30 best kung fu movies of all time

YFDTv News Jan. 22, 2019

Kung fu refers to the Chinese martial arts. In China, it refers to any study, learning, or practice that requires patience, energy, and time to complete. Thus, kung fu being a fighting style, you can be sure movie makers have already made blockbusters from it. We have had some awesome kung fu movies over the years. Some still echo in our minds no matter how long ago we watched them.

Image: finishlinept.com

Kung fu movies have classics just like any other movies. Then, of course, their modern type which incorporates all the cinematics of this generation. No matter which category they belong to, below are 30 best kung fu movies of all time.

1. The Chinese Connection

IMDb rating:7.4/10

This is a Bruce Lee movie. Here, Bruce Lee plays the role of Chen Zhen who relocated from his country which is China to Thailand with his family. Before leaving China, he promises his mother that he was not going to get into fights and conflicts. He even wears a necklace to remind him of the oath he made to his mother. It becomes hard for him to keep his oath when he discovers that the company he is working for is actually a cover for drug trafficking. Following his discovery of this and the fact that his family are murdered by the gang, he has nothing to do but confront his boss for this.

2. Kung Fu Hustle

IMDb rating: 7.8/10

This is a very funny yet action-filled kung fu movie. Hapless Sing and Bone, his friend, try to scam the residents of Pig Sty Alley to thinking they belong to the feared gang called Axe Gang. Unfortunately, the real gang members come to that area trying to instill fear in the residents as they have done in surrounding areas. What they do not know is the fact that there are three retired kung fu masters living among the locals of this land. This turns in to a bloodbath really quick.

3. Enter the Dragon

IMDb rating: 7.7/10

Bruce Lee is a martial arts expert in this film. He is determined to help catch the drug dealers who are responsible for his sister’s death. He does this with the help of his friends. He enters a kung fu competition with the aim of fighting his way up to the drug dealer’s headquarters.

4. Drunken Master

IMDb rating: 7.6/10

Drunken Master is a Jackie Chan movie in which he plays the role of Wong Fei Hung, who is a martial artist, physician, and a folk hero. Jackie Chan’s portrayal as Wong Fei Hung here is comical, because of his goofiness and his martial arts technique that involves drinking tons of alcohol and kung fu. A beggar called So is the one who taught Wong the techniques of Drunken Boxing, an unusually fluid fighting style. Wong is then forced to put his new skills to the test when his father is targeted by deadly the assassin Thunderleg (Jang Lee Hwang) who has never lost a fight. Wong follows the instructions and discovers his own unique style of Drunken Miss Ho, which he uses to overcome the enemy and finally emerges victorious.

5. Drunken Master 2

IMDb rating: 7.6/10

When Wong Fei Hung (Jackie Chan) and his father are returning home after a shopping expedition, they run across foreigners who wish to export ancient Chinese artefacts. These foreigners are being opposed by loyalists who are against this act. Wong Fei Hung, having learnt drunken boxing, is a very dangerous person. Wong Fei wants to stop the foreigners but his father will not let him engage in any fighting. Wong has to figure out a way to fight against the foreigners as he also overcomes his father’s opposition to fighting.

6. The 36th Chamber of Shaolin

IMDb rating: 7.8/10

A student by the name Liu decides to rise against the oppression going on in China. This oppression is by Manchu and his henchmen. This revolution obviously comes with many consequences. Liu manages to escape this massacre and seeks shelter in the Shaolin Temple. While there, he meets a monk who trains him in their famous martial arts skills. He uses this, together with the values he learns at the monastery to fight and teach normal people Kung fu so that they can be able to protect themselves from oppression. He creates the 36th chamber of Shaolin where normal people can be trained in kung fu.

7. Shaolin Soccer

IMDb rating: 7.3/10

This is a sports kung fu movie. A team of misfits manage to use kung fu to play soccer. The team is coached by a former footballer who let his team down while he was still playing football by missing the final penalty which led to them being defeated. People broke his leg because they were angry with him. This team of misfits starts dominating the football scene due to their playing style. It is in the finals where they meet another team that is managed by a former teammate of their coach. This other team uses steroids and other drugs to enhance their movement, jumping, strength, and speed in order to beat the team of misfits.

8. Police Story

IMDb rating: 7.6/10

The Hong Kong police force has been plotting for some time and now they are attempting to arrest a crime lord by the name Chu Tao. Inspector Chan Ka-Kui is part of the police officers tasked with arresting the crime lord. They are able to arrest him and now the next order of business becomes to protect Chu Tao’s secretary who is willing to testify against him in court. The trail, however, fails due to the secretary tampering with the evidence. Chu Tao is released on bail and he wants revenge on Ka-Kui and he frames him for the murder of a fellow police officer. The secretary, realizing that Chu should actually be behind bars, goes to download incriminating evidence from Chu’s computer system. Both Chu and Ka-Kui get wind of the matter and meet where the secretary is. This results in a fight where Ka-Kui is able to beat all of Chu’s henchmen and the police arrive just in time to apprehend Chu and the briefcase containing evidence.

9. Police Story 2

IMDb rating: 7.2/10

This is a follow up to Police Story 1. The movie starts with Ki-Kiu being demoted to traffic police after he caused so much distraction during the arrest of Chu. Chu is released from prison under the pretense of being terminally ill. Chu is out for revenge and will do whatever it takes to get his revenge on Ki-Kiu.

10. Iron Monkey

IMDb rating: 7.6/10

This movie follows the plot of most vigilante movies of these days. There is a land where corruption by government officials is like law and order. The people of that land are poor and oppressed. Iron Monkey is the only person who has the courage to challenge this corrupt system. He fights the system in secrecy. No one knows his name or where he comes from but his acts of heroism give hope to the people. He is a hero to the people but a wanted man to the government.

11. Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow

IMDb rating: 7.5/10

Jackie Chan acts as an orphan who is always treated badly and abused by people. This is soon going to change. He befriends an old beggar who was being roughed up by some people. The beggar turns out to be the last master of the Snake Fist fighting style. The master teaches Jackie all there is to know about the Snake Fist. There is another master who will not rest until the snake style is forgotten and all the people who use it are killed. Jackie finds himself going head to head with this other master.

12. Kill Bill: Volume 1

IMDb rating: 8.1/10

This is a revenge story. A former assassin who is simply called The Bride wakes up after being in a coma for four years. She was in a coma for this long after her ex tried to kill her on her wedding day. She is bitter for losing her unborn child, her wedding party being ruined, and for the loss of four years of her life. She comes up with the list of all the people involved and is on a mission to inflict pain on them.

13. Wheels on Meals

IMDb rating: 7.2/10

David and Thomas run a food van in Barcelona, Spain. David’s father is institutionalized in a mental facility. One day, when David and Thomas go to visit him, they bump into Sylvia who is the daughter of David’s father’s girlfriend. Thomas encourages David to ask her out but David chickens out. Later that night, Sylvia runs to their van after stealing from a man, pretending to be a prostitute while she is indeed a pick pocketer. David and Thomas house her in their home only to come back to find out that she, together with their money, is missing. The next day, David and Thomas run into a private investigator who is looking for Sylvia. They discover that she is the heir to a very big inheritance that a criminal gang is trying to steal from her. She is kidnapped and David, Thomas, and the private investigator team up to save her.

14. Once Upon a Time in China

IMDb rating: 7.4/10

Jet Li is on a mission to protect his martial-arts school. He is doing this while sorting out feelings that he has for a young woman who happens to be his aunt by adoption even though they are almost the same age. Jet Li must protect his school while tries to find a way to make his forbidden love work.

15. Ip Man

IMDb rating: 8.0/10

This is a story of a legendary kung fu master. There are martial arts schools everywhere in Foshan, South China. Ip Man is the undisputed martial arts champion yet he has not dedicated his life to teaching others his skill yet. This then makes all the other kung fu masters of the city eager to fight him so that they can improve their reputations.

16. Project A

IMDb rating: 7.4/10

A lieutenant of the Hong Kong marines, Dragon Ma, goes against pirates who have been terrorizing the local waters with the help of corrupt officers. Dragon Ma tries to defeat the pirates on his own but his plan fails. Dragon Ma then teams up with an army admiral, a police captain, and a crafty thief to try and stop Sanpao and his pirates.

17. Shaolin Temple

IMDb rating: 7.1/10

This is another movie by Jet Li. Jet Li is on a mission to learn martial arts. His main reason for learning martial arts is so that he can exact revenge on the people who killed his father. While he is doing this, he goes through some romance with his kung fu master’s daughter. This is actually a very interesting movie that you should check out.

18. The Big Boss

IMDb rating: 7.1/10

A man shows his fighting skills after a fight erupts in the factory. The manager, seeing this, makes him the foreman and assures him of a meet up with the big boss. It is later that he discovers the factory’s covert operation. The factory does illegal business on the side. He decides to take the law into his own hands and tries to stop this.

19. Armour of God

IMDb rating: 7.1/10

Jackie Chan plays an adventurer for hire. He is currently in Europe on a mission to gather the five pieces of the so-called "Armour of God," which seems to be a suit of armour plus a sword that is considered a sacred relic by a pre-Christian cult for a rich collector. The cult lives in a remote mountain monastery. The cult wants to get the entire "Armour of God", which is its most sacred ritual treasure. The cult needs that so desperately that they kidnap the ex-girlfriend to Jackie, Laura (Rosamund Kwan) and hold her ransom in exchange for the three pieces of the armour. Jackie, together with Alan (Alan Tam), a Hong Kong rock star, and May (Lola Forner) work to rescue Laura.

20. Armour of God 2: Operation Condor

IMDb rating: 7.3/10

Jackie Chan is a secret agent for hire. He is hired by a Turkish duke to find some stolen Nazi gold buried in the Sahara Desert. Jackie must face a lot of people since he is not the only person after this treasure.

21. Fatal Contact

IMDb rating: 6.6/10

This movie is based on illegal underground fighting. A young man learns the fighting techniques of Sanda from a coach. The two actually become best friends in the process. The young man’s reason for learning how to fight and preparing so much is so that he can enter an underground tournament where he competes against some of the top fighters from all over the world.

22. Kung Fu Panda

IMDb rating: 7.6/10

This is an animation kung fu movie. Po is one of the laziest pandas that exists. He is equally as clumsy as he is lazy. He secretly dreams of becoming a kung fu master. One day, the land Po lives in is threatened by a vicious leopard, Tai Lung. Po is chosen using an ancient ritual as the dragon warrior. Po has no fighting experience at all and it is the work of Master Shifu to turn him into a skilled fighter by the time the threat, who is Tai Lung, arrives.

23. The Raid 2

IMDb rating: 8.0/10

A group of an elite team of commandos is sent to Tana. Tana holds almost every criminal. They are sent there to take down a brutal crime lord. Their cover is blown and now they have to survive the many criminals that are sent their way. It is the work of a rookie, who now takes command, to lead the team out of there alive while still having completed the mission.

24. Dragons Forever

IMDb rating: 7.3/10

Jackie Chan acts as a lawyer hired by a chemical company accused of polluting the water by a fishery. Jackie hires two of his friends to help him look for dirt on the fishery and try to convince them to settle the matter out of court. The three later change camps after they discover the chemical company is a cover-up for what they actually deal with, which is narcotics. Their discovery and their switching camps comes with them having to face thugs sent by the chemical company to try and shut them up.

25. A Touch of Zen

IMDb rating: 7.6/10

Ku is an unmotivated artist who lives with his mother. This already shows how messed up his life is. He is in his early thirties. His life changes when Yang Hui-ching, a princess on the run after the murder of her entire family, arrives in their land. Ku is transformed into a fearless fighter by the guidance of a monk who is also part of the circle. Ku and the others have to protect Yang from Ou-Yang Nin who is responsible for murdering her entire family.

26. Kill Bill: Volume 2

IMDb rating: 8.0/10

This is a continuation of volume 1 where The Bride was on a mission to kill all those who conspired to kill her. Those people are responsible for the death of her unborn child and her losing four years. She eventually tracks down Bill who was her ex-boyfriend down in Mexico. Using the skills she learnt as an assassin, she attempts to finish what she started.

27. Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior

IMDb rating: 7.2/10

The village of Ban Nong Pradu has its most precious Buddha statue stolen from the temple. The town has a skilled fighter called Ting. It is the mission of Ting to go to Bangkok and try to recover the statue. While in Bangkok, he has to go against Don who is a ruthless drug dealer.

28. Rush Hour

IMDb rating: 7.0/10

The daughter of a Chinese diplomat is kidnapped while they are in Los Angeles. The diplomat calls Detective Lee from Hong Kong to assist the FBI with finding her. The FBI does not want to work with Lee so they dump him to one LAPD officer Carter to babysit him. Although Carter and Lee first do not get along, they end up solving the case and getting the kid back.

29. Kung Fu Panda 2

IMDb rating: 7.2/10

This is a follow up to Kung Fu Panda 1. Following his victory against Tai Lung, Po and his friends protect peace in the valley. Po’s victory is, however, short-lived when they discover an enemy who wants to destroy the whole of China using a secret weapon. To defeat this enemy, Po has to unlock secrets of his mysterious origin. Only after doing that will he find the strength to defeat his enemy.

30. Kung Fu Panda 3

IMDb rating: 7.1/10

After reuniting with his father, Po turns from teacher to student. He must teach a group of lazy, fun-loving and clumsy pandas how to become martial-arts fighters. Together, they unite to fight Kai who is a supernatural warrior who gets stronger with each battle.

Those are the 30 best kung fu movies of all time. How many from that list have you watched? Which is the best kung fu movie? How would you alter that list of kung fu movies? Share your views and comments in the comments section below.

Top 10 Ben Affleck movies 15 scariest vampire movies of all time

YFDTv News