There are many great martial arts films that blend a variety of different martial arts fighting styles into their fight scenes. The art of fight choreography is one of the most complex elements of filmmaking. Actors, stunt performers, and fight choreographers craft fight scenes like dance sequences, with each move planned and blocked to tell a harmonious story of combat. Martial arts films draw from real life disciplines of combat in order to deliver the most spectacular action possible.
Here are 10 great martial arts movies that utilize many different fighting styles in their fight sequences.
9. Man of Tai Chi (2013)
Keanu Reeves jumped into the director’s chair with 2013’s Man of Tai Chi, focusing on Tiger Chen (played by Tiger Chen) competing in a Hong Kong fight club to save his Tai Chi temple. Tiger faces exponents of Shaolin kung fu, Tae Kwon Do, wrestling, MMA, and silat in amazing fight scenes orchestrated by the legendary Yuen Woo-ping. Though Chen’s short fight with The Raid’s Iko Uwais leaves much to be desired, Man of Tai Chi is both a loving showcase of Tai Chi and a solid blend of martial arts under Reeves’s strong freshman outing as director (and rare villain role as the fight club’s sinister owner, Donaka Mark.)RELATED:
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8. Tom Yum Goong (2005)
Released in the West by such titles as The Protector and Warrior King, Tom Yum Goong is Tony Jaa’s follow-up to his 2003 break-out Ong Bak: Muay Thai Warrior, and goes even crazier with its fight choreography. Jaa’s protagonist Kham is an exponent of a grappling-oriented variant of Muay Thai created for the movie, known as “Muay Kotchasaan”. Additionally, Tom Yum Goong’s cast of martial artists also includes Lateef Crowder do Santos, Jon Foo, Johnny Tri Nguyen, and Nathan Jones, who bring Capoiera, wushu, Vovinam, and pro-wrestling into the movie’s action. With that combo, Tom Yum Goong is a modern Thai martial arts classic if ever there was one.
7. The Quest (1996)
Jean-Claude Van Damme made his directorial debut with 1996’s Quest and turned his breakout hit Blood Sport up to 11 when his protagonist Christopher Dubois took part in a tournament known as the Gang Gang in 1920 Tibet. -x years Van Damme’s karate and kickboxing skills are only a small part of the martial arts used in The Quest tournament, which includes the fighting styles of China, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Brazil, Russia, Greece and other corners of the Earth.
6. The Wrath of Vajra (2013)
2013’s The Wrath of Vajra is a kung fu Colosseum of action. Set during World War II, Japan’s Hades cult establishes itself in China to break the nation with duels to the death in their massive shrine, with a Shaolin monk known as K-29 (played by former Shaolin monk Shi Yan Neng) entering to stop them. The Wrath of Vajra’s combines Chinese, Japanese, and Korean martial arts in fight scenes.
5. Undisputed 3: Redemption (2010)
Isaac Florentine helped draw attention to MMA in martial arts films with “Undisputed 2”. Last Man Standing went even further, releasing the sequel Undisputed 3 in 2010. Redemption. Recovering from a devastating knee injury received in Undisputed 2, Boyka participates in an MMA tournament among prison fighters, the winner of which goes free. Boika Scott Adkins himself is a master of several martial arts, while his opponents bring an equally diverse collection of martial arts to their fights. Mixed fighting styles are in the blood of such an MMA franchise as Undisputed, and Undisputed 3 takes it to the max, creating the basis for its sequel, Boyka. Undisputed.RELATED:
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4. Bloodsport (1988)
Though the facts of Frank Dux’s alleged participation in the underground tournament known as the Kumite might be dubious, what isn’t in doubt is that 1988’s Bloodsport is a martial arts classic. Jean-Claude Van Damme first wowed the world with his splits and kicking moves in his role as the formidable Frank Dux, while the Kumite pits him against fighters from around the world using an abundance of different fighting styles. Bloodsport will always be fondly remembered as the break-out movie for The Muscles from Brussels, but its reputation is equally enduring for the amazing collection of martial arts it presents in its fight scenes.
3. Ong Bak 2 (2009)
Tony Jaa’s Ong Bak 2: The Beginning is the first prequel of the Ong Bak series, focusing on a warrior named Tien, and it’s a martial arts fan’s dream come true to see Tony Jaa blend different fighting styles together. Ong Bak 2 showcases Tien’s training as a youth, in which he masters Muay Boran, kung fu, silat, jiu-jitsu, and other martial arts. Jaa’s combination of many different martial arts in Ong Bak 2 is some of his best work to date, and while Ong Bak 3 shows him fully unify his fighting skills, Ong Bak 2 is where that delicious blend shows all its savory ingredients.
2. Fist of Legend (1994)
The 1994 remake of the Bruce Lee classic Fist of Fury, Fist of Legend is often regarded as Jet Li’s best movie, with Li playing kung fu student Chen Zhen, who is determined to find the killer of his sifu in Japanese-occupied China. Aside from the stunning power and grace of Fist of Legend’s fight scenes, the movie also contrasts Chinese and Japanese martial arts while showing great reverence to both. Li’s fight with Yasuaki Kurata is a prime example, while his showdown with Billy Chow is among Li’s best. With Yuen Woo-ping handling the action, Fist of Legend is every bit the martial arts masterpiece Fist of Fury is.