When it comes to martial arts movies, there's no denying that the best ones come from Asia, particularly Hong Kong during its action-packed heyday of the '70s, '80s, and early '90s, but martial arts films were also starting to take hold in America at the time, thanks in large part to the Bruce Lee mania that followed the release of The King of Fighters. Dragon AppearsPrior to this film, few actors in Hollywood could be considered credible fighters, save for Lee's protégé James Coburn, who showed off some pretty impressive-looking moves in an otherwise silly film. Our Man Flint Movies. Steve McQueen was also trained in martial arts, but did not use them on screen.
But up until that point, the most notable uses of martial arts in film usually revolved around judo, with James Cagney showing off some impressive moves in his films. Sun's BloodMeanwhile, Spencer Tracy was a heavy understudy, outperforming Ernest Borgnine in the classic thriller. The worst day at Black Rock With just one arm.
But fight scenes started to improve in the '70s, and Asian influences were especially visible in Blaxploitation films, with many stars like Fred Williamson and Jim Kelly undergoing formal training. With the arrival of Chuck Norris at the end of the decade, more mainstream stars started to dip their toes into martial arts, though sometimes with less-than-stellar results, like a soap opera in which Richard Burton gets drunk and punches a racist. Clansman (Check out my picks for the worst fight scenes of all time here).
In the 80s, fight scenes in American movies started to get interesting, but the way they were shot didn't really match up to what was going on in Hong Kong. A good example is the climactic fight scene between Mel Gibson and Gary Busey in Star Wars: Episode I – The Final Battle. Lethal WeaponBoth actors had been extensively trained to perform a variation of the popular prison routine, “Jailhouse Rock,” but it rained too hard and the cut was too close for them to perform the film.
That said, there were some great American martial arts movies back then, and there are still plenty of great ones being made today, so here's a list of the best American martial arts movies ever made. matrix or John Wickis a game that combines fighting and gunfighting, but this game didn't make it onto the list because it focuses more on pure martial arts mayhem.
Honorable mention: The Undisputed sequel:
If you're familiar with action movies, then we've been somewhat justified in mentioning these sequels. Director Isaac Florentine and stars Michael Jai White (who has seven black belts!) and Scott Adkins have brought something new and refreshing to the world of DTV. The first two sequels, No room for debate 2 and 3is arguably more famous than its sequel, the now-obscure Walter Hill film.
10. Kill Bill:
Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill It pushed the boundaries of martial arts mayhem, but as a student of film, what else should we expect? Tarantino enlisted Yuen Woo-ping as choreographer, Street Fighter Starring the director himself, Sonny Chiba, the very skilled David Carradine (who only really gets to show off his skills in a deleted scene against Michael Jai White), and Uma Thurman, the best fight scene in the film in my opinion is the first one where Thurman fights Viveca A. Fox, but the House of Blue Leaves scene is also great.
9. Big Trouble in Little China:
At the time, the film was a box office flop, but years later, people finally woke up to the fact that John Carpenter was making a beautiful Hong Kong-style action fantasy film. Mr. Vampire and Zoo WarriorThe martial arts in this film are superior to anything in American action movies of the time, even if much of it is wire fighting in the style of classic wuxia films.
It's impossible to list the best American martial arts movies without including Steven Seagal. Sure, he never made a pure martial arts movie in his prime, but the ultra-violent Aikido style he showcased in Above the Law and his first few movies had a huge impact on this genre of American action film. Seagal was great when he was in top form, but that lean, intense Seagal was only seen in the first five movies, and after Under Siege it was all downhill. Too bad.
7. Ninja Strikes Back:
Cannon Pictures did more to bring ninja movies to the mainstream than any other film studio. Their first ninja film was The Ninja AppearsJokes, Sequels, Ninja Strikes BackAlthough it promoted the first film's villain actor, Sho Kosugi, to hero status, it's a clever film and the best of their loose ninja trilogy, directed by Sam Firstenberg, who also did a great job with the first two films. American Ninja In the film, the untrained Michael Dudikoff was a skilled impersonator and athlete, and had Cannon put more money into the film, Dudikoff probably would have been a JCVD-level star.
6. Best of the Best:
The idea of casting James Earl Jones as the coach of a national fighting team is as ridiculous as the fact that an out-of-shape Chris Penn is playing one of the best fighters ever, but The best of the best remains one of the most authentic martial arts films of its time, blending sports with martial arts. It captures the competitive spirit well, emphasizing sportsmanship and the unlikely bond that develops between opponents no matter who wins. Philip Lee is great as the film's lead, thanks to the authenticity of his technique, and Eric Roberts is also very good, thanks to the fact that, despite having no training, he took the choreography very seriously and got himself in tip-top shape.
5. The Last Dragon:
Martial arts films enjoy a cult following in urban areas. The Last Dragon Motown's tribute to the genre follows a young black wedding entertainer named Taimak, Leroy Green, aka Bruce Leroy. The music and the fighting are great, and Julius Carey steals the show as Harlem general Shaw'Nuff. Though Carey was untrained, he turns out to be a skilled impersonator. Sometimes it's all about attitude.
4. Kickboxer:
Often hidden in the shadows Blood Sports, Kickboxer The film that helped bring Muay Thai to the mainstream features some of Jean-Claude Van Damme's best performances, some great training scenes, a fantastic final showdown between JCVD and Michel Cuisi's Tong Po, Van Damme shaking his ass in a bar fight, and, most notably, when he bandages up his opponent's hand and dips it in broken glass. Hotshots Part 2
3. Blood sports:
This movie was made by JCVD and made him a star. We've covered this movie many times on JoBlo, but this movie brought the term “kumite” to the mainstream and also showcased different styles of martial arts. This movie was made by people who really understand the genre.
2. The Karate Kid:
The fight scenes in these movies are not great, and Ralph Macchio's fighting skills leave a lot to be desired (he is a fighter). Cobra Kai (And some great fights.) This movie had a bigger impact on the practice of martial arts than any other film on this list. It led to an explosion of karate dojos across North America and, thanks to Miyagi's gentle discipline and philosophy, proved that karate, and martial arts in general, was an art form that could help many people discover inner strengths they never knew they had.
Bruce Lee's only American film, released posthumously, became a cultural phenomenon and kicked off the kung fu craze; less than a year later, Roger Moore's James Bond was depicted fighting with kung fu. The man with the golden gunLee does a really great job in this film, John Saxon does a great job in the fight scenes, and Jim Kelly is, in some ways, just as iconic as Bruce with his giant afro.
Here's our list: Special thanks to EJ Tangonan, who edited this video, for helping us put together this list.
