Favourite Martial Arts Movie!

[Zero]

Geeze that's a hell of a hard poll - as many others before have said, Rocky for all the nostalgic and enjoyable reasons almost gets the vote but I had to go for Blood Sport. Again, as said already by others, this is the one that really kicked off my love and ambition for the arts, I was already doing judo but this crystalised my love for strike fighting and got me into TKD, karate and muay thai.

Hey but where the hell is Ong Bak, what's this poll without that?? I know it's a new one but for Tony Ja's supreme ability this has to be up there surely?? The story line merits its inclusion also.

I would also have been sorely tested to choose if Drunken Master No 2 was up there (in my opinion for hard core ma the other 2 in the series are lacking severely but in this one we finally see JC busting some kick **** ma moves!!)

 

[terryl965]

Best of the Best has always been one of my favorite, great training scenes, good underlining story and great fight scenes.

 

[Kingindian]

Bloodsport also a good movie
i remember some words :
Chong Li : You are next
(become popular quotation at 90's when this movie was on TV)

 

[JadecloudAlchemist]

Go Drunken master!! I really like the Drunken master movies or anything with Jackie Chan I find his action sequences to be amazing and comical at the same time.

 

[stone_dragone]

Barry Gordy's The Last Dragon
Sho Nuff!

Damn right!

I voted for Enter the Dragon, but I could have just as easily gone to Bloodsport or Best of the Best, too.

 

[Scarey]

once upon a time in china...Jet Li on it as Wang Fei Hung...its a great Jet Li Movie..without so many visual effect

I hear you there. It was a lot more down to earth than other Kung Fu flicks. That, and you really get to liking the characters. They actually seem human.

 

[Guardian]

Barry Gordy's The Last Dragon
Sho Nuff!

I chose Billy Jack for the good vs corrupt aspect of it for back then.

I must say this one you chose was an excellent show also, fantasy as it may have been, it was dang good.

I have to say Jeff Speakman in the Perfect Weapon ranks up there as one of my best and any Chuck Norris one.

 

[frownland]

I voted for Seven Samurai, but would have gone for Young Master if it was there. Best Lion Dance sequence ever!

 

[YoungMan]

Karate Kid (for the philosophy) and Enter The Dragon.
I don't consider the Rocky films to be martial arts movies; they are boxing films. Doesn't take away from the quality though.
There is no good Chuck Norris film.

 

[Guardian]

Karate Kid (for the philosophy) and Enter The Dragon.
I don't consider the Rocky films to be martial arts movies; they are boxing films. Doesn't take away from the quality though.
There is no good Chuck Norris film.

Don't say that to Chuck Norris, remember he can break the world in half, go to his site and ask his adoring fans LOL LOL. I keep my expectations of Chuck Norris realistic of course.

 

[ogregod65]

I would say Ong Bak. I really haven't seen a movie that has really shown off the thai martial arts as well as that movie did. It had a lot of really basic ring thai and also included the muay boran material. Tony Ja is the man!!!

 

[Christina05]

So many to choose from and yet so many good ones not listed. so blood sport is shall be.

 

[Live True]

Seven Samurai as it was one of the first visually Stunning films I've ever seen...but the choices were so hard!

 

[Jin Gang]

This poll offends me (jk)

Seriously, Romeo Must Die? Of all the awesome Jet Li movies to choose from, why would you put up one of the worst ones? I think that this is no one's favorite movie, anywhere. Other folks have already mentioned some of the greats...Fist of Legend, Once Upon A Time in China, Fearless. Tai Chi Master is another. Even Kiss of the Dragon would be better that RMD. I love Unleashed, but I don't really see it as a martial arts movie so much. Same with Hero.

You missed several great Shaw Brothers classics that could easily be someone's fave's. Shaolin Challenges Ninja aka Heroes of the East, Master Killer aka 36th Chamber of Shaolin, as someone already mentioned.

Whoever said Enter the Dragon is the greatest empty hand martial arts movie of all time must either be in love with Bruce Lee, or hasn't watched any movies since 1975. Sure, it's a classic, but watch it along side any of Yuen Wo Ping's work, from the seventies on through the 21st century, and it just doesn't hold up.

A list of great martial arts movies can almost read like a filmography for Yuen Wo Ping. He's either been the director, choreographer, or producer/consultant in some capacity on almost every good martial arts movie in the last 30 years. That's a little bit of an exaggeration, but he does have an impressive body of work. If you don't believe me, look him up on the internet. If Master Yuen's name is involved with the movie, it's probably worth at least one watch.
That reminds me that Iron Monkey isn't on this list, a great one with Donnie Yen.

Liu Chia Liang is another great choreographer and director, from back in the Shaw Bros. days. He's responsible for many of the best ones.

You also missed some great movies from Jackie Chan's opera brothers, Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao, like Prodigal Son and Magnificent Butcher.

I can't decide on my all time favorite, there are too many different types of martial arts movies to lump them all into one category. Do you grade on pure martial arts, just the choreography and style of the fighters? Are you grading on actual story content and film quality? What qualifies as a "martial arts" movie? Any movie that has fighting in it? That would be just about every action movie ever, including a lot of westerns.

If you've ever practiced two person fighting sets, empty handed or with weapons, then you have an idea how awesome some of these choreographers and actors are. Even if the story and acting in a movie is completely cheesy, I watch them just for the choreogrpahy.


watch Liu Chia Liang and Hsiao Ho in this scene from Mad Monkey Kung Fu. I bought the DVD pretty much for this alone.

 

[frownland]

And how come Tongan Ninja wasn't in the poll?

:ninja:

 

[hapkenkido]

The Last Dragon because it is the first ma movie i can remember going and seeing in the theater.
The Perfect Weapon the fight in the gym with the TKD guys is great.
The Crow
but i had to vote for Crouching Tiger

 

[hapkenkido]

how could anyone forget about Remo Williams

 

[OnlyAnEgg]

While I selected 'Drunken Master', I really mean 'Legend of the Drunken Master'.

Of course, I would've rather voted for 'Ong-Bak'...or 'Kung-Pow: Enter The Fist'.

 

[bookworm_cn317]

Best of the Best. It inspires me. Watching it gets me in the mood to train.

 

[wrc619]

I picked Enter the Dragon because Bruce Lee was the first of many influences towards the martial arts. Personally, I liked him in Chinese Connection/Fist(s) of Fury. I know it got renamed one way or the other. The fight scene in the dojo was awesome.