The 40 Best Martial Arts Movies of 2010 – 2019 (& 10 of the Worst!)

[One Armed Boxer]

COF's lowdown on the 40 Best Martial Arts Movies of the decade, and equally importantly - 10 of the worst - is now up for your consideration!

Check it out via the link - https://cityonfire.com/cof-presents-the-40-best-martial-arts-movies-of-2010-2019-10-of-the-worst/

[Rodolphe Dux]

Very nice list, I would add Big Brother just for the action sequences, Avengement, debt collector, Brotherhood of blades  among others. 

Edited December 31, 2019 by Rodolphe Dux

[Drunken Monk]

I still don't understand why everyone hates Rise of the Legend but I suppose I'm in the minority there. I think that film and Master Z are the only two things I disagree with when it comes to your list. Everything else is solid.

I hate to go against @Rodolphe Dux, but I think Big Brother should be in the worst "Worst" list.

[Rodolphe Dux]

25 minutes ago, Drunken Monk said:

I still don't understand why everyone hates Rise of the Legend but I suppose I'm in the minority there. I think that film and Master Z are the only two things I disagree with when it comes to your list. Everything else is solid.

I hate to go against @Rodolphe Dux, but I think Big Brother should be in the worst "Worst" list.

Of course Big Brother can easily go to the worst list because it’s a cheap sitcom drama but the final fight with school tables has its moments, in fact that’s the only decent thing of the movie, that and Donnie Yen’s hairdo.

I agree with you regarding Rise of the legend, I kind of like the movie, especially the opening scene. Master Z is garbage to me. I forgot Jailbreak and unity of heroes in the Worst list though. 

Edited December 31, 2019 by Rodolphe Dux

[Drunken Monk]

49 minutes ago, Rodolphe Dux said:

 I forgot Jailbreak and unity of heroes in the Worst list though. 

Oof...good call on Unity of Heroes. I kind of liked Jailbreak for how painfully low budget it was.

I'd also add Headshot and Call of Heroes to my "Best of..." list. Maybe even God of War, though I'm not sure that's technically a martial arts movie.

[Rodolphe Dux]

10 minutes ago, Drunken Monk said:

Oof...good call on Unity of Heroes. I kind of liked Jailbreak for how painfully low budget it was.

I'd also add Headshot and Call of Heroes to my "Best of..." list. Maybe even God of War, though I'm not sure that's technically a martial arts movie.

I second Headshot and God of war, which is probably more a war movie but it has some good but brief martial arts moments. Forgot Unbeatable on the list of the movies I liked, cute movie.

[mark187]

I’d have to put Special ID and Master Z on the best of list

[ShaOW!linDude]

I enjoyed Rise of the Legend far more than True Legend. And Jailbreak has its moments. It's not necessarily mind-blowing choreography but it is consistently good stuff. 

I just don't get the love for Wu Xia. Great story but sub par choreography for me.

[massa_yoda]

5 hours ago, mark187 said:

I’d have to put Special ID and Master Z on the best of list

Yeah me too.  This list is surprised me.  I feel like they are very generous with the Thai films like Ong Bak 3 and Vengeance of an Assassin, two films whose fight scenes I don’t even remember, and then put the above two movies, which have legitimate standout moments, on the worst list.  Weird.
 

Though I’ll give em props for recognizing Bad Blood.  Not a popular (or much discussed) film, but it’s freaking fantastic.  And I don’t care what anyone says, I could watch Andy On make coffee all day...

Edited December 31, 2019 by massa_yoda

[DragonClaws]

 

On 12/31/2019 at 5:20 AM, One Armed Boxer said:

COF's lowdown on the 40 Best Martial Arts Movies of the decade, and equally importantly - 10 of the worst - is now up for your consideration!

 

Great article @One Armed Boxer. This write-up really proves how much top talent there has been over the past twenty year's. A period in the genres history, that usally get's pretty frowned upon. When compared to previous decades, where Hong Kong movies were really hitting their peak year's. There's still clearly a very big talent pull in Asian action cinema, it's just not so heavily concentrated in one area anymore.

 

Surprised to see none of the John Wick movies listed in your Top 40, caught the latest action-packed chapter last night. Or are they not considered Martial Art's movies?. Hollywood certainly raised the bar in terms of Fight Choreogrpahy, in the post Raid(2011) year's.

[SamSeed]

I'd definitely have Avengement in the top 10, and I really enjoyed Master Z and Special ID, but then wouldn't this forum be a boring place if we all liked the same things! Spot on the rest of the list though!

[kingofkungfu2002]

No Rurouni Kenshin? 

[sym8]

Should havehad The John Wick films especially the third.Agreed with some but also not some,SPL2 sorry but for me that was a wire mess that missed an opportunity

[One Armed Boxer]

14 hours ago, DragonClaws said:

Surprised to see none of the John Wick movies listed in your Top 40, caught the latest action-packed chapter last night. Or are they not considered Martial Art's movies?

6 hours ago, sym8 said:

Should havehad The John Wick films especially the third.Agreed with some but also not some,SPL2 sorry but for me that was a wire mess that missed an opportunity

I actually toiled with this one for a while, but in the end - no - I don't think that (a) the John Wick movies are martial arts movies, and (b) even if someone was to argue that they where, I still wouldn't put them on the list.

They're action movies that contain martial arts and martial arts actors (at least the 3rd one is), but I wouldn't call them pure martial arts movies, and I tried to stick as closely to that mantra as possible with the list.  Not movies that you check out for just the action, but specifically the martial arts, and watching Keanu Reeves intermittently Judo throw people didn't cut the criteria.

I also kept to the trail of thought that, if I wanted to get someone into martial arts cinema, what would be the movies that I showed them that are a good representation of the genre, and would make them want to watch more.  I'm a big fan of the John Wick franchise, although I do find them slightly overrated, and they wouldn't be movies I'd use to introduce someone new to MA flicks.  Each instalment has an outstanding action scene, in the 3rd it was the antiques shop knife battle with Roger Yuen and his cronies, but none of them are consistently excellent from start to finish.

On 1/1/2020 at 9:38 AM, massa_yoda said:

Though I’ll give em props for recognizing Bad Blood.  Not a popular (or much discussed) film, but it’s freaking fantastic.  And I don’t care what anyone says, I could watch Andy On make coffee all day...

I respect this statement. Dennis Law is the master of filming the mundane, under the illusion that audiences will think it’s interesting. He reached new peaks with 2013’s  ‘The Constable’.

[AlbertV]

Pretty solid list I'd say myself. although I did enjoy Master Z and The Kick. I would have put the Rurouni Kenshin trilogy on the list, or at least the two-part Kyoto Inferno/The Legend Ends. Good job though😀

[Killer Meteor]

I'm rather alarmed I've seen not one of these films!

[One Armed Boxer]

1 hour ago, Killer Meteor said:

I'm rather alarmed I've seen not one of these films!

From neither the ‘best of’ or ‘worst of’ sides of the list!?

[Killer Meteor]

Both! I'm rather behind, been watching too many 70s Bruceploitation flicks instead!

[DragonClaws]

 

I got Master Z Ip Man Legacy as a gift over the Festive season, it's listed in the Top Ten worst, ouch. Still have this one to watch.

 

Should the The Foreigner(2017) be on the list?, with Jackie Chan was his best in decades. It may have been lighter on action but still a Martial Arts movie, even if its cant compete with other titles in temrs spectacle and the frequnecy off it.

 

 

On 1/2/2020 at 5:28 AM, One Armed Boxer said:

I actually toiled with this one for a while, but in the end - no - I don't think that (a) the John Wick movies are martial arts movies, and (b) even if someone was to argue that they where, I still wouldn't put them on the list. 

 

I would have knocked The Raid 2 off the list and put John Wick 2 or 3 in there. Or maybe The Mechnaic(2016), which featured some great Martial Arts fights. American produced ones yes, but just as worthy of high-lighting. I'm still split about which John Wick flick I prefer?. I enjoyed the sequel more than Part 3, but maybe I'll change my mind when I re-visit the series.

 

[One Armed Boxer]

On 1/3/2020 at 10:11 AM, Killer Meteor said:

Both! I'm rather behind, been watching too many 70s Bruceploitation flicks instead!

That is the correct answer! 

1 hour ago, DragonClaws said:

I got Master Z Ip Man Legacy as a gift over the Festive season, it's listed in the Top Ten worst, ouch. Still have this one to watch.

Like any list, mine is just representative of my own opinion, and 'Master Z' has plenty of fans.  Hope you enjoy it, and look forward to hearing your thoughts!

1 hour ago, DragonClaws said:

Foreigner(2017) be on the list?, with Jackie Chan was his best in decades. It may have been lighter on action but still a Martial Arts movie, even if its cant compete with other titles in temrs spectacle and the frequnecy off it.

‘The Foreigner’ was one of the one’s I toiled with, but in the end I consider it more of a political thriller with action than a martial arts flick. With that being said, the Chinese cut of the movie could well be argued to belong on the list, particularly with the different cut of the forest fight against Rory Fleck Byrne.

[Iron_Leopard]

I thought everyone hated The Lost Bladesman?

[One Armed Boxer]

On 5/2/2021 at 9:25 AM, Iron_Leopard said:

I thought everyone hated The Lost Bladesman?

Not everyone -

 

[DiP]

Ah yes... The good old days of being active 

[One Armed Boxer]

20 minutes ago, DiP said:

Ah yes... The good old days of being active 

We look forward to Donnie Yen announcing a new movie to herald the return of @DiP.

[DiP]

Then await my mini and thorough review of Raging Fire later this year