The best kung fu movies

Key things

• Legendary warriors moved to the big screen and broke boundaries with Kung Fu movies after World War II.
• Top classics like
  Enter the Dragon
  and
  The big boss
  define the genre with iconic stars.
• Movies like
  Ip Man
  showcase the masterful martial arts of stars like Jet Li and Donnie Yen and bridge the gap to the Western world.

Kung Fu (also known as Wu Shu) has been part of the film industry since 1938, and since then many legendary warriors have transitioned from martial artists and traditional artists to the big screen. Kung Fu has always had traditional forms based on several lineages of ancient masters who, through their schools, shared with the world the very essence of what defines a true martial artist.

However, this form of fighting, born in ancient China, owes its widespread popularity best kung fu moviesbrought into the world after WWII. From the legendary Bruce Lee, who broke the boundaries between traditional Kung Fu and modern Wu Shu and raised a generation of martial artist actors, to the incredibly skilled Donnie Yen, the current title of the best martial artist actor in the film industry. Let's take a look at the best Kung Fu movies of all time featuring these actors and many more.

10 The 36th Chamber of Shaolin

A timeless classic, worthy of praise

• Original name: 少林三十六房 (Shao Lin san shi liu fang)
• Released: 1978
• The main cast: Gordon Liu, Lo Lieh, Wong Yue, Yu Yang

Starring the legendary Gordon Liu, this story follows Liu Yude's journey of revenge, set in the age of the Manchu Rebellion, a bloody historical period when martial artists and anti-government activists joined hands to overthrow the Qing dynasty. This film is a direct demonstration of how Kung Fu began to spread throughout the world in the form of the Seventh Art.

With incredible battle choreography and almost no stunt doubles, this film had a lot of setbacks before it was able to see the light of day in 1978. The 36th Chamber of Shaolin depicts in a quasi-realistic way the journey that each practitioner of the traditional Shaolin arts (Siu Lam) must overcome before becoming a true master.

9 Enter the Dragon

The pinnacle of Bruce Lee's career as a martial artist actor

• Original name: 龍爭虎鬥
• Released: 1973
• The main castCast: Bruce Lee, Jim Kelly, John Saxon, Ahna Capri, Bob Wall, Shih Kien

Enter the Dragon is a timeless masterpiece starring none other than the legendary Bruce Lee. It was the last film Lee made before his untimely death just months after the film's release. There are many mysteries surrounding Lee's death, with many linking it to the aftermath of the film, while others say it was in retaliation for spreading the “secret of Kung Fu” to the Western world.

Be that as it may, Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do style really shines in this film and the action scenes were unparalleled at the time. Today, it remains one of the most famous classics in Kung Fu film history, an eternal testament to Bruce Lee's legacy.

8 The big boss

A cult film, every Kung Fu fan will recognize a scene or two from this film

• Original name: Fists of fury (唐山大兄)
• Released: 1973
• The main cast: Bruce Lee. Maria Yi, James Tien, Han Ying-chieh

The big boss the original title means “My Old Brother from China” or “Chinese Elder Brother”, which directly relates to the origin of the plot and also refers to how martial artists in traditional Kung Fu refer to older practitioners of the same school.

Some purists say The big boss It's not actually a kung fu movie but a mixed martial arts, as most of the styles practiced are a mixture of modern martial arts like Jeet Kune Do, Tae Kwon Do, and traditional ones like Kalaripayattu and some Hun Gar (a Cantonese style from the south, founded by Master Hung Hei-gun). However, The big boss is still one of the most representative films of its genre.

7 My young aunt

Before And After In The Martial Arts Genre

• Original name: Zhang Bei
• Released: 1981
• The main castStarring: Chia-Liang Liu, Kara Ying Hung, Wai Hou Hsiao, Gordon Liu

Starring the legendary Chia-Liang Liu and Kara Ying Hung, this film is seminal to the history of kung fu in movies, as it introduced Western audiences to the character of a kung fu master fighting for her family's honor. It is one of the first to depict family drama, often associated with Kung Fu movie plots.

Master Gordon Liu's appearance is also another attraction of the film, but Kara Ying Hung's performance was the defining one My young aunt as one of the best in the genre.

6 Iron monkey

The story of a noble warrior and healer

• Original name: Siu nin Wong Fei Hung chi: Tit ma lau
• Released: 1993
• The main castStarring: Rongguang Yu, Donnie Yen, Jean Wang, Sze-Man Tzang

Starring Rongguang Yu and Donnie Yen, this film is based on certain true events that took place in the late 19th century in Foshang. The thing about this film is that it not only highlights the figure of a folk hero, but deals with the vigilance of a martial artist in one of the most complicated periods in Chinese history.

The story of Iron monkey — about a defender of the weak by night and a physician by day — is on par with the appearance of another legend in his own right: Master Wong Fei-Hung. Although he is portrayed as young and inexperienced in the film, the character later became one of the Cantonese Ten Tigers, the heir to the powerful southern Hun Gar style, and a historical figure who protected ordinary people with martial arts and healed them with traditional medicine. .

5 Dirty Ho

The forerunner of kung fu detective films

• Original name: Lan tou He
• Released: 1979
• The main cast: Yue Wong, Chia-Hui Liu, Lieh Lo

An undercover Kung Fu master and a street rat and con man join forces to stop an evil plot in a film that has defined part of the Shaolin Sleuth genre for generations. Dirty Ho she is the mother of all kung fu detectives that the western world has come to love and admire.

Combining a masterful display of traditional martial arts with modern production and action scenes, Dirty Ho became a legend among fans of the genre and today is considered one of the best Kung Fu films of all time. It was also one of the first films to introduce the “hidden master” or “incognito master” tropes to the genre.

4 The Shinjuku Incident

Jackie Chan proves his dramatic acting chops

• Original name: Xin Su shi jian
• Released: 2009
• The main castStarring: Jackie Chan, Naoto Takenaka, Daniel Wu

The Shinjuku Incident could very well be one of the best kung fu movies starring none other than Jackie Chan, who started his career as Bruce Lee's stunt double and later became his student and close friend. In this movie, Chan proves that he has all the talent he needs to be a dramatic actor and also a talented martial artist.

This is the story of a man looking for a woman from his past, finding out she's married to a mobster, a depiction of the Chinese underworld, and plenty of excellent street gang fight scenes. Everything in this movie is a love letter to those who love the genre.

3 Hero

One of the best martial arts movies of all time

• Original name: Yingxiong
• Released: 2002
• The main castCast: Jet Li, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Maggie Cheung

Whether because of the incredible choreography, costumes, setting or the masterful performances of the actors, Hero is considered an all-time classic in the Kung Fu genre. In this film, Jet-Li, who interprets Nameless, shines brighter than a star, proving not only his masterful martial arts skills, but also his acting talent.

Li is a practitioner of the northern fighting style of Ving Tsun (or Wing Chun), one of the most powerful styles that has survived through the ages and a style that has a special connection with Bruce Lee, as well as one of the most important figures in the world of traditional martial arts: Ip Man, the man , who started it all (some say) and brought true martial arts to the world. This film perfectly reflects the influence this style had on Li's career, but it is not the only style depicted. Maggie Cheung is also a great martial artist and practices several styles including Hun Gar, Modern Shaolin and Taichi Chuan, all of which are on full and wonderful display.

2 Fearless

Jet Li in his prime, showing the world the power of kung fu

• Original name: Huo Yuan Jia
• Released: 2006
• The main cast: Jet Li, Li Sun, Yong Dong

This is another of Jet Li's best films and for some his best. Not only is Li's masterful display of his progress along the martial arts path impressive, but he also demonstrates swordsmanship through his training in Tai Chi, Ving Tsun, and the Lóng jiàn sword style of Northern Shaolin.

The fight choreography is impressive and the costumes also play a vital role in building this masterpiece. Fearless tells the story of Huo Yuanjia, another Kung Fu legend who practiced the lost art of Mizōng Quán (Seven-legged Boxing or Lost Leg Boxing or Labyrinth Boxing). Tthe dedication that Jet Li put into this film is astounding, given that he spent years training in a modern version of the Mizōng Quán style before filming. As such, he was able to replicate some of the signature moves of this legendary art, impressing audiences and critics alike.

1 Ip Man

The true story of the man who built the bridge between the western world and kung fu

• Original name: Ip Man
• Released: 2008
• The main castCast: Donnie Yen, Lynn Xiong, Simon Yam, Louis Fan

Possibly the best of the best kung fu movies ever, starring Master Donnie Yen, practitioner of Wing Tsun, Jeet Kune Do, Tai Chi and Hun Gar, IP Man almost instantly became a modern Kung Fu classic. Yen is the natural heir to the bloodline that began with Master Ip Man; martial arts master, legend and main character of this movie. In this first introduction to Ip Man's prolific career as the man who brought Kung Fu back to life after World War II, Yen stars as a young master Ip who is troubled by the suffering inflicted on his people by the tyrannical Japanese invasion during the war. .

In this film, Yen not only shows all of his physical abilities, but proves that he is a worthy heir to the legacy of Ving Tsun and the very disciple of Ip Man himself, Bruce Lee. That's right, Bruce Lee was a student of Ip Man in his later years and Master Ip was the man who taught him martial arts and helped him develop his own system. Given Yen's connection to Ip Man's legacy, it was only natural that he portray the man who resurrected Kung Fu. During the film, the audience sees that the events narrated are not fiction at all, but a revival of Master Ip's life, his suffering, all the horrors of war and how he used Kung Fu to move forward, despite everyone resigning and letting the legacy of this fine art die. Ip Man is a must see movie for any martial arts enthusiast, but especially for those who want to learn how Kung Fu became what it is today and how the Western world came to know Kung Fu thanks to the Iron Master. IP. His story is as stunning as it is inspiring, so it's no surprise that the film received three sequels.