The 1970s and 1980s were the heyday of martial arts films. This time period produced a number of blockbusters with actors like Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee, in addition to a number of cult favourites. The top martial arts films from the previous ten years, according to Redditors, are listed below.
Raging Fire (2021)
“Raging Fire, starring Donnie Yen, is a nice little throwback to the Hong Kong cops & robbers action flicks,” remarked user StudBoi69. Yen portrays elite police officer Cheung Sung-bong, who put Yau Kong-ngo (Nicholas Tse) in jail by giving false testimony against the young guy. Yau seeks retribution from his former mentor as soon as he is set free.
The Paper Tigers (2020)
Redditor Studboi69 wrote, “The Paper Tigers is a funny little independent kung fu movie from the US.” The movie centres on Danny (Alain Uy), Hing (Ron Yuan), and Jim (Mykel Shannon Jenkins), three former martial arts superstars who trained together as youngsters but have now grown up and gone their separate ways. The three companions come together to exact revenge when their former master is killed.
The Night Comes For Us (2018)
The Night Comes For Us is a brutal combat movie featuring fast-paced action and superb choreography. Former triad enforcer Ito (Joe Taslim) decides to defend Reina (Asha Kenyeri Bermudez) from his organisation. Ito must employ his lethal combat abilities throughout the course of one brutal night to travel the underworld, vanquish armies of foes, and guarantee Reina’s safety.
Shadow (2018)
This epic film from filmmaker Zhang Yimou is set at the time of the Three Kingdoms in China, and it centres on The Commander, a warrior played by Deng Chao, and Jing, a poor servant who doubles as The Commander. When the kingdom of Pei and a rival kingdom are about to go to war, The Commander devises a scheme to trick their adversaries by utilising Jing as his “shadow.”
Wira (2019)
When Hassan (Hairul Azreen) returns home after being discharged from the military, he discovers that his sister Zain (Fify Azmi) owes money to Raja (Dain Said), a local mafia lord. Hassan used to work with Raja in a previous life. To stop Raja’s goons and save his family, Hassan must rekindle his evil side.
Triple Threat (2019)
Martial arts legends from Ong Bak’s Tony Jaa, Man of Tai Chi’s Tiger Chen, The Raid’s Iko Uwais, Boyka’s Scott Adkins, and Undisputed’s Michael Jai White are all featured in Triple Threat. Stormy8888, a Redditor, described it as “the martial arts equivalent of The Expendables.”
The Fist of the Condor (2023)
Marko Zaror, a martial artist who has appeared in minor roles in Alita: Battle Angel and John Wick: Chapter 4 and has served as Dwayne Johnson’s stunt double in the past, starred in this film as a warrior who is on the prowl for an ancient book containing rare kung fu knowledge.
Man of Tai Chi (2013)
Tiger Chen plays a Tai Chi practitioner who gets sucked into the realm of underground fighting in this martial arts film directed by Keanu Reeves. Tiger grudgingly participates in a series of vicious and illegal fights set up by mysterious tycoon Donaka Mark (Reeves) in order to safeguard his martial arts temple from financial disaster.
Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)
It’s simple to forget that Everything Everywhere All at Once is primarily a martial arts film because it blends so many different genres together. A laundry owner played by Michelle Yeoh embarks on a multiverse-spanning quest to thwart villains, save the universe, and pay her taxes.
The Raid 2 (2014)
The Raid 2 picks up immediately after the events of the previous movie and continues to follow Rama (Iko Uwais), an undercover police officer who infiltrates the Jakarta criminal underworld in order to reveal police corruption. The initial movie became a worldwide phenomenon and continues to dominate most similar movies today.
