The 10 Best Kung Fu Movie Franchises Of All Time

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Kung fu movies have given us some incredibly popular and enjoyable film series. Stars like Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Donnie Yen, Alexander Fu Sheng, and Gordon Liu have all starred in many memorable kung fu films, often launching or contributing to larger series.

The martial arts genre frequently sees successful films spawn sequels. In Thailand, Tony Jaa created a highly popular franchise with the Ong Bak trilogy. Jean-Claude Van Damme launched two iconic franchises with Kickboxer and Bloodsport. Other notable examples include The Karate Kid and John Wick.

I’ve always been amazed by how Hong Kong and Taiwan were making movie sequels way before Hollywood even caught on! It seems like whenever a film did well there, they immediately started making more. Especially with kung fu movies, there were so many great franchises – some had three, four, five, or even more films in the series. They really knew how to keep a good thing going!

10. In The Line Of Duty

The In the Line of Duty series consists of seven action films featuring a female detective who uses martial arts to fight crime. Yes, Madam was a breakout role for Michelle Yeoh, and a successful sequel paired her with Cynthia Rothrock.

After Michelle Yeoh left the series, Cynthia Khan stepped in as the new lead, and the franchise was rebranded. While Khan brought charisma and strong fighting skills to the role, the films became predictable and often lacked compelling storylines.

However, the series did give us another excellent film: In the Line of Duty IV: Witness. Many consider it one of the best martial arts movies of the 1980s that doesn’t get enough recognition.

9. Armour Of God

During the 1980s, Jackie Chan starred in two Hong Kong action films, Armour of God and Armour of God 2: Operation Condor, which were inspired by the Indiana Jones series. The combination of the adventurous Indiana Jones format and Jackie Chan’s energetic style worked well, allowing the films to feature exciting journeys to faraway places, all while showcasing Chan’s incredible dedication to performing his own stunts.

In 2013, Jackie Chan revisited his Armour of God series with a third film, Chinese Zodiac. Even though he was getting older, the movie featured more intense action than ever before, and broke records for the number of stunts performed by the star.

8. The Brave Archer

Shaw Brothers, the leading studio for kung fu films, brought together its biggest stars for a three-part series that started with The Brave Archer. This trilogy, adapted from Louis Cha’s novel The Legend of the Condor Heroes, follows the adventures of Alexander Fu Sheng as Kwee Ceng. The story shows his growth as a martial artist, his encounters with other fighters, and his eventual discovery of a long-lost brother.

The Brave Archer films are like the Lord of the Rings of kung fu movies. Both feature a huge ensemble cast and tell a long, complex story spread across three parts. Many characters have their own individual journeys and storylines that build suspense and lead to new adventures.

The biggest problems with The Brave Archer films are the constantly changing actors and the unsatisfying conclusion to the story. While two more Brave Archer movies were made, they continued the confusing pattern of recasting, making it hard to follow the characters from one film to the next.

7. Shaolin Temple

I first discovered Jet Li in Shaolin Temple, and it totally launched his career! It came out in 1982 and it’s about a young guy who joins a Shaolin monastery to learn kung fu and get revenge on those who wronged him. What’s really cool is they actually filmed it at the Shaolin Monastery itself! It was a classic, and it really showed off Jet Li’s incredible skills. The story was pretty traditional kung fu, but it was a really memorable film.

Following the success of the first film, Jet Li appeared in two follow-up movies, Shaolin Temple 2: Kids from Shaolin and Shaolin Temple 3: Martial Arts of Shaolin. While both offered enjoyable kung fu action and engaging stories, they weren’t particularly innovative. Importantly, these weren’t traditional sequels; each film presented Jet Li in a new story connected to the Shaolin Temple.

6. Police Story

Jackie Chan launched a long-running series of martial arts films when he played Chan Ku-kai in Police Story. The 1985 action-comedy was filled with incredible, dangerous stunts and showcased Chan’s signature humor. He raised the stakes even higher in Police Story 2, delivering even more spectacular and ambitious action sequences to ensure the sequel lived up to the first film.

The collaboration between Jackie Chan and Michelle Yeoh in Police Story 3: Supercop was a huge success, so popular that it led to a sequel, Supercop 2, starring Yeoh. Chan returned as Chan Ku-kai in Police Story 4: First Strike. Surprisingly, even though most movie series lose their spark by the fourth installment, this film delivered relentless action and innovative stunts, proving the series still had plenty to offer.

Later installments, New Police Story and Police Story 2013, added more emotional weight to the Police Story series. While these were a welcome change, they didn’t quite capture the same playful spirit as Jackie Chan’s original four films.

5. The One-Armed Swordsman

Shaw Brothers’ The One-Armed Swordsman is a landmark martial arts film, famous for casting Jimmy Wang Yu as a hero who loses an arm. Directed by Chang Cheh, the movie’s incredible training scenes, story of revenge, and exciting climax helped define what makes a great martial arts film.

Jimmy Wang Yu reprised his role in Return of the One-Armed Swordsman, though the sequel didn’t quite reach the success of the original. The third film, The New One-Armed Swordsman, functioned more as a fresh start rather than a continuation of the story, and while it didn’t surpass the first movie, it introduced a compelling new hero played by David Chiang, stepping into Wang Yu’s shoes, and featured a grand tale of revenge.

4. Once Upon A Time In China

Similar to the film Drunken Master, Once Upon a Time in China stars Jet Li as the legendary martial artist Wong Fei-hung. However, instead of being a comedy, this movie explores Chinese culture in a more meaningful way, presenting a sincere and dramatic story about the hero’s life.

The Once Upon a Time in China series is full of exciting stories and richly developed settings, but it doesn’t sacrifice its incredible action sequences. The fights are visually stunning, relying heavily on impressive wirework, and consistently deliver. A standout example is the epic battle between Jet Li and Donnie Yen in Once Upon a Time in China II, widely considered one of the best fights of both their careers.

As a big fan, I noticed the fight choreography wasn’t quite as amazing in the fourth and fifth movies when Jet Li wasn’t around, but they were still really good! Honestly, the series did start to dip in quality after the second one, but it’s a tough act to follow when the first two films are considered some of the best martial arts movies ever made. It’s hard to keep up that level of awesome!

3. Drunken Master

Jackie Chan became a major star in 1978 with the film Drunken Master. It was a groundbreaking movie that mixed hilarious comedy with impressive martial arts, and it featured one of the most memorable climactic fights ever seen in the genre.

A year after the popular film Drunken Master, Yuen Siu-tien reprised his role as Jackie Chan’s mentor in the less famous sequel, Dance of the Drunk Mantis. Though it didn’t feature the same star power, the film was still excellent, largely due to another exciting fight between Yuen Siu-tien and Hwang Jang Lee – this time with Lee playing a different character.

I was so thrilled it took fifteen years, but they finally made a sequel to the original Drunken Master, and Jackie Chan was back as Wong Fei-hung! Drunken Master II wasn’t just good – it actually blew the first movie out of the water and became one of the greatest martial arts films ever made, in my opinion.

2. The 36th Chamber

While Drunken Master was a hit in 1978, it wasn’t the only great martial arts film released that year. The 36th Chamber of Shaolin also came out, and many consider it to be the perfect example of classic kung fu cinema.

This film has everything you’d expect from a classic martial arts movie: fantastic fight choreography by Lau Kar-leung, a convincing performance from Gordon Liu, a compelling revenge story, and impressive training montages. These training scenes, which show the hero, San Te, growing stronger, are actually what make this Shaw Brothers film so memorable.

As a huge fan of the original 36th Chamber of Shaolin, I was thrilled to see Gordon Liu back for two more films: Disciples of the 36th Chamber and Return to the 36th Chamber. One was a straight-up sequel, and the other had a bit of a connection, but honestly, both delivered the same awesome fight choreography and compelling stories as the first. They really built on what made the original so great, and together, these three movies create what I think is the ultimate martial arts trilogy of all time.

1. Ip Man

Back in 2008, it would have been hard to predict that a film about Bruce Lee’s teacher would launch a six-movie series (including a spin-off). But director Wilson Yip and star Donnie Yen have not only achieved that, they’ve also skillfully made each film feel essential to the story of Ip Man.

The first Ip Man movie immediately captivated viewers with a thrilling fight scene where Donnie Yen’s character defeated ten opponents. While later films haven’t quite reached that same peak, each installment has consistently delivered quality action and solidified the franchise’s place in the genre.

The Ip Man films have consistently featured well-known actors to challenge Yen’s character in key fight scenes. This includes Sammo Hung in Ip Man 2, Mike Tyson in Ip Man 3, and Scott Adkins in Ip Man 4. These fights were all exciting, skillfully performed, and closely matched.

The movies tell compelling stories that go beyond typical martial arts films. For example, Ip Man 3 features a deeply moving story about Cheung Wing-sing’s fight with cancer, and the fourth film explores Ip Man’s own confrontation with aging and death.

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2025-11-23 03:24