If we consider action movies as a sub-genre, karate movies undoubtedly deserve a title in their own name. We all know more or less about karate, one of the ancient martial arts of Asians, but it is quite difficult to master this art. For many viewers who have a keen interest in karate but have not taken a step towards mastering it, karate movies have been keeping their excitement for many years.
Of course, it is possible to separate karate movies as good and bad. In other words, movies in which the warrior blasts someone’s head using only his hands, even if they are valuable as B movies, do not belong to cults. That’s why karate movies selected by The Karate Blog website are of great importance. In this list, you’ll find karate movies, some of which are new, but many of which are among the most important cults of this subgenre, and every moment is action-packed.
Best karate movies:
- Siu Lam juk kau / Shaolin Soccer
- The Karate Kid
- Mard Ko Dard Nahin Hota
- Zui quan / Drunken Boxing
- Serbuan maut / The Raid
- Enter the Dragon
- Wo hu cang long / Crouching Tiger , Hidden Dragon
- Kill Bill: Vol. 1
- The Matrix
- Shichinin no samurai / Seven Samurai
It’s not like the football we know: Siu Lam juk kau / Shaolin Soccer
- Year: 2001
- Genre: Action, Comedy, Fantasy
- Director: Stephen Chow
- Cast: Stephen Chow, Wei Zhao, Yat-Fei Wong
- IMDb: 7.3
Siu Lam juk kau in the movie known as Shaolin Soccer in the world, the Chinese origin of Shaolin philosophy We are watching the story of a young follower. This young man gathers other young people who want to use his martial arts skills, but who are as discouraged as himself, to form a football team. Of course, the football played by these gifted youngsters presents a rather unique course.
The legend that left its mark on the 80s: The Karate Kid
- Year: 1984
- Genre: Action, Drama, Family
- Director: John G. Avildsen
- Stars: Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue
- IMDb: 7.3
In 1984’s The Karate Kid, the first film in the three-film original series, we follow the story of a young man who is eager to learn karate to fight bullying. Even though it left its mark on the 80s, The Karate Kid is still one of the must-see movie series for karate movie lovers today, as it is a family movie, appeals to young people, and tells a philosophy that many people wholeheartedly accept even today.
A superhero who doesn’t suffer: Mard Ko Dard Nahin Hota
- Year: 2018
- Genre: Action, Comedy
- Director: Vasan Bala
- Stars: Abhimanyu Dasani, Radhika Madan, Mahesh Manjrekar
- IMDb: 7.4
Mard Ko Dard Nahin Hota, which was released with the original name, is known by this name in the world because you know, Bollywood. In the movie, we watch the story of a young man who does not feel pain from birth. Our character, who wants to turn this situation, which may be a disadvantage for some, in his favor, dedicates himself to the arts of return. When he decides to use the skills he learned and developed for good, we come across a superhero fighting against robbers.
Jackie Chan’s shining star: Zui quan / Drunken Boxing
- Year: 1978
- Genre: Action, Comedy
- Director: Woo-Ping Yuen
- Stars: Jackie Chan, Siu-Tin Yuen, Jeong-lee Hwang
- IMDb: 7.5
In the movie, which was released under the original name Zui quan and known in the world as Drunken Boxing, we watch the shining star of Jackie Chan, whom we now see as an undisputed master. Our character is a kind-hearted young man with a bit of vulgarity. Unable to cope with his vagrancy, his father gives our young man to a drunken beggar, a former martial arts master. As a result of remembering that he is a master again when he finds his student, we encounter a story that arouses admiration and laughter at the same time.
A dark tale: Serbuan maut / The Raid
- Year: 2011
- Genre: Action, Crime, Mystery
- Director: Gareth Evans
- Stars: Iko Uwais, Ananda George, Ray Sahetapy
- IMDb: 7.6
In the movie, which was released under the original name of Serbuan maut and known as The Raid in the world, we watch an extremely dark story, unlike many karate movies. In the movie, a special operations team enter a building after a ruthless gangster and his blood-eyed gang. The special operations team that falls into a trap is stuck in the building with this gang. Of course, what follows is an action full of tension whose pulse does not fall for a second.
Bruce Lee impresses: Enter the Dragon
- Year: 1973
- Genre: Action, Crime, Drama
- Director: Robert Clouse
- Stars: Bruce Lee, John Saxon, Jim Kelly
- IMDb: 7.6
One of Bruce Lee’s first films, an undisputed martial artist and an actor with the same skill he bows to in front of everyone, Enter the Dragon is one of the must-see productions for karate movie lovers. We are watching the story of a secret agent in the movie. Our secret agent joins a drug lord in a fighting tournament to catch him. This tournament is held on an island full of mysteries.
Loves and swords: Wo hu cang long / Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
- Year: 2000
- Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama
- Director: Ang Lee
- Stars: Chow Yun-Fat, Michelle Yeoh, Ziyi Zhang
- IMDb: 7.9
We are watching the story of a young warrior in the movie, which was released under the original name Wo hu cang long and is known in the world as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. A young warrior steals a swordsman’s handmade sword. As he flees towards the country’s border, he will find himself in many different adventures, but the only adventure he can’t make his masters say will be the love story he falls into.
A bloody tale of revenge: Kill Bill: Vol. 1
- Year: 2003
- Genre: Action, Crime, Drama
- Director: Quentin Tarantino
- Cast: Uma Thurman, David Carradine, Daryl Hannah
- IMDb: 8.2
It seems that with each film, it aims to present an even stranger world to the audience. Kill Bill: Vol. is the first film in the Kill Bill series by extraordinary director Quentin Tarantino. 1 tells a very bloody revenge story. Our character, who is chasing after those who betrayed him after a four-year coma, is making quite a mess. The second movie of the series was also liked, but the taste of the first movie is not everyone’s taste. The third movie has been awaited for a long time.
Karate films stone: The Matrix
- Year: 1999
- Genre : Action, Science Fiction
- Director: Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski
- Stars: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss
- IMDb: 8.7
It’s hard to call it a karate movie for the first movie of The Matrix series, which made its name among cult movies with its original trilogy, although it wasn’t liked very much with its fourth movie coming years later. However, the movie offers such successful fight scenes that we cannot watch such scenes in many cult karate movies. The first movie offers a real richness in terms of martial arts, we can say that the other movies are not bad in this respect.
A true cult: Shichinin no samurai / Seven Samurai
- Year: 1954
- Genre: Action, Drama
- Director: Akira Kurosawa
- Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Keiko Tsushima
- IMDb: 8.7
The movie, which was released under the original name of Shichinin no samurai and known as Seven Samurai all over the world, went down in history as the movie that engraved Akira Kurosawa’s name in our minds and hearts. In the movie, which is a must watch not only for action or karate lovers, but also for everyone who loves cinema; We watch as seven stray samurai, called ronin, struggle to save a village.
We have listed the best karate movies with every moment full of action and briefly talked about the stories the movies tell. Karate movies, despite being a subgenre, manage to make a title in their own right, so this list could have been much longer. You can share the karate movies you want to see on the list in the comments.