These 8 Martial Arts Movies Are Responsible For What The Genre Is Today

Martial arts movies have captivated audiences for decades through expertly choreographed fight sequences, powerful stories of good versus evil, and shockingly effective action sequences, with a select few being responsible for where the genre stands today. From the United States Kung Fu craze in the 1970s right up until modern times, martial arts movies have stood as some of the most exciting and over-the-top releases seen on the big screen. With massive stars like Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan leaving their mark on martial arts movies, the genre has gone through countless changes over the decades.

Many of the most important martial arts movies dated from the golden age of Kung Fu in the 1970s, but there have also been plenty of other modern classics that managed to become international successes and boast incredible influence. While most important martial arts films come from Asia, there have been some Hollywood directors, like Quentin Tarantino, who also left an important mark on the current state of martial arts movies worldwide. There were only a few martial arts movies that were responsible for where the genre stands today.

8

The Chinese Boxer (1970)

The Chinese Boxer shifted martial arts movie’s focus toward hand-to-hand combat

The martial arts classic The Chinese Boxer, released internationally as The Hammer of God, was a majorly influential action-fighting film that set the standard for Kung Fu movies moving forward. As the first classic of the non-wuxia Kung Fu genre, The Chinese Boxer moved away from sword fighting stories set in Ancient China to a more modern setting that focused on hand-to-hand combat and epic choreographed fight sequences. By shifting the focus from adventure and fantasy toward training and prowess, The Chinese Boxer laid the groundwork for contemporary martial arts movies.

With a story set in the 1940s that followed a boxer who took revenge on a gang of Japanese karate thugs, The Chinese Boxer was produced by the legendary Shaw Brothers Studio, who were responsible for some of the biggest martial arts movies of all time. The Chinese Boxer would be followed by a sequel, Return of the Chinese Boxer, in 1977. However, the legacy of The Chinese Boxer was more based on the later films that cited it as an influence, rather than the movies itself.

7

Five Fingers Of Death (1972)

Five Fingers of Death was the first major martial arts success internationally

Five Fingers of Death, which was also known as King Boxer, was the first international martial arts hit and, much like The Chinese Boxer before it, utilized a hand-to-hand combat style that viewers all over the world responded well to. Starring Indonesian actor and icon of martial arts cinema Lo Lieh, Five Fingers of Death was an important release that contributed to the Kung Fu craze of the 1970s, which saw many Hong Kong martial arts movies finding major success in the United States. Full of slow-motion leaps and fast-fighting foes, Five Fingers of Death proved that Kung Fu cinema was a force to be reckoned with.

An incredible starring vehicle for Lieh, Five Fingers of Death predated the extraordinary international success of Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon by one year and acted as a great forbearer of things to come. The story of two martial arts schools, dishonorable samurai, and a devastating pursuit of a rival school’s most promising student, Five Fingers of Death had all the makings of a Kung Fu classic. While Five Fingers of Death may not be the most well-known martial arts movie to a general audience, to Kung Fu enthusiasts it was absolutely essential.

6

Enter The Dragon (1973)

Enter the Dragon ignited the Kung Fu craze of the 1970s

It did not get any more iconic than Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon, which was the most famous martial arts movie ever and helped ignite a Kung Fu craze during the 1970s. As Lee’s final film before his untimely death aged just 32, Enter the Dragon stood as a definitive moment in the history of martial arts cinema and through its blend of fighting and espionage elements was a seriously influential movie. Full of epic fight choreography and an outrageously stylistic aesthetic, Enter the Dragon helped inspire everything from beat’ em up brawler games to Dragon Ball Z.

The story of a Shaolin monk fighting his way through the island fortress of an opium lord, Enter the Dragon delivered high-octane thrills that appealed to a Western audience while maintaining the martial arts traditions of its Eastern origin. As the first martial arts movie produced by a Hollywood studio, Enter the Dragon was a watershed moment in the history of cinema that signaled Kung Fu’s move into the mainstream. Sadly, it was the last film completed by Lee in his lifetime, as, had he lived, he surely would have on to even bolder and greater successes in Hollywood.

5

Drunken Master (1978)

Drunken Master made a star out of Jackie Chan

The release of Drunken Master in 1978 signaled the dawning of a brand-new martial arts icon in Jackie Chan, who proved that actors didn’t have to copy Bruce Lee to be successful. A masterful blend of Kung Fu and comedy, Drunken Master, along with Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow, was Chan’s breakout role after having previously worked as a stuntman or minor characters in martial arts classics like Fist of Fury and Enter the Dragon. With a mix of incredible stunts and slapstick comedy, Drunken Master was one of the best Jackie Chan movies in his long and varied career.

Chan starred as the mischievous Wong Fei-hung, a real Chinese folk hero, who had to hone his fighting skills under the guidance of his older, frustrated master. The incredible rapport between Chan and his co-star Yuen Siu-Tin was a major part of the success of Drunken Master. While Chan would later go on to star in even bigger movies in Hollywood, Drunken Master was where the foundations of his success were laid.

4

The Karate Kid (1984)

The Karate Kid introduced martial arts movies to younger audiences

By the time The Karate Kid was released in 1984, martial arts movies had been well and truly entrenched in Hollywood, and this coming-of-age tale took those tenets and applied them to a film aimed at a younger audience. The story of Daniel LaRusso learning the ways of karate from the handyman and war veteran Mr. Miyagi, The Karate Kid was a heartwarming story of fighting and friendship that acted as the inception point for a still wildly popular franchise. While the story of The Karate Kid may be simple, its popularity helped revitalize karate across the United States.

The Karate Kid was such a success that it led to three sequels, an animated series, a reboot, and the acclaimed Netflix series Cobra Kai which followed an older LaRusso still rivaling with Johnny Lawrence. A touchstone of modern pop culture, The Karate Kid has truly stood the test of time as interest in it remains as great today as it was 40 years ago. The Karate Kid also proved the financial incentives of martial arts movies as it grossed over $91 million against a budget of $8 million (via Box Office Mojo), being a major sleeper hit.

3

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was an international success that harkened back to earlier wuxia movie

The wuxia genre of martial arts films dated back to the 1920s, but it was never properly introduced to a Western audience until the release of Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. A massively successful film, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon proved surprisingly appealing to international audiences as its story, cinematography, and martial arts fighting sequences received great acclaim. The story of a Chinese warrior, played by Michaelle Yeoh, who entered a world of romantic adventure after stealing a sword from a famed swordsman, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was a return to a more fantastical style of martial arts movie.

Full of mystery and intrigue, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was nominated for ten Academy Awards and was the most nominated ever for a non-English language film at that time. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was also the first non-English language to gross over $100 million in the United States (via Guinness World Records), which showcased the incredible potential of wuxia films abroad. Widely considered one of the best movies of the 21st century, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon introduced martial arts films to an entirely new audience.

2

Kill Bill (2003/2004)

Kill Bill blended many martial arts genres for a general audience

Director Quentin Tarantino has always been vocal about his love for martial arts filmmaking, and nowhere was this more apparent than in his two-part homage samurai movies and Kung Fu, Kill Bill. As a film that blended Tarantino’s Hollywood tendencies and skill for violent and over-the-top action with the style and influences of martial arts movies, Kill Bill was many viewers’ first introduction to the world of martial arts cinema and opened audiences up to a whole host of earlier films. Through Kill Bill, Tarantino paid tribute to the Shaw Brothers Studio, Bruce Lee, and in movies like Lady Snowblood.

While Kill Bill did not push any boundaries when it came to martial arts movies, it was the perfect blend of genres that acted as a digestible introduction that young viewers on the precipice of discovering a love for this type of filmmaking. As an ode to an earlier era, Kill Bill was chock-full of references to older martial arts movies and even featured some of its biggest stars, like Gordon Liu, in minor roles. A majorly successful film, Kill Bill was the kind of movie that even those with little interest in martial arts movies still checked out.

1

The Raid: Redemption (2011)

The Raid was a high-octan action movie that influenced lots of subsequent media

The Raid: Redemption was an Indonesian martial arts action thriller that truly turned the intensity up to eleven and did not slow down for a moment. Through its grit and violence, The Raid: Redemption truly reinvented the modern action film (via CBR) and had a major influence on subsequent martial arts movies that valued high-octane intensity above all else. Full of brutal fight sequences, exhaustive choreography, and jaw-dropping martial arts skill, The Raid: Redemption was an ultra-violent R-rated adventure that leaned into the more adult-orientated aspects of fighting films.

The Raid: Redemption was set in an apartment complex overtaken by a drug ring, one remaining police force member named Rama must single-handedly take down countless enemies and finish their mission. A showcase of the traditional Indonesian martial art of pencak silat, The Raid: Redemption was a relentless narrative that put even the most bombastic Hollywood action movies to shame. While The Raid: Redemption can be criticized for a lack of character depth, the point of the movie was to focus on action and had a major influence, such as on the best fight scene in Daredevil.

Sources: Box Office Mojo, Guinness World Records, CBR