What has been your favourite Martial Arts film you've ever seen?

1. 82

   Souther29posted 10 years ago

   What has been your favourite Martial Arts film you've ever seen?
   
   There have been so many great ones over the past 30-40 years and wanted to see what the community thinks their favourite one is. Who knows, it may help us all discover new ones to see. To start the ball rolling mine would be Drunken Master (1978) with Jackie Chan. One of his early films but amazing choreography by Yuen-Woo Ping, funny and Jackie at his acrobatic best.

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   JThomp42posted 10 years ago

   "Enter the dragon" starring Bruce Lee. Directed by Robert Clouse.

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      Souther29posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Enter the Dragon is a classic film. Always a great one in my mind.

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3. 81

   dashingscorpioposted 10 years ago

   When I was a kid I saw a lot of them but the ones that really stood out were "Enter the Dragon", "The Chinese Connection", "Fist of Fury" and the all time  classic "Five Fingers of Death" (which is credited for starting the craze in the U.S. during the early 70s.)
   Naturally Bruce Lee was my favorite martial arts actor going all the way back to his days of playing the role of Kato in The Green Hornet television show during the 1960s.

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      Souther29posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Bruce Lee really was an ambassador for bringing martial arts to the West. He even taught many famous U.S. actors at the time. Whilst plots were fairly thin, they more than made up for entertaining and blisteringly fast action.

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      The Examiner-1posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      dashingscorpio
      Bruce Lee was my favorite actor, too. I had all of his films, posters of him, etc. I watch him in the Green Hornet these days on Saturday morning.

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4. 73

   EJ Lambertposted 10 years ago

   Since everyone is saying Enter the Dragon, which is a great pick, I'll try to widen the brim a little.  I've been a huge fan of "Bloodsport" with Jean-Claude, "Best of the Best", "Mortal Kombat" and "The Legend of Drunken Master" with Jackie Chan.

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      Souther29posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I loved Mortal Kombat as was a bit fan of the game. Legend of Drunken Master was a fantastic sequel and the end fight sequence alone was easily worth the price of admission.

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5. 93

   jansharesposted 10 years ago

   The old school movies "Enter the Dragon," "Fists of Fury," and "Black Belt Jones" are always fun to watch on a Saturday afternoon. But if I had to pick a cinematic favorite, it would have to be "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." It was the first martial arts movie that I saw with fierce women in lead roles.

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      Souther29posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I really like Fist of Fury out of Bruce Lee's sadly short catalogue. You're right, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon certainly showcased some great female martial arts stars like Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Ziyi. Thanks for sharing!

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   2. 69

      WalterPoonposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Souther29, you are right. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon certainly showcased some great female martial arts stars like Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Ziyi. Only thing is that both of them are NOT martial artists. I think they use their dancing skills, LOL.

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   3. 76

      Chris Quposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Walter, true. But remember Yeoh couldn't even speak Mandarin when she did that movie. She learned her lines phonetically. It worked because she can act. The same way she puts on great movie-fights without being a real fighter. Better than most, even.

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6. 74

   Rosana Modugnoposted 10 years ago

   I am a fan of Kurosawa, so I have to say my fave movie is The 7 Samurai.  But I also loved Yojimbo, which is my kind of movie.  Sure The Bruce Lee films are awesome and so are Jackie Chan but I find that when you get to the heart of martial arts, you have to get back to the actual place where the heart sits, and I love Japanese film in regards to martial arts, sword fighting, etc. 

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      Souther29posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I've seen The 7 Samurai and have Yojimbo on my list. I have to say I personally have not seen so many Japanese martial arts films compared to Chinese or Thai but I agree Japan has a very rich heritage and the Samurai are an icon of Japan.

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      Earl Noah Bernsbyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I'm embarrassed to say that I still haven't seen "The Seven Samurai."  Thank you for reminding me that I wanted to do that.

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7. 76

   Chris Quposted 10 years ago

   Oh man, this is my kind of question!
   
   Absolutely, without a doubt, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000). The story is touching, the fight choreography is amazing, and the cinematography is jaw-dropping. It raised the bar for all martial arts movies to me, personally.
   
   Other movies I've seen that I thought were nearly as good, but not quite there include Chocolate (2008), Hero (2002), and the Wuxia classic, A Touch of Zen (1969).
   
   The best martial arts movie I've seen from America is The Forbidden Kingdom (2008). The art direction in that movie is just unbelievable, and it has really solid fights with Jet Li and Jackie Chan.
   
   Rosana's answer is good -- you can never go wrong with Kurosawa, since he's a masterful film maker. I don't personally consider him to be a maker of martial arts films though. I think the scenes of martial arts prowess are a rarity in his films; one watches Kurosawa films for reasons other than action.

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      Souther29posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Glad you like it! CTHD was a film so many could enjoy, young and old. I need to see A Touch of Zen. The fight scene between JL and JC was good to see, but not as good as I was expecting... maybe expectations too high! I enjoyed Chocolate too!

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      Earl Noah Bernsbyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Agreed.  I've enjoyed reading through the answers on this post, and I have commented here more than I've ever done before.  Who doesn't love martial arts flicks? ;-}

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   edhanposted 10 years ago

   Bruce Lee is my favorite. I still viewed them. Next will be Jackie Chan.

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      Souther29posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      2 amazing martial artists right there. If you like these check out Tony Jaa, Wu Jing or Donnie Yen... three others who are well worth having a look at.

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   Abhinav Narangposted 10 years ago

   There have been an ample number of movies in the martial arts field, as we see that action, especially martial arts, is the favorite genre of movies and the people too.
   There have been many great movies like Fist of Fury, Black Belt Jones, Bloodsport, The Forbidden Kingdom and many more. But by far the best is 'Enter The Dragon'. A magical and epic saga by Bruce Lee (believed to be the fastest and the strongest martial artist ever by many), this movie owns all the credit in making Chinese martial arts famous around the globe. Its action scenes are still reckoned and the legacy of Bruce Lee still continues.
   The second rank goes to the Ip Man series by Donnie Yen. The fast and accurate martial artist Ip Man's (also called Yip Man) life has been portrayed beautifully in these pictures. The fighting sequences of these films are a pleasure to watch for the action freaks. And moreover, Bruce Lee was a disciple of Yip Man in real life too. I recommend this movie to everyone who likes Enter The Dragon

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      Souther29posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I was hoping someone would mention Ip Man. As a former Wing Tsun practitioner myself, it was a film I loved watching, recognising lots of the movements and forms. Donnie Yen did a very good job at portraying this and some great fight scenes.

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      Earl Noah Bernsbyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Ip Man, you say?  I have a bunch of Wing Chun study materials myself, and have been wanting to start delving into them.  Maybe I'll check these out for inspiration.

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      Souther29posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      It's nice to see the movements in practice on the big screen. One of the earlier films I think was actually called Wing Chun with Michelle Yeoh in the 90s but was more of a comedy. Ip Man has a good story and there is also a sequel. It's intense.

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10. 57

    tiptopelectronicsposted 10 years ago

    Bruce Lee was an awesome but now we have too many martial art stars like Jet lee,Tony Jha, Jason stat hem, Van Damm while there are long list of good martial art movie but 5 best martial art movies are "36 chambers in the shaowline", "matrix", "Blood Sport" "iron monkey" and jet lee starer "once upon a time in china".
    I hope all you guy like these movies.

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    1. 82

       Souther29posted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Iron Monkey was a good film and the Once Upon a Time in China series I enjoyed a lot also. Funnily, Jackie Chan actually sung the opening song in the OUATIC films!

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       tiptopelectronicsposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       yeh! Jackie Chain is the  most popular martial art actor in china.

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    PoeticPhilosophyposted 10 years ago

    Without a doubt, Ip Man. "Yip Man" was Bruce lee's trainer who had taught him for 5 year's in Wing Chun Kung Fu, it is a emotional, exciting, life pathic movie. Even my brother who HATES Martial Arts movie's LOVED it, it became his new favourite movie. I high recommend it to everyone .

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       Souther29posted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Very good film. I was looking forward to it for a while and they definitely made a good choice with Donnie. He played the role very well indeed.

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12. 69

    Jared Milesposted 10 years ago

    The best martial arts film I've ever seen, is any martial arts film that I've ever seen, I love them all. They're simply an inspiration. It (sometimes) doesn't even matter who acts in them, or if it's English, as long as it captures the essence of martial arts as a sport, and as a way of life.

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    1. 82

       Souther29posted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Nice answer Jared Miles. There's nothing quite like discovering a great Martial Art film which has relatively unknown actors. I remember the first time I saw Ong Bak which could have easily gone under the radar but was groundbreaking.

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13. 58

    residentstoneposted 10 years ago

    Jet li is god like, his early asian releases are out of control, my favorite 2 are Tai Chi Master also known as Twin Warriors, and Fist of Legend, god like fighting in these 2. Anything Jet is in is usually good.
    
    American wise, Jeff Speakman in Perfect Weapon.
    
    Any young Jean Claud stuff.
    
    Seaguls first few movies are good too.
    
    Chuck Norris in the Octagon and Silent Rage.

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    1. 82

       Souther29posted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Thanks for the comment. Even though I'm a big Jet Li fan had no idea Twin Warriors was the same as Tai Chi Master (have it on my iphone!) Thanks! Fist of Legend I love. I don't know Jeff Speakman so will check him out:-)

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       residentstoneposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Yeah man, The Perfect Weapon is super dope! Jeff Speakman uses  American kenpo karate and Japanese Goju-Ryu, and he is no joke in this film. Honorable mention to IP man, great fighting in that.

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    The Examiner-1posted 10 years ago

    I grew up watching 'Enter the Dragon',  'Fists if Fury' , etc. and all of those starring Bruce Lee. My two favorites were Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris against each other since they were real and not actors, but since your question was about films - not actors - I would say that I like 'The Karate Kid'. I have recorded that and watched it over and over.

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       Souther29posted 10 years agoin reply to this

       The Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris fight was a great one. Another Karate Kid fan. Wax on, wax off:-) Mr Miyagi was awesome.

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       The Examiner-1posted 10 years agoin reply to this

       I loved the way Mr. MiYagi, (Pat Morita), said "Show me wax on, wax off", "Sanda floor" and the kid disappeared. LOL

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       Earl Noah Bernsbyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Speaking of Chuck "Total Gym" Norris, did you ever see "Hero and the Terror?"  That movie scared the crap out of me when I was a kid...

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    TheRaptorClawposted 10 years ago

    My favorite is The Karate Kid. Not the new one but the old one.

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    1. 58

       residentstoneposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Guys, I love the Karate Kid as much as the next guy, buts its more of a feel good buddy movie, and not so much a "martial arts flick", just sayin.

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       Souther29posted 10 years agoin reply to this

       I'd tend to agree with you there Residentstone but thanks for joining in the conversation TheRaptorClaw. All I'll say is that if you enjoyed the old Karate Kid there is a wealth of other more traditional Martial Arts films out there for you to enjoy!

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       TheRaptorClawposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Well I like it anyway and I see it as a martial arts movies but everyone is entitled to your own opinion. I just don't appreciate being put down by you. If you don't like the movie or think it is martial arts then keep it to yourself please

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       residentstoneposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Wasnt putting you down. Love the movie. Martial arts movies, have martial artists in them, Ralph Macchio, is not, nor is Happy Days diner owner guy, Pat something something. Sorry.

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       Earl Noah Bernsbyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Sweep the leg, Johnny!

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    Nicole Danielleposted 10 years ago

    Mine would be Blood and Bone, that came out in 2009.

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       Souther29posted 10 years agoin reply to this

       I haven't seen Blood and Bone so another one for me to check out:-) Thanks!

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    lupineposted 10 years ago

    One of my favorite is, The Last Samurai, 2003, with Tom Cruise. Don't know if you consider this a true martial arts movie, but it was an epic story.

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       residentstoneposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Great movie, but no. I dug it a lot, but not  a martial arts flick. imho.

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    2. 65

       lupineposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       To all: I will look into seeing, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and Enter the Dragon...thanks for recommending.

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       Earl Noah Bernsbyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       A lot of Bushido themes in the movie, though, and a compelling portrayal of Japanese samurai culture.  I enjoyed it, immensely.

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       Souther29posted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Go for it Lupine! Both fantastic films. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon may blow you away. Check out Hero too if you find you enjoy that one.

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18. 74

    Diana Leeposted 10 years ago

    Steven Seagal films are the best you'll see when it comes to action packed fight scenes. His work spans over 22 years and he has made more than forty movies.  Steven Seagal also appeared in the two television series.  His recent work is the 2012 movies, Maximum Conviction and Urban Warfare.

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       Earl Noah Bernsbyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       I liked some of Seagal's earlier stuff: "Hard to Kill," "Above the Law," "Marked for Death," and "Under Siege" especially {Also, what was that one where he was an Eskimo ninja assassin??}.  My dad and I used to watch those movies together.

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       Souther29posted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Seagal definitely has his place and really like some of his earlier films too. He's a genuine Aikido master. He has done so many films it's hard to keep track of them for me!

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    Mr. Thinktankposted 10 years ago

    I don't know if you've seen Oldboy, but if you are looking at interesting action sequences there is a long take scene in there that is absolutely unique and powerful. If you like watching foreign films I would definitely recommend this one for that one scene and for the story. I know this might not necessarily be what you are looking for, but I thought I would mention it anyway.

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       Souther29posted 10 years agoin reply to this

       I have indeed, it's a great powerful sequence and a gem of a film. Good recommendation:-)

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    Earl Noah Bernsbyposted 10 years ago

    "Bloodsport."  That movie changed my life.  It doesn't hold a candle to the aesthetic beauty of movies like "Crouching Tiger...," and "Hero," and I won't even attempt to argue it's merits over more well-respected classics.  But, what can I say?  Those flashback training sequences get me every time!

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       Souther29posted 10 years agoin reply to this

       That's the good thing about Martial Arts films. There is a nice variety of styles and types to satisfy many. Everyone loves a flashback sequence:-)

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