Top 10 Martial Arts Movies of All Time

Martial arts makes for great movies. Here is a list of some of the greatest martial arts movies of all time. Some made the list because of the martial arts pioneers that star in them, while others are there for memorable quotes and scenes. If you haven't seen some of these films, check 'em out. (Kids should check with their parents first!)

This list is by no means complete, so feel free to add your suggestions in the comments.


Wouldn't it be great to plug in the back of your head, flutter your eyes and say, "I know Kung Fu." I mean, without all the robots farming you for food.

Best Scene: After "learning" Kung Fu, Neo spars with Morpheus to test out his new skills. Just when Neo seems to be doing well, Morpheus schools him. Kind of like sparring Mr. Synowicz.



Danny LaRusso has to deal with bullies. He meets a janitor. The janitor makes him wash cars, sand a deck and paint a fence. Danny enters Karate tournament and hurts his leg. The janitor rubs his hands together to heal the leg. Danny wins tournament with a pumping front kick. No can defend Crane kick.

Best quote: "Sweep the leg!"



A moving and inspiring story of redemption and personal triumph in the face of great odds, Jet Li's Fearless is the based-on-facts story of Chinese folk hero Huo Yuanjia (Jet Li). The son of a martial-arts master whose greatest strength was his restraint, Huo grows into an unbeatable fighter whose pride and thoughtlessness lead to a chain of tragic losses.

Best haircut: How cool is that "bald but with a pony tail" look?


This film features Chuck Norris AND David Carradine in a fight to the death at the end. It's the martial arts version of Michael Jordan versus Larry Bird in those McDonald's commercials.

Best Quote: "My kind of trouble doesn't take vacations."




Arguably the best martial arts movie of all time. Bruce Lee brought martial arts to the forefront of American culture in the 60s and 70s, not to mention his impact on the whole martial arts community world wide.

Best scene: At the end of the movie, Bruce Lee fights the bad guy in a room full of mirrors. Rather than figuring out the difference between the bad guy and the mirrors, he just breaks every mirror with a side kick.


With a slight resemblance to Bruce Lee, the star of the film gets into all kinds of trouble in case after case of mistaken identity. The movie is not very well made and the jokes are hokey, but it's pretty darn funny anyway.

Best Quote:
Anita, "You must know Kung Fu."
Bruce, "Yes. I stepped in some yesterday."


The Bourne trilogy is super cool for many reasons, but the martial arts scenes are incredible. Part of the reason the fight scenes are so awesome for us is that the primary martial art used in the films is Filipino Kali, a close relative of our style of Eskrima.

Best Scene: Any scene where two or more guys are stupid enough to mess with Jason Bourne.


A supposedly true story about Frank Dux, a US soldier and martial artist, who fights in an underground tournament in Hong Kong. While the plot is goofy and Van Damme has a Belgian accent, the tournament scenes are fantastic.

Best Quote: "Very good, but brick not hit back."




Five guys tryout and qualify for the US National Karate Team, which will compete against Korea in a tournament. The team is coached by none other than James Earl Jones. Phillip and Simon Rhee (brothers in real life) are the chief rivalry in the movie and both are INCREDIBLE. Oddly, among the cast of American actors, not one of them is actually a martial artist.

Best Quote: "You shouldn't block with your face."


Steven Seagal's first movie and easily the best of the bunch. This film was America's first real look at Aikido and Seagal's fight scenes are smooth as silk. The best part is that this movie was filmed before Seagal became a chubby wannabe New Orleans cop.

Best Scene: Trying to get information about a local criminal, Nico is approached by a giant guy looking for trouble. Nico takes him out with a single punch to the big dude's solar plexus.


Two words....Patrick Swayze.

Dalton's words to live by:
"All you have to do is follow three simple rules. One, never underestimate your opponent. Expect the unexpected. Two, take it outside. Never start anything inside the bar unless it's absolutely necessary. And three, be nice."