In "The Last Mercenary," martial arts legend Jean-Claude Van Damme puts on a show like
you've never seen before. With high-octane action scenes and hilarious dialogue, The
Last Mercenary combines everything audiences love about martial arts movies into one thrilling
on-screen journey.
But you don't have to settle for just one -- there are a ton of martial arts movies
to stream right now, and even hardcore fans of the genre may not have seen some of these.
Here are the best martial arts hidden gems you don't want to miss.
Fans of the "Ip Man" saga won't want to miss this celebrated Hong Kong drama. From writer-director
Wong Kar-wai, "The Grandmaster" features Tony Leung as the wing chun grandmaster who trained
incredible martial artists like Bruce Lee. The film follows his story as he remembers
his hard-won ascent to legendary status.
Through flashbacks, we see Ip Man's journey to become a kung fu champion who's selected
to represent the south in a bitter face-off with the north. But after defeating the northern
grandmaster in a battle of wits, Ip Man learns that the contest has just begun.
With brilliant fight choreography and a stunning true story at the center of the action, 2013's
"The Grandmaster" is a seminal piece of martial arts cinema.
The 2018 Indonesian action thriller "The Night Comes for Us" is nothing short of a blood-soaked
roller coaster. The film, written and directed by Timo Tjahjanto, stars Joe Taslim as Ito,
a member of a top-tier gang of enforcers of the Southeast Asian Triad. Ito is a skilled
killer, but after he's part of a mission to massacre an entire village, he decides to
turn his back on the mob and rescue an innocent girl from the bloodshed.
Taslim is reunited with his "The Raid: Redemption" co-star, Iko Uwais, and the film's ultra-gritty
action sequences are bolstered by lots of blood, mayhem, and a worthy cause at the center
of the story. If you really want to get your heart pounding with an exhilarating action
movie, "The Night Comes for Us" is a perfect choice.
For those martial arts fans who enjoy a few laughs sprinkled into the mix, the 2007 Hong
Kong film "Twins Mission" is not to be missed. The film stars the famed Cantopop duo Gillian
Chung and Charlene Choi as a pair of twins, Pearl and Jade, who are tasked with retrieving
an ancient Tibetan artifact called Heaven's Bead from some evil twins who've stolen it
from a trio of guardian monks.
Pearl and Jade suddenly find themselves fighting off other look-alike siblings as they head
to the city on a secret mission to steal back the precious piece. Chung and Choi were already
known for their on-screen collaborations, but "Twins Mission" stands out for its self-awareness
and light-hearted humor.
Fans of the "Onmyōji" novel series are in for a double dose of adaptation action. The
2020 film "The Yin-Yang Master: Dream of Eternity" directly adapts the books, while 2021's "The
Yin Yang Master" gives the video game version of the story some sublime new screen life.
"Dream of Eternity" centers on a group of four masters who must unite to stop the rise
of a demon serpent who's emboldened by the desires of men. Meanwhile, "Yin Yang Master"
introduces a half-demon who's charged with guarding a magical artifact called the Scale
Stone until he's forced to flee the Yinyang Bureau.
Both films are brimming with fantastic imagery, brilliant fight scenes, and stunning performances,
and even though they're drastically different stories, together they make for an excellent
double feature for martial arts super fans.
This 2019 remake of the 1995 Jean-Claude Van Damme classic "Sudden Death" puts the extraordinary
Michael Jai White front and center of the action. "Welcome to Sudden Death" features
White as Jesse, an ex-special forces operative who now works as a security guard for a major
basketball arena. And unfortunately for Jesse, he brings his two young children along to
the stadium on the worst possible day.
Little does he know that there's a group of terrorists planning to take over the facility
and hold everybody hostage. With explosives rigged at every exit and his own kids now
in danger, Jesse has to dust off his old skills to protect his own family and the other innocent
people.
"I don't care who you really are. You're still gonna die."
Brace for some explosive fight scenes and a stadium-sized adventure when you queue up
"Welcome to Sudden Death."
Based on the Japanese manga and anime series of the same name, the 2018 live-action adaptation
"Bleach" is a smashing good time. The film centers on Ichigo, a teen with a natural ability
to see ghosts. But things get even crazier for our hero when he's accidentally turned
into a Soul Reaper after coming across an injured spirit who has to transfer her powers
to him.
Ichigo fully intends to return his new powers back to the original Soul Reaper, but while
she's healing up, he'll have to exercise her duties of purifying those departed souls who've
been turned into monsters called Hollows. The arrival of some other Soul Reapers results
in the film's craziest fight scenes. With gripping visual effects and a whole lot of
soul, "Bleach" is a treat.
Celebrated Chinese director Zhang Yimou crafted an outstandingly original martial arts epic
in 2018's "Shadow." The film takes place in the kingdom of Pei, after a pivotal city is
lost in battle.
With the help of a special young man and a few others who remain loyal to him, a commander
named Ziyu forms a plan to reclaim the lost city and take the throne from the cowardly
king who banished him. Not only is the story in "Shadow" completely compelling and full
of surprises, but the film is also stacked with electric fight scenes, a badass umbrella
fighting style, and second-to-none cinematography.
Get ready for an all-out brawl when you watch the 2017 Cambodian action film "Jailbreak."
As the title teases, the pic mostly takes place behind bars after a mobster is arrested
and offers to turn over the real leader of his infamous Butterfly gang in exchange for
protection. The problem is, the woman who's really in charge of this operation has a lot
of friends on the inside.
After she puts a bounty on the mobster's head, the other prisoners engage in a full-scale
riot, causing a brutal battle between the officers assigned to transport the informant
and the prisoners who are looking to collect the bounty. What results is a series of slickly
coordinated showdowns that make clever use of the confining atmosphere of the film's
setting. "Jailbreak" broke box office records in Cambodia on its release, thanks to a cast
bursting with international stars and a fantastic blend of action and humor that viewers loved.
They say that true love conquers all, and the 2016 Hindi-language action extravaganza
"Baaghi" proves it with gloriously over-the-top style. Shraddha Kapoor stars in the film as
Siya, a woman who's kidnapped from India and taken to Thailand by an influential martial
arts champion named Raghav. He plans to force Siya to fall in love with him by killing the
man she truly loves -- but he's not going down without a fight.
Not only is "Baaghi" full of impressive fight scenes, but it also features a truly compelling
love story at the center that makes each punch even more meaningful.
Jean-Claude Van Damme has been blowing up the box office for decades, and his latest
film, "The Last Mercenary," is an explosive reminder of why he's so good at what he does.
Van Damme stars as a former secret service agent known by the codename "Mist." When an
imposter assumes his son's identity -- leading the French government to accuse Richard's
kid of arms and drug trafficking -- the Mist heads back home to save his boy and serve
up a few beatings for those responsible.
Between all the high-octane action, the movie is also filled with comedy. Long time fans
of Jean-Claude Van Damme know that he can fight, he can dance, and yeah -- he can do
the splits.
"My man."
And no matter how many skulls he cracks on-screen, he never misses a chance to crack a smile.
Don't miss "The Last Mercenary" when it arrives on July 30th.
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