While the martial arts genre probably makes you think of elaborate fight scenes and yeah,
there are a lot of those, it's also known for gritty crime dramas, fantasy yarns, slapstick
comedies, and everything in between.
Unfortunately, all that variety comes with a downside: Where do you start?
Do you fire up a brutal modern-day action flick?
Maybe a biopic about the legends who helped make the genre possible?
Or do you begin with the '60s and '70s exploitation flicks that made "kung fu" a household word
and turned over-the-top sound effects into an art form?
Yeah, it's a tough call.
While seasoned fans of martial arts cinema have probably seen most of these movies before,
the following hidden gems are great places to kick off your journey into the genre.
If you're interested in modern martial arts movies, you should become very familiar with
actor Iko Uwais.
2011's The Raid: Redemption made Uwais one of the biggest names in martial arts cinema,
and he's never looked back.
For Headshot, his duties were bigger than just starring in the movie.
In addition to playing the film's lead, he was its fight choreographer, too, and spent
three weeks making sure all of Headshot's action scenes were as brutal, bloody, and
beautiful as possible.
To do so, Uwais gave each character their own unique fighting style, based on the actor's
own background.
As a result, every action scene is a blend of different martial arts.
As far as plot goes, Headshot tells the story of an amnesiac who's forced to rescue the
doctor who nursed him back to life when the gang who raised him comes back for revenge.
But really, the story is secondary.
You're here to watch Uwais and his co-stars do seemingly impossible stunts and kick some
butt.
On those fronts, Headshot more than delivers.
It's kind of hard to categorize Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings.
It's based on a real person, but it's not a historical drama.
It's the third film in a series, but it also stands completely alone.
The word "detective" is in the title, but it isn't really a mystery film.
Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings is a fantasy story with some martial arts action
mixed in.
Everything else is secondary.
In The Four Heavenly Kings, Dee receives custody of the legendary Dragon Sword, making him
a direct threat to the powerful Empress.
In retaliation, the Empress sends four sorcerer hitmen to get the sword back.
Dee goes into hiding, but is forced to return when a giant dragon statue comes to life,
causing havoc in the court.
So, yeah, Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings isn't the most grounded martial arts
movie out there, but it sure is a fun one.
Western audiences probably know martial artist Donnie Yen best from his turn in Rogue One:
A Star Wars Story, but Yen's journey to a galaxy far, far away only showcased a fraction
of his talents.
He's one of Asia's most popular and highest-paid actors for a reason.
And in Dragon Tiger Gate, not only does Yen hold down a leading role, but he also handled
all of the fight choreography.
Impressed by Dragon Tiger Gate's action scenes?
You've got Yen to thank.
Dragon Tiger Gate tells the story of two half-brothers, Dragon and Tiger, who learn of one another's
existence the hard way: by getting into a knock-down, drag-out fight in a restaurant
after Tiger runs afoul of Dragon's mob lord boss.
Still, nothing brings siblings together like a brawl, and it's not long before they've
officially reunited at the Dragon Tiger Gate martial arts academy, ready to take on all
comers.
Dragon Tiger Gate has an interesting history, too.
It's based on Oriental Heroes, the very first action manhua, which debuted in 1970 and is
still being published today.
It also holds one of the oddest Guinness World Records of all time: one of the film's props
is officially the world's largest punching bag, making Dragon Tiger Gate the first Hong
Kong movie to be recognized by the organization.
While it's definitely a martial arts film, one of the most surprising aspects of BuyBust
is its undercurrent of political commentary.
In BuyBust, regular civilians are so fed up with the Philippines' war on drugs that they
join the fray, taking the fight to their presumed oppressors.
Not that the political message gets in the way of the action.
In fact, the film's second biggest surprise is that Anne Curtis, who's mostly known as
a romantic comedy lead and TV show host, can so capably anchor an action movie.
It would be a star-making performance if she wasn't already a star.
Liu Chia-Liang is widely regarded as one of the best, if not the best, director of kung
fu films.
Legendary Weapons of China proves why.
In the film, Liu himself stars as Lei Kung, a martial arts master who decides that traditional
kung fu will never be able to beat invading foreigners' guns.
Instead of risking the lives of his students, he goes into hiding.
With morale dropping, the other instructors decide they want Lei Kung dead, and send some
of their most talented fighters to get the job done.
What follows is a non-stop barrage of kung fu action, capped by an epic fight scene.
It's 10 of the best minutes of martial arts action you'll find anywhere, and proof that
when Liu was on the top of his game, no one was better.
Even if you're not a martial arts movie buff, you might've heard of Ip Man, which was a
minor phenomenon when it came out in China.
The biographical film stars Donnie Yen as the martial arts master best known for training
Bruce Lee and was popular enough to spawn three sequels.
Master Z: Ip Man Legacy isn't nearly as well known, for a couple of reasons.
For one, Yen is only a producer in the film, not the star, although Master Z does boast
big-name cast members, including Dave Bautista, Liu Yan, Michelle Yeoh, Tony Jaa, and Zhang
Jin.
For another, Master Z's lead character is only loosely based on a real person, and the
plot is completely fictional.
Still, director Yuen Woo-ping knows how to put together a fight scene - you've probably
seen his work as fight choreographer in The Matrix, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and
Kill Bill.
With Master Z, he made sure you could feel every single blow.
In terms of production design and cinematography, Master Z certainly looks great.
It's a pulpy crime thriller, not a historical drama, but that's fine.
Just don't expect Ip Man, and you'll have a great time.
The Shaolin franchise, which began in 1982 with The Shaolin Temple, is important for
a few reasons.
For one, the movies were so popular that the real-life temple featured in the film became
a popular tourist destination, leading to a complete revitalization of the once-decrepit
structure.
For another, they marked the feature film debut of a young martial arts prodigy known
as Jet Li.
You've probably heard of him.
Martial Arts of Shaolin is actually the third film in the series, but you don't need to
worry about catching up.
While the Shaolin movies share the same cast, they play different characters in each installment,
and the stories stand completely alone.
In Martial Arts of Shaolin, Li stars as a monk who must go on the run after he fails
to assassinate the warlord who kills his parents.
The plot is pretty thin, but Martial Arts of Shaolin makes up for it by dropping a new
action scene every couple of minutes.
It's also a surprisingly beautiful film.
Looking at these impressive set and costume designs, it's obvious that Martial Arts of
Shaolin had a massive budget.
Not only was much of it filmed on location in mainland China, but the lavish sets and
costuming are really stunning.
Naturally, the fights look fantastic too, but with Jet Li involved that's pretty much
a foregone conclusion.
It's no secret why The Five Venoms is a cult favorite.
From its opening frames, the movie just oozes cool.
Watch the first ten minutes, and you'll see what we mean.
It begins when a dying martial arts master starts to tell his latest disciple about his
five former students, some of whom may be evil, and it isn't long before you're watching
masked warriors perform all sorts of seemingly inhuman feats of strength and agility.
Each one of the titular warriors fights with a unique style, loosely based on the animal
from which they take their name.
Even better?
Because they all wear masks, nobody knows who they really are.
When The Five Venoms first came out, it was hugely popular among genre fans and made its
cast into huge stars.
The cast and director went on to make a number of films together, but if you only have time
to watch one, The Five Venoms is arguably the best.
If Furie has a moral, it's this: Don't mess with Veronica Ngo.
Sure, we already know she's tough.
During her brief but memorable appearance in The Last Jedi, she sacrifices her life
to take out a First Order Dreadnought.
In Da 5 Bloods, she cruelly mocks American soldiers as Hanoi Hannah, a Vietnamese radio
host whose broadcasts are designed to ruin the GIs' morale.
But in Furie, she takes it to a whole new level.
See, her character, Hai, has a very particular set of skills, and while she initially uses
them to make ends meet as a collector for a shady loan shark, they come in handy when
her daughter is abducted and sold to organ traffickers.
What follows is a rampage across Ho Chi Minh City as Hai pulls out all the stops to find
her kid, busting kneecaps and heads along the way.
As a martial arts flick, it's very good.
And a showcase for Veronica Ngo's talents, it's excellent.
If you've never seen a kung fu movie before, don't start with Kung Fu Hustle.
It'll be a lot more fun if you watch a couple of other movies in this video first.
Kung Fu Hustle is Stephen Chow's follow-up to his massively popular martial-arts-sports
comedy Shaolin Soccer.
And like that film, isn't just a martial arts movie.
It's an absurd comedy and a love letter to the kung-fu flicks of the '70s.
You can absolutely enjoy Kung Fu Hustle without a solid background in martial arts films.
It's a special effects-heavy movie that transforms Chow and his co-stars into living cartoons,
and its over-the-top fight scenes need to be seen to be believed.
However, you're going to get much more out of it if you know a few of the genre's tropes
and history.
Don't worry, though.
By this point, you're an expert.
Thanks for watching.
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