There are few things better in life than a good martial arts movie. The genre is a celebration of bodies in motion, with terrific choreography, charismatic stars, and jaw-dropping stunts and action sequences … and they often come with relatively short run times, to boot.
Below, we’ve got a list of some of our favorite martial arts movies, all available to watch at home. We’ve got old Hong Kong classics, Jackie Chan action comedies, martial arts sports dramas, and even some Turtle Power for you. We couldn’t include everything we wanted, due to lack of availability and the lack of time on this world to list every great martial arts movie, but enjoy these picks!
The Way of the Dragon
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Image: Janus Films
Every martial arts movie aficionado has their favorite Bruce Lee movie. For many, it’s the legendary 1973 spy thriller Enter the Dragon. For me, it’s 1972’s The Way of the Dragon (also sometimes known as Return of the Dragon in the US, where it was released after Enter the Dragon). His third movie as an action lead and the last one released during his lifetime, The Way of the Dragon is the first movie Lee directed and wrote as well as acted in.
Set in Rome, The Way of the Dragon centers around a Chinese restaurant under attack from an organized crime group. The restaurant gets help sent from Hong Kong in Tang Lung (Lee), a brash and confident martial artist who is able to fight off the gangsters and teach the staff how to fight. An action comedy with crime thriller notes and a riveting fight in the freaking Coliseum between Lee and Chuck Norris (in his first screen role), The Way of the Dragon is arguably Lee’s most personal film. —Pete Volk
The Way of the Dragon is available to stream for free with ads on Pluto TV.
Five Deadly Venoms
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Image: Dragon Dynasty
This Hong Kong classic…