Martial artsmovies are best enjoyed when dynamic action scenes are abundant, and street fighting martial arts movies provide some of the boldest examples.Street fighting movies place their protagonists in intense fights against various opponents, where there are limited rules and a range ofbrutal martial arts stylesare employed. Such films include classics like Jean-Claude Van Damme’sLionheartandBloodsport, as well as underrated martial arts gems such as Prachya Pinkaew’sChocolate.
Though the characters and stories within several street fighting martial arts movies are intriguing on their own,it’s the action sequences that are the center of attention. What makes these films truly great are their outstanding choreography and displayed martial arts skills. A variety ofmodern martial arts actorslead the best street fighting movies, with the unrestrained nature of the combative scenes allowing them to show off their real-life martial arts abilities.
Sometimes, martial arts films are sought for a fun, easy viewing experience, andShootfighter: Fight to the Deathprovides just that. The plot in the movie has a few bothersome inconsistencies, butit follows two fighters, Nick (Michael Bernardo) and Ruben (William Zabka), after they’re tricked into competing in a deadly martial arts matchby the antagonist and enemy of their teacher, Mr. Lee.
Nick and Ruben’s teacher is Mr. Shingo, a skilled fighter played effectively by Bolo Yeung. Aside from Bolo Yeung’s charming performance,Shootfighter’s strongest aspect, and why the film is worth watching, is its fighting scenes. The choreography and the way in which these matches are captured is impressive and graphic. While the violence and mix of hand-to-hand combat and weaponry in the matches can be a bit absurd at times, they are nonetheless intense.
The underrated martial arts movieChocolateis a unique and entertaining story about an unlikely martial artist on a mission to help her mother. In the film, Zen (Yanin Vismitananda) is a young, autistic girl who is able to pick up on martial arts moves simply through observation.Repeatedly watching movies with martial artists like Bruce Lee, Zen builds up her self-defense skillsand uses them to fight others for money as a way to pay for her mother’s chemotherapy treatments.
If You Love Bruce Lee’s Enter The Dragon, Check Out This Amazing 1970s Martial Arts Movie With 80% On Rotten Tomatoes
The perfect martial arts movie to watch after Bruce Lee’s Enter The Dragon is an action thriller from the 1970s with amazing fights and a fun mystery.
Vismitananda is a commanding lead, making it easy to become invested in Zen’s battle with daunting Thai gangsters. There are some dated elements in the film, and the writing could be sharper, but what holds up well is, of course, the thrilling action scenes. Panna Rittikrai, best known asthe action choreographer onOng-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior, choreographed the martial arts inChocolateas well. Under Rittikrai’s direction, the fight sequences in the film are intricate and dynamic.
Michael Jai White is a skilled martial artist and actor with a lengthy filmography. After starring in films likeTyson,Undisputed II: Last Man Standing, andBlack Dynamite, White led the martial arts filmBlood and Bone. In the film, White plays ex-con Isaiah Bone, who gets involved with the underground fighting scene in Los Angeles.Isaiah quickly makes his way to the top of the rankings, defeating one opponent after the other, including the previously undefeated Hammerman.
Isaiah gets involved with a local mob leader, James (Eamonn Walker), and finds himself in greater trouble. As expected with White as a performer, he’s a captivating protagonist inBlood and Bone.The actor’s physicality is impressive, as are the moments throughout the film when Isaiah’s personality and generosity shine through.
Action films likeUnleashedandLionheartcombine thrilling martial arts with touching stories about family and human connection. The latter stars Jean-Claude Van Damme as Lyon Gaultier, who earns the titular nickname after competing in an underground fighting circuit to support the widowed wife and child of his deceased brother. Though it’s not his best film,Lionheartis a film of Van Damme’s that audiences continue to love.
Audiences can appreciate the tasteful balance of action and drama partly because it gives a rare look at Van Damme’s softer side as a performer.
The fundamental appeal of Van Damme’s films are the well-executed martial arts sequences, andLionhearthas plenty of them to satisfy fans of the action subgenre. However, the surprisingly effective blend of such rough scenes with heartfelt familial themes makesLionheartstand out from the actor’s other movies. Audiences can appreciate the tasteful balance of action and drama partly because it gives a rare look at Van Damme’s softer side as a performer.
TheUndisputedfranchisebegan in 2002 but failed to impress audiences or criticsat the time. It wasn’t until a few years later when the direct-to-video sequelUndisputed II: Last Man Standingwas released that audiences were more receptive to the films.Undisputed IIstars Michael Jai White as George Chambers, a man framed for drug possession and subsequently sent to prison. In prison, George must engage in a mixed martial arts match against the reigning champion, Yuri Boyka (Scott Adkins).
Having a direct-to-video release and following an unsuccessful film from years before,Undisputed IIshould have been another blunder. Instead, the film earned a passionate following and is considered one ofthe best American-made martial arts movies. As a character, George Chambers has an appreciated amount of growth, both personally and in his fighting abilities. The fight choreography is impossible to look away from and is executed well by White and Adkins. In the films that followedUndisputed II, Adkins became the leading star thanks to his breakout performance in the 2006 film.
One ofJet Li’s best movies,Unleashedis led by the martial arts star and features supporting performances by Morgan Freeman and Bob Hoskins.Unleashedis as much of a poignant human drama as it is a martial arts film, as Li’s character Danny, nicknamed “The Dog,” must learn to find his humanity.
After being raised by Bart (Hoskins), a violent loan shark, Danny’s sole purpose for much of his life was to brutally attack those Bart commands him to.
Celebrated choreographer andmartial arts director Yuen Woo-pingchoreographed the action inUnleashed, which is reliably advanced, gritty, and intense. Compared to Li’s other work, his fighting style in the film is consistent with his character’s trained wild nature, being much more aggressive than anything audiences had seen of the actor before.Li, too, shows he’s a skilled dramatic actor and gives the quieter moments of the film a considerable effort, making it impossible not to root for Danny in his second chance at life.
After the box-office success ofBloodsport, Jean-Claude Van Damme ledKickboxeralongside professional kickboxer and actor Dennis Alexio. The two portray brothers in the film, Eric (Alexio) and Kurt (Van Damme) Sloane. When the brothers travel to Thailand to take on undefeated kickboxer Tong Po (Michel Qissi),the former is left paralyzed by the fearsome fighter, leaving Kurt no choice but to get revenge. It’s incredibly exciting to watch Kurt turn into a powerful fighter himself, training with the legendary Muay Thai teacher, Xian Chow (Dennis Chan).
Muay Thai isn’t the only martial art seen inKickboxer, but the film is heavily centered around it,making it one of the first movies to introduce the kickboxing style to a worldwide audience. As expected with many ofVan Damme’s martial arts films, the actor is fully committed. Choreographing some of the fight scenes in the film and getting to show off his personal martial arts style,Kickboxerhas one ofVan Damme’s best martial arts movesin his character’s anticipated confrontation with Tong Po.
Though it earned a negative response from critics, audiences showed up to the theaters forBloodsport, turning it into a cult film with a passionate following decades later. The martial arts film cementedJean-Claude Van Damme as a star in the action subgenreand spawned a series of sequels.Bloodsportsees Van Damme asFrank Dux, a real-life martial artist and fight choreographer who claimed to have won a secret tournament known as Kumite in the ’70s— though Dux’s story has been heavily disputed.
Still,Bloodsportfollows Dux in the deadly Kumite tournament, where his final match against Chong Li would end up becomingVan Damme’s best fight scene in his career. The two fighters are a tough competition for one another, and audiences' eyes are glued to the screen as the nail-biting match unfolds. DespiteBloodsport’s poor critical performance,the film has a strong influence on the martial arts film genre, reigniting interest in such films and making Van Damme a promising star.
Regarded as one ofthe best action movies of the 2010s,The Raid, orThe Raid: Redemption, is an Indonesian martial arts film that is full of non-stop, bloody action. The film stars Iko Uwais as rookie squad member Rama, and it’s his second collaboration with director Gareth Evansafter the 2009 martial arts filmMerantau.The Raidsees a police squad raiding a building occupied by an intimidating drug lord and other criminals. The police team is soon surrounded by the residents and must fight their way out.
Rama and the remaining squad members' fight for survival resembles something out of a horror movie, with the shocking violence being the film’s biggest appeal.
Admittedly,The Raid’s narrative isn’t its strongest feature, and the character development is meager. Yet, at the time of its release,the intensity and precision of the film’s fight choreography felt like a breath of fresh airfollowing the action slump of the previous years. Rama and the remaining squad members' fight for survival resembles something out of a horror movie, with the shocking violence being the film’s biggest appeal.
Like many great martial arts films, the story inOng-Bak: Muay Thai Warrioris simple, allowing the powerful fight choreography to gain all the attention. The film follows Tony Jaa as Ting, a villager who travels and defeats various mob members in his quest to retrieve a stolen statue. Before the film, Jaa had minor supporting roles and worked as a stunt double, withOng-Bak’s Ting being considered his break-out role. Part of what makes Jaa a compelling performer is his commitment to the action.
Ong-Bak’s craziest stuntsare carried out by Jaa, who was inspired by the commitment and risk put in by great martial arts actors that came before him. For this, and his overall athleticism,Jaa has been positively compared to legends like Jackie Chan and Jet Li. The success ofOng-Bakled to two prequel films, which are recognized as being part of one ofthe bestmartial artsmovie franchisesdue to their compelling narrative and continuously inventive fight scenes.
