Help make a list of every worthwhile martial arts movie, director, actor
April 23, 2018 9:17 AM Subscribe
I've always really enjoyed martial arts movies, and something I've always wanted to do with a genre is go through its developments chronologically. Help me out!
So basically what I'm thinking is to make a list of all the famous movies, then add all of the movies by the good directors, all of the movies by the worthwhile actors, and then put them all in chronological order and watch them. Plus many of them might be in mandarin, which I happen to be hitting an advanced stage where I need to watch more movies anyway :) Feel free to add any other recommendations! For example, famous stunt teams (I'm thinking Yuen Woo-ping) etc. Basically I want to slowly make my way through the entire genre. The cool thing about movies is I think this is actually doable. As far as martial arts, I'd rather keep a broader definition...for example, I think wuxia should largely be included, as should stuff by Arnold Schwarzenegger, as I want to see the contrast and the lineage. I can always cut things I don't think make the list, so I'd rather have a broader list to start. Thank you!
So basically what I'm thinking is to make a list of all the famous movies, then add all of the movies by the good directors, all of the movies by the worthwhile actors, and then put them all in chronological order and watch them. Plus many of them might be in mandarin, which I happen to be hitting an advanced stage where I need to watch more movies anyway :) Feel free to add any other recommendations! For example, famous stunt teams (I'm thinking Yuen Woo-ping) etc. Basically I want to slowly make my way through the entire genre. The cool thing about movies is I think this is actually doable. As far as martial arts, I'd rather keep a broader definition...for example, I think wuxia should largely be included, as should stuff by Arnold Schwarzenegger, as I want to see the contrast and the lineage. I can always cut things I don't think make the list, so I'd rather have a broader list to start. Thank you!
Sex and Zen & A Bullet in the Head: The Essential Guide to Hong Kong's Mind-bending Films would be a good starting point for your research, although since it was published in '96 it will only take you so far.
posted by soundguy99 at 4:08 PM on April 23, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by soundguy99 at 4:08 PM on April 23, 2018 [1 favorite]
I'm not sure whether you are looking for lists or for suggestions of what to put on the list - in which case it would probably help to know what you already have on the list. As far as lists go, an enthusiastic +1 for the Sex & Zen book mentioned above. There's also the far from complete and potentially dubious (Excalibur, really?) chronological list on Wikipedia which may be helpful, particularly for early films and also for links which will then lead you to more, and the more detailed decade lists which are also not complete and don't include some of the films on the first list - even ones that should be there. Lists are apparently hard.
If, on the other hand, you want recommendations, I have a massive weakness for what I think of as the golden age of HK cinema - late 80s to early 00s - which includes actors like Michelle Yeoh, Brigitte Lin, Jet Li, Maggie Cheung, Anita Mui, Andy Lau, Cheng Pei-Pei, Leslie Cheung, Tony Leung, Chow Yun Fat, Chingmy Yau; actor/directors like Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Stephen Chow and directors Tsui Hark, Corey Yuen, Ricky Lau, Ronny Yu. Mind you, this is also the era where I got really into HK films, mostly wuxia, along with an ex and some good friends, and the whole era is steeped in memories of going to the no longer extant Chinatown cinema for double features with other enthusiasts. Good times.
posted by Athanassiel at 4:47 PM on April 23, 2018 [3 favorites]
If, on the other hand, you want recommendations, I have a massive weakness for what I think of as the golden age of HK cinema - late 80s to early 00s - which includes actors like Michelle Yeoh, Brigitte Lin, Jet Li, Maggie Cheung, Anita Mui, Andy Lau, Cheng Pei-Pei, Leslie Cheung, Tony Leung, Chow Yun Fat, Chingmy Yau; actor/directors like Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Stephen Chow and directors Tsui Hark, Corey Yuen, Ricky Lau, Ronny Yu. Mind you, this is also the era where I got really into HK films, mostly wuxia, along with an ex and some good friends, and the whole era is steeped in memories of going to the no longer extant Chinatown cinema for double features with other enthusiasts. Good times.
posted by Athanassiel at 4:47 PM on April 23, 2018 [3 favorites]
A good place to start might be this info on the Shaw Brothers studio, which was the largest HK studio and did a lot of martial arts films.
posted by MovableBookLady at 7:13 PM on April 23, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by MovableBookLady at 7:13 PM on April 23, 2018 [1 favorite]
AV Club has a series called A History of Violence that might be worth checking out. Starts back in 1968, and "picks the most important action movie of every year" -- along with plenty of runner-ups. Not all of the picks are martial arts films, by any means, but the reviewer is obviously a fan of the genre and seems pretty knowledgeable.
posted by Bron at 8:56 AM on April 24, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Bron at 8:56 AM on April 24, 2018 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
I am a fan of martial arts movies but haven't followed them exhaustively, so I think that mix indicates you are likely to get all the obvious candidates here, plus films that are more obscure.
posted by layceepee at 9:58 AM on April 23, 2018 [2 favorites]