March is the perfect time to wax on and wax off with these 12 essential ass-kicking martial arts films…
Whether you have a black belt in Kung-fu, pink belt in origami, or you can’t fight your way out of a wet paper bag, many of us love a good martial arts movie. Cinema has made movie stars out of kickboxers and aikido masters, kung-fu experts and more. Some stars broke the mould and reinvented the way fight sequences were shot and the intricacy of the choreography. Bruce Lee was a revelation in cinema, paving the way for many, even in different disciplines, to follow in his path. Thanks to Bruce, we had Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Scott Adkins and many more.
Trends come and go in cinema too, from wushu to wire-fu to mixed martial arts styles. Every other fight film after The Matrix had people getting yanked up with wires up the wazoo. After John Wick, almost every film to follow in its wake started incorporating judo throws. March is the ideal time to celebrate, so grease up and knot your black belt for this Marchal Arts extravaganza. Here are 12 essential martial arts films…
The Shadow’s Edge
One of the all-time greats of martial arts cinema is Jackie Chan. He became a superstar in the early 80s before reinventing action cinema in Hong Kong and across the world. Trading classic kung-fu cinema for a whole new fusion that saw him incorporate Buster Keaton-inspired physical comedy in more contemporary set action spectaculars.
In recent years, Chan has remained prolific in his output but has struggled to deliver the kind of quality we associated with him in the 80s and 90s. That changed last year with The Shadow’s Edge, which marked a triumphant return to form for Chan, now in his 70s. Whilst the film takes its time to get up through the gears, once the action kicks in, the pace doesn’t let up. Chan throws himself around as no pensioner should and it’s a joy seeing him do his thing. Is it up to prime Chan levels? No, because simply put, no one makes them with the kind of batshit crazy fearlessness and reckless disregard for safety as the likes of Chan did in those peak HK action years.
Kickboxer
You can’t celebrate martial arts in cinema and not indulge in a hearty, high-kicking dose of Van Dammage. Having broken out with Bloodsport, Van Damme followed it a couple of years later by adhering to the tournament formula that made him famous. Kickboxer sees Jean-Claude in Thailand and seeks vengeance in an illegal tournament against Tong-Po, a menacing Muay Thai brawler who crippled his brother.
It doesn’t stray too much from what made Bloodsport successful, even going so far as using the same composer (Paul Hertzog) to conjure some synth greatness. The training sequences and Van Damme theatrics are iconic. Realism be damned because the Van Damme patented jumping 360 kick is a thing of beauty.
Kiss of the Dragon
Jet Li, like Jackie Chan before him, made a transition from HK to American cinema. For both, it yielded mixed results, but more so for Li. Too many of the movies just never got the best out of Jet. An exception was Kiss of the Dragon. Produced by Luc Besson and directed by Chris Nahon, this one finally figured out the best way to utilise Li was not to wire him up and do Matrix riffs, nor put him in a story that didn’t suit him. Nahon, along with Li’s regular action director, Corey Yeun, grounded the action and focused on Li’s low centre of gravity and lightning-fast moves.
Bridget Fonda is excellent in support, adding a little heart to the mix too, whilst the late Tcheky Karyo is typically great as the villain. The action scenes are great throughout, with the biggest highlights showing Lee blaze his way through a room full of Karate students, before taking on a little/large double act.
Blade II
Where would the MCU be without Wesley Snipes? Blade bucked the trend of Marvel movies ending up as box office non-entities, paving the way for Raimi’s Spider-Man films and the X-Men, until the fateful day Iron Man made his big screen debut. However, Blade did things a little differently with Wesley Snipes utilising his impressive martial arts background.
With Blade 2, Guillermo del Toro took over the reins from Stephen Norrington, changing up the visual style and making a dazzling looking creature horror with action and fantasy. Snipes and the action team doubled down on the fast and fierce street style martial arts with a fusion of styles. Snipes is superb, but sadly, this would be his peak as an ass-kicking action man with a dreadful third film to come as well as a period out of the business due to tax discrepancies. As yet, Snipes’ fighting abilities haven’t been used right since his return. That said, his range in acting roles has partly compensated for that.
John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum
From seemingly nowhere, the John Wick franchise made Keanu Reeves a box office pull once again, having been in danger of becoming a straight-to-video stalwart. As the films progressed, the elaborate world of Wick expanded. Each film continued to up the ante both visually and in terms of the action sequences.
With Chapter 3, the biggest strength was Wick’s standout boss battles. The finale itself culminates in a brutal two-on-one brawl that pits Wick against Raid legends, Yayan Ruhian and Cecep Arif Rahman. Then there’s a final showdown against the eternally underrated Mark Dacascos. None of the face-offs disappoint, whilst the constant gun battles and a highlight dog-led action sequence make this, admittedly long, opus, chug along nicely.
Blood and Bone
Michael Jai White’s impressive physical abilities are pretty unique. The guy is rock solid and loaded with muscle. He looks heavy, like he should be slow. Yet his immnse speed, agility and aerial prowess seem to defy physics. Blood and Bone is one of the best showcases for Jai White’s unique physical prowess. It also allows him to play a more pensive and enigmatic character, who almost reluctantly has to resort to brawling in underground fights, having just got out of jail.
The fight sequences are brilliantly realised, too. It’s a film martial arts aficionados are well aware of, but mainstream action fans haven’t quite picked up on.
Cold Harvest
Isaac Florentine has his own idiosyncratic style and has become a regular exponent of the martial arts film. Back in his early days, he made a few anachronistic martial arts fusion films. There was the fairy-tale, fantasy, post-apocalyptic film, Bridge of Dragons, with Dolph Lundgren, but also Cold Harvest, another post-apocalyptic film, mixed with Western, that proved a great showcase for Gary Daniels. With Bryan Gennesse and Barbara Crampton co-starring, Cold Harvest has plenty of quality in the cast, but its Florentine’s energetic and constant fight sequences that make this one so much fun.
There’s a distinct clash of styles between the Asian stunt team and the Bulgarian stunt crew, whilst Daniels ploughs his way feet first through all of them, complete with comically over-the-top sound effects.
Police Story 3: Supercop
Jackie Chan’s Police Story franchise is a cornerstone of Hong Kong cinema. The first film, in particular, really kick-started a new dawn in action films out there. Come the third instalment, Chan decided to dial everything up. He also brought in the Queen of Hong Kong action cinema, Michelle Yeoh, to team up with him. The result is an insane onslaught of frenetic action and jaw-dropping stunts.
Chan is superb as ever, but this movie belongs to the inimitable Yeoh, who proves just as nuts and death-defying as Chan, performing some insane stunts.
Enter the Dragon
There is screen presence, then there is Bruce Lee. His short-lived career is ingrained in cinema history. Enter the Dragon was destined to be the big break which would have seen him potentially dominate the following decade of action cinema from East to West. Sadly it wasn’t to be due to his untimely death, but what a legacy to leave.
Enter the Dragon proved to be the blueprint for the martial arts tournament film. Along the way, Lee batters Sammo Hung, knocks out Jackie Chan and makes mincemeat out of Bob Wall. Lee had near full autonomy in crafting the action sequences, making damn sure his moves came across well. It’s a great film with wonderful visuals and a great Lalo Schifrin score.
Showdown in Little Tokyo
Like his father before him, Brandon Lee’s life and career ended abruptly in tragic circumstances. Likewise, Brandon was destined for a long and stellar career no doubt. In Showdown in Little Tokyo, Lee is paired with the more established star, Dolph Lundgren, and directed by action veteran, Mark L. Lester.
The result here is a lithe, wildly entertaining buddy cop, martial arts film that makes great use of Lee and Lundgren and as a pairing they have great chemistry. Lee does steal the show in a film that feels like there’s so much more to come from him, as he’d later show in The Crow.
Millionaires’ Express
Another martial arts western. This time Sammo Hung headlines an all-star cast of martial arts icons including, Yeun Biao, the late Richard Norton, and America’s Queen of Action, Cynthia Rothrock.
All hell breaks loose when Bandits lay siege on a town that has an array of wealthy visitors passing through. Classic western high falls and stunts mix perfectly with the frenetic Hong Kong fight choreography. As bandits, Norton and Rothrock are superb, and Sammo Hung further proved to be one of the greatest action designers of all time.
Undisputed III: Redemption
Who would have thought a barely seen Walter Hill prison boxing film, starring Ving Rhames and Wesley Snipes, would go onto spawn three martial arts focused sequels. Well they did and the key to the lasting success of the franchise has been Scott Adkins. The perennially undervalued Adkins should be a theatrical staple by now, at least starring in the kinds of moderate budget action films as Jason Statham.
Adkins turns from villain of the second movie, to an anti-hero protagonist in the third film. Once again it focuses on illegal brawls that show Boyka (Adkins) off as a near unstoppable beast. Adkins’ star making arrival in the previous film was quite something and in Redemption he further cemented himself as one of the most dazzling on screen fighters ever with his gravity defying moves.
What martial arts movies will you be watching this March? Let us know on our social channels @FlickeringMyth…
Tom Jolliffe
