The Best Martial Arts Movies: China

We’re finally here.  This is where it all begins in the martial arts world.  The People’s Republic of China has a rich and diverse culture dating back to over 5,000 years.  The size of China’s Empire rivaled that of Rome.  With an epic and detailed history featuring some of the most amazing people in history including Confucius and Sun Tzu.  Over the centuries, China has developed hundreds of various fighting styles that have become collectively known as Kung Fu.  China’s influence in terms of martial arts and philosophy has spanned the entire world, with even Japan being influenced by the likes of Confucius.  With amazing styles like Bajiquan, Choi Li Fut, Hung Ga, and Wing Chun, China has become the center for all things martial arts-related.  In terms of movies, there aren’t many countries out there that do movies the way that Hong Kong does.  I’ve mentioned him before, but Bruce Lee has helped bring attention to not only the martial arts, but to Chinese culture as well.  Because of Lee’s influence, we began to really see the martial arts genre take off in China.  One of the most famous movie production companies in China, the Shaw Bros., we saw a lot of Kung Fu movies between 1965 and 1980.  China is also home to some of the most memorable martial arts actors in the world, including Sammo Hung, Donnie Yen, Jet Li, Jackie Chan, Louis Fan, and Vincent Zhao.  The martial arts film has evolved over the years to include amazing stunt-work, fight choreography and phenomenal story-telling.  For China, I will be doing multiple posts, because there are a TON of Kung Fu movies that I really love.  The real question:  Where do I begin?  This is The Best Martial Arts Movies: China Part 1.

Millionaire’s Express

 

Released in the States as Shanghai Express, the film is one of the more unique Kung Fu films of the 80s.  Why?  Because it crams so many different genres into one movie.  We have a Kung Fu movie, a comedy, an action flick and a Western all rolled into one glorious package.  Featuring the talents of Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao, Cynthia Rothrock, and Richard Norton, Millionaire’s Express is one that you have to see to believe.  The fight scenes, and the stunts are all top-notch.  The movie is also LOADED with some pretty laugh-out-loud moments.  It’s one of those movies that just incredible fun to watch.  I tell you, Sammo Hung can seriously move, despite his size.

Police Story

When it comes to stunt-work and comedy, few can do it as well as Jackie Chan.  Police Story, which is the first of many, features some of the most intense and insane action sequences put on screen.  Jackie Chan has made an entire career of putting his body through the grinder for our entertainment.  He’s pretty much broken every bone in his body more than once.  Yet, his entire effort in a lot of his movies from 1980 to 1999, are simply fantastic.  Police Story features one of the most brutal stunts that Jackie Chan has ever pulled off in his entire career, and it almost killed him.  While the sequel would certainly top this one as far as explosions and stunts go, the original Police Story remains one of the most amazing movies to come out of Hong Kong.

The 36th Chamber of Shaolin

Speaking of the Shaw Bros., 1978’s 36th Chamber of Shaolin is one of the most interesting, because it features Gordon Liu in one of his earlier and memorable roles.  He plays a student who ends up on the run from the Manchurian government.  He ends up at a Shaolin temple where he begins his martial arts training in order to take revenge on the government that murdered his friends and family.  While the choreography may seem dated by today’s standards, the fights in The 36th Chamber of Shaolin are really good for their time.  The film is highly regarded as one of the greatest Kung Fu movies ever made.

Once Upon A Time In China 2

While Jet Li isn’t the first actor to portray the legendary Wong Fei-Hung, his portrayals of the folk hero are some of the most memorable.  The Once Upon A Time In China series are some of the best modern Kung Fu movies and helped Jet Li really establish a presence as a martial arts actor.  The fights were choreographed by Yuen Woo-Ping, the man behind The Matrix fight scenes.  Once Upon A Time In China 2 is awesome on a number of levels.  This fight scene with the White Lotus priest is pretty good.  But this movie is the first time that Jet Li and Donnie Yen would go toe-to-toe and that is one of the best fights I’ve ever seen.

Ip Man

As far modern martial arts films go, Ip Man is considered to be one of the best.  Featuring Donnie Yen in one of his most memorable roles as the man who taught Wing Chun to Bruce Lee, Ip Man(pronounced Yip Man)is loosely based on the life of the legendary Wing Chun Grandmaster.  Featuring stellar performances across the board, this film is actually what really got me into training in Wing Chun in the first place.  This fight scene with the ten black belts has become iconic, despite the film being released in 2008.  Because of Ip Man, Donnie Yen would become one of the most bankable stars in Hong Kong.  He’s not the only person to play Ip Man, but his performance is what people remember most.

Drunken Master II

Here’s another one with Jackie Chan.  While the guy is certainly known for his insane stunts, there is no doubt that he has some serious comedic chops as well.  Unlike most comedic actors, Jackie Chan uses his body to make people laugh.  This fight scene in Drunken Master II is a perfect example.  A lot of Jackie Chan’s physical comedy is greatly inspired by Buster Keaton in terms of self-deprecating humor.  He’s done it so well for so long, that people seem to forget that he is a great actor as well.

Fist Of Legend

When I said that Bruce Lee was very influential in not just the States, but China as well, I wasn’t kidding.  Fist Of Legend is Jet Li’s remake of Bruce Lee’s The Chinese Connection.  Which is the better film?  Ultimately, I can’t really decide.  They’re both really great films in their own right and both Bruce Lee and Jet Li did a fantastic job.  The fight choreography in Jet Li’s film is better, but that doesn’t mean that Bruce’s movie is any less spectacular.  Essentially, while the story is the same, the ending is different.  Fist Of Legend is definitely not one to miss.

I said in my introduction paragraph that China has a LOT of great martial arts movies, so it’s going to take a couple of more posts to get through them.  We have barely scratched the surface of what China has to offer, so stay tuned for further posts and I will bring you more fantastic fight scenes and films that you probably haven’t heard, but should take a look at.  This is Major Tom, signing off.

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