10 Best Streetfighting Martial Arts Movies

Martial arts movies are best enjoyed when dynamic action scenes are abundant, and street fighting martial arts movies provide some of the boldest examples. Street fighting movies place their protagonists in intense fights against various opponents, where there are limited rules and a range of brutal martial arts styles are employed. Such films include classics like Jean-Claude Van Damme's Lionheart and Bloodsport, as well as underrated martial arts gems such as Prachya Pinkaew's Chocolate.

Though the characters and stories within several street fighting martial arts movies are intriguing on their own, it's the action sequences that are the center of attention. What makes these films truly great are their outstanding choreography and displayed martial arts skills. A variety of modern martial arts actors lead the best street fighting movies, with the unrestrained nature of the combative scenes allowing them to show off their real-life martial arts abilities.

10 Shootfighter: Fight To The Death (1993)

Directed by Patrick Alan

Sometimes, martial arts films are sought for a fun, easy viewing experience, and Shootfighter: Fight to the Death provides just that. The plot in the movie has a few bothersome inconsistencies, but it follows two fighters, Nick (Michael Bernardo) and Ruben (William Zabka), after they're tricked into competing in a deadly martial arts match by the antagonist and enemy of their teacher, Mr. Lee.

Nick and Ruben's teacher is Mr. Shingo, a skilled fighter played effectively by Bolo Yeung. Aside from Bolo Yeung's charming performance, Shootfighter's strongest aspect, and why the film is worth watching, is its fighting scenes. The choreography and the way in which these matches are captured is impressive and graphic. While the violence and mix of hand-to-hand combat and weaponry in the matches can be a bit absurd at times, they are nonetheless intense.

9 Chocolate (2008)

Directed by Prachya Pinkaew

The underrated martial arts movie Chocolate is a unique and entertaining story about an unlikely martial artist on a mission to help her mother. In the film, Zen (Yanin Vismitananda) is a young, autistic girl who is able to pick up on martial arts moves simply through observation. Repeatedly watching movies with martial artists like Bruce Lee, Zen builds up her self-defense skills and uses them to fight others for money as a way to pay for her mother's chemotherapy treatments.

Vismitananda is a commanding lead, making it easy to become invested in Zen's battle with daunting Thai gangsters. There are some dated elements in the film, and the writing could be sharper, but what holds up well is, of course, the thrilling action scenes. Panna Rittikrai, best known as the action choreographer on Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior, choreographed the martial arts in Chocolate as well. Under Rittikrai's direction, the fight sequences in the film are intricate and dynamic.

8 Blood And Bone (2009)

Directed by Ben Ramsey

Michael Jai White is a skilled martial artist and actor with a lengthy filmography. After starring in films like Tyson, Undisputed II: Last Man Standing, and Black Dynamite, White led the martial arts film Blood and Bone. In the film, White plays ex-con Isaiah Bone, who gets involved with the underground fighting scene in Los Angeles. Isaiah quickly makes his way to the top of the rankings, defeating one opponent after the other, including the previously undefeated Hammerman.

Isaiah gets involved with a local mob leader, James (Eamonn Walker), and finds himself in greater trouble. As expected with White as a performer, he's a captivating protagonist in Blood and Bone. The actor's physicality is impressive, as are the moments throughout the film when Isaiah's personality and generosity shine through.

7 Lionheart (1990)

Directed by Sheldon Lettich

Action films like Unleashed and Lionheart combine thrilling martial arts with touching stories about family and human connection. The latter stars Jean-Claude Van Damme as Lyon Gaultier, who earns the titular nickname after competing in an underground fighting circuit to support the widowed wife and child of his deceased brother. Though it's not his best film, Lionheart is a film of Van Damme's that audiences continue to love.

Audiences can appreciate the tasteful balance of action and drama partly because it gives a rare look at Van Damme's softer side as a performer.

The fundamental appeal of Van Damme's films are the well-executed martial arts sequences, and Lionheart has plenty of them to satisfy fans of the action subgenre. However, the surprisingly effective blend of such rough scenes with heartfelt familial themes makes Lionheart stand out from the actor's other movies. Audiences can appreciate the tasteful balance of action and drama partly because it gives a rare look at Van Damme's softer side as a performer.

6 Undisputed II: Last Man Standing (2006)

Directed by Isaac Florentine

The Undisputed franchise began in 2002 but failed to impress audiences or critics at the time. It wasn't until a few years later when the direct-to-video sequel Undisputed II: Last Man Standing was released that audiences were more receptive to the films. Undisputed II stars Michael Jai White as George Chambers, a man framed for drug possession and subsequently sent to prison. In prison, George must engage in a mixed martial arts match against the reigning champion, Yuri Boyka (Scott Adkins).

Having a direct-to-video release and following an unsuccessful film from years before, Undisputed II should have been another blunder. Instead, the film earned a passionate following and is considered one of the best American-made martial arts movies. As a character, George Chambers has an appreciated amount of growth, both personally and in his fighting abilities. The fight choreography is impossible to look away from and is executed well by White and Adkins. In the films that followed Undisputed II, Adkins became the leading star thanks to his breakout performance in the 2006 film.

5 Unleashed (2005)

Directed by Louis Leterrier

One of Jet Li's best movies, Unleashed is led by the martial arts star and features supporting performances by Morgan Freeman and Bob Hoskins. Unleashed is as much of a poignant human drama as it is a martial arts film, as Li's character Danny, nicknamed "The Dog," must learn to find his humanity.

After being raised by Bart (Hoskins), a violent loan shark, Danny's sole purpose for much of his life was to brutally attack those Bart commands him to.

Celebrated choreographer and martial arts director Yuen Woo-ping choreographed the action in Unleashed, which is reliably advanced, gritty, and intense. Compared to Li's other work, his fighting style in the film is consistent with his character's trained wild nature, being much more aggressive than anything audiences had seen of the actor before. Li, too, shows he's a skilled dramatic actor and gives the quieter moments of the film a considerable effort, making it impossible not to root for Danny in his second chance at life.

4 Kickboxer (1989)

Directed by David Worth

After the box-office success of Bloodsport, Jean-Claude Van Damme led Kickboxer alongside professional kickboxer and actor Dennis Alexio. The two portray brothers in the film, Eric (Alexio) and Kurt (Van Damme) Sloane. When the brothers travel to Thailand to take on undefeated kickboxer Tong Po (Michel Qissi), the former is left paralyzed by the fearsome fighter, leaving Kurt no choice but to get revenge. It's incredibly exciting to watch Kurt turn into a powerful fighter himself, training with the legendary Muay Thai teacher, Xian Chow (Dennis Chan).

Muay Thai isn't the only martial art seen in Kickboxer, but the film is heavily centered around it, making it one of the first movies to introduce the kickboxing style to a worldwide audience. As expected with many of Van Damme's martial arts films, the actor is fully committed. Choreographing some of the fight scenes in the film and getting to show off his personal martial arts style, Kickboxer has one of Van Damme's best martial arts moves in his character's anticipated confrontation with Tong Po.

3 Bloodsport (1988)

Directed by Newt Arnold

Though it earned a negative response from critics, audiences showed up to the theaters for Bloodsport, turning it into a cult film with a passionate following decades later. The martial arts film cemented Jean-Claude Van Damme as a star in the action subgenre and spawned a series of sequels. Bloodsport sees Van Damme as Frank Dux, a real-life martial artist and fight choreographer who claimed to have won a secret tournament known as Kumite in the '70s — though Dux's story has been heavily disputed.

Still, Bloodsport follows Dux in the deadly Kumite tournament, where his final match against Chong Li would end up becoming Van Damme's best fight scene in his career. The two fighters are a tough competition for one another, and audiences' eyes are glued to the screen as the nail-biting match unfolds. Despite Bloodsport's poor critical performance, the film has a strong influence on the martial arts film genre, reigniting interest in such films and making Van Damme a promising star.

2 The Raid (2012)

Directed by Gareth Evans

Regarded as one of the best action movies of the 2010s, The Raid, or The Raid: Redemption, is an Indonesian martial arts film that is full of non-stop, bloody action. The film stars Iko Uwais as rookie squad member Rama, and it's his second collaboration with director Gareth Evans after the 2009 martial arts film Merantau. The Raid sees a police squad raiding a building occupied by an intimidating drug lord and other criminals. The police team is soon surrounded by the residents and must fight their way out.

Rama and the remaining squad members' fight for survival resembles something out of a horror movie, with the shocking violence being the film's biggest appeal.

Admittedly, The Raid's narrative isn't its strongest feature, and the character development is meager. Yet, at the time of its release, the intensity and precision of the film's fight choreography felt like a breath of fresh air following the action slump of the previous years. Rama and the remaining squad members' fight for survival resembles something out of a horror movie, with the shocking violence being the film's biggest appeal.

1 Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior (2003)

Directed by Prachya Pinkaew

Like many great martial arts films, the story in Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior is simple, allowing the powerful fight choreography to gain all the attention. The film follows Tony Jaa as Ting, a villager who travels and defeats various mob members in his quest to retrieve a stolen statue. Before the film, Jaa had minor supporting roles and worked as a stunt double, with Ong-Bak's Ting being considered his break-out role. Part of what makes Jaa a compelling performer is his commitment to the action.

Ong-Bak's craziest stunts are carried out by Jaa, who was inspired by the commitment and risk put in by great martial arts actors that came before him. For this, and his overall athleticism, Jaa has been positively compared to legends like Jackie Chan and Jet Li. The success of Ong-Bak led to two prequel films, which are recognized as being part of one of the best martial arts movie franchises due to their compelling narrative and continuously inventive fight scenes.

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