Martial arts films have always been my guilty pleasure. I
would say it had to be seeing a Jackie Chan film on TV when I was very young
that sent me on this path. When I was young I would throw any Jackie Chan VHS I
could find for rent on my TV and enjoy (This sentence makes me sound old). As I
got older I never stopped liking the martial arts films, but rather dug deeper
into them. Then streaming movies happened. We have so much access to martial
arts films that are sometimes only available through select online stores and
now people have access to some of these great films with only a short search on
the internet.
I always appreciated the visual aesthetic the Chinese directors chose
in their action films, as well as the sometimes impossible stunts. There are
great martial arts films and campy ones. With this list I hope to give you part
I of the my favorites with my favorite action stars and styles.
Enter the Dragon (1973)- Rated R
IMDB(7.7/76k) RT (95% Fresh)
Director: Robert Clouse
Starring: Bruce Lee, Jim Kelly, John Saxon
Bruce Lee forever changed American cinema by bringing
Chinese action films over. It is the story of Bruce Lee going to an isolated
island owned by a one-handed super villain who is hosting a fighting tournament. Most of
the films he did are fantastic, but Enter the Dragon to me is the epitome of
Bruce Lee. Amazing action scenes, slow motion, Bruce Lee noises, the yellow
jumpsuit, all sum him up perfectly. Jim
Kelly and John Saxon bring American swagger and style to the cast. If you are
looking for a film to explore the world of martial arts films, this is a great
choice as it would become one of the defining films of the genre.
Five Deadly Venoms (1978) – Rated R
IMDB(7.2/4k) RT (85% Audience score)
Director: Cheh Chang
Starring : Sheng Chiang, Chien Sun, Phillip Chung-Fung Kwok,
Meng Lo, Pai Wei, Feng Lu
Amazing Action director Cheh Chang would eventually do
several films starring each of the Venom Mob as they were called. Their
prestige started with the Five Deadly Venoms. The story is about the final
pupil of a kung fu master investigating what the former five students are up to
now. Each of them has been taught a special fighting style making them
extremely strong opponents.
This film is one of the classics for fans of
martial arts, and even the Wu-Tang Clan included sound from this film on their
album Enter the Wu Tang (36 Chambers). It is at times over the top with the
different styles doing impossible stunts, but the film is shot in an amazing
way, and the fight choreography is top notch. The other great part of this film
is if you like it, check out the other numerous films starring the same guys
with the same director.
The Legend of Drunken Master (1994) – Rated R
Director: Chia Liang Liu
Starring: Jackie Chan, Ho-Sung Pak, Lung Ti
The Legend of Drunken Master is one of my all time
favorites. Jackie Chan plays a young sometimes irresponsible kung fu student.
He gets in a tense situation when he accidentally takes something that doesn’t
belong to him. This film is fantastic. It has the humor that is so much a part
of Jackie films, it has incredible stunts, and amazing fight scenes, and
drunken kung fu by the master. Trust me
this is a good one.
Hero (2002) – Rated PG-13
IMDB(7.9/147k) RT(95% Fresh)
Starring: Jet Li, Tony Chiu Wai Leung, Maggie Cheung, Donnie
Yen
Hero is a beautiful film. The director really showed his
passion with the precision crafting of each scene. It looks almost like a
painting at times. It is the story of Jet Li a nameless hero seeking revenge against
a violent army. This film is filled with awesome fight scenes combined with
great visual composition. The fight between Jet Li and Donnie Yen is reason
enough to see this one!
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) - Rated PG-13
IMDB (7.9/215k) RT(97%)
Director: Ang Lee
Starring: Yun-Fat Chow, Michelle Yeoh, Ziyi Zhang
This is another beautiful film and probably the most
critically awarded and praised martial arts film to date including winning 4
Academy Awards. As you begin this movie
you will see why. It is the story of four people intersecting around a
legendary blade. Every shot is
beautifully crafted; the story is fantastic with different flashbacks
seamlessly integrated. The principle actors are fantastic giving great
performances with depth and passion, and then there is the action. Beautiful
flowing fights punctuate the film with wire work used mostly to create a
fantastic magic quality to the film. No one will ever forget the heroes running
along the canopy of a bamboo forest.
Overall this is just a fantastic film in any genre, and I recommend this
film even to people who aren’t martial arts fans.
Ip man (2008) – Rated R
IMDB (8.1/161k) RT(84% Fresh)
Director: Wilson Yip
Starring: Donnie Yen, Simon Yam, Siu-Wong Fan
Ip Man is a near mythological tale of a wealthy martial
artist who is forced to change his way of life as the Japanese invade and
occupy his home town. This is another
recent film that really took time and effort to create a beautiful film. It is
full of characters trying to survive in difficult times, and Ip man
transitioning to a difficult life with grace and honor. The fights
choreographed by Sammo Hung Kam Bo in this film are incredible. The roots in
the true history of China in this film really bring it home with emotional
impact and by the end you can’t help but cheer for the Ip Man. This is another film I recommend to people who aren't martial arts fans, but just wait for
the Ip Man versus 10 men fight scene.
I have seen every film in this list multiple times. I hope you enjoy them too!
If you see a film that would be perfect for Martial Arts essentials part 2 leave a comment!
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