Our favorite martial arts movies on Netflix now #StreamTeam

We’re part of Netflix’s #StreamTeam and were compensated for this. All thoughts are our own. The long awaited sequel to one of our favorite movies of all time was just released. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a masterpiece of a film on many levels. Its sequel, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny was just released on Netflix. To be clear, this is Netflix’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny.  This inspired us to dig into their library to share some martial arts movies that are currently on Netflix.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny

Like most sequels, this does not come close to the fun or quality of the original. Having said that, the first film managed to go beyond the martial arts genre and brought in the art crowd, as well as, the action film crowd that is hesitant to embrace subtitles. There are some decent action sequences and it’s great to see Michele Yeoh again, but the increased amount of CGI takes away the warmth that the first film produced.  Sword of Destiny also stars Donny Yen.

Kung Fu Killer

Kung Fu Killer is a somewhat typical cop/action film that stars Donnie Yen. A series of kung fu masters are being killed and the only one who can stop them is Yen, who’s a cop in jail. The plot is typical, but some of the action sequences are top notch.

Big Boss

Big Boss is the 1971 Bruce Lee classic that has the ‘ice factory’ scene.  Compared to modern martial art film is may seem slow, but the total of the movie is leaps and bounds above most of them.

Police Story: Lockdown

Police Story: Lockdown and Sword of Destiny need to go on a double date. They’re both sequels to loved, established films that didn’t measure up to the original. Lockdown is a misfire from Jackie Chan, however, he’s got a couple great films on Netflix including the original Police Story and this next one.…

The Legend of Drunken Master

This is fun, silly, martial arts that works on every level. The Legend of Drunken Master is a classic that stands along Big Boss and others. Jackie Chan channeled Peter Sellers in this joy of a film that is jammed with real stunts, no CGI and leaves you smiling and wanting more.

IP Man

Before IP Man fought Mike Tyson in the most recent sequel and became an industry for Chinese cinema there was just this first film. IP Man has some great fights and a very good performance from Donnie Yen.

Iron Monkey

We’ve mentioned Iron Monkey before and it remains one of our favorite films. The 90’s were a great time for martial art films and Iron Monkey blends great action, family lessons and a little Donnie Yen to make a film that is still enjoyable.

The Killer

The Killer is more of an action film than a martial arts film, but its Asian roots and John Woo pedigree merit it being here.  This was the film that did many of the sequences that became stereotypical in the 90’s through today. The Killer remains a great, violent, action film that was the first to do it back in the day.

Tai Chi Master

More martial arts fun from the 90’s. Tai Chi Master has Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh in a plot that sounds familiar. Two tai chi master are falsely accused of fighting with weapons, see, told you it was something you’ve heard before. However, the gentle attitude, fight sequences, scale and scenery from Tai Chi Master make this one of the best martial art films on Netflix.

What are some of your go-to martial arts films on Netflix?