While the martial arts genre probably makes you think of elaborate fight scenes and yeah, there are a lot of those, it's also known for gritty crime dramas, fantasy yarns, slapstick comedies, and everything in between.
Unfortunately, all that variety comes with a downside: Where do you start? Do you fire up a brutal modern-day action flick? Maybe a biopic about the legends who helped make the genre possible? Or do you begin with the '60s and '70s exploitation flicks that made "kung fu" a household word and turned over-the-top sound effects into an art form?
Yeah, it's a tough call. While seasoned fans of martial arts cinema have probably seen most of these movies before, the following hidden gems are great places to kick off your journey into the genre.
If you're interested in modern martial arts movies, you should become very familiar with actor Iko Uwais. 2011's The Raid: Redemption made Uwais one of the biggest names in martial arts cinema, and he's never looked back. For Headshot, his duties were bigger than just starring in the movie. In addition to playing the film's lead, he was its fight choreographer, too, and spent three weeks making sure all of Headshot's action scenes were as brutal, bloody, and beautiful as possible. To do so, Uwais gave each character their own unique fighting style, based on the actor's own background. As a result, every action scene is a blend of different martial arts.
As far as plot goes, Headshot tells the story of an amnesiac who's forced to rescue the doctor who nursed him back to life when the gang who raised him comes back for revenge. But really, the story is secondary. You're here to watch Uwais and his co-stars do seemingly impossible stunts and kick some butt. On those fronts, Headshot more than delivers.
Headshot | 0:00
Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings | 1:46
Dragon Tiger Gate | 2:41
BuyBust | 4:01
Legendary Weapons of China | 4:32
Master Z: Ip Man Legacy | 5:15
Martial Arts of Shaolin | 6:21
The Five Venoms | 7:35
Furie | 8:23
Kung Fu Hustle | 9:15
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