Best of the Best
The 2010s are long gone and films like Enter the Fat Dragon and Mulan are leading the charge of martial art movies in the new decade. But before we watch any of those, we are counting down the top ten martial art movies of the 2010s. Last decade saw martial art films of all types emerge from different parts of the world featuring stars old and new. That is a lot of movies, so every entry is going to represent a larger category. To help not make an article the length of a Kurosawa film, this is going to be a three part series. Let’s take a look back at the best of the best of the past ten years.
Top Ten (Round 1)
10. The Hidden Gem – Die Fighting (2014)
Die Fighting tells the story of an up and coming stunt group excited to premiere their film in Hollywood. Before they get their big break, their lives are thrown off course. A man calling himself ‘The Director’ has kidnapped their loved ones and placed cameras throughout Los Angeles. What ‘The Director’ says goes, whether it is taking on a dojo of black belts, fighting off a random gang with Drunken Boxing, ala Jackie Chan, or even going head to head with each other. They must do whatever he says in the hopes of rescuing their families.
Fabien Garcia created Die Fighting to show off the skills of himself and the members of his team, Z-Team Films. Die Fighting features incredible fight scenes from Fabian himself, Jess Allen, and Laurent Buson (previously seen in Gareth Evan’s Merantau) and his brother, Didier Buson. Together the four of them made some of the most uniquely choreographed fight scenes I have ever seen.
I remember finding Die Fighting at Walmart, only slightly remembering the trailer. So I bought it not knowing if I had just wasted my money on complete garbage or not. Thankfully Die Fighting was anything but. This is a martial art movie made by fans for fans. It’s been six years since Die Fighting and I am still anticipating whatever comes next for Garcia and the Z-Team.
9. Thailand – BKO: Bangkok Knockout (2011)
Oddly enough BKO is also about a stunt team trying to make it in Hollywood. BKO: Bangkok Knockout focuses on a group of young fighters winning the opportunity to star in a major Hollywood film. But it was all a trick! The fighters have been forced into a gambling ring where they must go head to head with another group of fighters for the enjoyment of the rich and powerful. The young group must fight to stay alive and escape the compound before any of their friends are killed.
What sets BKO: Bangkok Knockout apart from other action movies? Well when casting the movie, director Panna Rittikrai made one important decision: fill every role in the film with his entire stunt team. This decision resulted in full speed and, for the most part, full contact fight scenes. As a viewer, you feel it when the characters take a hit, and that pain makes you root for the protagonists all the more. To spice up the action, every character uses a different form of martial arts. There’s the Muay Thai fighter, the Taekwondo fighter, Wushu fighter, and more. With everything from technical duels to chaotic brawls, it’s no exaggeration to say that the fight scenes are beyond spectacular.
The 2000s saw Thailand gift the world modern classics such as Ongbak, The Protector (Tom Yum Goong), Chocolate, Dynamite Warrior, and Born to Fight. But after the untimely passing of martial artist and director Panna Rittikrai, Thailand since halted production on quality action flicks. However, before Panna passed away, he left the world with BKO: Bangkok Knockout.
8. Surprise Debut – Man of Tai Chi (2013)
Man of Tai Chi tells the story of a martial artist named Tiger. Tiger enters a tournament in the hopes of earning enough money to save his master’s home. Donaka Mark, the tournament host and international criminal, avoids the police and works to mold Tiger into a twisted killer. Tiger finds himself helping the police while struggling to keep his emotions in check.
The draw of Man of Tai Chi came in the form of its director. Keanu Reeves took his seat in the director’s chair for the first and only time ever. For Man of Tai Chi, Keanu made sure to fill the lead role with the very man who trained him for The Matrix, Tiger Chen. Tiger’s charisma and natural martial art ability instantly placed him among the top names of martial art cinema. Who wouldn’t want to see Tiger Chen go toe to toe with the likes of Iko Uwais, Donnie Yen, or Scott Adkins?
Man of Tai Chi was released in 2013 and since then Keanu has conquered the big screen all over again as John Wick. Tiger’s on-screen career has exploded as his fanbase has grown exponentially. The both of them have been very busy in the past few years, the last time that they collaborated was a short fight scene in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum. Maybe one day Keanu will step back behind the camera and he and Tiger can gift the world another martial art epic.
Seven More to Go
This was only the first round of films on our countdown of the top ten martial art films of the last decade. Have you seen Die Fighting, BKO, or Man of Tai Chi? Tell us your thoughts on the first three martial art movies on our list. We’ve still got a ways to go with intense Japanese violence, Kung Fu epics, kinetic South Korean spectacles, and more kick ass flicks.
Check out my Youtube channel where I review and discuss martial arts films.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUYUbj1Rjnf07S3UbVvKZ0Q?view_as=subscriber
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