Full disclaimer here: any list of Kung Fu films easily falls short due to the richness of the genre. It’s staggering just how diverse it is now. Long gone are the days when it’s all just chop-socky, long-hair, slick Asian dudes who could make you bleed by flexing a finger into your sternum. But all you cared about are the dubbed lines, right? Something about their lips not matching up with the words… It just made you feel at home!
To be fair, though, given the diversity, this list will single out the golden gems some of us might’ve forgotten. We can’t, however, discount the power of the greats, such as Bruce Lee, Tony Jaa, and even Keanu Reeves as standouts. But more importantly, we’re zeroing in on the elaborate and hard-hitting style a lot of these Kung Fu films have. We could be sitting on that couch, eating Doritos, and we still get a workout from watching any of these!
Check Out These 7 Kung Fu Films Right Now
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Ip Man
Speaking of Bruce Lee, guess who trained him: Ip Man. A master of the Wushu arts, a historical figure. And that’s the big draw of a film that spawned a whole slew of kicks and spins on the silver screen. Not to mention Donnie Yen blew it out of the water with a portrayal for the ages.
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The Raid: Redemption
Funny thing to mention: sometimes guns, explosions, and insanity play well with Kung Fu films if done right, and this strange splatterpunk masterpiece of a film not only lit the screen up with footwork and strikes like lightning a la “The Matrix” — but was unabashed with the blood, guts and gore. And the sequel hit just as hard, too!
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Hero
We can’t have a list on here without the prolific Jet Lee. But more importantly, not only is this little gem a callback to historical context of the ancient Land of the Rising Sun, it’s a love letter to how well Kung Fu marries with visual artistry. And, of course, this isn’t the only one! The film Kill Bill paid homage to it, of course Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon also rocked it. And Hero simply brought it all home.
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Kung Fu Hustle
Speaking of artistry, ever noticed just how similar the martial arts are to something like dancing? It’s no coincidence, really. After all, it is called the “martial arts” for a reason. Kung Fu Hustle is one of those Kung Fu films that manages to make it like a musical, injecting the stuff we love about leg sweeps and roundhouse kicks.
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Drunken Master 2
While the first Drunken Master made history, the sequel we’re referring to here was a revolution. And, of course, you get Jackie Chan. The most notable thing about this one, out of all Kung Fu films, is we get our healthy spattering of humor — of which Chan’s the most well known for. What’s funnier than a Kung Fu master who’s drunk, right?
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Big Trouble in Little China
Even Kung Fu films enjoy a good dose of fantasy. It’s true. You know, the whole sword and sorcery stuff, maybe a few dragons or demons or whatever? This is the case for one of the campiest, fun-loving, tongue-and-cheek Kung Fu films of all time. And while Kurt Russell didn’t do a whole lot of axe kicks, we sure saw a lot of them! Plus you can’t tell me watching the Three Storms do their thing wasn’t cool.
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The Last Dragon
I’ll be honest here with this one: this is not some blaxploitation thing going on. As a matter of fact, when you think about some other films out there, the African-American community truly digs the martial arts! That’s where The Last Dragon came in, not only as an homage to Bruce Lee himself, but with a fight scene that was all about the colors, the soundtrack, the fire and burning love, baby!
You Can Already Tell, Though: These Kung Fu Films Hardly Scratch the Surface
But they certainly open the door to what’s awesome about martial arts from a visual standpoint. Some might even think that martial arts isn’t necessarily about self-defense or just plain fight club stuff. At its core, it’s a discipline. It centers you. It gives you peace. It’s remarkably awe-inspiring to watch.
And Best of All, It’s Just Plain Fun!
What do you think, guys? Do we have a good round list here? Let us know in the comments below on some other golden nuggets to include. There are some honorable mentions, too, such as Shaolin Soccer, The Karate Kid, and even Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Martial arts — in particular, Kung Fu — is everywhere. That’s why Kung Fu films are so much fun. And as the great Jackie Chan once said in a certain remake about a kid who needed to learn how to kick ass:
“Everything…. Is Kung Fu!”
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