The Grandmaster
Martial arts films are a specific subgenre of the action field that often include creative and complex plots and characters along with scenes of intense action and stunts.
They often star actors who are real martial artists like Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, and Jet Li. While everybody loves a good kung-fu fight on screen, it takes more than just that to make a great martial arts film.
In celebration of the upcoming martial arts drama The Grandmaster, starring Tony Leung, we take a look back at some of the best martial arts films of all time.
- Once Upon A Time In China
Jet Li stars in Once Upon a Time in China- the incredibly successful martial arts film that catapulted his career. It follows legendary martial arts hero Wong Fei-Hung and tells the story of his stance against English, French and American plundering of China.
Directed by Tsui Hark, the film is a dazzling and colourful spectacle. Li is captivating with his acting ability, his agility and grace and his athletic skill.
The film leaves you wanting more, and you can certainly get it from the four sequels that were created in the years following the first success.
- Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
This surprise international success has won over 40 awards, including the 2000 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
The film tells the story of Master Li Mu Bai (Yun-Fat Chow,) an accomplished swordsman and martial artist and his warrior friend Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh) on their search for a stolen sword. It is a kung-fu movie woven together by a love story.
Director Ang Lee brought on the Matrix’s choreographer, Yuen Woo-ping to create the film’s incredible fight scenes. The film is full of emotion and tenderness along with its violence and brutality.
- Enter The Dragon
A colossal box office hit in 1973, Enter the Dragon, is considered one of the best martial arts films of all time and was Bruce Lee’s final film before his death.
The film was the first Chinese martial arts film to be produced by a Hollywood Studio (Warner Brothers) and the story follows a Shaolin master martial artist who agrees to spy on a reclusive crime lord by entering a martial arts tournament as a cover.
It is an exotic and extravagant sepctacle and Lee is a unique and humble star who exudes emotion and martial arts prowess.
- House Of Flying Daggers
Set during the Tang dynasty in China, this film follows two police captains (Andy Lau and Takeshi Kaneshiro) on their search for the leader of the counterinsurgency group, the flying Daggers.
Jin (Kaneshiro) poses as an average citizen and busts Mei (Zhang Ziyi,) out of jail because they believe her to be a secret member of the Daggers, but it turns out that nothing is quite what it seems.
Directed by Zhang Yimou, this film contains fantastic fight choreography, dancing, traditional Chinese music, and of course: martial arts.
- A Touch Of Zen
A Touch of Zen made cinematic history when it became the first Chinese film to win an award at the Cannes Film Festival in 1971.
It stars Feng Hsu as Ku, an artist who meets the beautiful Yang and discovers that she is being perused by agents of an Imperial noble who have murdered her family.
He becomes caught up in her struggle to survive, and many fierce battles are fought before there is any resolve. The story effortlessly combines elements of comedy and romance along with its drama and action.
- Kill Bill Vol. 1 and 2
Written and directed by Quentin Tarantio and starring Uma Therman, Kill Bill Volumes 1 and 2 follow the story of The Bride, as she seeks revenge on an assassination squad led by Bill (David Carradine) due to his assassination attempt on her and her unborn child.
The film received critical and commercial success. It is extremely unique in the martial arts genre as it stars an American female rather than an Asian male. It also co-stars Daryl Hannah and Lucy Lui proving that women can be deadly too!
- Iron Monkey
Like Once Upon a Time in China, Iron Monkey also centres on the life of Wong Fei-hung, but focuses on an event in his childhood where he and his father, Wong Kei-ying, encounter the 'Iron Monkey.'
The film stars Donnie Yen and Sze-Man Tsang and was directed by Woo-ping Yuen, who also worked on Kill Bill Volume 2 and Jackie Chan’s Drunken Master.
- Hero
Another Jet Li film, Hero is a wuxia film that is based on the story of Jing Ke’s assassination attempt on the King of Qin in 227 B.C.
When the film was released in 2002, it became the highest grossing motion picture in Chinese film history. The film was nominated for both the Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
Li stars as Nameless, a master swordsman and the primary conspirator in the assassination attempt. He brings his usual style and energy, while the film also stars Tony Leung, Maggie Cheung and Chen Daoming.
- Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior
In Ong-Bak, Tony Jaa stars as a young martial artist living in rural Thailand who goes to the big city to retrieve the head of his village’s sacred statue: Ong-Bak.
The film used no special effects or stunt doubles, but you wouldn’t believe it when you watch Jaa’s speed and execution of his martial arts moves. The film was directed and written by Prachya Pinkaew and features stunt choreography by Panna Rittikrai.
The fights are staged excellently as Jaa takes down every enemy that gets in his way. It was so successful that it also inspired two prequels: Ong-Bak 2 and Ong-Bak 3.
- IP Man
This 2008 semi-biographical martial arts film is loosely based on the life of Yip Man, a martial arts grandmaster of the martial art Wing Chun and master of Bruce Lee. It centres on the events in Ip’s life during the Sino-Japanese war.
Donnie Yen stars as Yip Man, once again bringing his martial arts expertise to the big screen. Sammo Hung and Tony Leung Siu-hung designed the martial arts choreography for the film.
- Seven Samurai
Seven Samurai is a 1954 period adventure drama that takes place in 1587 during the Warring States Period of Japan. The story centres on a village of farmers that hire seven masterless samurai to combat bandits who will return after the harvest to steal their crops.
Directed and written by Akira Kurosawa, the film has been referred to as one of the greatest and most influential films ever made and is one of the select few Japanese films to become wildly known in the rest of the world.
- The Grandmaster
The highly-anticipated film by acclaimed director Wong Kar-Wai took six years in the planning and three years in the making. It is an epic action feature inspired by the life and times of the legendary kung fu master, Ip Man.
The story spans the tumultuous Republican era that followed the fall of China’s last dynasty, a time of chaos, division and war that was also the golden age of Chinese martial arts.
Nominated for two Academy Awards, for Cinematography and Costume Design, The Grandmaster features virtuoso performances from those at the film’s heart: Wong regular, Tony Leung, Ziyi Zhang and Chang Chen.
The film portrays both the Chinese martial arts and the world of the martial artists with unprecedented authenticity and the trio of lead actors completed several years of rigorous and challenging kung fu training for their roles.
The Grandmaster is coming to cinemas on 5th December.