Kung Fu Movies Club

As a long time fan and practitioner of martial arts, my list of the top ten kung fu movies has changed over time. I guess we should first clarify the category. When I say kung fu movies, I mean movies that feature the Chinese martial art, kung fu (or perhaps more properly ‘Wushu’ – yes, look it up).

This doesn’t mean I’m not a fan of other martial art styles or films that feature other martial arts, it’s just that in my mind, a list of the top ten “Kung-Fu” movies really needs to be about kung fu, not karate, tae kwon do, jiu jistu or another fighting style. When I think of kung fu movies, my mind goes to the Hong Kong features that originally made the likes of Bruce Lee famous. To that end, a real Kung Fu movie needs to have been produced in Chinese. Whether the rest of the world views the film with an overdubbed soundtrack or subtitles, having the actors speak in their native tongue is a key part of the experience.

As to other components – wire work, weapons, spiritual aspects, etc., I’m not especially particular. I do insist however that a top kung fu movie include great choreography and good technique from the actors and stunt men cast for the film. Most of my top ten include a number of different kung fu styles, but they all exhibit the ‘art’ of martial combat. That is the incredible physical and mental challenge of proper form and technique – even if it is a choreographed fight in front of a camera.

So here we go. You will note that I am an unabashed Jet Li and Jackie Chan fan.  I make no apologies.  Our top 10 kung fu movies of all time are:   And the envelope please….

1. Drunken Master (and Drunken Master 2) – Jackie Chan really shines in an awesome display of martial technique.  Truthfully I prefer the sequel which Jackie made when he was nearly 40, but the first is a Kung Fu Theater classic.   If you haven’t yet stopped to appreciate Jackie’s amazing athletic ability, you will after watching these.  The fight sequences in 2 are amazing, especially the one that takes place under a railroad car.

2. Fearless – Jet Li stars as Chinese folk hero Huo Yuanjia in this great directed by Ronny Yu.  Jet is fantastic and the the fight scenes choreographed by Yuen Woo Ping are masterfully executed and worth repeated review.

3. Ip Man – Donnie Yen stars as Ip Man, the story of the real life Wing Chun Sifu who was Bruce Lee’s teacher.  This movie features some truly remarkable fight sequences and there are a lot of them.  Similar in theme to our #2 pick, this movie takes place in a more contemporary time.

4. Fist Of Fury - Bruce Lee’s best movie in my opinion so it deserves mention here.  If you haven’t seen this or don’t own it yet, you are doing yourself a disservice.  The man who brought HK kung fu films to popularity in the West, shines here on his own.  Directed by Lo Wei this 1972 kung fu great is an absolute classic.

5. The Prodigal Son – Admittedly some of the best Kung Fu choreography of all time.  Starring Yuen Biao and directed by the legendary Sammo Hung this movie gets a little slapstick at times, but the fights are terrific.

6. Fist of Legend – Another Jet Li great, technically a remake of a Bruce Lee classic, The Chinese Connection,  this one stands on its own.  Interesting tidbit -In this movie Jet plays Chen Zhen, a student of master Huo Yuanjia.  Yes, later in his career, Jet Li plays Master Huo Yuanjia in our #2 pick, Fearless.

7. Magnificent Butcher -  Here’s a nod to Sammo Hung with a movie that is classic Kung Fu cinema on so many levels.  Interesting use of animal styles and be on the look out for an amazing fight between Yuen Biao and Lam Ching Ying.

8. Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow – Another of Jackie Chan’s earlier works, this movie is pretty light hearted featuring Jackie’s comical side as well as his amazing martial art skill.  While shooting this Jackie was actually cut by one of the swords, but they kept it in and kept shooting.

9.  Legendary Weapons Of Kung Fu – We had to pick a few movies that were not all empty hand technique and this Shaw Bros. film is a good one to start with.  Directed by Liu Chia Liang it has some really original choreography and an amazing finale.

10. Eight Diagram Pole Fighter – Another great flick with no empty hand kung fu actually.  Sticks are flying in this elaborate Shaw Bros movie featuring Gordon Liu and the late Alexander Fu Sheng. The pole fight between Gordon Liu and Phillip Kao is not to be missed!

So that’s it.  Our current top ten.  Fortunately for all of us, these Kung Fu movie greats are widely available on DVD, most even on Blu-ray.  If you haven’t started a collection yet, this is a great place to begin.   If you have a top ten list of Kung Fu greats that you’d like to share with us, be sure to leave a comment below – but be polite please.  The language here must remain family friendly…..

There are a few additional favorites worth mentioning.  These films do not meet the criteria above for various reasons that will probably be obvious, but they are great martial arts flicks on many levels.

Kung Fu Panda – Yes, I know, it’s an animated film and a comedy, but if you have had any exposure to martial arts for any period of time, there’s a great deal to appreciate about this movie.  It’s very funny, it ‘gets’ martial arts, and it’s great entertainment for the whole family.   In case you don’t get all of the ‘inside’ humor, note the selection of martial artists selected for voice over roles, as well as the various animal characters and corresponding animal fighting styles.

Redbelt – This is actually a serious dramatic film starring Chiwetel Ejiofor that speaks to the martial arts on SO many levels.   Not technically a kung fu flick since the martial art featured here is Jiu Jitsu, but this David Mame film is a fantastic movie nonetheless.

Seven Samurai – Akira Kurosawa’s seminal masterpiece, this black and white classic has been ripped off and remade SO many times.  If you have not seen the original you owe it to yourself to do it right now.

Ong Bak 2 – Tony Jaa is the first Muy Thai artitst to pop into the spotlight, this is the best of the 3 Ong Bak films.  AMAZING fight sequences and incredible beat downs.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon – Directed by Ang Lee and starring Chow Yun-fat and Michelle Yeoh, it is probably one of the most beautiful cinematic martial arts films of all time.

Drive – Okay, this movie stars Mark Dacascos – yes the “Chairman” on the Food Network’s Iron Chef – but it is well worth watching and an unexpected delight.  This is not technically a kung fu flick, but it has some great moments that make it worth the mention.

Kung Fu Hustle – It is the nature of many Kung Fu move greats to be a bit campy.  With that in mind this movie takes it really far – almost to the point of cartoon action.  Nevertheless, this movie is well choreographed and features some really great fight sequences.  Give this Stephen Chow film a chance and I think you will really enjoy it.