Martial arts are art; it’s literally in the name. Thebeauty and elegance of the movements emphasize human possibilities, and when I watch somebody likeBruce Lee,Jet Li, orMichelle Yeoh, I can’t help but marvel at the discipline, control, and utter fun of turning the human body into an instrument for combat. Without ever needing a weapon, the greatest martial artists on film helped us see that we are limitless in our power.
The choreographies in martial arts movieselevate a good fight scene into an unforgettable piece of art, which is why any good on-screen fight must be skillfully choreographed and prepared.These ten movies have the best choreographiesand have often been cited for their striking, groundbreaking, influential, and outright jaw-dropping fight scenes.
10’SPL: Kill Zone' (2005)
Directed by Wilson Yip
SPL: Kill ZonestarsDonnie Yen, one of thegreatest martial arts actorsand choreographers from Hong Kong. Yen is a legend, and he embodies human potential like no other martial artist out there. Curious about global martial arts, he learned Shaolin kung fu first, then taekwondo, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, wushu, kickboxing, and even wrestling. InKill Zone, he’s the hero, joined by martial arts expertsSammo HungandWu Jing. The movie was co-written and directed byWilson Yip.
Kill Zoneis about Yen’s character, detective Ma Kwun, who replaces a beloved police inspector, Chan (Simon Yam), in the pursuit of the triad boss Wong Po (Sammo Hung). As Ma follows Chan’s clues and trail to find Wong, Chan takes the vendetta into his own hands in parallel.Kill Zonefeaturessome of the most impactful modern martial arts choreographythat also feels realistic. The choreography, done by Yen,elevated the movie into an action story, and he blended traditional fighting styles with MMA-inspired techniques. The most famous scene isthe alley fight between Yen and Wu Jing, legendary for its speed, precision, and intensity.
9’The Raid: Redemption' (2011)
Directed by Gareth Evans
Gareth Evansis a Welsh filmmaker, but he spent a portion of his life in Indonesia with his wife and children. It seems Evans was heavily inspired there, as he created one of the best martial arts movies of modern times,The Raid: Redemption, a relentless action movie that makes you have a glass of water and dab your sweat with a towel after each fight scene. He joined forces with some of Indonesia’s biggest martial artists and actors, includingIko Uwais,Yayan Ruhian, andJoe Taslim. Uwais and Ruhian choreographed the entirety of the movie by featuring the Indonesian martial art called Pencak Silat, which is a full-body fighting form that can be used with or without weapons.
The Raid: Redemptionfollows the Indonesian National Police’s tactical squad (Indonesian SWAT, basically) as they charge to raid a drug lord’s lair. The lair is on the top floor of a building, which the team has to reach by defeating a bunch of the drug lord’s goons on the lower levels.The fights are incredibly fast and violent, unflinchingly so; the confined spaces of the building contribute tothe fights feeling a lot more claustrophobic. The fight sequences are so innovative thatThe Raidis often cited amongthe best action movies of the past 30 years.
The Raid: Redemption
8’Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior' (2003)
Directed by Prachya Pinkaew
Ong-Bak: The Thai WarriormadeTony Jaaa breakout martial arts star when it was released. Jaa is a stuntman, director, and martial artist who’s been in the Muay Thai world since he was ten years old. He is the reason Muay Thai became so popular on film and, generally, around the world, and he is considered one of the best martial arts actors in the history of cinema. So, yes,Ong-Bakis iconic, including the entire trilogy, and yes, you might have guessed, but Jaa choreographed the movies himself (with the help ofPanna Rittikrai).
Ong-Bak is the name of the Buddha statue located in a small Thai village in the movie, and the story shows how the statue was desecrated and the head stolen by some thieves from Bangkok. The biggest chance of retrieving the head back to the villagers is from Ting, a local villager and Muay Thai expert. Ting follows the leads and finds the men who destroyed his home with some powerful and authentic Muay Thai combat.There’s no CGI, no wires, and Jaa performed all of his stunts alone.The coolest part is the elbow and knee stunts, delivering effective and realistic choreography to the screen.
7’The Matrix' (1999)
Directed by The Wachowski Sisters
The Matrixwas revolutionary for many things, but its choreography was surely one of the greatest parts. TheWachowski Sistersgave the actors,Keanu Reeves,Carrie-Anne Moss, and everyone else with fight scenes, the task of reading several books on philosophy and training under the Chinese martial arts master,Yuen Woo-ping. The actors were not experts by any means, but the movie succeeded in making the actors seem like brilliant fighters.
The Matrix, if you don’t know, is about a group of hackers, including Trinity (Moss) and Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne), who recruit Neo (Reeves) to help them defeat an alien race that keeps humanity in a program. Combined withgroundbreaking “bullet time” effectsand scenes,the fight scenes inThe Matrixinfluenced action filmmaking for years to come. Actually, not just action filmmaking, but overall, sinceThe Matrixinspired a lot of anime and sci-fi, too.The dojo fight and the subway fight are especially effectivein showing Yuen’s influence.
The Matrix
6’Fist of Legend' (1994)
Directed by Gordon Chan
Fist of Legendis one of Jet Li’s biggest features, but it’s also a remake of Bruce Lee’sFist of Furyfrom 1972. Still,Gordon Chansucceeded in capturing a side of Li that’s never been seen before: a lightning-fast hero with incredible martial arts skills and a charming personality. Li is mostly known for being a wushu expert, but he’s also trained in tai chi and drunken boxing. He was the assistant coach of theBeijing wushu team, and his incredible experience, even at a young age, made him the alluring movie star he is today.
Fist of Legendis set in 1937 and follows the Chinese martial artist Chen Zhen (Li), who returns to Japanese-occupied Shanghai after learning that his master was killed in a fight against Ryuichi Akutagawa. To avenge his master, Chen decides to fight Akutagawa himself, but realizes something bigger is in the background of his master’s death. The movie has powerful choreographies, and the fights arebrutal but somehow still graceful, with Li making it look effortless.Fist of Legendshowcasesa grounded style compared to many wuxia filmsof that era, and it was choreographed by Yuen Woo-ping.
Fist Of Legend
5’Hero' (2002)
Directed by Zhang Yimou
Herois an art film disguised as a martial arts epic. It’sa beautiful blend of history and martial arts, filled with incredible names, and lauded by critics and audiences for its incredible storytelling. Still, the standout element in Hero is the fights, which are highly stylized and even color-coded, thanks to cinematographerChristopher Doyle.Herowon the Best Foreign Film Oscar in 2003 and was choreographed byTony Ching, who choreographed some of the biggest wuxia hits, fromHerotoHouse of Flying Daggers.
Herois set during theWarring States period in imperial Chinaand revolves around Nameless (Jet Li), who arrives in the name of the Qin state to greet the king. He asks to approach him and tell him how he eliminated the assassins sent to kill him, named Long Sky (Donnie Yen), Broken Sword (Tony Leung), and Flying Snow (Maggie Cheung). The story was compared toRashomonin the sense that it has several narrators telling the same story from their perspective; however,most of the assassins' stories are told in the form of fighting, and each uncovers the characters' philosophies. The deadly dances between the skilled martial artists are beautifully crafted inHero, and if you love wuxia, you are sure to love this film.
4’Ip Man' (2008)
Ip Manis a biographical action movie about themartial arts legend of the same name. Donnie Yen stars as the eponymous fighting master, and he and Sammo Hung, who choreographed the movie,brought Wing Chun, Ip Man’s expertise, to the forefront. Hung, who had experience in movies with Wing Chun, was hired to help Yen embody one of the greatest Chinese martial arts masters.The fighting inIp Manis fast and fluidand shows the effectiveness of the style in close-quarters situations.
Ip Manis set in Foshan, China, during the Japanese occupation of China, where Ip Man grew up. Foshan is presented as the hub of martial arts in Southern China, butIp Man, though the most skilled of all, hides his abilities and only fights in closed tournaments. Embodying a grandmaster and makinga movie about his lifemust be nerve-wracking, and Yen deserves all the props in the world. The greatest scene in this movie is when Ip Man steps up to take on ten Japanese karate students; it’sa masterclass in controlled fury and technical skill, and Yen is incredible in this.
3’Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' (2000)
Directed by Ang Lee
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragonis one of the first wuxia movies tointroduce the Millennial generation to modern martial arts films; it’s also the most famous of its kind, undoubtedly, earning ten Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, and winning four. It was one of the rare foreign language films to be nominated for Best Picture, but it was also a global success in every possible way. Still,Crouching Tigerisn’t just some wuxia movie: It’s brilliantly executed, choreographed by Yuen Woo-ping, and has a romantic storyline in the middle of all the action that makes it even more high-stakes and emotional.
Crouching Tigerfollows the legend of two master warriors, Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun-fat) and Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh), who must retrieve the stolen sword called Green Destiny. They are rival masters but carry a love between them that never came to fruition. There is another romantic subplot there withZhang ZiyiandChang Chen, and the entire story is like a wire-fu ballet between graceful warriors.The fights help the characters express their personality and emotions, adding a whole new dimension to physical acting.The best part must be the bamboo forest battle, which is visually just beyond anything you’ll ever see.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
2’Drunken Master II (The Legend of Drunken Master)' (1994)
Directed by Chia-Liang Liu and Jackie Chan
Drunken Master IIis often consideredJackie Chan’s masterpiece. He co-directed and co-choreographed the sequel toDrunken Master, in which he began his portrayal of Cantonese martial arts legend Wong Fei-hung.Drunken Master IIhelped make the martial arts genre feel a little lighter;Chan’s comedic abilitiescontribute to making the movie humorous and hilariously inventive, too.The fights are intricate and quite acrobatic, and we can’t underestimate Chan’s kung fu abilities, ever. He is an expert in several kung fu varieties, but also taekwondo, karate, and judo.
Drunken Master IIis set in the early 20th century and follows the unstoppable and rowdy kung-fu master Wong Fei-hung, who lives with his parents. When Wong’s package gets mixed up with another with the same appearance, he realizes there are bandits in town trying to steal national artifacts. Wong’s father, a pacifist, wants him to stop drinking and fighting all the time, so he must now decide whether he wants to be a hero or honor his father’s wishes. In this movie, drunken boxing is used the most, since Wong fights better when he’s drunk. Drunken boxing, aka Drunken Fist, isa fighting style used to mimic a drunk person’s movement, and yes, Chan does it hilariously and with great flair.
Drunken Master II
1’Enter the Dragon' (1973)
Directed by Robert Clouse
Bruce Lee. Need I say more?Enter the Dragonhas the best choreography, just for his unparalleled on-screen presence and self-command he displays in all of his fights. Lee choreographed all the fights in the movie, bringing a sort of realism and philosophy to physical combat like it’s never been seen before. Filmed in 1973, though, it was rarely seen done in the same way, so his influence is magnified by this fact. Lee was the student of Ip Man, the grandmaster of Wing Chun, and most martial arts fans know we lost Lee too early.Enter the Dragonpremiered just a bit after his death, which possibly made the movie (and Lee) reach the ranks of immortality. It’s often deemedthe most successful and influential martial arts movie of all time.
Enter the Dragonfollows Lee, a martial artist from the Hong Kong Shaolin temple, who is approached by British spies to enter a tournament undercover so they can capture the elusive drug lord Han. Han is from Lee’s temple, and he’s untouchable on his island, where the tournament is held.Enter the Dragonis an international venture, butLee alone makes it iconic. The best scene, for me, isthe nunchaku fight against several guardsin which Lee displays the discipline and grace of his fighting style.
