Anyone who enjoys a good martial arts film probably has their own list of favorites. This type of film runs the gamut from cult films with small but dedicated audiences to box office mega hits. But only someone who has actually practiced one of the many types of martial arts can truly appreciate the strength and skill required to make these films look natural and believable.

Some of the best martial artists in the world including Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Steven Seagal and others showcase their individual styles in this list of top ten martial arts movies.

In order to cover the widest area possible this article limits each artist to their best movie. So, in no particular order, here is the list, and remember express your comments at the bottom of the article, because i'm sure this top 10 list will create some conflicting opinions!

Our Top Martial Arts Movies of all time list

Enter The Dragon (1973) Bruce Lee

Without a doubt this movie is one of the best martial art films ever made. Bruce Lee was at the peak of his popularity during this film. While it wasn't his first movie, there can be little doubt that whenever the name of Bruce Lee is brought up, this is the one film that everyone thinks about. Plus just about everyone has seen the famous poster of a bloodied, shirtless Lee preparing for the final battle.

Granted, it doesn't have the best plot and the acting isn't particularly stellar, but it was the one that paved the way for the martial art movies that followed and helped the genre become popular with western audiences. “Enter The Dragon” was the first Kung Fu film made in a Hollywood studio and the last completed film in Bruce Lee's career.

The Matrix (1999) Keanu Reeves

This movie combined sci-fi and martial arts in a way never before attempted. Even though Keanu Reeves isn't known for his martial arts skills, you couldn't tell it by this film. The scene where Reeves as Neo discovers his downloaded Kung Fu skills during a sparring match with Morpheus is a classic. It makes you sort of wish that we could all learn new skills that easily. While some of the martial arts scenes are over the top, it was after all a sci-fi thriller and you certainly can't argue with the movies success. The cast had to undergo months of extensive martial arts training in preparation for each of the three movies of the trilolgy. Many martial arts style are taken into account in this movie including joint locks from Jitsu, sweeps from Karate and close-quarter combat from Wing Chun.

Above The Law (1988) Steven Seagal

Okay, you either love Seagal or you hate him. There doesn't seem to be a middle ground. “Above The Law”, his first movie is still extremely popular today. The 6'4" tall Seagal who is a 7th Dan black belt uses a street smart style of Aikido to create some amazing fight scenes in the movie that he co-wrote and co-directed. Plus it has a great quote: Punk: "I don't think you can take us all, fat ass." Seagal serenely shoots the punk then says,"No, but I'll get an A for effort."

The Legend Of The Drunken Master (2000) Jackie Chan

This is a great film that has Jackie Chan recreating the role from his first movie “Drunken Master” which first made him a star in Hong Kong back in 1978. Chan's unique drunken Kung Fu style is amazing to watch with his comedic timing and liberal use of improvised weapons. Some of the best parts of his movies though are the out-takes that regularly run at the end of each of his films. During these outtakes you get to see the depth of his commitment to creating realistic scenes, even at the cost of knocking himself senseless.

The Fist Of Legend (1984) Jet Li

This movie was basically a remake of the original Bruce Lee movie called “Fist Of Fury”. Doing a remake of one of Lee's most popular movies is a big risk, but it helps when you have a talent like Jet Li. The dubbing was pretty bad but the fight scenes more than made up for it.

Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial By Fire (2005) Chuck Norris

Norris co-starred in “Enter The Dragon” with Bruce Lee. He has also starred in more than other 30 films but probably he'll be best known for his martial artist skills in his long running “Walker, Texas Ranger” TV series and the movie that was based on it. Norris has an amazing spin kick that he does in cowboy boots. As the result of his tough guy image he also has the dubious honor of being the focus of the popular Internet phenomenon called Chuck Norris Facts in which various feats of incredible though implausible strength are attributed to him.

Double Impact (1991) Jean Claude Van Damme

This movie had Van Damme playing two roles as twin brothers Alex and Chad. This was an interesting plot line that allowed Van Damme to play both the innocent and have a dark side in the same movie. There are even fight scenes that make you believe that there might actually be two of him. Jean Claude Van Damme was trained in Karate and there is absolutely no-one who does a leg split like him.

Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (2000) Chow Yun-fat and Zhang Ziyi

This movie literally pushed the martial art genre to a new higher level. Besides that, it had a compelling story, amazing scenery, fantastic costumes, amazing locations and one of the best female martial artists in the world. Although some of the fight scenes were a bit contrived, the film was still amazing.

Karate Kid (1984) Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita

Okay, you're probably wondering why the “Karate Kid” is included in the top ten. Simple, this movie was the motivation for thousands of kids to take up Karate. This introduced them to the discipline and confidence that a martial art can teach. Besides, try to say with a straight face that every time you wax your car - wax on - wax off doesn't come to mind.

The Seven Samurai (1954)

Probably the single best cult classic Kung Fu movies of all time. The plot line involves seven samurai who are hired by a village to teach them to protect themselves from bandits. The acting is superb and will keep you hooked from beginning to end. None of the martial artists in “The Seven Samurai” has famous names that you would recognize both because of the age of the movie and its relative obscurity. The movie is in black and white, subtitled and may be a little hard to track down but it's well worth the search.

Your thoughts?

No matter what your list of top 10 martial arts movies includes, it's a good bet that it will include at least one of the movies listed above. Whether you are looking for pure martial arts action or a movie about discipline and confidence there is sure to be a movie above that you can enjoy. so let us know what you think and if you had to pick only one, which would it be?

Update

InterMartialArts.com has now a dedicated section to martial arts movies reviews. Using a unique weighted rating average, this section is the most reliable ranking of martial arts movies on the net.