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.
Pssst, want to check out the Paste's 100 Best Martial Arts Movies of All Time list in our new look?
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20 new
Xia nü
1971 — a.k.a. A Touch of Zen, in 15 top lists Check -
59 new
Serbuan maut 2: Berandal
2014 — a.k.a. The Raid 2, in 2 top lists Check -
57 new
Chi bi
2008 — a.k.a. Red Cliff, in 1 top list Check -
12 new
Kill Bill: Vol. 2
2004, in 9 top lists Check -
42 new
The Matrix
1999, in 30 top lists Check -
4 new
Wong Fei-Hung
1991 — a.k.a. Once Upon a Time in China, in 9 top lists Check -
54 new
Xin Shao Lin si
2011 — a.k.a. Shaolin, in 0 top lists Check -
25 new
Yi dai zong shi
2013 — a.k.a. The Grandmaster, in 2 top lists Check -
43 new
She diao ying xiong chuan
1977 — a.k.a. The Brave Archer, in 0 top lists Check -
81 new
The Karate Kid
1984, in 3 top lists Check -
76 new
Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story
1993, in 1 top list Check -
6 new
Wo hu cang long
2000 — a.k.a. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, in 27 top lists Check -
31 new
Feng hou
1979 — a.k.a. Mad Monkey Kung Fu, in 1 top list Check -
2 new
Shao Lin san shi liu fang
1978 — a.k.a. The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, in 8 top lists Check -
22 new
Du bei dao
1967 — a.k.a. The One-Armed Swordsman, in 4 top lists Check -
37 new
Da jue dou
1971 — a.k.a. Duel of the Iron Fist, in 0 top lists Check -
92 new
Shu Shan - Xin Shu shan jian ke
1983 — a.k.a. Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain, in 5 top lists Check -
35 new
Siu ngo gong woo: Dung Fong Bat Bai
1992 — a.k.a. Swordsman II, in 2 top lists Check -
11 new
Kill Bill: Vol. 1
2003, in 18 top lists Check -
40 new
Long men kezhan
1967 — a.k.a. Dragon Inn, in 8 top lists Check -
9 new
Tom yum goong
2005 — a.k.a. The Protector, in 0 top lists Check -
52 new
Chocolate
2008, in 0 top lists Check -
24 new
Wu guan
1981 — a.k.a. Martial Club, in 1 top list Check -
45 new
Xi you: Xiang mo pian
2013 — a.k.a. Journey to the West, in 1 top list Check -
74 new
The Last Dragon
1985, in 1 top list Check -
41 new
Shi ba ban wu yi
1982 — a.k.a. Legendary Weapons of China, in 1 top list Check -
29 new
Lin Shi Rong
1979 — a.k.a. Magnificent Butcher, in 2 top lists Check -
82 new
Equilibrium
2002, in 0 top lists Check -
8 new
Ren zhe wu di
1982 — a.k.a. Five Element Ninjas, in 2 top lists Check -
70 new
Hao xia
1979 — a.k.a. Last Hurrah for Chivalry, in 3 top lists Check -
13 new
Ip Man
2008, in 4 top lists Check -
32 new
Jing wu men
1972 — a.k.a. Fist of Fury, in 8 top lists Check -
62 new
Man of Tai Chi
2013, in 0 top lists Check -
34 new
Ong-bak
2003 — a.k.a. Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior, in 2 top lists Check -
47 new
Tian xia di yi quan
1972 — a.k.a. Five Fingers of Death, in 4 top lists Check -
23 new
Zhong hua zhang fu
1978 — a.k.a. Heroes of the East, in 2 top lists Check -
84 new
Bi xie jian
1981 — a.k.a. The Sword Stained with Royal Blood, in 0 top lists Check -
5 new
Can que
1978 — a.k.a. Crippled Avengers, in 2 top lists Check -
53 new
Huo Yuan Jia
2006 — a.k.a. Fearless, in 2 top lists Check -
16 new
Jing wu ying xiong
1994 — a.k.a. Fist of Legend, in 2 top lists Check -
73 new
Unleashed
2005, in 1 top list Check -
3 new
Enter the Dragon
1973, in 14 top lists Check -
7 new
Jui kuen II
1994 — a.k.a. The Legend of Drunken Master, in 4 top lists Check -
77 new
Lung siu yeh
1982 — a.k.a. Dragon Lord, in 1 top list Check -
33 new
Serbuan maut
2011 — a.k.a. The Raid: Redemption, in 2 top lists Check -
68 new
Shao Lin yu Wu Dang
1980 — a.k.a. Two Champions of Shaolin, in 0 top lists Check -
1 new
Wu du
1978 — a.k.a. Five Deadly Venoms, in 3 top lists Check -
60 new
Baai ga jai
1981 — a.k.a. The Prodigal Son, in 3 top lists Check -
26 new
Fai caan che
1984 — a.k.a. Wheels on Meals, in 3 top lists Check -
19 new
Ging chaat goo si
1985 — a.k.a. Police Story, in 10 top lists Check
Last updated on Jan 24, 2018 by Panunzio; source