There are many types of great, exciting action scenes in the action genre. The car chases are fast and often jittery, the gunfights are loud and overwhelming at best, and the huge explosions are never boring to watch. After all, hand-to-hand combat can be the most exciting and impressive, as there is something visceral and impressive about seeing two (or more) experienced fighters fight up close and personal.
No sub-genre delivers as great hand-to-hand combat as martial arts films. For over 50 years, martial arts has been a popular fighting style in action films, and the following 10 films have ranked among the best martial arts films of all time. They all have an average IMDb score of 7.4/10 or higher and are ranked from lowest to highest.
10/10 “Dragon Inn” (1967) - 7.4 / 10
King Hu was a Chinese director who was a pioneer in the martial arts genre, directing many early classic films in the 1960s and 1970s. Bye Dragon Inn was not his very first film, it was arguably his first great martial arts film, and is today considered an early classic of the genre, providing breathtaking action despite being over half a century old.
As with many martial arts films, the plot is simple and designed in such a way that numerous fight scenes are stitched together. It mostly takes place in and around the Dragon’s Gate Tavern and involves dozens of assassins trying to take down the two surviving children of a recently betrayed army commander. It’s a stylish and serious martial arts movie that also boasts fantastic visuals and a memorable atmosphere, in addition to the fun action scenes.
9/10 “Eight Diagram Pole Fighter” (1984) - 7.4 / 10
Like many classic martial arts films, Pole wrestler on eight chart The action takes place in China in historical times. When a powerful family is almost completely killed in battle, the two survivors have to flee, and the film mainly follows one young man, Yang Wu-lan, who seeks refuge in a monastery and becomes a Buddhist monk. In the end, circumstances force him to become a fierce warrior again.
Pole wrestler on eight chart is one of those great action games where every action sequence is better than the last. It culminates in a gripping, lengthy and absolutely brutal fight scene that has to be one of the best in movie history. It was produced by a cult Shaw Brothers - a production company that has funded many martial arts classics as well as stars Gordon Liuone of the best martial arts actors of all time.
8/10 A Touch of Zen (1971) - 7.5/10
Dragon Inn may have established that King Hu was one of the greatest directors of martial arts films, but touch of zen confirmed this assertion. This is a real epic that lasts more than three hours and tells the story of a young woman who hides in a small village, hiding from corrupt (and deadly) government officials.
Ultimately, the film turns into a protracted struggle for survival, but until the second half it is no longer a martial arts film. It’s quiet, contemplative, and spiritual, while artfully leading to an extended climax that offers awe-inspiring battle after awe-inspiring battle. It’s a great epic drama and martial arts fantasy movie rolled into one, and while the 7.5/10 rating on IMDb is no joke, it really should be higher.
7/10 “The Legend of the Drunk Master” (1994) - 7.6 / 10
You could make a whole list (or two) of great martial arts films featuring the legendary Jackie Chan. He’s been in the business for nearly 50 years now, and made some of the best (and craziest) action films of all time before moving to Hollywood in the mid-to-late 1990s. Some combined martial arts with more modern action elements such as car chases and shootouts, while others focused on hand-to-hand combat.
Legend of the drunken master is one of those martial arts films, and possibly the greatest he’s ever made. About family drama, the theft of priceless artifacts, and drunken martial arts, which is also the swan song of its Hong Kong era in general, this film contains some of the best action scenes of all time and is a must-see for every action movie fan. , regardless of how they usually refer to martial arts.
6/10 Enter the Dragon (1973) - 7.6/10
bruce lee The martial arts star’s career was tragically cut short by his death in 1973. Enter the dragonthus becoming his last completed film, and was released in late July 1973, just days after Lee’s death.
He was already on his way to becoming a huge action star, but Enter the dragon turned him into an icon, it is all the more unfortunate that this was his last full-length film (1978. game of death will include some action scenes with Lee, but without him, everything is on the verge of being impossible to watch). Enter the dragon house The premise of an elaborate martial arts tournament on an unfamiliar island is filled to the brim with great action, with Lee being charismatic as an actor and also fierce and utterly convincing as a fighter.
5/10 “Raid” (2011) - 7.6 / 10
Few action movies can claim to be as simple, enjoyable, and painfully brutal as Raid. In this low-budget Indonesian film, a squad of highly trained but outnumbered members of a SWAT team find themselves trapped in a high-rise building run by a crime boss who puts a bounty on their heads. After this setting Raid turns into a fight for survival when the police have to fight their way out of the building.
Come for brutal martial arts and stay for brutal martial arts because there is nothing else to do. Raid. However, its directness is its greatest strength, as few martial arts films can claim to be so simple and so exciting.
4/10 Raid 2 (2014) - 7.9/10
Raid 2 currently holds a slightly higher rating on IMDb than its predecessor (7.6/10 up from 7.9/10). It has a more complex storyline, with various criminal gangs vying for power, many betrayals, and a setting that goes way beyond a single apartment building.
The complexity may make some viewers wish for the straight forwardness of the first film, but ultimately Raid 2 is one of those sequels that is better than the first one. Its action is more ambitious, it’s filmed more cinematically, and the one-on-one action scenes are even better. Too bad we’ll probably never get a third Raid movie.
3/10 “Hero” (2002) - 7.9 / 10
Bye Hero is not Yimou Zhang the only martial arts film, probably the best film by the legendary Chinese director. It’s a stunningly beautiful film that tells an epic story in less than two hours, with the main plot of a lone warrior tasked with eliminating three infamous assassins before they can attack the King of China.
The action here is truly breathtaking in scope and the use of color is unprecedented. In addition to being a great looking and sounding film, it has some of the best sword fighting on screen in recent memory, which it masterfully blends into martial arts action scenes.
2/10 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) - 7.9/10
A film so iconic hardly realizes that it was originally a novel. Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon One of the most famous martial arts films of all time. Producer Ang Leeit’s a little more fantastical than most martial arts movies, with a group of people chasing a mythical sword, with fighting abilities that go beyond what reality would otherwise allow.
This makes the film unique both in its plot and in its memorable (and beautiful) action scenes. This is the kind of movie where you don’t have to be a martial arts fan to appreciate it; its appeal is really wide.
1/10 “Kill Bill Vol. 1′ (2003) - 8.2/10
Evaluating the two volumes together, a good argument can be made that Quentin Tarantino epic of revenge Kill Bill his greatest film. Bye Volume. 2 has less action and feels almost like a western Kill Bill Vol. one is a full action homage to the martial arts.
Some may wonder if the homage/paste deserves an IMDb rating of 8.2/10, which puts it above other classics from decades past. But there’s an argument that Tarantino is doing something unique, exciting, and unmatched here simply because he’s been influenced by so many other films. This in turn makes Kill Bill Vol. one and a great tribute to the martial arts, and a great martial arts movie.
Source: Collider
