Top 6 Martial Arts Movie Fights of All Time: The KbJ Fans’ Edition

Kung fu movies.

Taste the phrase.

We all have our favorite one. And we all have our favorite hero. From Bruce Lee to Jet Li, to Jackie Chan to Sammo Hung; kung-fu fighting has never looked cooler than on the big screen – especially when you know that most old-school stunts are done without Hollywood computer animation or even stuntmen (Jackie Chan is of course well-known, and scarred, for this admirable fact).

Traditional martial arts movies, of which kung-fu movies hold the top spot, appeal to us because we can connect to them in a whole other way than, say, The Matrix or any other random flashy Hollywood action movie of today.

They’re… more genuine.

Somehow.

And, correct me if I’m wrong here guys, but I certainly don’t think it would be an understatement if I wrote that many of us certified Karate Nerds™ probably started out practising the martial arts precisely because of kung-fu movies?

As kids we were easily enchanted by the classical storyline: poor/frail/lonely boy gets bullied, proceeds to meet secretive martial arts master with weird moustache, proves himself through various strenuous tasks, to finally get accepted for one-on-one tutoring in the long lost art of kicking ass through the use of such exotic moves as various ‘animal forms’ (crane, tiger, dragon fist etc.) and hidden death/K.O. points.

Or something like that.

In any case, the coolest part of most martial arts movies is, obviously, the fight(s). Sure, cheesy monologue and awkward dubbing (not to mention the classical hairy mole) has its place (it certainly is memorable), but it is always those special fight moments that you talk about the morning after with the other kids at school. At least that was always the case around my hood.

So, to sort of commemorate those happy ol’ days (I’m talking before you had to grow up and start waching the 6 o’clock news instead of awesome kung-fu movies), last Tuesday I asked you, my dear readers, on the official KbJ community Facebook page, what YOUR all-time favorite must-see movie fight scene was.

Personally, I posted this one (from Fist of Legend with Jet Li):

(See all those nasty, gritty, dirty Karate bunkai in there? Juji uke [cross block] á la Heian/Pinan Godan or Gankaku/Chinto at 2:00 btw!)

And the replies came faster than I could ever have expected!

Which was awesome, of course.

So without further ado, here are, as recommended by the super knowledgeable KbJ Facebook fan page movie connoisseurs, some of the best martial arts fight scenes ever to hit the big screen:

1. Legend of the Wolf (1997) – Donnie Yen vs. Mak Wai Cheung

Donnie Yen is one hell of a guy (he’s also in Iron Monkey, my #1 favorite movie actually) who kicks and punches faster than most. I love the old-school sound effects!

2. Ong Bak (2003) – Tony Jaa vs. Poor Bad Guys

This fight scene became legendary when it first came. Why? It’s just one scene. ONE! I remember people talking about it everywhere!

3. Fist of Fury (1972) – Bruce Lee vs. Japanese Evil Dojo

Bruce Lee kicking ass. This fight was part of the reason the nunchaku (numb-chucks) became banned in most countries. This scene is famous.

4. First Strike (1996) – Jackie Chan vs. Gang of Thugs (feat. Ladder)

Jackie Chan’s unparallelled choreography shines through, as always. And who said a ladder can’t be used as a weapon? Epic.

5. Wheels on Meals (1984) – Jackie Chan vs Benny ‘The Jet’ Urquidez

At 1:16, Jackie Chan squares off with former world kickboxing champion Benny ‘The Jet’ Urquidez! Good stuff.

____

And lastly… a bonus. The training from The Drunken Master (1978) with Jackie Chan – a really classic movie that I must have seen a hundred times!

Now, obviously there’s tons of more awesome fight scenes from many movies. Like I said, these were just some suggested at the KbJ Facebook page a few days back. What I really want to know, of course, is:

What’s YOUR favorite martial arts movie fight?

(and no, Kung-Fu Panda isn’t allowed!)

Share in the comments!

36 Comments

  • LOL, i totally agree with the part: "... many of us certified Karate Nerds™ probably started out practising the martial arts precisely because of kung-fu movies..." I would add: "... and because of martial arts videogames!!!" Street fighter, Tekken and so on... :-)
    • I pre-date a lot of the folks here. My interest in martial arts was sparked by the BBC show The Avengers. Diana Rigg as Emma Peel, in a leather catsuit, kicking ass with "kung fu" moves. What's not to love?
      • Haha, love it! :)
  • Diego Romero
    i got shown this one earlier today: httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOJdARdPO2I
    • Diego-san, admit it: It's only because you look like him! (btw, that end was nasty!) :)
      • Diego Romero
        i have more hair.
  • Frik
    The first kung fu movie I can remember watching was "Bruce Lee Fights Back from the Grave". Yeah, a rip off of the Lee name, I know, but it got me into the dojo for the first time at the age of 9. My dad was a huge Chuck Norris fan and movies like "Good Guys Wear Black" and "Slaughter in San Francisco" were part of my early childhood memories. as for my own favorite fight scene: too many to choose from! However, the final fight scene in Fist of Legend is awesome! Especially as mentioned by Jesse-san because of the many karate bunkai that can be seen in it. (Notice the move from Passai-Sho?) Enjoy the movies guys!
  • Anthorien
    httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzH1nn1LUDw I enjoy the fight scenes from this movie.
    • Ken
      Fighter in the wind!!!! httpv://youtu.be/RL59Hrk4OKU awesome karate mountain training lol
  • By the way, everyone: make sure you write "httpv://www..." in the url (just add that "v" after http) to make your youtube videos be seen!
  • Mitja
    httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=do92IxiJlGI Almost 10 minutes of pure "fun".
  • MARK
    where is donnie in ip man, the fight against ten karate guys is epic
    • Yup, it is epic indeed. However, the movie company seems to be flagging the clips on Youtube... so they get removed!
    • Gerry
      I agree, that may be my favorite fight scene ever.
  • effort
    jackie chan vs "superfoot" in the protector!
  • Raddon
    httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxkr4wS7XqY Nuff said :)
    • OMG this is terrible... looks like a splatter movie!!!
  • Vincent
    WTF ?? how is it even possible that nobody talked about the best jackie chan movie ever?? DRUNKEN MASTER 2 ! You can't talk about martial arts movie without naming this one for funakoshi's sake... Check this pure peace of chan's genius
  • Vincent
    Damn, I can't put da vid in the comment...so here's the link httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6o9p8yXjr0
  • Tommy
    Not sure what my favourite scene ever is, but I thoroughly enjoyed the kick at precisely 5:30 in the Wheels on Meals clip above :)
  • Szilard
    Hmmm, no High kick girl? (The movie that is more than 50% slow motion replay) No Steven Seagal either?
    • That was a joke... right? In that case, here it is! httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXx3_ykUpfY
      • Szilard
        Yep, and here is an other one: httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ufss5ot_vGE
  • arian
    Picking even a handful of favorites is really hard. But one that is at the top of my list that has been easily forgotten or unnoticed, is the fight between Benny "The Jet" and John Cusack in Gross Pointe Blank. It does an excellent job of blending cinematic fighting with the gritty reality of physical struggle. httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0ScNLt2zNc
  • AlexDesmo
    I love Donnie Yen's movies. This one is my favorite from Flash Point.
    • AlexDesmo
      httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buITXcldEcY
  • Some of the best Kung-fu films I have ever seen are: Enter the Dragon The Way of the Dragon Fist of Fury (Bruce lee version) Fist of Fury (Jet Li version) Drunken Master (Jackie Chan & Hwang Jang Lee) Snake in the Eagle's Shadow (Uncut version) Super Power (Billy Chong) Martial Club (Gordon Liu) Master Killer (Gordon Liu) Chinese Gold (rear film hard to find) Unbeatable Dragons (Shaw Brothers) Challenge of the Masters (Gordin Liu) And I can go on but that's it for now....
  • Kevin
    httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPSNhAIwJv4&feature=related I am a big fan of "Dragon's Claws" (Joseph Kuo director) I always like the kung fu movies with cool training scenes in them just as much as the fight scenes.
  • Kevin
    Also, the movie "Ghost Face Killer". Even inspired the group Wu Tang Clan. httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RrRLw1yPm8
  • Kevin
    Sorry, the last movie title should have been "Mystery of Chessboxing", NOT Ghost face killer...that was the main villian's name.
  • Gerry
    Jesse, I think you need another post regarding the most realistic fight scenes. My vote would go to one of the "Bourne" movie fight scenes, but I'm not sure which.
  • ILoveShitoRyu
    How could you guys leave out the rooftop fight to the death in "Revenge of the Ninja"??? That is my all time favorite. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VM8EQGv6ok
  • Rikuto
    All of these fights are brilliant, and I've seen all of them before <3 But as to my favorite...It's a tossup between Bruce Lee's fight with Han in Enter the Dragon, and his fight with Chuck Norris in Way of the Dragon. I might lean a bit more toward the latter because of the respect he shows Colt (Norris' character) after killing him. It was a powerful scene for me.
    • Rikuto
      Looks like the video didn't embed for some reason...so here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtZNvK3fTlM
  • Graziela
    My favourite fight is the second fight against the Japanese from Fist of Fury. The part where the Katana flew in the air, Bruce Lee pulled the sensei down and the Katana landed in the Sensei's back somehow stuck to my mind
  • Nobody mentioned "Kill or Be Killed" - Stan Schmidt and a host of famous Shotokan alumni!

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