Summary
Martial arts movies have been popular in the West to some extent or another since the 1960s, but it was during the 1990s that the genre truly became mainstream. This period saw the rise oficonic martial artistslike Jet Li and Jackie Chan, and Hollywood took proper stabs at the genre, with films likeRush HourandThe Matrixseeing huge box office success.
Martial arts films of the 90s stand out thanks to their increased focus on storytelling compared to earlier entries and their resistance to the rise of CGI. With their impressive fight choreography and excellent cinematography, many of these films have aged surprisingly well compared to the CGI-heavy action films that followed them.The following films have been ranked according to their Rotten Tomatoes scores, and a big focus has been put on Asian martial arts films, ignoring the many straight-to-video martial arts movies that were churned out by Hollywood during the period. Sorry, Van Damme and Steven Seagal fans.
10Armour Of God 2: Operation Condor (1991)
Tomatometer: 80%, Popcornmeter: 63%
Jackie Chan was extremely busy in the 1990s, so it seems only fitting that this list starts with one of his highest-grossing films. TheOriginal Armour of Godwasn’t terribly original and was seen by many as a funnier, more action-oriented version ofthe best Indiana Jones films. Jackie Chan doubled down on this with his 1997 sequel, which saw his character, Hawk, searching for golden treasure in the Sahara.
The film took everything that had made the original one of Hong Kong’s highest-ever grossing films and dialed it up to 11.This was particularly impressive considering Chan had been badly injured while making the first film.Sadly, the franchise ran out of steam after this, and the third installment,CZ12, was pretty terrible.Operation Condormay not have been very imaginative, but it gave 90s audiences amusing comedy backed up by Chan’s brilliant martial arts and thrilling stunts.
9Rumble In The Bronx (1996)
Tomatometer: 81%, Popcornmeter: 65%
These days, Jackie Chan’s name is synonymous with martial arts movies in the West, but that wasn’t always so. While he’d been appearing in Asian movies since the 1960s, it wasn’t until the mid-to-late 90s that he became well-known in the West.Rumble in the Bronxstands out because it was one of the films to make Chan a household name outside of Asia. The film sees Hong Kong officer Jackie Chan move to New York, where he takes on multiple motorcycle gangs.
Suffice it to say the film didn’t win aBest Picture Award. Its plot was basic and was there simply to give Chan’s character an excuse to rough up a bunch of nameless thugs. Thankfully, the film was carried by some great choreography and Chan’s comedic timing. Like many 90s films, calling it art might be a stretch, butRumble in the Bronxis a great popcorn movie.
8The Tai-Chi Master
Tomatometer: 83%, Popcornmeter: 84%
Compared to the first two entries, The Tai-Chi Master is a more traditional martial arts movie. Directed by the legendary Yuen Wo-Ping, the film follows two ex-Shaolin monks and friends who end up on differing sides of a rebellion against the government.
This might sound melodramatic (and it is in places), but the movie is actually more of an action-comedy. That means while it looks like a film for martial arts die-hards, it’s actually got a fairly broad appeal. Even better, it stars both Jet Li and a young Michelle Yeoh. Considering how many awesome films she’s made, it says a lot that this is one ofMichelle Yeoh’s best.
7The Matrix (1999)
Tomatometer: 83%, Popcornmeter: 85%
It might not have come directly out of Asia, but it’s hard to talk about the 90s best martial arts films without talking aboutThe Matrix. Easily one ofthe best Keanu Reeves movies, the film is a love letter by the Wachowskis to the martial arts films they grew up watching. It’s a high-concept sci-fi martial arts film that not only helped popularize kung-fu in the West but introduced many to the wonders of bullet time cinematography and gun-fu.
The film has aged remarkably well and set a high bar that the sequels have failed to live up to. While martial arts purists may dislike the amount of gunplay mixed in with the martial arts, the film’s fight scenes were choreographed by the highly respected Yuen Wo-Ping, and many of the actors spent months actually learning how to fight.The Matrixis one of the most iconic films of the 1990s,and few other martial arts movies have led to quite so many philosophical debates on the nature of reality.
6Drunken Master II (1993)
Tomatometer: 85%, Popcornmeter: 88%
PickingJackie Chan’s best movieisn’t easy, but there’s a strong argument to be made forDrunken Master 2, at least on the strength of its fight scenes. Somewhat of a transitional film for the actor/director, it’s a mix of traditional martial arts movies and comedy that helped him step out of the shadow of his earlier films.
Like many other Chan movies,Drunken Masteris a brilliant blend of comedy and action. The film’s humor may be a little goofy for some, but there’s no denying Chan’s comedy chops, and the historical setting is well done. The highlight, however, is the action scenes. The film has not just some of the best fight scenes of the 90s, but arguably of all time, andthe scene where Won Fei-hung falls on a bed of hot coals is an all-time great. When it comes to martial arts prowess, this was Chan at his peak.
5Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky (1991)
Tomatometer: 89%, Popcornmeter: 85%
Riki-Oh: The Story of Rickyis one of the weirder movies on this list. It’s the sort of movie that doesn’t take itself at all seriously and revels in absurdity. It tells the story of Riki-Oh, a young martial arts expert with superhuman powers who finds himself wrongly imprisoned in a jail where the prisoners are little more than slaves. Ricky finds himself with a bounty on his head and must fight through both the prison’s thugs and its corrupt administration to survive.
This is all an excuse for audiences to watch actor Louis Fan literally tear his way through multiple thugs. The action here is beyond brutal, and each fight scene is drenched in buckets of gore to the point where the film takes on a cartoonish edge. Part dark comedy, part martial arts film, and part prison dramaRiki-Oh: The Story of Rickyis the perfect film for when viewers want to switch off their brains and watch some bad guys get brutalized in the most extreme ways imaginable.
4Once Upon A Time In China (1991)
Tomatometer: 90%, Popcornmeter: 88%
Once Upon A Time In Chinais part martial arts flick, part historical epic. Compared to other entries on this list, it takes itself a little more seriously but is just as impressive. Set in 1800s China during the Qing dynasty, it’s one of many martial arts films to cover the life of legendary fighter Wong Fei-hung.
Wong Fei-hung is played by the respected Jet Li in one of his first major roles. While many 90s martial arts movies were happy to settle for merely being entertaining,Once Upon A Time In Chinahad some bite to it, especially in how it portrayed the history of China’s colonization. The film may not be 100% historically accurate (or anywhere near it), but its historical setting and lengthy run time give it an epic feel, while the awesome kung fu fights stop it from ever becoming too serious or boring.
3Iron Monkey (1993)
Tomatometer: 91%, Popcornmeter: 86%
Iron Monkeyis perhaps the most controversial movie on this list. Taken at face value, the movie’s plot is fairly simple: Donnie Yen’s Wong Kei-Ying is tasked with hunting down the titular masked fighter, Iron Monkey, a Robin Hood-like character who has become a pain in the butt of the wealthy elite. On top of this, the film also served as a fictional retelling of Wong Fei-hung’s (who we’ve already mentioned) childhood.
The film saw massive success in Hong Kong because its story served as a criticism of the region’s class divide and how its oppressed communities have been treated historically. Unfortunately, Hollywood opted to alter the movie for Western audiences and removed anything that could be deemed even slightly controversial, transforming it into a much more standard martial arts experience. Even in its watered-down state,the movie was 1993’s 11th highest-grossing movie in the U.S., something largely down to Yuen Wo-Ping’s epic action choreography.
2Police Story 3: Supercop (1992)
Tomatometer: 93%, Popcornmeter: 75%
Police Story 3: Supercop is much better than its painfully cheesy title would suggest. Starring Jackie Chan and Michelle Yeoh, the film sees Chan’s returning character Chan Ka-Kui team up with policewoman Jessica Yang (Michelle Yeoh) to take on a Hong Kong drug cartel. Put simply, it’s a martial arts buddy cop movie that shines on the chemistry between its two leads and the quality of its action scenes.
The good news is that neither disappoints. Chan and Yeoh make an amazing team and both shine in the action sequences, doing many of the stunts themselves. The fights themselves are fast-paced and some of Chan’s best. While cinema snobs might turn their noses up to it when compared tothe best Chinese martial arts movies,there’s no denyingSupercop’ssheer entertainment value.
1Fist Of Legend (1994)
Tomatometer: 100%, Popcornmeter: 92%
Remaking a genre-defining classic is always a risky move, especially when the original starred a figure as iconic, and tragic, as Bruce Lee. For anyone unfamiliar with either version of the film,Fist of Legendfollows a young martial arts prodigy who sets out on a mission to avenge his master, who died in combat with someone he shouldn’t have. Unlike many 90s martial arts films,Fists of Legendis focused singularly on telling this story and lacks the comedic tone and bombastic action of many of its contemporaries.
Is it as good as the original? Debatable. Bruce Lee is a hard act to follow after all. Still, Jet Li is excellent here, and the action sequences serve to further the story, rather than distract from it. The fact Li and Yuen Woo-ping avoided wirework wherever possible also adds a sense of realism to the film that highlights both Li’s physical ability and the original Bruce Lee’s sheer talent. As both a standalone film and an homage to Bruce Lee,Fist of Legendstands out as an all-time great martial arts movie.
