but I had to give the competition a fighting chance. Tony Jaa wouldn’t be so merciful.
Drunken Master II
Drunken Master II is hailed as Jackie Chan’s greatest movie, and considering that list also includes Police Story and Rush Hour, that’s saying something. The film stars Chan as Chinese folk hero Wong Fei-hung, a 20th century martial artist and physician. After accidentally ending up with a box containing the Imperial Seal while out on a delivery, Wong becomes embroiled in a plot by the British to steal the fabled artifact (and probably stick it in the British Museum). Set upon by martial artists hired by the British government, Wong resorts to using his secret weapon: alcohol. A martial arts comedy, Wong fights each of Drunken Master II‘s battles half in the bag. The film is a testament to Jackie Chan’s absurd levels of physical skill and comic timing, the fight sequences are equally funny and awe inspiring.
Five Deadly Venoms
A martial arts classic, Chang Cheh’s Five Deadly Venoms is one of the finest films made by Shaw Brothers Studio – a juggernaut of Hong Kong cinema. Starring Taiwanese martial arts legend Chiang Sheng, the film tells the story of Yang Tieh – a man tasked with killing the five previous pupils of his master. Don’t worry, all of the other pupils turned to evil, so it’s justified! Known as the titular Deadly Venoms, these former students used skills they learned in The Poison Clan to create killer fighting styles based around venomous animals in Chinese folklore. Ever wonder what popularized animal-based fighting styles in martial arts movies? This film right here! Combining intricate murder plots and martial arts bouts, Five Deadly Venoms is a cult classic thriller as complex as it is kick-ass.
The Raid: Redemption
Directed by Gareth Evans, The Raid: Redemption is a contemporary classic in the making. Starring modern martial arts master Iko Uwais, the film follows an MBC squad (basically Indonesia’s equivalent of SWAT) tasked with infiltrating an apartment building overtaken by a crime lord. It doesn’t go as planned. The group is met with a massacre, and Uwais’ rookie cop Rama is one of the few survivors. Navigating the apartment building with the brutal efficiency of Judge Dredd, Rama punches and kicks his way to the top of the complex where the crime lords are hiding. Brutal, claustrophobic, and merciless, The Raid: Redemption feels like a martial arts movie high on bad acid – a glorious nightmare.
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