10 Best 21st Century Martial Arts Movies, Ranked
It’s hard to crown a golden age for martial arts movies, but if you wanted to point to the 1970s or 1980s, that would make sense. The former decade had Bruce Lee making his brief but impactful mark on the genre, with Enter the Dragon being especially phenomenal, and also the Shaw Brothers studio was putting out some of its best movies around this time. By the end of the ‘70s, you had Jackie Chan becoming a superstar, and then his peak was probably in the 1980s, with Police Story.
But jumping ahead a bit, what of the more recent martial arts movies; the ones from the 21st century? It’s been a pretty good time for fans of this kind of action film, all things considered, with 1999’s The Matrix making martial arts have a bit of a resurgence, and then a few other high-profile movies at the turn of the 21st century making kicking, punching, and intricately choreographed fight sequences further fashionable. If you want some of the best martial arts movies of the last 25-ish years – ones that rival the best of the 20th century – then all the following titles are well worth checking out.
10
‘The Night Comes for Us’ (2018)
One of the gnarliest action movies in recent years, martial arts-related or otherwise, The Night Comes for Us scratches the same itch as the Raid movies, also from the 2010s, while sharing some cast members. Narratively, it’s barebones, but that’s okay, as the messy story here – about a man having to defend himself and a young girl from various nefarious individuals – is just there so there can be tons of action.
And it’s the action in The Night Comes for Us that matters; the stuff that’s overall pretty great. With a simple premise and tons of fighting, it feels kind of old-school, but then there’s also the intensity of the violence to take into account, which trumps the vast majority of older blood-drenched martial arts movies in terms of gruesomeness. Perhaps only The Boxer’s Omen comes close, as far as older movies go, since that one’s also a gross-out horror movie.
9
‘Fearless’ (2006)
Since much of the action is centered around a series of publicized events, you could sort of call Fearless a sports movie, even if it’s more accurately definable as a martial arts movie. But there’s certainly been some crossover with those two genres before, seen most noticeably with the aforementioned Enter the Dragon, which gets even more chaotic because it sometimes feels like a spy movie, too.
With Fearless, it’s very loosely based on a true story involving Huo Yuanjia, who challenged and fought various international fighters during the early years of the 20th century. Historical accuracy might not come first and foremost here, but it’s still an engaging look at a real-life person whose life is made more dramatic – and perhaps more action-packed – in the interest of keeping things entertaining and emotional, two things that most certainly apply to Fearless.
8
‘The Matrix Reloaded’ (2003)
While it’s not as good as The Matrix (1999), The Matrix Reloaded is still pretty great, at least on an action front. It also feels like easily the best of all the sequels in the Matrix series, doing quite a bit to build on the world and conflict introduced in the first movie, all the while escalating things as far as the action side of things is concerned, owing to Neo really making the most of his recently mastered powers this time around.
It gets a bit bogged down during some stretches, especially early on, but the big set pieces in The Matrix Reloaded are honestly incredible, and on par with the best action scenes in the first movie. It’s a shame that The Matrix Revolutions and Resurrections really regressed as far as action – martial arts-related or otherwise – was concerned, but at least the first and second movies deliver on that front.
7
‘Kung Fu Hustle’ (2004)
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While it’s a sillier sort of martial arts movie, Kung Fu Hustle does still deliver when it comes to well-choreographed action sequences; they’re just of a more cartoonish nature than you might be used to. In that sense, it works as a gentle parody of certain martial arts movie conventions, all the while being made with the same kind of care as the classics it wants to poke a little fun at.
Kung Fu Hustle is bold and original, but also pretty approachable so long as you’re sufficiently prepared for what could be defined as a bit of a live-action cartoon.
Call it the best of both worlds, if you want, though the humor here could also potentially not be for everyone. In any event, Kung Fu Hustle is bold and original, but also pretty approachable so long as you’re sufficiently prepared for what could be defined as a bit of a live-action cartoon, and an action film that doesn’t always take itself too seriously.
6
‘Ip Man 2’ (2010)
If you’re a big fan of martial arts movies, then all the films in the Ip Man series are worth checking out, but if you’re not as big a fan – or a bit pressed for time – then it’s still worth checking out the first two. The original movie is getting an honorable mention here, and it is obviously an essential watch before checking out the second film, but said second film is a sequel that improves upon an already strong first movie.
The titular character is introduced well in the first movie, and then Ip Man 2 finds more interesting conflict for him, and overall has a bit more action (even if that might mean, like Fearless, things stray a bit further from historical accuracy). Also, Ip Man 2 makes the most of casting Sammo Hung, who really elevates what’s already a pretty strong martial arts film, and seeing him thrive alongside the dependably great Donnie Yen (in the lead role) is fantastic.
5
‘Hero’ (2002)
Structurally similar to Harakiri, albeit quite different tonally and stylistically, Hero is a movie where one person tells a story to a group, and said story involves quite a bit of death and misery. It slowly becomes clear why that person is telling the story at hand (in both Harakiri and Hero), and there is quite a bit of dread built up throughout the two films, owing to the structure each abides by.
But on top of telling an interesting story in an interesting way, Hero is also a movie that’s easy to just get swept up in visually, since it’s one of the most beautiful martial arts films ever made. It’s also got a fantastic cast, and Jet Li, in the lead role, delivers what’s easily one of his best-ever performances. It’s a phenomenal action movie, and also the sort of martial arts film just about anyone could appreciate (genre beginners included).
4
‘The Raid’ (2011)
Alluded to before, when talking about The Night Comes for Us, The Raid is easily one of the most exciting martial arts movies ever made, and potentially the most revolutionary (or freshest in general) since The Matrix. Not so much when it comes to storytelling, though, since The Raid has more of a premise than a narrative, being about police officers having to fight their way out of an apartment complex filled with people who want them dead.
Once things get wild, the film never really slows down, though the gunfighting that’s present during the earlier bursts of action does give way, eventually, to more hand-to-hand fights, and that’s when The Raid starts to feel particularly incredible, as a martial arts movie. It’s brutal, well-paced, and remarkably well done on a stunt front, since you do truly feel the impact of just about every punch – or any other instance of violence – here.
3
‘The Raid 2’ (2014)
It’s hard to talk about The Raid without also giving a shout-out to The Raid 2, which might be a more flawed movie, but also a better one. How the hell does that work? Well, The Raid is simple and maybe even a bit one-note, but it’s phenomenal for what it sets out to do. The Raid 2 sets out to do more, and has higher highs, but some lower lows, though it’s easy to appreciate even with some of its missteps.
The Raid 2 ditches the confined premise of the first movie, and adds almost 50 minutes to the runtime, playing out as a more sprawling gangster film of sorts that also happens to have a ton of varied action. It’s certainly a film that builds on the one that came before, and in terms of action, it does exceed the original, since it’s indisputably mind-blowing what they were able to pull off with some of the set pieces here.
2
‘Kill Bill: Vol. 1’ (2003)
It’s hopefully not too bold a claim to say that Quentin Tarantino is among the best directors of all time, though it could be a little bold to say that Kill Bill: Vol. 1 is one of his very best movies. It’s an admittedly style-over-substance kind of film, being the more action-focused half of a two-part epic about revenge, but the style here is so remarkable that it’s hard to complain.
Kill Bill: Vol. 1 just moves at the meanest of paces, and has some phenomenal action, especially in its final half-hour or so, which is consistently bloody, surprising, and entertaining. If you’re after good English-language martial arts movies (well, most of the dialogue in this one is in English, at least), then it doesn’t get a whole lot better than the first of the two Kill Bill movies.
1
‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ (2000)
Alongside The Matrix, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was instrumental in making martial arts cinema have a resurgence around the turn of the century. This film also led to the likes of Hero and Fearless having the kind of impact they did (well, probably), and it’s understandable why, since it’s about as perfect as martial arts – as a genre – can get. It’s simple, engaging, moving, exciting, and approachable, all at once.
It’s also a movie that’s difficult to effectively praise in words; you kind of just have to see it to properly understand what all the hype is about. And there is a lot of hype here, as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon sits alongside, say, Mad Max: Fury Road as the kind of 21st-century action movie some people might consider over-hyped. Honestly, they’re probably a vocal minority, though, on both counts. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is just that good, it pulls off everything it wants to (while doing a lot genre-wise and tonally), and it’s continued to age well in the 25+ years since its initial release.
