Summary
Kung Fu(also known as Wu Shu) has beena part of the movie industry since 1938, and ever since, many legendary warriors have transitioned from being martial artists and traditional performers to the big screen. Kung Fu has always had traditional forms based on several lineages of Old Masters, who have shared with the world through their schools the very essence of what defines a true martial artist.
However, this form of combatborn in Ancient Chinaowes its widespread popularity to thebest Kung Fu films, brought to the world after World War 2. 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 best martial artist actor in the film industry. Let’s take a look at the best Kung Fu movies of all time, which include these actors and many others.
10The 36th Chamber Of Shaolin
A Timeless Classic, Worthy Of Praise
Starring the legendary Gordon Liu, this story narrates Liu Yude’s journey of vengeance, set in the age of the Manchu Rebellion, a bloody historical period where martial artists and anti-government activists joined hands to depose the Qing dynasty. This film is the very example of howKung Fu started to spread across the worldin the form of the Seventh Art.
With incredible battle choreography and barely any action doubles, this film had a lot of setbacks before it was able to see the light of day back in 1978.The 36th Chamber of Shaolindepicts, in a quasi-realistic way, the path every trainee of the Shaolin (Siu Lam) traditional arts has to overcome before becoming a true master.
9Enter The Dragon
The Pinnacle Of Bruce Lee’s Career As Martial Artist Actor
Enter the Dragonis a timeless masterpiece, starring none other than the legendary Bruce Lee. It was the last film Lee made before his untimely death mere months after the release of the film. There’s a lot of mystery regarding Lee’s death, and many associate it with the repercussions of this movie, while others say it was payback for spreading the “secrets of Kung Fu” to the Western World.
Be that as it may, Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do style really shines in this flick, and the action scenes were unparalleled at that time. Nowadays, it remains one of the most renowned classics in the history of Kung Fu movies, an eternal testament to Bruce Lee’s legacy.
8The Big Boss
An Iconic Film, Every Kung Fu Fan Can Recognize A Scene Or Two From This Movie
The Big Boss’soriginal title means “My Old Brother From China” or “Chinese Older Brother”, which is directly related to the origin of the plot, and it also refers to how martial artists in traditional Kung Fu refer to senior practitioners of the same school.
Some purists sayThe Big Bossis not actually a Kung Fu movie but a Mixed Martial Arts one, since 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 (Cantonese style from the South, founded by master Hung Hei-gun). Nevertheless,The Big Bossis still one of the most representative films of the genre today.
7My Young Auntie
A Before And After In The Martial Arts Genre
Co-starring the legendary Chia-Liang Liu and Kara Ying Hung, this movie is crucial to the history of Kung Fu in movies, since it introduced the figure of the female Kung Fu master fighting for her family’s honor to a Western audience. It is one of the first to depict heritage family drama, often paired with Kung Fu movie plots.
The apparition of the master Gordon Liu is also another attraction of the movie, but the performance of Kara Ying Hung was what definedMy Young Auntieas one of the best in the genre.
6Iron Monkey
The Story Of A Noble Warrior And Healer
Co-starring Rongguang Yu and Donnie Yen, this movie is based on certain true events that took place during the late 19th Century in Foshang. The thing about this movie is that it not only emphasizes the figure of the folk hero, but deals with the vigilantism of being a martial artist in one of the most convoluted periods in the history of China.
The story ofIron Monkey— about a defender of the weak by night and physician by day — is only on par with the apparition of another legend in his own right: Master Wong Fei-Hung. Though in the movie he is depicted as young and inexperienced, this figure would later become one of Canton’s Ten Tigers, heir to the powerful Hun Gar Southern Style, and a historical figure who protected the common folk using martial arts and healed them using traditional medicine.
5Dirty Ho
The Precursor To Kung Fu Detective Movies
An incognito Kung Fu master and a street rat and scammer join forces to stop an evil plot in a movie that has defined part of the Shaolin Sleuth genre for generations.Dirty Hois the mother of all Kung Fu detective movies that the Western world has come to love and admire.
Blending a masterful display of traditional martial arts with modern production and action scenes,Dirty Hobecame a legend among fans of the genre and is regarded today as one of the best Kung Fu movies of all time. It was also one of the first movies to introduce the trope of the “hidden master” or the “incognito master” to the genre.
4Shinjuku Incident
Jackie Chan Proving His Dramatic Acting Chops
Shinjuku Incidentmight very well be one of the best Kung Fu movies starringby none other than Jackie Chan,who started his career as Bruce Lee’s action 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 to boot.
This is the story of a man seeking a woman from his past, the realization that she has married a mobster, the depiction of the Chinese underworld, and a bunch of excellent street gang fight scenes. Everything in this movie is a love letter for those who love the genre.
3Hero
One Of The Best Martial Arts Movies Of All Time
Be it because of its incredible choreography, its costumes, its setting, or the masterful performances of its actors,Herois considered an all-time classic in the Kung Fu genre. In this film, Jet-Li, interpreting Nameless, shines brighter than a star, proving not only his masterful martial arts skills but also his talent as an actor.
Li is a practitioner of the Ving Tsun (or Wing Chun) Northern Martial Style, one of the most powerful styles to survive the ages, and one that has a particular connection with Bruce Lee, as well as one of the most prominent 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 movie reflects perfectly the influence that this style had on Li’s career, but it is not the only style depicted. Maggie Cheung is also a great martial artist and a practitioner of several styles, including Hun Gar, Modern Shaolin, and Taichí Chuan, all of which are on full, magnificent display.
2Fearless
Jet Li In His Prime, Showing The World The Power Of Kung Fu
This isanother of Jet Li’s greatest films, and for some, it is his very best. Not only is Li’s masterful display of his advancement in the path of martial arts impressive, but he also showcases the art of the sword, thanks to his training in Tai Chi, Ving Tsun, and the Lóng jiàn sword style from the Northern Shaolin.
The battle choreography is impressive, and the costumes also play a fundamental role in the construction of this masterpiece.Fearlesstells the tale of Huo Yuanjia, another legend of Kung Fu who was a practitioner of the lost art of Mizōng Quán(Seven Foot Boxing, or Boxing of the Lost Feet, or Labyrinth Boxing). The dedication Jet Li put into this film is astounding, given that he trained in the modern version of the Mizōng Quán style for years before filming. As such, he was able to replicate some of the characteristic moves of this legendary art, impressing both audiences and critics alike.
1Ip Man
The True Story Of The Man Who Built A Bridge Between The Western World And Kung Fu
Perhaps the best of the best Kung Fu movies of all time, starring the master Donnie Yen, a practitioner of the Wing Tsun, Jeet Kune Do, Tai Chi, and Hun Gar,IpManalmostinstantly became a modern Kung Fu classic. Yen is the natural heir of a bloodline that started with Master Ip Man; the martial 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 2, Yen plays the role of a young Master Ip, troubled by the suffering inflicted on his people by the tyrannical Japanese invasion during the war.
In this film, Yen not only displays all his physical prowess, but proves he is a worthy heir to the legacy of Ving Tsun, and of the very disciple of Ip Man himself, Bruce Lee. That’s right, Bruce Lee was Ip Man’s disciple in his later years, and Master Ip was the man who taught him martial arts and helped him develop his own system. Due to Yen’s connection to Ip Man’s legacy, it was only natural that he portrayed the man who resurrected Kung Fu. During the movie, viewers see that the events narrated are not fiction at all, but a recreation of the life of Master Ip, his suffering, all the horrors of war, and how he used Kung Fu to move on despite everyone resigning and letting the legacy of this fine art die.Ip Manis a must-watch film for every enthusiast of martial arts, but especially so for those who want to learn how Kung Fu came to be what it is today, and how the Western world came to know Kung Fu thanks to the iron-willed Master Ip. His story is as astounding as it is inspiring, so it is no surprise the movie got three sequels.
