Paste's 100 Best Martial Arts Movies of All Time
Created by Panunzio.
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List added January 2015 and updated in November 2022
Fighting, whether sanctioned or no-holds-barred, is without a doubt the oldest form of competition that mankind has ever engaged in. At times, it has been a necessary tool of survival—kill or be killed—and that proved an extremely effective motivation and crucible for enhancing mankind’s fighting prowess. Technology rapidly came into play and has been seen out to its inevitable conclusion, which removes man from the equation almost entirely. Today, robotic drones are poised to do much of our fighting for us—whether we ultimately end up in a Robot Jox scenario where wars are decided by giant mech battles is a valid (and awesome) question.
And yet, despite all of our sophistication and technology, we still fight by hand as well. Some is driven by necessity. Others fight professionally, and have only continued to expand the complete picture of what a fighter is. Look at the exponential growth in sophistication from the early days of mixed martial arts to how the sport has become in 2015, going from big guys winging punches at one another to a beautiful, scientific system of mixed grappling and striking styles. The audience has never been bigger, because on some level, we love fighting, if only because it reminds us of our most primal roots that have long been shelved and put aside by civilization.
And nowhere is appreciation for the beauty of fighting more apparent than in the wide, storied genre of martial arts cinema. Violence is the selling point of these films, but seeing as that violence is achieved through trickery, stunt work and movie magic, it’s not truly the audience’s bloodlust that drives the industry. It’s an appreciation for the beauty of violence, a reminder of the exceptional abilities derived through training and a celebration of ancient, classical storytelling, in the vein of “Avenge me!” No genre reveres classic themes as this one does, because at their root they speak to us like cinematic comfort food, and they provide excuses for what people have really wanted to see all along: The action.
And so, let us celebrate the martial arts genre from its top to its bottom, old and new. Epic and modest. Comedic and tragic. Grave and absurd, all represented in equal measure. These films contain many wondrous sights: Monks training their bodies to repel bullets. Men with prosthetic iron hands shooting poison darts. Flying heads. Incredibly silly ninja costumes. It’s all here.
But please note, don’t look for Seven Samurai, Yojimbo or The Sword of Doom here. Although they’re all great films, we wanted this list to focus squarely on our conception of “martial arts cinema,” which has little in common with a great samurai drama by Akira Kurosawa. These films are action-packed fighting spectacles, but above all, they’re just plain fun.
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42 new
The Matrix
1999, in 30 top lists Check -
11 new
Kill Bill: Vol. 1
2003, in 18 top lists Check -
12 new
Kill Bill: Vol. 2
2004, in 9 top lists Check -
6 new
Wo hu cang long
2000 — a.k.a. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, in 27 top lists Check -
63 new
Kung Fu Panda
2008, in 4 top lists Check -
13 new
Ip Man
2008, in 4 top lists Check -
82 new
Equilibrium
2002, in 0 top lists Check -
69 new
Kung fu
2004 — a.k.a. Kung Fu Hustle, in 11 top lists Check -
3 new
Enter the Dragon
1973, in 14 top lists Check -
81 new
The Karate Kid
1984, in 3 top lists Check -
33 new
Serbuan maut
2011 — a.k.a. The Raid: Redemption, in 2 top lists Check -
85 new
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
1990, in 3 top lists Check -
59 new
Serbuan maut 2: Berandal
2014 — a.k.a. The Raid 2, in 2 top lists Check -
86 new
Siu Lam juk kau
2001 — a.k.a. Shaolin Soccer, in 5 top lists Check -
34 new
Ong-bak
2003 — a.k.a. Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior, in 2 top lists Check -
66 new
The Transporter
2002, in 0 top lists Check -
7 new
Jui kuen II
1994 — a.k.a. The Legend of Drunken Master, in 4 top lists Check -
53 new
Huo Yuan Jia
2006 — a.k.a. Fearless, in 2 top lists Check -
65 new
Bloodsport
1988, in 1 top list Check -
19 new
Ging chaat goo si
1985 — a.k.a. Police Story, in 10 top lists Check -
2 new
Shao Lin san shi liu fang
1978 — a.k.a. The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, in 8 top lists Check -
73 new
Unleashed
2005, in 1 top list Check -
38 new
Lik wong
1991 — a.k.a. Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky, in 4 top lists Check -
27 new
Hung fan kui
1995 — a.k.a. Rumble in the Bronx, in 3 top lists Check -
10 new
Siu nin Wong Fei Hung chi: Tit ma lau
1993 — a.k.a. Iron Monkey, in 4 top lists Check -
57 new
Chi bi
2008 — a.k.a. Red Cliff, in 1 top list Check -
20 new
Xia nü
1971 — a.k.a. A Touch of Zen, in 15 top lists Check -
48 new
Meng long guo jiang
1972 — a.k.a. The Way of the Dragon, in 7 top lists Check -
9 new
Tom yum goong
2005 — a.k.a. The Protector, in 0 top lists Check -
76 new
Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story
1993, in 1 top list Check -
32 new
Jing wu men
1972 — a.k.a. Fist of Fury, in 8 top lists Check -
17 new
Shogun Assassin
1980, in 2 top lists Check -
16 new
Jing wu ying xiong
1994 — a.k.a. Fist of Legend, in 2 top lists Check -
80 new
Kickboxer
1989, in 1 top list Check -
4 new
Wong Fei-Hung
1991 — a.k.a. Once Upon a Time in China, in 9 top lists Check -
44 new
Tang shan da xiong
1971 — a.k.a. The Big Boss, in 4 top lists Check -
25 new
Yi dai zong shi
2013 — a.k.a. The Grandmaster, in 2 top lists Check -
52 new
Chocolate
2008, in 0 top lists Check -
61 new
Kiss of the Dragon
2001, in 0 top lists Check -
97 new
Miami Connection
1987 — a.k.a. American Streetfighters, in 0 top lists Check -
14 new
Du bi quan wang da po xue di zi
1976 — a.k.a. Master of the Flying Guillotine, in 3 top lists Check -
30 new
Gekitotsu! Satsujin ken
1974 — a.k.a. The Streetfighter, in 1 top list Check -
36 new
Da zui xia
1966 — a.k.a. Come Drink with Me, in 4 top lists Check -
1 new
Wu du
1978 — a.k.a. Five Deadly Venoms, in 3 top lists Check -
40 new
Long men kezhan
1967 — a.k.a. Dragon Inn, in 8 top lists Check -
74 new
The Last Dragon
1985, in 1 top list Check -
22 new
Du bei dao
1967 — a.k.a. The One-Armed Swordsman, in 4 top lists Check -
94 new
Undisputed III: Redemption
2010, in 0 top lists Check -
15 new
Wu Lang ba gua gun
1984 — a.k.a. The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter, in 2 top lists Check -
18 new
Tai gik Cheung Sam Fung
1993 — a.k.a. Tai-Chi Master, in 2 top lists Check
Last updated on Jan 24, 2018 by Panunzio; source