By Alexander Valentino
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These 8 Martial Arts Movies Are Responsible For What The Genre Is Today
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Summary
- 2024 promises to reignite audiences' love for martial arts movies, with a variety of high-octane offerings set to captivate fans worldwide.
- From realistic martial arts tournament dramas to fantastical revenge stories, the genre continues to evolve and captivate audiences with diverse themes.
- A mix of veteran stars and rising talent ensures that the martial arts movie landscape in 2024 will be a thrilling and action-packed adventure for fans.
2024 is looking to be a great year for martial arts movies, with some solid action-packed offerings set to break ground in Summer, Winter, and beyond. The martial arts genre is sometimes thought to be a relic of the past, with many of the greatest Kung Fu films like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Enter the Dragon having left their mark on pop culture over twenty years ago. But recent years have proven that, if anything, audiences love for hand-to-hand combat is more alive than ever, with 2024 and beyond looking to be no different.
Streaming series like Cobra Kai and Avatar: The Last Airbender making the rounds alongside snappy action films like the John Wick and Ip Man franchises keep a steady stream of martial arts action in chugging along front of eager audiences. But the genre is also unique in that many of the best martial arts films are foreign, not being a product of Hollywood nepotism. From daring modern action-thrillers combining firearms with bare-handed strikes to martial arts movies set in ancient China, the coming years promise some amazing martial arts combat.
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These 8 Martial Arts Movies Are Responsible For What The Genre Is Today
There were a small number of martial arts movies that had an undeniable impact on the genre and greatly influenced where it's at today.
8 Life After Fighting
Bren Foster's first purely fictitious work
Life After Fighting
- Director
- Bren Foster
- Studio(s)
- Broken Yellow
- Writers
- Bren Foster
- Cast
- Bren Foster , Cassie Howarth , Luke Ford , Annabelle Stephenson , Arielle Jean Foster , Anthony Nassif , Eddie Arrazola
- Main Genre
- Action
As great as high-flying, fantastical martial arts stories can be, some of the best films in the genre follow more grounded narratives of realistic competitors giving it their all in actual sanctioned tournaments. Blurring the line between sports movies and martial arts movies, Life After Fighting will be a meditative look on combat sports as a whole and the seedier side of human conflict. The film revolves around a dojo master, Alex Faulker, who must learn to lead his pupils to greatness while protecting them from an insidious human trafficking ring.
Foster has black belts in tawekwondo, hapkido, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, making him an incredibly versatile combat sports star.
Few active filmmakers can boast the same knowledge of martial arts as Bren Foster, who has written the screenplay for Life After Fighting and is slated to direct and star in the leading role as Faulker himself. A dedicated practitioner of multiple martial arts, Foster has black belts in tawekwondo, hapkido, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, making him an incredibly versatile combat sports star. Best known for his docuseries Fight Science on National Geographic, Bren Foster will take his skills to the big screen on a as-of-yet unannounced release date.
7 The Crazy Dad
A brutal revenge story from Yue Song
The Crazy Dad
- Director
- Yue Song
- Writers
- Yue Song
- Cast
- Yue Song , Kylie Zhou
- Runtime
- 85 Minutes
It's no surprise that Chinese martial arts movies are among the cream of the crop, and the coming years seem to be no exception with the slated release of The Crazy Dad. The excellently-titled flick promises a revenge movie similar to Taken, telling the story of a desperate father's attempts to protect his young daughter by any means necessary. Compared to many other entries in the genre, The Crazy Dad has promised some particularly brutal finishing blows and wince-inducing strikes nearly strong enough to transfer their pain to the viewer.
Another starring performer and director double-threat, Yue Song is quickly proving himself as one of the best modern filmmakers in the international martial arts movie space. Being his latest in a long line of tetra-annual productions, The Crazy Dad has already been released for streaming domestically in China, but awaits hard confirmation of a Western premiere date. Hopefully, Song's modest retinue of overseas fans won't have to wait much longer than 2024 to catch his latest spectacular beat-'em-up, but tragically few details can be confirmed at the time of writing.
6 The Killer's Game
Featuring an all-star cast and proven stunt coordination
The Killer's Game
Action
Comedy
Thriller
A hitman named Joe is diagnosed with a terminal illness and decides to end his life on his own terms by placing a hit on himself. When he learns the diagnosis was a mistake, he must evade the world's deadliest assassins who are now targeting him. The action-packed narrative follows Joe as he fights for survival while confronting his past decisions and the relentless killers pursuing him.
- Director
- J.J. Perry
- Studio(s)
- Dogbone Entertainment , Endurance Media , K. JAM Media , Lionsgate Films , Mad Chance
- Writers
- Jay Bonansinga , James Coyne , Simon Kinberg , Rand Ravich
- Cast
- Dave Bautista , Joe Flood , Sofia Boutella , Terry Crews , Pom Klementieff , Ben Kingsley , Scott Adkins , Andrew Galloway , Lucy Cork , Daniel Bernhardt , Hoon Lee , Marko Zaror , Raffaello Degruttola , George Somner , Scott Alexander Young , Shaina West , Antonia Desplat
Stunt performers and choreographers often make the best directors of action films in general, let alone carefully orchestrated martial arts epics. The Killer's Game opts to prove that thesis once more, though a hard release date has yet to be set. The film will follow the story of an assassin dying of a terminal illness who orders a hit on himself to go out with a bang, only to realize he beat his diagnosis and enter a fight for his life against killers he hired to take it. This ingenious premise will be helmed by director J.J. “Loco” Perry.
Perry is a former stunt performer and coordinator who made his directorial film debut with 2022's supernatural action-comedy Day Shift, starring Jamie Foxx. He seems to have pulled similarly big names for The Killer's Game, which will star Dave Bautista in the leading role alongside other heavy-hitters like Terry Crews and Ben Kingsley. With action performer credits in media ranging from Mortal Kombat: Annihilation to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Perry certainly knows what he's doing when it comes to crafting an engaging string of fight scenes and choreography.
5 Legend of the White Dragon
A sentai super feature with a tear-jerking final performance
Legend of the White Dragon
- Director
- Aaron Schoenke
- Studio(s)
- Bat in the Sun Productions , Legend of the White Dragon
- Distributor(s)
- Falling Forward Films
- Writers
- Alex Kellerman , Aaron Schoenke
- Cast
- Jason David Frank , Aaron Schoenke , Chalet Lizette Brannan , Mayling Ng
Encompassing a wide variety of tones and settings is what keeps the martial arts genre fresh, and Legend of the White Dragon seeks to provide modern fans with some much-needed variety. Styling itself after the best modern sentai shows like Power Rangers, Legend of the White Dragon will forge a brand-new universe with similarly colorful costumes, fantastical weaponry, and elaborate martial arts maneuvers. But the film will have much more to offer beyond a shallow parade of special effects and dizzying worldbuilding.
Legend of the White Dragon will have an astounding ensemble cast, utilizing the talents of big names in the martial arts landscape like Mark Dacascos, David Ramsey, and Mayling Ng. Most prominently, however, is the final on-screen performance of the late Jason David Frank, better known as Tommy Oliver the Green Ranger, before his unexpected death in 2022. WIth an unspecified release slated for sometime later in the year, this modern, more mature celebration of sentai sensibilities should be hotly-anticipated by Power Rangers fans and martial arts enthusiasts alike.
4 Bade Miyan Chote Miyan
One of Bollywood's most hotly-anticipated films in recent years
Bade Miyan Chote Miyan
Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, directed by Ali Abbas Zafar, follows elite soldiers as they join forces to recover a stolen weapon from a masked antagonist intent on wreaking havoc in India.
- Director
- Ali Abbas Zafar
- Studio(s)
- AAZ Films , Pooja Entertainment & Films
- Cast
- Prithviraj Sukumaran , Akshay Kumar , Pitobash , Tiger Shroff , Alaya F , Manushi Chhillar
- Release Date
- April 11, 2024
- Runtime
- 164 Minutes
Similarly to China, India has also had the lucky position to maintain its own suite of talented studios ripe with high-flying martial arts action in the form of the many Bollywood films released each year. Of the country's upcoming releases, few films can promise as many thrills as Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, whose title roughly translates to "Big Master, Little Master" in English. The Hindi-language film will pair a duo of highly-trained special forces soldiers against the deranged scientist Kabir, hell-bent on destroying the country through the use of advanced artificial intelligence.
The movie's buddy cop sensibilities will also echo the success of RRR, a fellow Bollywood action thriller that went on to be a huge success in the West.
Bade Miyan Chote Miyan will blur the lines between a typical action movie and a martial arts film, employing styles of "Gun Fu" similar to that seen in the John Wick series or Equilibrium. The movie's buddy cop sensibilities will also echo the success of RRR, a fellow Bollywood action thriller that went on to be a huge success in the West. With an Indian release date of April 10th and an American theatrical run likely to follow close behind, the appeal of dynamic duo Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff is sure not to be lost on an international audience.
3 Monkey Man
An American take on Indian action thrillers
8/10
Monkey Man (2024)
R
Monkey Man is a 2024 action-thriller film directed by and starring Dev Patel. Following his release from prison, a man known as "Kid" makes a living by engaging in anonymous underground fights in a mask where he is beaten down each night. However, after witnessing greed and corruption consuming his city, Kid breaks into the upper echelon of society to find those who destroyed his life and take them down.
- Director
- Dev Patel
- Release Date
- April 5, 2024
- Cast
- Dev Patel , Sharlto Copely , Pitobash , Vipin Sharma , Sikandar Kher , Sobhita Dhulipala , Ashwini Kalsekar , Adithi Kalkunte , Makarand Deshpande
- Runtime
- 121 Minutes
While Bollywood has largely eschewed the need for Indian audiences to look to Hollywood for representation, Monkey Man aims to domestically produce a martial arts action thriller that colors itself with the pride of Indian heritage. Produced by famed horror director Jordan Peele, Monkey Man promises to be a Mumbai rendition of John Wick, starring Dev Patel as a one-man army dedicated to cleaning up the crime and corruption of his home city. One of the most unexpectedly cool trailers of of 2024, Monkey Man managed to draw up a lot of anticipation in a short amount of time.
Part of the intrigue and appeal of Monkey Man has been how tightly the promotional materials have played their cards, cluing in prospective audiences to only scant pieces of information. Patel's lead protagonist is simply referred to as "Kid", and uses a monkey's mask to disguise his identity for unknown reasons. What little has been shown off of the choreography and fight scenes promise a bone-crunching good time, with the talents of fight choreographer Brahim Chab on full display. Having just released on April 5th, Monkey Man's breathtaking fight scenes will end Spring of 2024 on a high note.
2 The Last Kumite
The return of Jean-Claude Van Damme's Bloodsport universe
The Last Kumite
The Last Kumite, directed by Ross W. Clarkson, follows karate champion Michael Rivers as he is coerced into participating in a clandestine martial arts tournament in Bulgaria after his daughter is kidnapped. Rivers must navigate dangerous competition to secure her freedom, with the aid of trainers Master Loren and Julie Jackson.
- Director
- Ross W. Clarkson
- Cast
- Cynthia Rothrock , Michel Qissi , Matthias Hues , Kurt McKinney , David Yeung , Billy Blanks , Abdel Qissi
- Release Date
- May 13, 2024
- Runtime
- 105 Minutes
Of all the 80s martial arts franchises to get a revival, few could've guessed that the best film of Jean-Claude Van Damme, Bloodsport, would see a renaissance of violence. But thanks to the power of crowdfunding, The Last Kumite is quickly approaching martial arts fans to relive the success of the original film. The movie will see the return of the titular Kumite, an underground, no-holds-barred martial arts tournament in which anything goes, following a new group of capable combatants stepping into the ring.
Sadly, Jean-Claude Van Damme himself won't be making a triumphant return in The Last Kumite, having long since allowed the franchise to move past his own influence. Luckily, the film promises a stellar cast of other iconic 80s stars, including Cynthia Rothrock, Billy Blanks, Matthias Hues, Kurt McKinney, and Abdel Qissi. Though the leading star, Mathias Landwehr, is a newcomer pitted against the intimidating group of veterans, under the tutelage of famed German fight choreographer Mike Moeller, the return of the Bloodsport universe is sure to be a slam dunk.
1 The Karate Kid Reboot
The official return of the long-awaited karate franchise
Karate Kid (2024)
Karate Kid is a 2025 movie based on the original Karate Kid franchise of films directed by Jonathan Entwistle. Plot details currently remain unknown, but it is expected to be a new rendition of the story of a youth finding the courage to stand up for themselves under the tutelage of a former martial artist.
- Director
- Jonathan Entwistle
- Release Date
- May 30, 2025
- Studio(s)
- Columbia Pictures , Jerry Weintraub Productions , Overbrook Entertainment , Sony Pictures Entertainment
- Distributor(s)
- Sony Pictures Entertainment
- Writers
- Rob Lieber , Anthony Tambakis
The Karate Kid has seen a renewed interest in recent years thanks to the efforts of Cobra Kai, which revived the timeline of the original films from a new point of view. While a new Karate Kid film hasn't been attempted since Jayden Smith traveled to China to train with Jackie Chan in 2010, a proper return to the series is well underway. With Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan both slated to reprise their roles, the two continuities of the two films featuring The Karate Kid's title will be officially joined.
The titular teen martial artist will be coming from China to the United States, struggling with the woes of mentorship as well as the typical growing pains of being a young immigrant. Though the Karate Kid reboot's release date was pushed back to December 13th, 2024, anticipation for the return to Daniel's dojo has only grown. If the film plays its cards right and makes use of some updated fight choreography closer to what has been shown off in Cobra Kai, it has the makings to become one of the best martial arts movies of the year.
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