The 14 Most Underrated Martial Arts Movies

Few sights are more exhilarating than a well-choreographed martial arts sequence. It's a dance between the actors, stunt team, camera, and director. You're probably familiar with critically acclaimed mega-hits like "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," "The Matrix," "Ip Man," and "The Raid: Redemption," but for each of these well-known classics, dozens fly under the radar. Whether they got lost in the streaming shuffle or are too niche for general audiences, we wanted to kick and punch our way through the most underrated martial arts films. 

Our list features films we think deserve more respect (and eyeballs on them). On the surface, a movie like "The Transporter" seems like a forgettable B-movie, but it roundhouse kicked Jason Statham into the modern-day action hero A-list. Or maybe you're a fan of Jet Li's more prestigious outings like "Hero," so you skipped his collaborations with Luc Besson, missing out on one of his best acting performances in "Unleashed." Maybe genre mash-ups are a little too hit-or-miss for you, but we guarantee you've never seen anything like 2000's cult classic, "Versus." Now that you've had an appetizer for an assault on your senses, this list of kickass movies will deliver. Let's jump-kick right into it. 

The generic US title "Killzone" may be why this film isn't more popular. The original Chinese title, "SPL: Sha Po Long," refers to stars in Chinese astrology that are destructive when they get too close — a perfect metaphor for this film. The plot follows Detective Chan (Simon Yip), who's diagnosed with a fatal brain tumor and forced into early retirement. Still, he's determined to take down the ruthless Triad boss Wong Po (Sammo Hung). Chan's replacement, the take-no-prisoners martial arts dynamo Ma Kwun (Donnie Yen), is assigned to help Chan finish the job. Combining solid police drama with a complex villain and some tragic moments makes this film essential.

The film's main attractions are director Wilson Yip, the action maestro responsible for the jaw-dropping action in the "Ip Man" saga, and stars  Sammo Hung and Donnie Yen, legends of two generations of Hong Kong martial arts films, facing off. Their final battle is an exhaustingly brutal five-minute brawl combining classic martial arts with jiu-jitsu-style takedowns. As Wong Po's hired assassin, Jing Wu is a fun and ferocious adversary, rocking some impressive knife skills in a fight against a baton-wielding Donnie Yen. However, the profoundly sad third act makes this film's impression last. It leaves the audience feeling the sinking feeling there is no winner in such a violent world. We won't spoil the ending, but be warned: It's an emotional doozy. 

Yuen Woo Ping's "Iron Monkey" has the Quentin Tarantino stamp of approval, and for a good reason. The plot is very Robin Hood-esque, with Yu Rongguang playing a physician by day and the Iron Monkey, a masked thief who steals from the rich to give to the poor, by night. A new martial artist named Wong Kei-Ying (Donnie Yen) arrives in town and is mistaken for the Iron Monkey and imprisoned. Soon, he's set free to hunt the real Iron Monkey while his son is held captive. What starts as an antagonistic relationship builds into an epic team-up. With the help of a young woman named Miss Orchid (Jean Wang), the trio confront the corrupt leaders in a series of gravity-defying wire-work showdowns, including a particularly mind-blowing fight scene atop flaming bamboo sticks

"Iron Monkey" was released in China in 1993, but audiences in the United States wouldn't see it until 2001. After the international success of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," studios searched for the next martial arts hit. Miramax picked up Yuen Woo Ping's earlier film. "Iron Monkey." The film also introduced Donnie Yen to American audiences. You'll often see his name on many "best of" martial arts lists. His talent and skills are undeniable, and it's no wonder he was scooped up for big-budget Hollywood movies like "Blade 2," "Rogue One," and "John Wick: Chapter 4." 

"Azumi" is a samurai action epic directed by Ryûhei Kitamura, starring Aya Ueto in the title role. The plot follows Azumi and a group of orphans trained by a master swordsman for an unknown mission in the mountains of feudal Japan. In their final test, they have to pair up with their best friend and try to kill each other. The remaining assassins leave everything behind and embark on their true mission to change Japan by covertly assassinating a group of ruthless warlords. Sword fights ensue, blood sprays and loyalties are tested and broken, all leading to a wild third-act bloodbath. 

"Azumi" has fantastic samurai swordplay and tremendous human drama. It asks questions like, "Who is worth saving if they don't serve the greater good?" and "How violent is one willing to become in the name of loyalty?" But the real reason this movie makes our list is the final battle between Azumi and 200 soldiers. Kitamura uses wide shots and aerial views to give the audience the scope of the fight. Azumi slices her way through nameless goons, tossing one's head into the crowd. She even cuts an arrow down the middle so that it pierces two foes that were ready to attack. The film climaxes in a zany showdown with the villainous Bijomaru Mogami (Joe Odagiri). It's over-the-top at times, emotionally devastating at others, and overall, an entertaining ride.  

If you saw "The Raid: Redemption" and are clamoring for another ultra-violent flick featuring Iko Uwais dishing out more savage beatdowns, look no further than 2016's "Headshot." When Ishmael (Iko Uwais) wakes up on a beach with no memory, he finds help in Dr. Ailin (Chelsea Islan). Ishmael soon discovers he is part of a ruthless crime syndicate with a penchant for kidnapping children and training them to become loyal soldiers to leader Lee (Sunny Pang). Once Dr. Ailin and a young girl are taken by Lee and his gang, Ishmael becomes a one-man army on a mission to get them back.

Imagine a mix of the amnesia story device of the "Jason Bourne" films, a child soldier backstory, and the visceral fighting style of "The Raid: Redemption," and you get a hint at what you're in store for. Fair warning: This movie is incredibly violent, and the main villain is genuinely awful, with no regard for innocent life. Never fear, though. Ishmael exacts sweet revenge on Lee and his crew, taking on multiple gang members. This leads to a showdown where he works his way through Lee's top assassins in one-on-one combat. Each bout tops the last and reveals more about Ishmael's dark past. Sit back and get ready to be shocked by how far this film goes.

It's hard to believe the wise-cracking cockney crook from "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" would become one of the biggest action stars on the planet, but once Jason Statham blasted on the screen as Frank Martin in "The Transporter," a new action hero was born. The plot is simple. Martin transports packages for shady clientele. He only has three rules: Never change the deal, no names, and never open the package. He breaks his own rule and finds out he's transporting a woman named Lai (Shu Qi), the daughter of a Chinese crime lord, to a Wall Street scumbag. All hell breaks loose as Frank falls for Lai, and several henchmen fall — after being hit by Frank.

"The Transporter" could be overlooked as a silly B-movie (which it is), but it's also a fantastic showcase for Statham's fighting skills. Statham uses guns, hand-to-hand combat, and anything he can find in the room to fight off legions of nameless henchmen. In a scene that is both hilarious and awesome, Statham finds himself surrounded. He kicks over tubs of oil, breaks off two bike pedals, and uses them to easily skip around as the bad guys slip and flop. It's a perfect example of the tone of the "Transporter" franchise. Even if you don't love the movie, there's no denying it launched the dozens of snarling Statham action movies that followed.

In Ryûhei Kitamura's wacky horror-martial arts hybrid "Versus," two escaped convicts, the Yakuza, and a mysterious woman end up in an unexpected supernatural conflict after they discover the Yakuza's favorite spot for hiding dead bodies also happens to be "The Forest of Resurrection." When some of the gangster's greatest "hits" come back to haunt and maim them, it's nonstop action and zombie gore.

We hesitate to give away too much because watching Japanese megastar Tak Sakaguchi take on hoards of undead assassins in a movie chock full of virtually nonstop action sequences is an otherworldly experience. Often described as "The Evil Dead" meets "The Matrix," which only offers a sliver of this completely off-the-wall experience, the movie has a loving and hand-made feel while making the most of its low budget with killer choreography and wild practical gore effects. One bad guy gets his head punched through, and his eyeballs are stuck in Tak's clenched fist. Limbs are lopped off, heads roll, and there may even be a centuries-old conflict in which existence hangs in the balance. "Versus" has the feel of a cult classic splattered across every frame.

This last one is a bit of a wild card, but it's also one of the zaniest mockumentaries ever. "Top Knot Detective" follows Australian documentarian Des Mangan as he investigates the behind-the-scenes drama of the infamously failed '90s Japanese samurai show "Ronin Suiri Tantai," retitled "Top Knot Detective" for Western audiences. It tracks the meteoric rise of the show's unstable writer-producer-director-star Takashi Takamoto (Toshi Okuzaki). As detailed by Third Window Films, "on-screen he battles robot ninjas and penis monsters [while] off-screen jealousy threatens to demolish his legacy." If that description doesn't grab your attention, we don't know what will. 

It isn't easy to make a convincing mockumentary. The story needs to be outlandish while keeping the performances and writing believable and never seeming too forced or scripted. "Top Knot Detective" is such an authentic recreation of a very niche fandom that, by the end, no one would blame you for being convinced "Ronin Suiri Tantai" was a real show. The interviews are earnest and deadpan, never tipping their hand that this is a joke. However, the main draw is the intricate VHS-style recreations of wacky '80s and '90s Japanese television. Filmmakers Aaron McCann and Dominic Pearce pay loving homage to "Lone Wolf and Cub," Ed Wood, "Power Rangers," and more. They pack the runtime with fight scenes, catchy jingles, flying limbs accompanied by excessive blood spurts, giant robots, and even an underlying true crime mystery. It's a one-of-a-kind, hilariously gonzo ride you should seek out.