10 Greatest Martial Arts Movies Of All Time

10 Greatest Martial Arts Movies Of All Time
By Javier Lozano, Jr.

After hundreds of movies, thousands of eye-popping fight scenes
and millions of punches thrown...which ones are the best? Which
ones have I been missing out on my whole life? Which ones must
I have in my collection in order to not bring shame upon my
family name?

We’ve scoured the internet. Reviews. Forums. Amazon. Postings.
Bulletins. And this list is what we’ve come up with as the
greatest Kung-Fu movies of all time and why you should watch
each one. Pay attention to movies involving Yuen Wo-Ping as
either director or action director, there's a reason why half
this list is movies where he was involved!

If you want to watch trailers of these movies, go to:
http://www.experiencemartialarts.com/articles/movies.html

(you can also get directly to these movies in http://Amazon.com
from this website)

#1 - Way of the Dragon (1979)

This is the only finished film to be written and directed by
Bruce Lee. (Game of Death is the other one but is unfinished)
We could write a lot about the plot, characters or fight
scenes...but all you really care about is watching Bruce Lee
fight Chuck Norris in the final battle.

Martial Artists: Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris
Director: Bruce Lee

#2 - Shaolin Temple (1982)

Depicts the amazing history of the Shaolin Temple, the focal
point for Chinese Martial Arts. Think of the Shaolin Monks as
Jedi Knights (an elite group of fighters) and the rest of China
as the messed-up universe that Star Wars takes place in (people
who are afraid of the elite fighters and want to take them out
of power). Much work to do, you have, young Jet Li. *picture
Yoda’s accent on that one* Define Irony: A movie shot at the
site of the Shaolin Temple, telling a story about the fall of
the Shaolin Temple, sparks so much public interest that the
temple was re-opened shortly after the movie released.

Martial Artist: Jet Li (His debut movie)
Director: Chang Hsin-Yen

#3 - Ong Bak (2003)

Raw action without wires, Tony Jaa brings a new martial arts
style to the big screen and does so in style. Muay Thai (Thai
Boxing) is stronger and more direct than the Chinese styles
you’re used to seeing with Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, giving a
new look to how a martial arts movie can be done. You’ll be
seeing more of him...guaranteed.

Martial Artist: Tony Jaa
Director: Prachya Pinkaew

#4 - Iron Monkey (1993)

Doctor by day, thief by night...Iron Monkey is your classic
Robin-hood meets Kung Fu. It’s an action packed flick that
can’t go 5 minutes without an excellent fight scene. It all
comes down to a battle between Iron Monkey (ie Robin Hood) and
an ex Shaolin Monk (remember, these guys are like the Jedi
Knights of Chinese martial arts...they’re elite). Remember that
guy Yuen Wo-Ping I mentioned? Well he's the director in this
one, so you know it's good!

Martial Artists: Yu Rong-Guang, Donnie Yen
Director: Yuen Wo-Ping
Action Directors: Yuen Cheung-yan, Yuen Shun-yi

#5 - 5 Deadly Venoms (1978)

No room form "martial arts beauties" in this one, there's so
much blood and action that they only cast male actors. Exit the
traditional elaborate costumes and enter the muscular,
skin-bearing, bloody martial arts style that would become a
trademark for director Chang Cheh. Each cast member is trained
in an art resembling one of 5 venemous creatures (Scorpion,
Snake, Centipede, Gecko, Toad) with the 6th cast member being
trained in all 5. Six main martial arts actors = LOTS O’ ACTION

Martial Artists: 6 Martial Artists (yes, 6 main characters)
Director: Chang Cheh

#6 - The Seven Samurai (1954)

One of the greatest classic kung-fu movies of all time and
arguable Kurosawa’s best work. Some Samurai of the time were
down on their luck (homeless) and willing to do anything for a
meal. A village under attack by bandits recruits a group of
seven such Samurai warriors and asks them to help defend their
village. The movie is about the Samurai teaching the village
how to fight and culminates in a massive battle between a
village and almost 50 attacking bandits. The acting is superb,
the emotions run high and Kurosawa keeps you hooked from
beginning to end.

Martial Artists: 7 Martial Artists (all names you won't know
since this movie is so old)
Director: Akira Kurosawa

#7 - Legend of Drunken Master (1994)

Some will say this is the greatest martial arts movie of all
time because of it’s balance between plot-line, comedy, drama
and amazing kung fu sequences. Probably Jackie Chan’s best
martial arts performance. You’re going to love the final scene
where you learn what “Drunken Master” really means. We’re
talking box-splitting, fire-spitting craziness!

Martial Artist: Jackie Chan
Director: Lau Kar-leung

#8 - Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (2000)

Based on a Pentalogy (yes, that’s 5 books) written by Wang
Dulu, this movie covers mostly the 4th book. Critically
acclaimed to cross international borders with it’s amazing
character development, intricate plot, martial arts ideals,
stunning special effects and quicker-than-the-eye fighting
scenes, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon set a new standard for
martial arts movies. Telling Zhang Ziyi (the lead female
character and an amazing martial artist) to get back in the
kitchen would likely cost you 50 punches to the “bags”. Be
ready for subtitles, ‘cuz turning on the English track is like
watching...uh...like watching a kung fu movie in English.

Main Martial Artist: Chow Yun-fat
Other Martial Artists: Zhang Ziyi, Michelle Yeoh, Chang Chen,
Cheng Pei-pei
Director: Ang Lee
Action Director: Yuen Wo-Ping

#9 - Kill Bill vol. 1 (2003)

You’re going to want your home theatre room for this one. It’s
tough to beat beautiful women beating the crap out of each
other in fast-paced, action-packed, make you cringe, bloody,
gory, cut-’em-up (more buzz words go here) movie jam packed
with as much martial arts death as possible. Tarantino expertly
uses every camera angle and a plethora of special effects to
deliver a better-than-real visual experience that gives this
blood-and-guts thriller an artistic feel you’ll appreciate at
the end. Did I mention is has Uma Thurman in it?

(“Kill bill vol. 2” brings closure to the set, but hey...we had
to choose one movie. Say “Five-Point-Palm Exploding Heart
Technique” 5 times fast.)

Actors: Uma Thurman, David Carradine, Lucy Liu, Daryl Hannah,
Vivica A. Fox
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Action Director: Yuen Wo-ping

#10 - Fist of Legend (1994)

A classic story of Chinese vs. Japanese martial arts, Fist of
Legend is actually a remake of the original Bruce Lee movie,
Fist of Fury. If Bruce Lee is like the original James Bond, Jet
Li is the Pierce Brosnan. He’ll never be the original, but the
modern film-making and larger budget bring the entertainment
value just a hair above the original Fist of Fury. (The ghost
of Bruce Lee is probably going to strike me down for writing
that) The Yuen Brothers are known for amazing action
choreography, and they totally deliver on this one. (Casting
Jet Li may have helped them a little too.)

Martial Artist: Jet Li
Director: Gordon Chan
Action Directors: “The Yuen Brothers”

The fun doesn't stop there.

We tried to stop at only 10...really, we did. But we just
couldn't control ourselves.
"Once it hits your lips, it's so good!" - Will Ferrell in "Old
School"

To see the movies that deserve "Honorable Mention", go to
http://www.experiencemartialarts.com/articles/movies.html

Whether you enjoyed this list or think we snuffed your favorite
movie, we'd love to hear what you think. Post your comments at:
http://www.experiencemartialarts.com/blog/archives/16

About the Author: Javier Lozano, Jr. was a world champion
Karate point fighter as ranked by NASKA and is a 3rd Dan in
Wado-Ryu Karate. He is a writer for
http://www.ExperienceMartialArts.com, a website dedicated to
helping people learn about martial arts, select a style and
find a suitable school nearby.

Source: http://www.isnare.com