The 10 least action martial arts movies

Of course, it's great that any martial arts movie has a lot of fight scenes, but combat is not the only thing the genre has to offer. Some martial arts films make the rather brave choice to go in a slightly different direction in terms of style and pacing.placing more emphasis on character drama, exploration of philosophical ideas, or other genres than on showing off sustained action.

The films below do have fight scenes, but maybe not as many as you'd expect. Still, these films are all high quality, and the titles featured here are meant to showcase the diversity of the martial arts genre, rather than criticize them for having “little” action. We've ranked these films (some of them rather unconventional) below, from those with moderate action to those with the least amount of action.

Ten The Thirty-Sixth Chamber of Shaolin Temple (1978)

Director: Lau Kar-leung

Shaolin Temple Room 36 It's an interesting example of a martial arts film. Because, while it's some of the best in the genre, the action is a bit unconventional.This happens because the revenge-seeking protagonist has spent a long time honing his revenge skills. Shaolin Temple Room 36 In the end, training is more important than combat.

Sure, many martial arts movies have that kind of premise and structure, but Shaolin Temple Room 36 The film furthers that unorthodox approach to story and action by having the hero annihilate his enemies once he's finished training, which is certainly satisfying to watch, but those hoping for less training or for the villains to put up more of a fight in the final act may be a bit surprised (and hopefully won't be disappointed, because this film is so good).

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9 The Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires (1974)

Directed by: Roy Ward Baker, Chang Cheh

To a certain extent, the content is appropriate for the wild title, but for those looking for pure action, The Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires It's a bit disappointing, probably because it's so close to a Hammer horror film. Sure, it's supposed to balance Hammer-style horror with Shaw Brothers martial arts, but as a crossover, it feels like it puts too much emphasis on one side.

of It's like a movie about stopping Dracula and his vampire warriors, with martial arts elements sprinkled in.But it's novel to see different worlds collide — Hammer and Shaw Brothers in the same movie — and while it may not be as wild or action-packed as you'd hope, it's novel enough to be worth seeking out for those whose interest is piqued.

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8 The Grandmaster (2013)

Director: Wong Kar-wai

It's a predictable film for a martial arts movie directed by Wong Kar-wai, but… Grand Master look The master filmmaker steps outside his comfort zone to create an arthouse action movie.The protagonist is, Ip Man series, but generally speaking, they're a bit more fast-paced and probably more action-packed.

still, Grand Master The film has some spectacular action here and there and certainly impresses when it needs to in that regard, and the story is relatively interesting so there's a pretty good chance you'll stay interested in what's going on even when no punches or kicks are being thrown (you should avoid the shortened American version, which makes certain events and time jumps rather obscure in an effort to tell the story unnecessarily quickly).

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7 The Big Boss (1971)

Director: Lo Wei

a Bruce Lee It may seem odd to watch a movie without a continuous action sequence, but Big Boss It is… well, in a way it is: the film stands out among other martial arts films that Lee has starred in because his character swears not to get into fights and spends a good portion of the film avoiding violence.

But this promise is increasingly being challenged. Big Boss As the story continues, the protagonist's loved ones are targeted by the corrupt president of an ice factory, and some go missing. At one point the main character loses his temper and the viewer gets the Bruce Lee action they've probably been hoping for.Still, it takes a surprisingly long time Big Boss To get to that part of the overall story.

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6 A Touch of Zen (1971)

Director: King Hu

King Hu did not make many films as a director, but they were all interesting and some of them had a major impact on martial arts cinema. Perhaps his most spectacular work is A touch of ZenIt's not just a martial arts movie. Even though there are some spectacular action scenes in the second half..

That being said, A touch of Zen At nearly three hours long, there isn't much action until the last half (or maybe the end of the third act), which is by no means a bad thing. A touch of Zen The film is beautiful to look at, a quietly tense tale of a woman on the run and the conflict that ensues after those who persecuted her in the past catch up with her.

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Five “House of Flying Daggers” (2004)

Director: Zhang Yimou

It works as a romance film, an epic adventure film, a drama and also features some daring action scenes. House of Flying Daggers is an ambitious film that succeeds in being almost everything it sets out to be at once: the story of a warrior who breaks another rebel out of prison in the hopes that she will join her in the fight against a corrupt government, but things take a turn when it becomes clear that the prisoner may be hiding some kind of secret.

Things are moving slowly, House of Flying Daggers; In this case, “yukkuri” may not be the right word. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, However, the action may be a little toned down compared to the 2000 film. (Admittedly, the film may have a few fewer fight scenes than most old-school martial arts films.)

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Four The Brave (1975)

Director: King Hu

A few years later A touch of Zendirected by King Hu The Brave Onesfeels a bit underrated and overshadowed by other martial arts films of its era (there were a lot of martial arts films released in the 1970s, so this sort of thing happens). A touch of ZenMost of the action is The Brave OnesHowever, this production goes a step further than the 1971 film by skipping most of it until the final 15 minutes.

The Brave Ones It's only 102 minutes long, I don't feel like it takes away much of the opportunity to see the action.But such scenes are hardly the highlight of a film that, for the most part, shows the couple trying to defend China from certain groups, first through diplomatic means and, when that ultimately fails, through more forceful and violent means.

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3 Shadow (2018)

Director: Zhang Yimou

Shadow Another award-winning work by the director Zhang YimouAs mentioned above House of Flying DaggersYimou primarily directed dramas throughout the 1990s, achieving some fame for those works before establishing himself as a martial arts director with 2002's Deadly Battle. HeroWhile this is perhaps the most action-packed entry in the genre so far, it's by no means the only one worth seeing.

both House of Flying Daggers And in 2018 Shadow Though each for different reasons, they're all pretty great films, each in different ways demonstrating their willingness to buck the martial arts movie trend. Shadow spends a fair bit of time on political intrigue and scheming, slowly unfolding until the action explodes at a tension-building point. With or without fight scenes, it's a great film. It's a consistently beautiful and visually bold film throughout, and it certainly excels in that regard..

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2 Assassin (2015)

Directed by: Hou Hsiao-hsien

A beautifully rendered film in the martial arts genre that doesn't have too many fight scenes, from 2015. Assassin Scratching the same itch Shadowbut acts slower and more methodical. The titular assassin is a woman who is highly skilled at her job but begins to question her way of life, especially when she begins to develop romantic feelings for those she is tasked with killing.

The visuals in this film are so intense that the story and action scenes are almost unimportant. Assassin Appearance, It has a simple but relatively interesting story, but doesn't have much to offer in terms of action.So, if you're expecting non-stop fighting and spectacular spectacle, you might want to look elsewhere.

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1 “Rain on the Mountain” (1979)

Director: King Hu

The last King Hu movie I'd like to introduce is Rain on the mountainis probably the least action-packed film in the martial arts genre, technically or perhaps. It is a truly thorough historical drama film. The setup for the fight scene is there, but it doesn't play out as expected..

Whether this is frustrating or intriguing will depend on how engaged the viewer is in the story, which revolves around the head priest of a Buddhist temple who must choose a successor, while shady characters in the same temple are after a precious piece of parchment. To be honest, most of the “action” scenes feature characters sneaking around and dodging enemies, rather than physically clashing with them. There are some interesting ideas explored throughout the story. Rain on the mountainThe film is visually impressive, but not nearly as impressive when it comes to characters throwing punches.

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