TOP 20 Kung fu movies
by p-rabs | created - 01 Feb 2013 | updated - 01 Feb 2013 | PublicAfter many years of watching HK kung fu films, these are the finest imo. Some of them are post 2000, Shaw brothers era , while some are the latest using more CGI.
But anybody who wants to get into Kung fu films.Without having the difficaulty of finding reviews and research themselves. This list should hopefully help the newcomers and anyone who missed on some of these great titles. If i missed some ,its because their are sooo many to choose from. These are mainly Hong kong films.
WARNING :
The kung fu film genre is flooded, and crowded with alot of poorly produced and directed films , some which could be found in bargain bins. Some of these films also have bad dubbing.
The reason was simple, during the 70s alot of film makers tried to milk the genre, with a high output of films for hong kong and westerners. The best of the films came from big studios such as golden harvest and the famed shaw brothers. While some exellent independant studios took time to make some memorable classics aswell. ie , seasonal , and many small companies produced some gems.
So this list provides the top of the lot , while i miss some. classics
worthy mentions
the entire venom mob films
fist of white lotus
martial club
shaolin wutang [no clear print of this film unfortunatly]
seven grandmasters
18 bronzemen
mad monkey kung fu
the list goes on , their are lots of good ones.
But these stand out the most.
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1. The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978)
R | 116 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A man studies kung fu at the Shaolin Temple to fight back against the oppressive Manchu government.
Director: Chia-Liang Liu | Stars: Chia-Hui Liu, Lieh Lo, Yue Wong, Chia-Yung Liu
Votes: 18,374
"skills worthy of a general, he should then fight with me , one to one, man to man "
It still is a masterpiece. After all these years. I went from bootleg copy to , the proper release by dragon dynasty.
produced by Shaw brothers
This film starring Gordon liu , lo lieh , directed by Lau kar leung.
is about how the monk san te, went from a student nobody, to being found almost dead on his way to shaolin. Just to learn kung fu, in order to fight the tyrant govt of the Qing.
It shows his success and failure as he takes on the legendary 36 chambers, with determination.
Weather you watched it dubbed or normal cantonese, doesant matter. both ways its a classic.
It needs to be watched simple...,
2. The Prodigal Son (1981)
R | 100 min | Action, Comedy
A young man discovers that his reputation as a fearsome martial artist is manufactured by his rich father, after meeting a real martial arts master, who's also a master thespian, and is determined to apprentice under him to learn kung fu.
Director: Sammo Kam-Bo Hung | Stars: Biao Yuen, Ching-Ying Lam, Sammo Kam-Bo Hung, Frankie Chan
Votes: 3,539
Directed by sammo hung , produced by golden harvest.
This film showed wing chun kung fu at its best. The acting , the story , the cast was just brilliant. Not a boring part in this movie.
It showed the quality of the operas, martial artist of the time.
It starred yuen biao , and lam ching ying, who played the true teacher. It showed a teacher student relationship, and reasons to why the student such as yuen biao would want to learn.
The film tackles, ego , arrogance , compassion , forgivness and vengeance.
A masterpiece of its time.
3. Drunken Master (1978)
PG-13 | 111 min | Action, Comedy
Wong Fei-Hung is a mischievous yet righteous young man, but after a series of incidents his frustrated father has him disciplined by a master of drunken martial arts.
Director: Woo-Ping Yuen | Stars: Jackie Chan, Siu-Tin Yuen, Jeong-lee Hwang, Dean Shek
Votes: 43,880
" kung fu hahah hey ........... looks more like dancing"
Whats to stay , it gave jackie chan more stardom, it was funny, it was exciting, it had style.
simon yuen literally carried the film at times, and the great villain played by huang jang lee
4. The Magnificent Butcher (1979)
PG-13 | 108 min | Action, Comedy, Drama
A hot headed young butcher, who is also a kung fu disciple, gets embroiled in a feud with a rival shaolin temple.
Director: Woo-Ping Yuen | Stars: Sammo Kam-Bo Hung, Tak-Hing Kwan, Biao Yuen, Pai Wei
Votes: 2,601
Sammo hungs directing and acting really shined in this classic, comedy film.
Featuring kwan tak hing , sammo hung, yuan biao .
5. Five Deadly Venoms (1978)
R | 101 min | Action, Drama, Mystery
The sixth and final pupil of a dying martial arts teacher is instructed to find the teacher's five former pupils and defeat any evil ones that are among them.
Director: Cheh Chang | Stars: Sheng Chiang, Chien Sun, Phillip Chung-Fung Kwok, Meng Lo
Votes: 7,982
The cult classic itself.
one teacher 5 students with masks who dont know each others identity. And experts in kung fu .
says it all.
6. Ip Man (2008)
R | 106 min | Action, Biography, Drama
During the Japanese invasion of China, a wealthy martial artist is forced to leave his home when his city is occupied. With little means of providing for themselves, Ip Man and the remaining members of the city must find a way to survive.
Director: Wilson Yip | Stars: Donnie Yen, Simon Yam, Siu-Wong Fan, Ka-Tung Lam
Votes: 233,642
I know this is a more later one , But its a great film and deserves to be in the top 10 .
starring donnie yen , in one of his best performances, as bruce lees teacher
7. Fist of Fury (1972)
R | 107 min | Action, Drama, Romance
A young man seeks vengence for the death of his teacher.
Director: Wei Lo | Stars: Bruce Lee, Nora Miao, James Tien, Maria Yi
Votes: 33,904 | Gross: $1.29M
My favourtie bruce lee film and one of the most memorable.
fist of fury
8. Heroes of the East (1978)
R | 105 min | Action, Comedy
A Chinese man (Liu) marries a Japanese woman through an arranged marriage and manages to insult all of her Japanese martial arts family by issuing a challenge to her that is misinterpreted ... See full summary »
Director: Chia-Liang Liu | Stars: Chia-Hui Liu, Yuka Mizuno, Yasuaki Kurata, Naozo Kato
Votes: 2,666
Heroes of the east
, AKA Shaolin challenges ninja
starring , gordon liu,
directed by lau kar leung
SHAW BROTHERS
9. The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter (1984)
Not Rated | 98 min | Action, Drama
Mongols with the help of an insider, ambush the influential Yang Family, defenders of the dynasty. The Mongols must hunt down all Yang survivors so their insidious plot to overthrow the dynasty will not be uncovered.
Director: Chia-Liang Liu | Stars: Chia-Hui Liu, Sheng Fu, Lily Li, Kara Wai
Votes: 3,559
THE 8 DIAGRAM POLE FIGHTER
EPIC .
gordon liu , with alexander fu sheng , who died during the filming .
But the film was epic one of the greatest kung fu films of all time, definite top 10.
must be seen
10. The Avenging Eagle (1978)
R | 90 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Chi Ming-sing is a former disciple of a gang run by overlord Yoh Xi-hung. Yoh's disciples hunt Chi relentlessly as he travels on a soul-searching journey. He comes to the aid of a seemingly... See full summary »
Director: Chung Sun | Stars: Sheng Fu, Lung Ti, Feng Ku, Lung Chan
Votes: 1,037
starring Ti Lung and Alexander fu sheng.
The story and action was stunning. It shows TI lung a heartless killer , trained to feel no remorse or feelings for anything. The clan hes part of is a clan with no emotions. Alex fu sheng is on the trial of the gang. However we see a change to TI lung charachter as he begins to develop emotions, and decides to destroy the clan.
a definite top 10 due to its originality, action. Balance, and character development , thanks to a great cast including the main antagonist who is one of the best of hong kong cinema , Ku Feng.
11. Fearless (2006)
PG-13 | 104 min | Action, Biography, Drama
A biography of Chinese Martial Arts Master Huo Yuanjia, who is the founder and spiritual guru of the Jin Wu Sports Federation.
Director: Ronny Yu | Stars: Jet Li, Li Sun, Yong Dong, Yun Qu
Votes: 78,718 | Gross: $24.63M
One of jet lis finest performances, and a great tribute to a legendary story of huo yuanjia . it must be wathced.
12. Fist of Legend (1994)
R | 103 min | Action, Drama
In 1937, a Chinese martial artist returns to Shanghai to find his teacher dead and his school harassed by the Japanese.
Director: Gordon Chan | Stars: Jet Li, Shinobu Nakayama, Siu-Ho Chin, Billy Chow
Votes: 24,929
another one of jet lis film which is a remake of bruce lees classic fist of fury.
13. Warriors Two (1978)
R | 96 min | Action, Comedy, Drama
A bank cashier discovers a plot to kill the mayor. His attempt to warn the mayor is foiled, and he almost gets killed, but a mumbling Shaolin disciple rescues him and takes him to his master to teach him a formidable form of kung fu.
Director: Sammo Kam-Bo Hung | Stars: Ka-Yan Leung, Ho Wang, Sammo Kam-Bo Hung, Chia-Yung Liu
Votes: 1,573
Warriors Two
Sammo hungs classic on wing chun , and stars casonava wong.
Classic golden harvest
14. Crippled Avengers (1978)
R | 104 min | Action, Drama
Three men who have been physically disabled by an evil warlord and his physically-disabled son become friends and learn kung fu so that they can seek revenge with help from an elderly martial-arts teacher and his mentally-disabled pupil.
Director: Cheh Chang | Stars: Kuan Tai Chen, Feng Lu, Phillip Chung-Fung Kwok, Meng Lo
Votes: 3,001
released after five deadly venoms. Crippled avangers was just a shere classic, starring the venoms mob, who would make so many classic films, such as ten tigers of kwantung, golden arms, iron flag, masked avengers.
This story of cripples trying to take revenge is worthy of this list
15. The Way of the Dragon (1972)
R | 90 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
A man visits his relatives at their restaurant in Italy and has to help them defend against brutal gangsters harassing them.
Director: Bruce Lee | Stars: Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, Nora Miao, Ping-Ou Wei
Votes: 41,069 | Gross: $4.06M
This is the classic Bruce lee, with chuck norris ... the coloseum ending.
yep.... go watch it if you havent.
16. Master of the Flying Guillotine (1976)
R | 81 min | Action, Drama, Fantasy
After his students are killed by the One Armed Boxer, a vengeful and blind Kung Fu expert travels to a village where a martial arts contest is being held and vows to behead every one armed man he comes across.
Director: Jimmy Wang Yu | Stars: Jimmy Wang Yu, Tien Wu Chu, Kang Chin, Chun-Erh Lung
Votes: 4,827
master of the flying guillotine, the film starring classic Shaw brother actor jimmy wang yu .Is a cult classic. Almost every fan of the genre must have seen it by now.
a mad blind monk who is lethal with a terrifying weapon .
Just pure fun
17. Five Fingers of Death (1972)
R | 104 min | Action, Drama, Romance
As two martial arts schools prepare for an important tournament, one school's master is a dishonorable man, and to ensure his son wins the title, he hires three Japanese samurais, who target the rival school's best fighter.
Director: Chang-hwa Jeong | Stars: Lieh Lo, Ping Wang, Hsiung Chao, Chin-Feng Wang
Votes: 4,013
KING BOXER , AKA FIVE FINGERS OF DEATH
starring Lo lieh ,
produced by Shaw brothers
This was one of the films which really took kung fu films to the west. It still today is a brillaint film , You can get the dragon dynasty dvd , with quentin tarantinos commentery on the amount of influence he took from this film . A pure gem.
and if youve seen kill bill. then you should definetly give this a watch.
18. Shaolin vs. Lama (1983)
88 min | Action, Drama
Skilled fighter Sung Li Ting is looking for a Kung Fu master who can beat him in battle and teach him new techniques. Shaolin monk Shao Si Yer introduces Sung Li to the Shaolin teachings, ... See full summary »
Director: Tso Nam Lee | Stars: Alexander Rei Lo, Shan Charng, Hui-Yun Li, Jung-Chi Sun
Votes: 735
No big budget , no big studio. Just a good director for his genre, with a cast of talent who could pull off some exellent fights, and a good story.
Influenced the hip hop group wu tang clans several songs. This film was a gem. even considered as one of the best by some.
19. Once Upon a Time in China (1991)
R | 134 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Legendary martial arts hero Wong Fei-Hung fights against foreign forces' plundering of China. When Aunt Yee arrives back from America, Wong Fei-Hung assumes the role of her protector.
Director: Hark Tsui | Stars: Jet Li, Rosamund Kwan, Biao Yuen, Jacky Cheung
Votes: 19,899
20. Drunken Master II (1994)
R | 102 min | Action, Comedy
A young martial artist is caught between respecting his pacifist father's wishes or stopping a group of disrespectful foreigners from stealing precious artifacts.
Directors: Chia-Liang Liu, Jackie Chan | Stars: Jackie Chan, Ho-Sung Pak, Lung Ti, Anita Mui
Votes: 48,939 | Gross: $11.55M
widely loved by fans as jackie chans finest films.
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