Kung Fu movies

[roflmao]

I've been on a bit of a Kung Fu movie kick lately (no pun intended) and thought I'd post some of the ones I've found especially good.  These are all on Netflix, btw.  And they all have kind of a similar theme running through them, but I'd love to hear of some of your other favorite "must-see" kung fu flicks.

I should probably preface this by saying I've only really watched Jackie Chan films (most of which I love) and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon before my recent splurge, so these are probably old hat to most of you long timers.


Ip Man - Holy moly.  Freaking awesome.

Ip Man 2 - Still a great movie and I love seeing Sammo Hung in a non-Jackie Chan movie, but not quite as solid as the first one.  Reminded me a lot of the Rocky movies, but still really good. (I loved the Rocky movies - not trying to knock them here.  It's just they seem to be following the same formula.)

Jet Li's Fearless - This was the one that got me back into Kung Fu movies recently.  Great message, great acting, great choreography.

Shaolin - Another great film.  Made me wish Hollywood put out more films like this.  Pacing felt a little off (it was the only movie that took me two evenings to finish) but definitely worth watching all the way through.


All of these films had (imo) awesome fighting sequences and a great underlying message.

Anyone else have any recommendations on what to watch next?  Bonus points if they are on Netflix.

[Tatsujin]

I mainly watch old classic jackie chans/samo hung/yuen biao stuff, and some of the regular Bruce Lee movies

Newer martial arts stuff can be very good in terms of fighting and stunts, but lacks a lot in overall entertainment. f.e. Ong Bak -> uber great hardcore fighting stunt action nonstop, but very bad and bland actors and almost no movie left.

[roflmao]

I think that might have been one of the reasons I pretty much stopped watching Kung Fu movies after Crouching Tiger.  But most (if not all) of the ones I listed have been released within the past few years and they had moving storylines and good acting (imo), along with some boss fight scenes.  EDIT: It seems some kung fu films are taking what's good of Hollywood storytelling and integrating it with what's good with traditional kung fu filmmaking, and it's awesome.

I just finished watching Tai Chi Zero, and it's quite different from the previous movies I listed, but still interesting.  It really felt like Quentin Tarantino got together with my 5 yr old, hyperactive kid and made a steampunk / kung fu movie.  Visually and artistically (in a Natural Born Killers way) it was very impressive.  But it's not your typical Kung Fu movie.  I'll probably watch the sequel, Tai Chi Hero soon just to see how the story pans out.

[ParanoiaDragon]

Probably my favorite is Sword of the Serpent.  However, I don't know if there's a way to find it on DVD with the English dub if that's your cup of tea.  I have an old VHS where it has dubbing & subtitles.....& neither of them match!  If you want it on DVD(or maybe Netflix?), there might be a version that has subtitles called The Sword Stained with Royal Blood.  Whatever language it's in, it's great.  Very over the top in spots. 

Some that are considered classics are Master Killer/36 Chambers, 5 Deadly Venoms, Shaolin & Wu-Tang, Shaolin Drunken Monk,

Virtually any movie with Gordon Liu or Sam Seed(always plays an old drunk kung fu master) is great.  Shaw Bros. movies are usually hailed as being good to awesome.

Other ones I like are Chinese Super Ninja, Gorgeous(Jackie Chan, not a lot of fighting, but good none the less), First Strike, Operation Condor(there's a prequel, but I prefer this one), Ol' Dirty Kung Fu.  I'm mainly citing movies I own.  There's too many movies that I've seen over the years.

[xelement5x]

It's a comedy/action/fighting movie, but I really like Arahan and it's now on Netflix.

[SignOfZeta]

The best time for this stuff was from about 1986-1996...or around there. Now its mostly pop stars with CG instead of martial arts ability.

My favorites:

The Green Snake (didn't know about this until a few years ago. It is SO f*cking cool).

The Heroic Trio (stupid, but stupidly awesome as well).

The first three Once Upon a Time in China movies.

New Fist of Legend

Bodyguard from Beijing.

City on Fire

The Killer

A Better Tomorrow 1 and 2

Dual Heroes (aka: Tai Chi Master, basically a movie version of a huge fight from Dynasty Warriors)

Drunken Master II

Wing Chun

There are so many, seriously. I'm still finding stuff.

[Punch]

I'm not a big fan of Kung Fu movies, but I loved The 36th Chamber of Shaolin... It's a pretty good movie in my opinion!

[Xak]

If you like other martial arts I suggest ONG BAK 1 , and THE PROTECTOR (Tom-Yum-Goong)

Also the obvious best VanDam movies

1. Kickboxer
2. Bloodsport (inspiration to the Mortal Kombat 1 game)
3. LionHeart
4. The Quest

[roflmao]

Looks like I've got a lot of movies to watch!  Thanks for all the recommendations, everyone.  Keep 'em coming.

[soop]

True Legend (quite like Ip Man in some ways)
Chocolate
Half a loaf of kung fu
Shaolin Arts of Snake and Crane
Snake in the Eagles Shadow
Drunken Master
36 Chambers (as mentioned)
The Prodigal Son
Kung Fu Hustle (a very good bit with a harp)
Police Story 1 and 2 (especially 2)
ummm.. Quite liked all 3 Ong Bak movies
Ip Man 3 is out
The Raid

That's a nice mixed bag.  Some of the old ones are a little slapstick, especially the Jackie Chan ones, but some good martial arts.

I'd be hard tasked to pick out my top 3 from that list, but my current favorite is probably True Legend.

[Xak]

Throwing this one out there, a cult classic called No Retreat No Surrender. Only the first one is good dont watch the sequels.

Also

King of the Kickboxers is and 80s movie where Capcom ripped off DeeJay

[majors]

Where is nectarsis?! He is all about some chop-socky.

If you can find it, Ninja Wars is a hidden gem. Looking over the other comments and they all seem to tops.

[_joshuaTurbo]

While not exactly the type of kung fu you may be looking for- Big Man Japan is a film that follows the trials and times of a giant monster fighting super hero in documentary style.  The final fight scene is the absolute finest choreographed scene I have ever witnessed.



honest.

[roflmao]

I just finished watching The Heroic Trio (it's on Netflix) and it was awesome! 

It felt a little bit like Evil Dead, Plan 9 from Outer Space and Kung Pow, yet was still definitely doing it's own thing.  So cheesy it had to be deliberate.

Thanks, Zeta.

[Xak]

also

CYBORG (1989)
REVENGE OF THE NINJA (1984)