The Best Female-Centric Martial Arts Movies

[DeathShrike]

I am ALWAYS looking for good female centric action movies. What are the ones you like? Here are some of my favorites:

Iron Angels

Wing Chun

Azumi 1 & 2

Lady Snowblood

Hapkido

She Shoots Straight

Outlaw Brothers

Princess Blade

Come Drink With Me

My Young Auntie

The Lady Assassin

So Close

I've seen tons, but I'd love to hear suggestions from you guys! What should I check out?

[Morgoth Bauglir]

Chocolate!

Also Undaunted Wudang, The Woman Avenger, Iron Swallow and Kickboxer's Tears to name a few.

[Cesare]

Stranger from Shaolin and 8 Strikes of the Wildcat were not bad...

[blue_skies]

off the top of my head...

Police story 3 Super cop

royal warriors

Police assassins

Naked weapon - I'm sorry but I love that movie... Probably the only person who does.

Chocolate

Princess Blade

Lady Snow blood

The heroic Trio

I'd recommend doing a search of this forum since there's a thread about girls with guns movies featuring plenty of suggestions that I am personally now trying out some of them.

[TibetanWhiteCrane]

Book Of Heroes

In the line of duty 3- force of the dragon

Inspector Wears Skirts

Inspector Wears Skirts 2

Killer Angels

Blonde Fury

Burning Ambition

Princess Madam

Devil Hunters

Angel 2

Final Run

Fatal Termination

Licence to steal

A Punch To Revenge

In the line of duty 4- witness

In the line of duty 5- the middle man

Dreaming The Reality

The Godfather’s Daughters Mafia Blues

Queen’s High

Seawolves

Forbidden Arsenal

Kickboxer’s Tears

Mission Of Justice

Beauty Investigator

Project S

Don't know if I would call them "the best" but they all have good female ass kicking action!

[DeathShrike]

Chocolate!

I can't believe I forgot Chocolate! Looks like we have a couple of Female MA movies coming out soon, with Karate Girl, I think it's called, and Coweb.

[Guest WuxiaFan]

Angela Mao:

Angry River

Broken Oath

Hapkido (my all time favorite Mao film)

When Taekwondo Strikes (my 2nd favorite Mao film)

The Himalayan

Lady Whirlwind

Two Great Cavaliers

The Tournament

Modern Films

A Touch of Zen

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (IMO, one of the greatest martial art films of all time)

Chocolate

Duelist (Korean)

Musa: The Warrior (Korean)

Shadowless Sword (Korean)

Ultraviolet (I know, but I loved this movie)

Kill Bill, Vol. 1 (uncut Japanese version, obviously)

Kill Bill, Vol. 2

Japanese

Azumi

Azumi 2

Blind Woman's Curse

Bohachi Bushido: Code Of The Forgotten Eight

Female Demon Ohyaku

Okatsu the Fugitive

Quick-Draw Okatsu

Lady Snowblood I: Blizzard from the Netherworld

Lady Snowblood II: Love Song of Vengeance

Sex & Fury

Female Yakuza Tale: Inquisition and Torture

Princess Blade

Wandering Ginza Butterfly (just released!)

Wandering Ginza Butterfly 2 - She-Cat Gambler (just released!)

Shaw Bros.

14 Amazons

Flying Dagger

Come Drink With Me

Golden Swallow

Heads For Sale

Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan

Lady Hermit

My Young Auntie

Martial Club

Raw Courage

Temple of the Red Lotus

Documentary

Top Fighter 2: Deadly China Dolls

[northern b]

Woman Avenger is a serious film!

Also worth a mention (they are not woman centric but feature some good fights with Women dropping shapes)

Snake Crane Secret

5 Super fighters

[DeathShrike]

Angry River

Broken Oath

When Taekwondo Strikes (my 2nd favorite Mao film)

The Himalayan

Lady Whirlwind

Two Great Cavaliers

The Tournament

Blind Woman's Curse

Bohachi Bushido: Code Of The Forgotten Eight

Female Demon Ohyaku

Okatsu the Fugitive

Quick-Draw Okatsu

Sex & Fury

Female Yakuza Tale: Inquisition and Torture

Princess Blade

Wandering Ginza Butterfly (just released!)

Wandering Ginza Butterfly 2 - She-Cat Gambler (just released!)

Flying Dagger

Heads For Sale

Raw Courage

Temple of the Red Lotus

I'm gonna try to check all of these out! Thanks a lot!

[blue_skies]

I think it's called, and Coweb.

I'm really looking forward to this one!

I've got these films to look forward to...

In the line of duty 3- force of the dragon

In the line of duty 5- the middle man

Beauty Investigator

Kickboxer’s Tears - must email since it hasn't arrived!

Outlaw Brothers

[Guest Yi-Long]

I can't believe I forgot Chocolate! Looks like we have a couple of Female MA movies coming out soon, with Karate Girl, I think it's called, and Coweb.

Don't you mean High Kick Girl!?

Love Fight also looks nice.

I'd love to see more great movies starring female martial artists.

[DeathShrike]

Don't you mean High Kick Girl!?

Yes I did. I am stupid.

[blue_skies]

Don't you mean High Kick Girl!?

Love Fight also looks nice.

I'd love to see more great movies starring female martial artists.

love fight - I have never heard of it can you tell me more?

I would also love to see more great movies starring female martial artists but I would also love to see more quality martial-arts films than are currently being made per year. Unfortunately the pickings are rather slim.

[Guest Yi-Long]

love fight - I have never heard of it can you tell me more?

I would also love to see more great movies starring female martial artists but I would also love to see more quality martial-arts films than are currently being made per year. Unfortunately the pickings are rather slim.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afDbfK1q6Ak

Trailer for Love Fight.

And about more quality martial arts movies coming out: it seems a new period where those movies are popular come about every 12 years orso. Right now, we see that it's increasing a bit again, which is good news.

[peringaten]

I got a thing for Pearl Cheung. She's always fun.

[odioustrident]

Mighty Gambler deserves mention, as well as Heroic Fight. I don't want to start controversy, but I'm really starting to think Lam Siu-Lau (Heroic Fight, Child of Peach series) is the best female screen fighter in HK/Taiwanese film. Then again, she might be doubled for everything good I can't remember. I have a similar question about doubling for Yukari Oshima in Book of Heroes.

Also, has anyone seen Spy Ring Kokuryukai AKA Lady Karate? I'm curious as to how it is.

Don't forget Dragon Princess!

[Coliseum1972]

I'm gonna check out Seven to One some day.......

[DeathShrike]

Despite my dislike for the original, I enjoyed Angel Terminators II quite a bit. Some great Yukari Oshima/Moon Lee/Sibelle Hu beatdowns in it. Good by New Wave Girls With Guns standards, if nothing else.

[The Dragon]

How about Sue Shiomi's films?

[wrewdedededewdedewdedwed]

I can only think of

1. Chocolate
   
2. Azumi
   
3. Kill Bill
   

[sonnychibaidol]

I believe that the best female leads for action have always been the following: Yukari Oshima, Sibelle Hu, Michiko Nishiwaki, Cynthia Khan, Cynthia Rothrock, Mimi Lesseos and also Kelly Hu. They are extremely beautiful women and also skilled in their abilities.

[AlbertV]

I wished she would have had the chance to lead an action film, but I did like Michelle "Mouse" Krasnoo. She did pretty well in Kickboxer 4 and a small fight in Death Match.

Fight Night looks like a female-centric version of Fighting.

I also think these females need to get a lead role in a MA flick: Nikki Berwick (The Medallion, Angelina Jolie's double in the Tomb Raider films), Kessarin Ekwatakul (Born to Fight, Som Tum), Stephanie Cheeva (The Ultimate Game)

[Guest WuxiaFan]

Chocolate!

Also Undaunted Wudang, The Woman Avenger, Iron Swallow and Kickboxer's Tears to name a few.

Woman Avenger is a serious film!

Also worth a mention (they are not woman centric but feature some good fights with Women dropping shapes)

Snake Crane Secret

5 Super fighters

Just watched WOMAN AVENGER over the weekend--awesome! awesome! awesome!

[yuen13]

I believe that the best female leads for action have always been the following: Yukari Oshima, Sibelle Hu, Michiko Nishiwaki, Cynthia Khan, Cynthia Rothrock, Mimi Lesseos and also Kelly Hu. They are extremely beautiful women and also skilled in their abilities.

you forgot the most beautiful and most skilled female fighter in movies: MOON LEE! XD

[Guest WuxiaFan]

I definitely want to check out Woman Avenger and Chocolate. I've been seeing mixed reviews on Chocolate, some saying it's really great, and some saying that Yanin looks a little awkward and has a hard time with the demanding choreography. From the trailer it's hard to see any of that, she looks really fabulous, even though she does seem to get jacked up in the stunts. But I was wondering some thoughts from someone that has seen the film.

Also, I just saw Fight Night as it came out on DVD last week. She's a boxer and fights in underground prizefighting matches, and the movie balances the fighting with drama more in the Million Dollar Baby sense. Actually a pretty enjoyable movie. Rebecca Neuenswander does a good job in the film as an actress, and I read that she's a TKD champ so she does well with the boxing scenes, whether or not you think it's believable to see her beating down men twice her size. Definitely worth watching.

Check out the CHOCOLATE thread on page 2 of Modern Martial Arts Cinema. Everything you would want to know about the film, and then some, is in there. Also, read Mark Pollard's review of the film on the main site:

http://www.kungfucinema.com/review-chocolate-2008-5408