The Greatest Martial Arts Movie From Every Year of the ’80s
While the 1970s finally brought the popularity of martial arts to Western audiences, thanks in large part to the late Bruce Lee, it was in the 1980s that the genre would truly explode in mainstream popularity. Sure, the early part of the decade was still a bit of a transition period for the genre, with more of the same troupes that defined martial arts films in the ’70s still present. But, once we hit the middle of the decade, martial arts fans, and moviegoers in general, began to see movies with more fleshed out stories, and iconic characters that would go on to become legends within the genre, such as Police Story‘s Sergeant Kevin (Jackie Chan) and The Karate Kid‘s Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio), among others.
With so many great martial arts films that popularized and defined the decade, we wanted to take a look at which martial arts films were the best of the decade. So, we looked back at the catalog of movies from the decade, did a lot of movie-watching, checked review sites such as Rotten Tomatoes, and looked at what fans thought from sites such as Reddit, and the end result is the following movies are the best from the 1980s.
1
‘Killer Constable’ (1980)
Distributed by Shaw Brothers studio, the legendary production company behind ’70s martial arts classics such as King Boxer and Five Deadly Venoms, the studio moved boldly into the ’80s with Killer Constable, directed by Chih Hung-Kwei and represented a stark change from what the studio typically produced and distributed.
Starring Chen Kuan-tai, Killer Constable is sort of a spiritual sequel to 1969’s The Invincible Fist, and it follows a constable who has a pretty good reputation for unaliving criminals, and feeling no remorse for doing so. However, his reputation as a cold-blooded criminal killer comes back to haunt him, as he finds out that it’s being used against him. Killer Constable has a far more cynical storyline than the movies Shaw Brothers used to produce, and this is easily the darkest martial arts film ever produced for the studio. Not only that, but this stellar, underrated classic also marked a turning point for martial arts films as a whole.
2
‘The Prodigal Son’ (1981)
With martial arts films moving slowly away from the “chopsocky” nature that dominated the genre in the ’70s, and heading towards a more mainstream, cynical nature, this shift saw martial arts movies develop storylines that were tinged with cynicism. You can apply this neatly to 1981’s The Prodigal Son, a Hong Kong martial arts film that was one of the best of the year, and won two Hong Kong Film Awards.
Here, we follow Leung Chang (Yuen Biao), a young man who for years believed that he developed a badass reputation for martial arts. However, he finds out, in a brutal way, that his status as a human masterclass for kung-fu was actually manufactured by his own father, and he has gained the nickname “The Prodigal Son” due to the money his parents pay out to keep him from being hurt. Learning this, he decided to learn how to fight, and shed this humiliating label. While this would have been more of a comedy in the ’70s, The Prodigal Son plays its story pretty straight, letting the cynicism flow throw, and seeing how Chang becomes a master kung-fu fighter. It’s a dark, gritty martial arts tale, and clearly one of the best of the year, and decade.
3
‘The Shaolin Temple’ (1982)
If one ever wondered how Shaolin Monastery in China became such a popular tourist attraction, you can point to this 1982 martial arts film as the reason why. Directed by Chang Hsin-yen and starring a young fighting prodigy known as Jet Li, The Shaolin Temple is a masterclass in what a great kung-fu movie is made of.
The film follows Li as Jue Yuan, a man who is constantly hounded by harsh generals who are hellbent on teaching him the ways of kung-fu at a Shaolin temple. He goes through this harsh and rigorous training to avenge his father’s death. The Shaolin Temple is unique due to its episodic storytelling, giving it more of a TV movie feel, and not in a bad way. The fighting is brutal, and the movie is a lot heavier on action than it is on comedy and romance, two elements that defined martial arts films of the ’70s. Gritty and tough, The Shaolin Temple should definitely be considered one of the classic kung-fu movies of the ’80s, and it proved to be a launch pad for Li’s career.
4
‘Project A’ (1983)
As much as Bruce Lee came to be martial arts’ biggest star of the ’70s, you can easily say the same for Jackie Chan, who had his first breakthrough role in 1978’s Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow, and his star power would only continue to grow into the new decade. Although he had some success with previous films, it would be 1983’s Project A that would point him on the path to superstardom.
Project A harkens back to the chopsocky kung-fu films of the ’70s, mixing hilarious comedy with awesome fighting scenes, which would be Chan’s calling card. Not only that, but the film would also show off Chan’s spellbinding martial arts skills and stunt-making, including one where he hangs 60 ft in the air from a clock tower. The movie was a giant success in Asia, and has become a cult classic among martial arts fans in the West, as it should.
5
‘The Karate Kid’ (1984)
It was Bruce Lee’s awesome martial arts skills and likable persona that made him a success in Hollywood, and by the mid-’80s, Western filmmakers were ready to bank on the philosophy that martial arts films would be huge box office hits with audiences in the West. Enter director the late John G. Avildsen, who, along with writer Robert Mark Kamen, produced The Karate Kid, starring Ralph Macchio (who was just coming off of the 1983 hit The Outsiders), and Pat Morita.
The movie follows a teen (Macchio) who, after suffering from harassment from bullies, leans kung-fu from Mr. Miyagi (Morita). The Karate Kid is nothing short of a classic, especially the final fight between LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka), and Avildsen would be right in his assessment that a martial arts film could be a huge hit at the box office. It was one of the biggest movies of 1984, and to this day, is considered not just a martial arts classic, but one of the best films of all time, period.
6
‘Police Story’ (1985)
Project A was Jackie Chan’s ’80s breakout, perfectly mixing comedy with stellar martial arts action. While Chan would be well-known for his martial arts comedies, he could also be a straight-up action star, and the movie that provided the best vehicle for this was 1985’s Police Story. Chan was once again the man behind the camera, directing this piece of kung-fu history that would launch one of the best martial arts franchises of all-time.
Police Story follows Hong Kong police detective “Kevin” Chan Ka-Kui (Chan), who initially is lauded with arresting a criminal drug lord, but also finds himself clearing his own name after being framed for murder. Unlike the more slapsticky Project A, Police Story is a gritty, brutal martial arts action film, packed with electric performances and action scenes that make this one of the premier kung-fu movies of the decade. In fact, you really can’t call yourself a martial arts fan if you haven’t seen this awesome, action-packed martial arts movie.
7
‘Big Trouble in Little China’ (1986)
While researching for this piece, it was a toss up as to what we would consider the best martial arts film of 1986. Two big movies came out this year, one that dominated the box office, the other an initial bomb that has obtained a cult following. As you all know by now, the one that dominated the box office was The Karate Kid Part II, one of the biggest films of the year. However, the one that was the “bomb” may actually be slightly better than its more successful counterpart, Big Trouble in Little China.
Directed by John Carpenter, Big Trouble in LIttle China follows Jack Burton (Kurt Russell), who decides to help his friend, Wang Chi (Dennis Dun), rescue his fiancée from bandits that have kidnapped her in San Francisco’s Chinatown. Unbeknownst to the pair, they soon come face-to-face with an ancient sorcerer who needs Chi’s fiancée to break a curse. The movie combined fantasy with stellar martial arts action, and it’s still a bit of a mystery as to why this film failed to be a hit among moviegoers nearly 30-years ago. Regardless, it’s a cult classic, and, in our opinion, the best of this fine year.
8
‘Angel’ (1987)
By the late-’80s, martial arts films were beginning to be a pillar in Hollywood’s money-making machine, especially after the giant success of The Karate Kid and its equally great 1986 sequel. However, Hong Kong still had its grip on great kung-fu movies, and one of the best of the decade was released in 1987, Angel, written by Teresa Woo and directed by a trio of directors led by Raymond Leung.
When you watch this action-packed film, you’ll quickly realize that this movie has a lot in common with Charlie’s Angels, and your eyes will not be deceiving you as the movie is basically inspired by the ’70s TV classic. Starring Moon Lee and Yikari Oshima, the film follows two female agents of the Angel mercenary organization who are tasked with seizing a huge shipment of drugs. Angel is not only a truly awesome martial arts movie, but it was also the film that firmly established the “girls with guns” action subgenre that proved that women are just as deadly in shootouts as men are.
9
‘Police Story 2’ (1988)
Much like 1986, we had a hard time trying to decide which martial arts film should represent 1988 as the best of the year. We were very nearly going to go with Bloodsport, a brutal martial arts film starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, as it was one of the biggest films of the year. However, after spending a weekend watching both Bloodsport and Police Story 2, we came to the realization that the latter, although less-recognized in the West as its bloodier counterpart, was actually the better martial arts film.
Police Story 2 finds Jackie Chan reprising his role as Sergeant “Kevin” Chan Ka-kui, who this time has been demoted to constable of highway patrol after he mishandled a previous case. However, he’s back on the case as he has to stop a group of bombers, while, at the same time, also having to stop the villains from the first film, who are out for revenge. Like the first Police Story, the second film plays its story straight, with a lot of hard-hitting action that rivals Bloodsport, but with a better, more cohesive story.
10
‘Kickboxer’ (1989)
While Jean-Claude Van Damme’s Bloodsport didn’t exactly make the cut, we can definitely say that Kickboxer, his 1989 follow-up, did. By the end of the decade, Hollywood was fully on board with the martial arts genre, and Kickboxer was proof that, once again, Western audiences couldn’t get enough of these movies in theaters.
Kickboxer, directed by David Worth, follows Kurt Sloane (Van Damme), who has to learn Muay Thai, an ancient form of kickboxing, in order to avenge his brother, who was brutally beaten in a kickboxing match that left him paralyzed. Kickboxer was just as brutal as Bloodsport, but the storyline was better, and it also introduced audiences to Muay Thai. What a way to end a decade of great martial arts movies.
Kickboxer
- Release Date
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April 20, 1989
- Runtime
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97 minutes
- Director
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Mark DiSalle
- Writers
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Glenn A. Bruce
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Dennis Alexio
Eric Sloane
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Dennis Chan Kwok-San
Xian Chow
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