Everyone knows about Kung-Fu combat, and the cats’ lightning-quick speed was actually a little frightening. However, their timing was impeccable.
Nobody can deny the fact Martial Arts Action Cinema has impacted the movie concept deeply.
This genre can be described as brilliant and terrific. The following films will be taken into consideration and listed here since they come within the ” Best Martial Arts” category, which is Hand-to-Hand Conflict. The list is as follows.
Enter the Dragon (1973)
Director: Robert Clouse
Where to watch: Movieland.Tv, ViX: Cine, TV y Deportes en Español, Prime Video, Vudu, Apple TV or Redbox.
Storyline: This is the movie that made Bruce Lee famous throughout the world. He was the star of every scene. This movie is a true milestone in the movie theatre. It is one of the best kung fu classic films ever. No list would be complete without it.
The movie starts when an intelligence organization enlists Lee to enter an island controlled by the notorious criminal Han, who only makes public appearances at a tournament he throws every three years. Lee has also been invited to the competition. Lee and Han both received their martial arts training at the same monastery.
When Lee finds out that Han’s soldiers killed his sister, he decides to take his own form of revenge. Americans Roper and Williams, who served in the military together, are among the other competitors in the competition. They quickly come to the realization that Han utilizes the competition to recruit new potential fighters, and those who refuse to fight are put to death.
The Way of the Dragon (1972)
Director: Bruce Lee
Where to watch: Starz, free on PlutoTV, available for rent or purchase on iTunes,
Storyline: To support his cousins who work in the restaurant industry, Tang Lung travels to Rome. They are under pressure from the syndicate people, who will do anything to achieve what they want, to sell their property.
Tang offers a fresh challenge to the syndicate people when he shows up, and they are helpless to stop him. The top martial artists from Japan and Europe are hired by the syndicate head to battle Tang, but Tang easily dispatches them. Colt, an American martial artist, is employed, and the two square off in Rome’s renowned Colosseum.
The Legend of Drunken Master (1994)
Director: Chia-Liang Liu
Where to watch:fuboTV
Storyline: The Manchu Dynasty’s fall ignites violent uprisings and side-by-side political unrest in tumultuous China before World War I, creating the ideal environment for a massive smuggling operation run by an unethical British consul.
Only one man, the famed “Drunken Fist” master Huang Fei-hung (Chan), has the guts and ferocity to stop the merciless gang from stealing China’s crown jewels.
Iron Monkey (1993)
Director: Woo-Ping Yuen
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
Storyline: An adaptation of Robin Hood for Hong Kong. A masked robber known as “Iron Monkey,” named for a beneficent deity, routinely robs the corrupt leaders of a Chinese village.
When everyone fails to catch him, the Governor orders a visiting doctor to track down the thief. The Doctor and Iron Monkey later team up to take on the corrupt government after an evil Shaolin monk arrives.
Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
Storyline: The central character, nicknamed ‘The Bride,’ was an associate of the Lethal Viper Assassination Squad, which was led by her lover, ‘Bill.’ ‘The Bride’ chose to abandon her life as a killer after discovering she was pregnant with Bill’s child.
She fled to Texas and met a young man who was gunned down on the day of their wedding rehearsal by angry and mad Bill with the help of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad. Approximately four years later, ‘The Bride’ woke up from a coma to discover her baby had already died.
She then decides to take revenge on those five people who ruined her life and brutally murdered her child. The first part of the Kill Bill saga begins.
Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
Storyline: The murderous Bride has returned and is still on the hunt for revenge against her former employer Bill. She is also aiming at Budd, Bill’s younger brother, as well as Elle Driver, the only survivor of the killers who deceived her four years prior.
Everything is building up to the Bride’s final showdown with Bill, her former employer, and the person who gave the order for her execution!
Bruce Lee: A Warrior’s Journey (2000 Video)
Director: John Little
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
Storyline: This interesting film is a documentary basically made by Bruce Lee enthusiast John Little and features the late martial artist Bruce Lee.
Little creates a nuanced, complicated image of the most well-known action star in the world through interviews, behind-the-scenes material, and action scenes from Lee’s final (unfinished) movie, Game of Death.
Master of the Flying Guillotine (1976)
Director: Jimmy Wang Yu
Where to watch: PLEX
Storyline: The one-armed boxer is chased by an angry flying guillotine specialist in the sequel to the first “One-Armed Boxer” movie, where his followers are murdered.
But because the master of the flying guillotine is blind, he starts out on his mission as a murderer of one-armed men. The one-armed fighter also manages a martial arts academy where he instructs trainees on how to manage their breathing and run along walls and ceilings.
The hands of one Indian fakir can extend ten feet long. As you might anticipate, it is useless to attempt to summarise the plot, but rest assured that there are amazing martial arts fights and absurdly lots of creative moments.
The Killing Machine (1975)
Director: Norifumi Suzuki
Where to watch:Prime Video,Disney+,HBO,Max,Apple TV+,Paramount+
Storyline: Mr. Soh is based on the true life founder of Shorinji Kempo, Doshin So. Mr. Soh has been acting as a secret agent in Manchuria during the Japanese occupation.
He is determined to bring new hope to the locals by teaching them martial arts skills. The action-packed film stars Soh, Tomoda, and Miho as a gang of yakuza thugs trying to expand their operations in Tadotsu, Japan.
Scene-set 1970s with scenes at Soh’s orphanage caring for terminally ill Kiku, who had turned to prostitution.
Kung Fu Panda (2008)
Director: Mark Osborne
Where to watch: Netflix, YouTube.
Storyline: It tells the story of Po, the world’s largest Kung Fu enthusiast, a lazy, sarcastic slacker panda. It isn’t exactly useful while working every day at the noodle store owned by his family.
Po joins the realm of Kung Fu and studies with his idols, the famed Furious Five — Tigress, Crane, Mantis, Viper, and Monkey — under the guidance of their teacher, Master Shifu, and discovers that he has been unexpectedly chosen to fulfill an old prophecy.
But even before they realize it, the cunning and vindictive snow leopard Tai Lung is approaching them, and Po must protect everyone from the looming danger. Can he achieve his goal of becoming a Kung Fu master? Po gives his everything, including his fat.
13 Assassins (2010)
Director: Takashi Miike
Where to watch: Kanopy, DistroTV Free Live TV & Movies, Prime Video, Vudu, Redbox. or Apple TV
Storyline: In 1844, the harmony of ancient Japan is challenged by violent King Naritsugu Matsudaira, who is continuing to rise and becoming similar to his half-brother, the shogun, the harakiri of the Namiya tribe leader.
Samurai Shinzaemon Shimada is awakened by the shogun’s advisor Sir Doi of the Akashi Clan, to hear the tragic situation of Makino Uneme, whose son and daughter-in-law have already been murdered by Naritsugu.
Then Sir Doi shows a woman with Naritsugu’s arms, legs, and tongue severed, and she writes an invitation to Shinzo to slaughter Naritsugu and his warrior on her behalf. Shinzo vows to kill Naritsugu, and he assembles eleven other best samurais to plot an attack on Naritsugu on his way back to the Akashi land.
Undisputed 3: Redemption (2010)
Director: Isaac Florentine
Where to watch: YouTube
Storyline: A powerful underground gambling syndicate brings together eight exclusive fighters – prisoners from maximum security prisons all over the world – for a secret, survival-of-the- strongest and fiercest battle competition.
With several odds stacked against him, Boyka will take on the criminal gang his way, bringing the entire strategy crashing to the ground around them.
The Last Dragon (1985)
Director: Michael Schultz
Where to watch: HBO Max, Prime Video, Vudu, Apple TV, or Redbox.
Storyline: A young man in New York City tries to find the “master” in order to achieve the ultimate level of martial arts skills which is known as the Glow.
Along the way, he must battle a corrupted martial arts expert and save a gorgeous singer from such an obsessed music producer.
Mortal Kombat (1995)
Director: Paul W.S. Anderson
Where to watch: YouTube
Storyline: “Mortal Kombat,” based on a well-known video game of the same name. This movie narrates the story of an ancient championship in which the best of the best from various domains compete.
The goal is to win ten games so that you can lawfully invade the losing Domain. Outworld has already defeated Earthrealm 9 times, so it’s up to Lord Rayden and his warriors to prevent Outworld from completing the victory.
Sword of the Beast (1965)
Director: Hideo Gosha
Where to watch: Just watch
Storyline: As part of a plan to bring about reform, Gennosuke, a clan samurai master, murders one of the clan ministers.
His old allies are after him in an effort to finish the clan’s vendetta against Gennosuke. Gennosuke seems to have a chance of surviving thanks to Yamane, a skilled swordsman.
The Last Samurai (2003)
Director: Edward Zwick
Where to watch: YouTube
Storyline: Captain Nathan Algren, a cynical Civil War veteran who is always ready to work for everyone, is hired in the 1870s by Americans seeking lucrative contracts with the Emperor of Japan to prepare soldiers for the first standing expeditionary force in modern combat using firearms.
The Empire Omura cabinet’s first primary concern was to put down a resistance movement of traditionalist Samurai, inherited warriors who remained dedicated to the sacred dynasty but opposed the westernizing policy, even refusing to accept firearms. However, when his poor superior force departs too soon, they are crushed by the sword-wielding samurai.
Despite his injuries, Algren’s bravery begs the samurai chief Katsumoto to spare him. After that, he learns to admire and understand the old Japanese samurai after being nursed back to health.
Ninja Scroll (1993)
Director:Yoshiaki Kawajiri
Where to watch: RokuTv
Storyline: A deadly plague has destroyed the entire population of Shimoda. The city authority, the Tokugawa clan, dispatches a squad of ninjas to investigate the case, but all but one are annihilated by unknown forces.
The one and only survivor is a woman named Kagero, who is kidnapped. Jubei, a samurai soldier, rescues her, but his interest in her mission is temporary.
Blade II (2002)
Director:Guillermo del Toro
Where to watch: Netflix, YouTube
Storyline: Within the vampire community, a unique mutation has just occurred. The Reaper. A vampire with such an insatiable thirst for blood that they prey on both vampires and humans, converting survivors who really are unlucky enough to stay alive into Reapers themselves.
Vampires’ existence is now threatened by their rapidly expanding population, and there will soon be insufficient humans to fulfill their bloodlust. The Shadow Council summons Blade, Whistler, and an armory expert named Scud. The council unwillingly confesses that they’re in a bad situation and desperately need Blade’s help.
Blade then forms a tenuous coalition with Bloodpack, an upper level of vampires skilled in all styles of combat, in order to destroy the Reaper threat.
Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001)
Director: Christophe Gans
Where to watch: Roku
Storyline: Something was there which is haunting the mountain ranges of central France in 1764. A ferocious ‘beast’ that is mixed with animals and humans. Indeed, the beast became so renowned that the King of France deployed ambassadors to investigate and kill the creature.
The Beast of Gevaudan had killed more than 100 people by the end. No one knows what this was, a wolf? A hyena? Or perhaps something supernatural? The beast is a pervasive myth in France. Surprisingly, it is little known outside of France, and perhaps it has not been made into a film.
Until now, this movie is based on the true story of the Gevaudan Beast, who terrorized France.
The Karate Kid (2010)
Director: Harald Zwart
Where to watch: Zee5
Storyline: Dre Parker, a 12-year-old who recently moved to China, feels lost in his new environment.
As a result of his friendship with Mei Ying, a rival named Cheng begins to harass and assault Dre. Soon after, Mr. Han, the apartment’s maintenance worker, stops Cheng and his pals from attacking Dre and registers him to compete in the Kung Fu competition in exchange for the bullies backing off of Dre.
When Mr. Han is revealed to be a Kung Fu master, Dre realizes Mr. Han is far more than just a maintenance worker. Dre quickly discovers that Kung Fu is about self-defense and peace rather than violence and bloodshed.
Taken (I) (2008)
Director:Pierre Morel
Where to watch: Disney+
Storyline: Kim, who is seventeen years old, is the daughter of Bryan Mills. Kim is everything to his father. His pride and joy. Bryan, a retired CIA operative, left the organization to be close to Kim in California. Kim stays with Lenore, her mother, and Stuart, her rich stepfather.
Kim somehow managed her reticent father to give her permission to visit Paris with her girlfriend, Amanda. The girls ride in a cab along with a man named Peter when they first land in Paris, and Amanda casually mentions that they are traveling alone.
An Albanian human trafficking gang abducts the girls using this information. Kim hardly had time to phone her dad and alert him of the situation. In a brief conversation with one of the abductors, her father makes the threat to kill all the abductors if they do not release his daughter, Kim, and her friend. Bryan Mills immediately goes to Paris to look for Kim and her friend after the kidnapper challenges him by saying, ‘Good luck.’
Taken 2 (2012)
Director:Olivier Megaton
Where to watch: YouTube
Storyline: Just two years have passed since his young daughter, Kim, was abducted in Taken(2008) by an evil network of Albanian child traffickers.
Bryan Mills, the retired CIA agent, asks his teen daughter Kim and his ex-wife Lenore, who is now divorced from her second husband, to visit him for a few days while he is working in Istanbul. Murad Krasniqi, the leader and the head of the society of the Albanian human trafficking organization, plans to abduct Bryan with his family while seeking revenge for the loss of his son.
According to the plan, the Albanians kidnap Bryan and Lenore, but Kim somehow manages to escape from their hands. Now Kim is the only hope for Bryan to get away from this situation and save Lenore.
The Raid: Redemption (2011)
Director: Gareth Evans
Where to watch: MX Player, YouTube.
Storyline: Lieutenant Wahyu plans the attack on a residential complex that serves as the safe haven for the ruthless and powerful drug kingpin Tama and his brutal gang in Jakarta, Indonesia.
The SWAT team attempts to enter the building, but a watchman notices them and alerts the gangsters, trapping the cops on the seventh floor. Lt. Wahyu has not told his supervisors about the operation they discover during the mission. Hence they didn’t get any backup from the department.
The dangerous and armed gangsters must now be fought by the SWAT team using their limited supply of ammo.
The Raid 2 (2014)
Director: Gareth Evans
Where to watch: Mx player.
Storyline: Rama, a rookie Jakarta police officer, believed it to be over. He believed that his fight to escape a building populated by gangsters and lunatics was over and that he could now return to his normal life. However, Rama was completely wrong.
Rama’s enemies in that particular building were powerful, no doubt, but they were nothing more than tiny fish swimming in a pond much greater than he had ever imagined. Additionally, his victory against the young fish has caught the interest of predators higher on the food chain. Rama only has one option to safeguard his wife and a young boy, as his family is in real danger now.
The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
Director: Paul Greengrass
Where to watch: YouTube, Amazon Prime video.
Storyline: Jason Bourne is one step closer to discovering how David Webb came to be Jason Bourne after being rescued from the sea and after sacrificing the one he loves.
Pamela Landy has made the decision to let Jason Bourne be, but Noah Vosen, who is the deputy director of the CIA, has other ideas. He thinks that before Bourne discovers his real identity and destroys the CIA on his own, he is still a threat and needs to be stopped.
6 Bullets (2012)
Director: Ernie Barbarash
Where to watch: YouTube, Amazon Prime Video.
Storyline: Experienced assassin Samson Gaul (Jean-Claude Van Damme) is aware that every bullet counts during a battle. He left the military after killing helpless victims as a result of his actions, but he is now the father’s only hope.
Although mixed martial artist Andrew Fayden (Joe Flanigan, Stargate: Atlantis) is skilled in combat, he is ill-equipped to search for his kidnapped daughter alone in the filthy streets of a foreign city.
Together, these soldiers will do everything it takes to destroy a disgusting network of thugs that generally prey on the innocent.
Ninja: Shadow of a Tear (2013)
Director: Isaac Florentine
Where to watch: Mx player, Amazon prime video.
Storyline: Casey Bowman, a practitioner of martial arts, practices the survival principle of “fight everybody and trust no one” after a vicious act of violence shatters his beautiful home life. With a sensei’s support and a vow of revenge, the fearless American follows the murderer secretly from Osaka to Bangkok to Rangoon.
His only leads came from a string of deaths whose necks bore the recognizable scar of barbed wire strangling. Casey must hone his razor-like reactions and advance his combat abilities in order to survive and exact revenge.
He may even use deep meditation to simulate his own demise. Goro, a dangerous drug lord who is distributing deadly meth made at his outlying jungle compound, is his intended victim.
The Man with the Iron Fists (2012)
Director: RZA
Where to watch: Amazon Prime video.
Storyline: The Governor sends the head of the Lion clan, named Gold Lion, to Jungle Village, where he is tasked with guarding the wealth that will be carried through the community.
But the selfish Silver Lion and Bronze Lion betray him and kill him. Zen Yi, also known as The X-Blade, was Gold Lion’s favorite son. He sets out for Jungle Village to exact revenge but is stopped by Brass Body and saved by the town’s blacksmith Thaddeus.
The Gemini Male and Female were defending the Governor’s gold at the time, but the army of Silver and Bronze Lion defeated them. The blacksmith’s arms are amputated by Brass Body after he is kidnapped by Lions. Nevertheless, the emissary British Jack Knife saves him.
Karate for Life (1977)
Director: Kazuhiko Yamaguchi
Where to watch: tvguide.com
Storyline: This film is based on the true account of a Korean martial artist named Choi Bae-dal, who founded Kyokushin Karate in Japan and later changed his surname to Masutatsu Oyama. This movie depicts the journey of Choi Bae-dal.
House of Fury (2005)
Director: Stephen Fung
Where to watch: Amazon prime video.
Storyline: Former secret agent Teddy Yu turned into a doctor now, and he believes he has left his past behind.
He trained his two children in martial arts. But suddenly, a rebel agent wants to know where to find an operative known as Dragon, and that’s when his history catches up. The rebel agent and his associates must be stopped by the father, Teddy Yu, and his kids by fighting together.
Shadowless Sword (2005)
Director: Young-jun Kim
Where to watch: Amazon prime video.
Storyline: The Ruler of Beahae has already been killed in ancient Korea, and the empire is in utter chaos. So-Ha, a gorgeous but lethal female warrior, has been sent to locate Prince Jeong and reestablish him in the empire after decades of exile.
The killer blade army, on the other hand, has sent a bunch of warriors to stop So-Ha, including icy female executioner Mae.
Ip Man (2008)
Director: Wilson Yip
Where to watch: Amazon Prime video.
Storyline: Dramatizes Yip Man’s (1893–1972) life in the middle to end of the 1930s. A thriving city, Foshan is home to numerous martial arts colleges. Yip is the local teacher and a Wing Chun practitioner.
A tough gang must face off against Yip when they arrive in town. Japan then attacks China. Living in poverty, Yip works several jobs for his family. Now in command, General Miura organizes martial arts contests between the Chinese and his soldiers; the winners receive extra food. Yip had to take a stand when the general’s assistant killed one of his coworkers.
The bandits come to town at the very same time, and this time, they threaten a nearby cotton mill. Can Yip safeguard the mill while fighting off Miura?
Ip Man 2 (2010)
Director: Wilson Yip
Where to watch: Disney+
Storyline: Yip Man (1893–1972) left Foshan for Hong Kong in 1950. Yip builds a martial arts academy to instruct Wing Chun while his wife is pregnant with their second kid. Things move slowly at first.
Yip does not really collect fees from his students. All of a sudden, Yip comes into a conflict with the local group of martial arts masters, who challenges he must fight each of them in order for his school to continue. Otherwise, they will not let him run his martial arts school. Master Hong Zhen Nan, the group’s senior member, also demands a large amount of payment.
Yip is quite stubborn. Suddenly the British then experience a terrible turn of events when the boxing champion disrespects ancient Chinese martial arts in front of a large crowd during the event. Will Master Hong can defend the Chinese honor?
Hero (2002)
Director: Yimou Zhang
Where to watch: Netflix, Hotstar, Voot, Jio Cinema.
Storyline: China was divided into seven kingdoms in ancient times. The ruler of the westernmost province, Qin, is always in danger of being assassinated.
The warriors “Broken Sword,” “Flying Snow,” and “Sky” are his three biggest enemies. One day, one of the kingdom’s magistrates comes to the palace and claims that he has destroyed all three of the emperor’s enemies.
He tells the story of how he defeated “Sky” in a sword fight and used the affection of “Broken Sword” and “Flying Snow” to defeat them strategically.
House of Flying Daggers (2004)
Director: Yimou Zhang
Where to watch: Criterion Channel, Prime Video, Vudu, Apple TV, or Redbox.
Storyline: A secret group known as “The House of the Flying Daggers” emerges to challenge the ruling Tang dynasty in Tang-era China.
Leo, a policeman, assigns officer Jin to look into Mei, a teenage dancer, on the grounds that she may be connected to the “Flying Daggers.” Mei is taken into custody by Leo, but Jin manages to release her as part of a plan to win her trust and reveal the identity of the new head of the shadowy group to the authorities.
However, slowly things that are significant turn into more difficult than they appear.