Summary
- Hidden gems: Many martial arts franchises have gone underappreciated in the West due to lack of advertising or niche popularity.
- Epic sagas: Historical Wuxia films, like “The Sentimental Swordsman” and “The Brave Archer,” are well-suited for spanning multiple movies with rich narratives.
- Unrecognized talent: Franchises like “In The Line Of Duty” featuring Michelle Yeoh and “Rurouni Kenshin” are examples of underappreciated martial arts series with slick action and compelling characters.
Martials arts movies have plenty of hidden gems, including entire franchises of films that are utterly unknown to most Western audiences. The best Martial Arts franchises have gotten plenty of notoriety, with staples like the Police Story and Ip Man series spawning dozens of popular sequels between them. But some of the greatest martial arts franchises have flown under the radar in the West, either due to a lack of advertising, niche popularity, or even not being released in the United States at all.
Most of the franchises that fall into this category are historical Wuxia films, period-piece Kung-Fu movies along the lines of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. These types of stories are particularly well-suited to telling epic sagas that are worth spanning multiple movies for. Additionally, this genre is also popular in literary format, with plenty of Wuxia novels that already have multiple entries being adapted for all the cinematic martial arts glory they can muster. Wuxia or otherwise, there are entire franchises in the martial arts genre that have gone entirely underappreciated.
10 The Sentimental Swordsman
3 movies
First released in 1977, the Shaw Brothers Studio’s The Sentimental Swordsman featured a complicated, but rich narrative and groundbreaking stuntwork. Telling the story of Little Flying Dagger Li, a disgraced drunkard swordsman, the film was quietly popular enough to justify two follow-ups, Return of the Sentimental Swordsman and Perils of the Sentimental Swordsman. While the former is a direct sequel, the latter is a name-only installment to the series in the vein of Halloween III: Season of the Witch, featuring a different protagonist rather than Flying Dagger Li.
9 The Brave Archer
5 movies
Despite the name, The Brave Archer‘s protagonist, Guo Jing, spends most of his battles within kissing distance of his opponents. Adapted from the Wuxia novel, The Legend of the Condor Heroes, the series is known for its star-studded cast, great female characters, and refreshing approach to romance, with some happy endings for a normally tragedy-laden genre. After an initial trilogy, The Brave Archer received two unofficial follow-ups, The Brave Archer and his Mate and Little Dragon Maiden.
8 In The Line Of Duty
9 movies
Long before the release of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Academy-Award winning actress Michelle Yeoh cut her teeth on the In the Line of Duty series. Spanning seven official entries and two unofficial sequels, the crime-thriller franchise was a progenitor of the “Gun-Kata” style of combat made famous by later films like Equilibrium and John Wick. Michelle Yeoh’s infallible Inspector Ng is a thrill to watch as the bullets, fists, and shattered glass fly through Hong Kong’s criminal underworld across the storied series of films.
7 Rurouni Kenshin
5 movies
While most lesser-known martial arts franchises are relics of the past, one underappreciated series that has been doing the rounds in Western theaters as recently as 2021. Adapting the famous samurai manga and anime series of the same name, the adventures of the wandering swordsman Kenshin are one of the greatest live-action anime adaptations of all time. With slickly choreographed action and compelling characters, it’s a shame the Rurouni Kenshin franchise isn’t more well-known outside of Japan.
6 The Bride With White Hair
2 movies
Despite only lasting for two films, the Bride with White Hair series has aims of dramatic grandeur that are worthy of applause, with a simple (for the wuxia genre), character-focused tragedy that pits two lovers against each other. Lian Nichang’s transformation into the ferocious “White-Haired Witch”, a vengeful cult leader whose hair literally turns white from the pain of her betrayal at the hands of her lover, is a fascinating spectacle to watch unfold. An ageless love story of betrayal and jaw-dropping action, The Bride With White Hair duology deserves to be a household martial arts name.
5 The Swordsman
3 movies
The Swordsman is a confusing saga of martial arts and criminal treachery that rewards those who are able to penetrate its dense narrative with some incredibly fascinating characters and delicious drama. The first two films follow the exploits of the idealistic young swordsman Linghu Chong, as he struggles to contend with cults, corruption, and Japanese samurai. Curiously, the third film passes the torch of the protagonist to Dongfang Bubai, a feminine yet bloodthirsty martial arts master whose ruthless quest for domination over China strikes a stark contrast between himself and Chong.
4 Clans Of Intrigue
3 movies
Adapting the coldly-titled Wuxia novel Fragrance in the Sea of Blood, the first Clans of Intrigue film presents a classic story of false accusation, in which master thief Chiu Liuxiang races against the clock to prove his innocence in a recent string of murders. The first sequel, Legend of the Bat, goes in a very different direction, sweeping Liuxiang up in a dangerous adventure to the mysterious Bat Island, a lawless realm of unfettered pleasures. Curiously, the third Clans of Intrigue film is actually the Sentimental Swordsman franchise’s name-only sequel, pitting Liuxiang against the sinister residents of a remote stronghold of criminals.
3 The Four
3 movies
There are few things harder to resist in kung fu movies than a team of expert combatants that each have their own signature techniques and styles. The Four trilogy stakes its legacy on this trope, following the adventures of the Divine Constabulary. A sort of police procedural series set within China’s Song Dynasty, the titular four, Cold Blood, Emotionless, Iron Hands, and Life Snatcher, live up to their menacing names with a series of dangerous investigations into criminal activities like serial killings and counterfeit currency operations.
2 Kung Fu Cult Master
3 movies
The original Kung Fu Cult Master was a contentious film for Chinese audiences. Based on the famous novel, The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber, the original film received flak for dramatically changing the characterization of the protagonist, morphing him from a heroic protagonist to a vicious man consumed by revenge. As such, the film’s cliffhanger ending went unresolved for 29 years before the release of the fittingly titled two-part follow-up, New Kung Fu Cult Master, featuring big names like Louis Koo and Donnie Yen.
1 Royal Tramp
2 movies
Comedy and kung fu have been proven time and time again to be a winning combination, evidenced by the success of the Rush Hour and Drunken Master franchises. Featuring Stephen Chow of Kung Fu Hustle and Shaolin Soccer fame, the Royal Tramp duology released back-to-back in 1992 tells the story of Wai Siu-bo, a plucky fool with a knack for finding himself in humorously precarious situations. Despite its comedic leanings, both Royal Tramp movies have a shocking amount of drama, political intrigue, and excellent fight scenes, making them a worthy martial arts franchise deserving of more recognition.
