Action is one of the oldest movie genres, and has secured its place in the film-going experience, with iconic titles ranging from Die Hard to Kill Bill. It also birthed the longstanding Martial Arts subgenre, attracting a diverse, enthusiastic audience ever since The Burning of the Red Lotus Temple in 1928.
Through the decades, the martial arts genre would spawn numerous classics, such as Seven Samurai; Enter the Dragon; Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; The Karate Kid franchise; The House of Flying Daggers; and the animated Kung Fu Panda franchise. As for the legends who will forever be associated with this particular category, they include the legendary Bruce Lee, as well as Toshiro Mifune, Kara Hui, Chuck Norris, Jet Li, Cynthia Rothrock, Jackie Chan, Jean-Claude Van Damme, David Carradine, and Michelle Yeoh.
Some filmmakers take things up a notch by blending martial arts with other genres, such as horror, fantasy, superhero, comedy, western, or science fiction. It makes for an intriguing and creative combination, adding a certain mystique to traditional disciplines like Kung Fu and Kendo.
Here are the 10 highly entertaining titles that did it best.
10 Once Upon a Time in China and America (1997)
Once Upon a Time in China and America is helmed by Sammo Hung, and is the final chapter of a six-part film series. Jet Li reprises his role of the Cantonese martial arts hero Wong Fei-hung, who travels from China to San Francisco to visit an apprentice and is separated from his beloved Yee Siu-kwan (Rosamund Kwan) and his other apprentice, Clubfoot (Hung Yan-yan), following an attack on their carriage.
Due to a head injury, Wong suffers temporary amnesia and is taken in by a Native American tribe; he helps them defeat their rivals with his superior combat skills and, after regaining his memory, makes his way to his original destination, where he helps a group of Chinese immigrants who are falsely accused of robbery clear their name.
Martial Arts, Period Drama, and Classic Western
Set at the beginning of the 20th century, Once Upon a Time in China and America features exciting fight scenes choregraphed by Hung himself, but also many American Western tropes: feuding Native American tribes, a stagecoach attack, a bank robbery, a Mexican bandit, a corrupt mayor, and a heroic cowboy. It also sheds light on the racism that Chinese immigrants were subjected to during that time period.
Rent Once Upon a Time in China and America on Apple TV
9 The Boxer from Shantung (1972)
Directed by Chang Cheh and Pao Hsueh-li, The Boxer from Shantung stars Chen Kuan-tai, Ching Li, and David Chiang. The plot centers on Ma Yongzhen, a hard-working, poverty-stricken laborer from Shanghai who joins the crime lord Tan Si and makes his way in the criminal underworld by assisting and then appealing to the conscience of his underlings in illicit activities. After defeating many champions in the ring, he sets out to avenge Tan Si’s killer, a rival gang boss.
Martial Arts and Gangster Action
This film aims to rise above predictable martial arts action by featuring intense, very violent and bloody kung fu and boxing scenes and a thrilling gangster storyline, complete with a beautiful female lead working as a singer. Friendship, justice, and redemption are central to this memorable drama.
Rent The Boxer from Shantung on Apple TV
8 My Name Is Shanghai Joe (1973)
Starring Klaus Kinski as the sadistic Scalper Jack and Chen Lee as the titular lead/Chin, My Name Is Shanghai Joe, also known as The Fighting Fists of Shanghai Joe and The Dragon Strikes Back, is directed by Mario Caiano. It follows an honorable Chinese immigrant and skilled martial artist looking for honest work in Texas. He will stop at nothing to help the weak, including freeing Mexicans from a slaver, and has to defeat four formidable bounty hunters, including a cannibal and an assassin who enjoys skinning his victims.
Kung Fu and Spaghetti Western
In 1973, the Spaghetti Western was already in decline, which drove Caiano to spice things up a bit by picking an Asian protagonist with superior kung fu skills. This underrated title combines the subgenre’s essential tropes, like extreme violence, sadistic baddies, and an unconventional score by Bruno Nicolai (Ennio Morricone’s right hand) with decent hand-to-hand combat scenes.
Stream My Name Is Shanghai Joe on Tubi
7 Holy Flame of the Martial World (1983)
Hong Kong produced a plethora of wild, exhilarating action flicks in the 1980s, including Chun-Ku Lu’s iconic revenge film, Holy Flame of the Martial World. It stars Siu Chung Mok and Ching-Ching Yeung as Yin Tien-chou and Yin Tan-feng, two siblings who are separated at birth following the murder of their parents.
The boy is taken in by an honorable and mystical kung fu master with a powerful “ghostly laugh,” while his sister is trained by the killer, Omei Sect Chief Tsing Yin (Leanne Lu). They find each other again at the age of 18, to either come together and avenge their parents’ deaths — or fight each other.
Martial Arts, Superhero, Comedy, and Epic Fantasy
Based on a Hong Kong comic book, this fast-paced film is a wild ride featuring a naïve and kind superhero with impressive traditional fighting techniques and swordplay, not to mention telekinetic abilities. It’s an exhilarating and stylish explosion of visual effects, over-the-top acrobatics, and more characters than any audience can keep up with, though Mok stole the show and was later nominated for Best New Performer at the 1984 Hong Kong Film Awards.
Rent Holy Flame of the Martial World on Apple TV
6 The Boxer’s Omen (1983)
Directed by Kuei Chih-Hung, The Boxer’s Omen stars Phillip Ko, Shao-Yen Lin, and Kar-Man Wai. The story centers on Chan Hung, a gangster from Hong Kong who sets out to avenge the death of his brother, a heavyweight boxer who was brutally paralyzed by a Thai fighter called Bu Bo. His spiritual visions lead him to a temple in Thailand, where he learns he is the deceased head monk’s twin from a past life. He is then rigorously trained and granted special powers to defeat Bo and a group of black magic practitioners.
Martial Arts, Horror, Supernatural, Fantasy, and Exploitation
The Boxer’s Omen is a nightmarish, action-packed, neon-colored phantasmagoria, where kickboxing and intense monk-training sessions collide with demonic bats, poisonous spells, creepy crawlies, occult rituals, flying heads, revived carcasses, and even a sexy mummy. As described in this review by All Movie:
Jaw-dropping magic-oriented horror sequences that deliver a few films’ worth of creatures, bloodcurdling transformations, and psychedelic gore. It also boasts a unique plot built on not one, but two revenge scenarios, and some kickboxing filmed in a style reminiscent of Raging Bull.
Stream The Boxer’s Omen on Mubi
5 Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is the 25th feature in the MCU. It was directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, and stars Simu Liu (Kim’s Convenience, Barbie), Ben Kingsley, Michelle Yeoh, and rapper-comedian Awkwafina. The estranged son of a power-hungry, mystical warrior, Shaun/Shang-Chi is trying to lead a normal life in San Francisco. But his past catches up with him, and he must face his father’s Ten Rings terrorist organization, which has the power to overthrow nations.
Weaponry-Based Kung Fu, Fantasy, and Superhero
The film nabbed Action Movie of 2021 and Action Movie Star of 2021 at the People’s Choice Awards. It came as a pleasant surprise for MCU fans as their first fully-fledged kung fu movie, featuring impeccably orchestrated fight scenes in the Shaolin, Tai Chi, Bajiquan, and Hung Ga styles, among others. On a more supernatural note, the Ten Rings enhance their user with super-strength, stamina, and longevity, and can be controlled telepathically.
Stream Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings on Disney+
4 The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires (1974)
Also known as The 7 Brothers Meet Dracula, Roy Ward Baker’s The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires stars Peter Cushing as Professor Lawrence Van Helsing, John Forbes-Robertson as Count Dracula, David Chiang as Hsi Ching/Hsi Tien-en, and Shih Szu as Mai Kwei. Van Helsing travels to China to give a lecture and finds himself entangled in a village feud, helping a group of skilled kung fu practitioners ward off powerful vampires and their army of supernatural minions.
Kung Fu and Gothic Vampire Horror
“Deadly Horrors! Dragon Thrills! The First Kung Fu Horror Spectacular!” - Tagline
East meets west in this eerie and highly entertaining mishmash of wild kung fu sequences, dramatic vampires, chained damsels in distress, armored zombies, and commanding veteran British actors. Dismissed by critics, it nonetheless became a cult classic, with reviews on IMDB calling it “A fantastic and underrated combination of styles that deserves far more attention,” and “Perhaps the most awesome vampire movie ever made.”
Stream The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires on Plex
3 Shaolin Soccer (2001)
Directed by and starring Stephen Chow, Shaolin Soccer follows Mighty Steel Leg Sing, a former monk who is compelled to highlight the benefits of various Shaolin disciplines by teaming up with a disgraced and limping soccer coach who is roaming the streets of Hong Kong, named Golden Leg Fung. They form Team Shaolin to compete against the aptly named Team Evil, who are notorious cheaters.
Martial Arts, Sports, and Comedy
This goofy picture draws inspiration from the hit manga and anime series, Captain Tsubasa, and features entertaining and over-the-top soccer, kung fu, and tai chi moves, all of which seem to be necessary to smash the open Cup competition in Hong Kong, thus realizing Sin's dream of inspiring the locals to incorporate the discipline of martial arts into their daily routine.
Stream Shaolin Soccer on Paramount+
2 Kung Fu Hustle (2004)
Directed, co-written by, and starring Stephen Chow, Kung Fu Hustle is set in 1940s Shanghai and pits the quirky residents of Pigsty Alley and their landlord and landlady, who happen to be supernatural kung fu masters, against the ruthless and all-powerful Axe Gang. In the middle, stands Sing, a wannabe gangster who eventually taps into his inner martial artist abilities, namely the Buddhist Palm, to defeat the bad guys.
Kung Fu Hustle
- Release Date
- February 10, 2004
- Cast
- Stephen Chow , Xiaogang Feng , Wah Yuen , Zhi Hua Dong , Kwok-Kwan Chan , Chi Chung Lam
- Rating
- R
Kung Fu, Comedy, and Cartoon Effects
Often labeled the quintessential live-action cartoon, Kung Fu Hustle features elaborate hung ga kuen, tan tui, and tai chi chuan fight scenes, but is mostly famous for its absurdist comedy that borrows heavily from Looney Toons sound and visual effects. It was nominated for 47 awards and won 25, including Best Visual Effects at the Hong Kong Film Awards and Best Foreign Language Film at the Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards.
Rent Kung Fu Hustle on Apple TV
1 Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001)
Directed by Christophe Gans, Brotherhood of the Wolf (Le Pacte des Loups) is a French film starring Samuel Le Bihan as the royal naturalist Grégoire de Fronsac; Mark Dacascos as Mani, his Iroquois companion; Monica Bellucci as the sultry and mysterious Sylvia, an Italian courtesan; Vincent Cassel as the troubled Jean-François de Morangias, a count’s son living in the country; and Émilie Dequenne as the latter’s sister and Fronsac’s love interest, Marianne de Morangias.
Inspired by the real mystery of the Beast of Gévaudan, when 100 people were killed by a supposed wolf-like creature in rural France between 1765 and 1767, the story centers on Fronsac, who is dispatched by King Louis XV to catch the beast, rumored to have a human master. While in Gévaudan, Fronsac meets and falls for Marianne, a feisty aristocrat who stirs devious feelings in her possessive brother.
Martial Arts, Period Drama, Romance, Slasher, Political Thriller, and Horror
“Brotherhood of the Wolf plays like an explosion at the genre factory. (…) I would be lying if I did not admit that this is all, in its absurd and overheated way, entertaining. (…) The photography by Dan Laustsen is gloriously atmospheric and creepy.” - Roger Ebert
This is one of the most multi-genre movies ever made, grossing $70 million worldwide despite its limited theatrical release. It features not only Shaolin Ch’uan fa, Taekwondo, and Shotokan Karate fight scenes, but also many unique themes: a strong mystical/supernatural element (secret society ceremonies, legendary beasts, spirit animal visions); an unlikely romance between a wandering naturalist and a lady; suspenseful slasher scenes; puppetry and animatronics from Jim Henson’s Creature Shop; and the political turmoil of 18th-century France, as the narrator of the story is led to the guillotine.
Brotherhood of the Wolf is an underrated, enjoyable gem that has generated a strong cult following, with Dacascos’ character Mani in particular, the Iroquois man who talks to trees, stealing every scene he is in.
Stream Brotherhood of the Wolf on AMC+
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