10 Best Philosophically-Driven Martial Arts Movies

Martial arts movies can get surprisingly deep and philosophical, with plenty of films in the genre asking far deeper questions than who has the superior unarmed fighting style. For the most part, martial arts movies get a bad rap as low-brow entertainment, good only for imbibing in the base carnage and spectacle of two opponents trading blows with fists and feet. While there are plenty of martial arts movies that are just dumb fun, many are more philosophical than the genre gets credit for.

Martial arts as a whole are often deeply steeped in philosophy, exploring mental and spiritual teachings via bodily exertion and technique. The practice of many martial arts is often a meditative one, and the best martial arts movies tend to reflect that. It would serve many audiences well to examine some martial arts movies with a more scrutinizing lens, with so many of the films enriched with deep philosophical quandaries amid the straightforward battles.

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10

The Karate Kid

More than a simple sports Cinderella story

While philosophy and mysticism are prevalent in many martial arts titles out of the East, even Hollywood is capable of making a martial arts film that asks deeper questions. The Karate Kid franchise might have become a sprawling pop culture touchstone, but the very original in 1984 should be commended for its commitment to using martial arts to explore more abstract concepts. At this point, the story of Daniel LaRusso upsetting a karate tournament thanks to the teachings of the esteemed Mr. Miyagi is a well-known one.

Mr. Miyagi’s lessons apply to far more facets of life than simply karate. Though his methods may be unorthodox, Mr. Miyagi is able to teach Daniel the importance of patience, humility, and discipline in his daily life, providing a polar opposite to the excess that the Cobra Kai revel in. In this way, Daniel is able to maintain a perfectly harmonious balance in his life that allows him to be level-headed enough to adopt the famous crane stance and score the film’s match-winning kick.

9

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

A classic for a reason

One of the few martial arts films to truly break the barrier long preventing the genre from being taken seriously by critics in the West, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon certainly earns its accolades with deeply philosophical content. The wuxia film set in 19th century China weaves the tale of two martial arts masters, Li Mu Bai and Yu Shu Lien. The pair is tasked with retrieving the legendary Green Destiny sword from the mysterious and impulsive Jen Yu.

Of course, the stunning choreography and intricate wire work are both reasons to love Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon on the surface. But digging a little deeper, the film is prevalent with themes regarding the conflict between societal duty and personal ambition, a topic that hits particularly hard in an antique Chinese setting. Notably for a martial arts movie, the film is also quite romantic, taking a long look at the subject of desire from a female perspective that’s rare for the genre.

8

Ip Man

Gets political with martial arts mastery

Lead by the esteemed Donnie Yen, the Ip Man films make up one of the most treasured franchises in recent martial arts memory, laying the foundation of a legacy around a singular brilliant performance. Playing the real-life martial arts master of Wing Chun, Ip Man, Donnie Yen has made himself one of the most iconic names in the genre, firing off flurries of punches faster than the eye can see. In the first movie, Ip Man uses his skills to symbolically stand up to occupying Japanese forces during the Sino-Japanese war.

Each Ip Man movie is deeply political, rooted in the use of martial arts as a means of expressing cultural identity and unity. That goes doubly so for the first film, in which the Japanese’s deplorable colonization is countered with Ip Man’s unbreakable spirit as a result of his dedicated Wing Chun training. Defeating hordes of karate users by himself, Ip Man demonstrates the priority of Chinese styles as a spit in the face of cultural oppression.

7

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Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior

Has phenomenal action beside an underlying message

While kung fu and karate have both reigned supreme as popular cinematic styles of martial arts in film for a long time, it wasn’t until Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior that Muay Thai was given similar respect. Despite how distinctive it is as a fighting system, Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior emphasizes what it has in common with its more famous counterparts – Deeply rooted values of tradition and respect. The actual plot of the film is simple, starring the now-famous Tony Jaa as a lone warrior sent to retrieve a precious Buddha statue from a group of thugs.

Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior is admittedly full of bombastic action and bone-shattering fight sequences that give it the appearance of a low-brow action flick. But under the surface lurks some truly commendable themes regarding the honor and profound respect for tradition martial arts imbues in its most steadfast acolytes. In addition to that, the film works as a valuable cultural showcase of Muay Thai for unfamiliar audiences.

6

The Matrix

Gets existential with the themes it ponders

Though The Matrix franchise may be far from traditional martial arts movies, from the moment Neo mutters “I know kung fu“, the original film certainly includes enough unarmed combat and Hong Kong-inspired choreography to qualify. One of the most well-known films ever made by now, the plot of The Matrix needs little introduction, exploring the concept of a world in which humanity has surrendered to a digital reality orchestrated by intelligent machines. The film is cutting edge in many more ways than one, pondering some deeply philosophical quandaries.

The Matrix begs the question of how it’s possible to distinguish true reality from a perfect simulation, and whether the distinction between the two even matters. That’s not even touching on the more hard-coded science fiction elements, such as the danger of artificial intelligence and the inherent selfishness of a humanity that would block out the sun in order to prevent an enemy from growing in strength. Under all those layers, The Matrix also suggests a trans allegory, hitting close to the lived experiences of transgender people via the Wachowski sisters’ viewpoints.

5

Hero

Questions the value in putting warriors on a pedestal

With an all-star cast featuring both Donnie Yen, Jet Li and Tony Leung, Hero isn’t an early 2000s martial arts film to be missed. The film weaves an elaborate tale throughout China’s warring states period, in which the titular unnamed protagonist describes to a king how he was able to dispatch some of the country’s deadliest assassins sent to take his life. Beyond daring cinematography and some of the best-orchestrated fight scenes ever, Hero is as philosophical as any martial arts film gets.

The movie ends with the thesis statement that the ideal warrior shouldn’t be someone who is willing to kill, a paradoxical yet intriguing truth that the film hammers home by exemplifying the dangers of continued violence. True to its name, the film questions how heroes can be hailed as such when they’re forced to make such abhorrent moral calculations in the name of preserving peace and how far any society should realistically be willing to go to get that peace. That’s not even to mention the Romeo and Juliet tragedy that is the romantic sub-plot.

4

The 36th Chamber Of Shaolin

Crashes tradition with growth

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While the famous Shaw Brothers pumped out hordes of their specialty Hong Kong martial arts movies during the 70s, few hit as hard philosophically as The 36th Chamber of Shaolin. Far and away the best movie of Gordon Liu’s, not to mention his breakout hit, the film stars Liu as San Te, a young rebel in the Chinese countryside seeking mastery of Shaolin kung fu in order to stand up to a local tyrant. In order to do so, he has to survive the gauntlet of 35 grueling chambers, each designed to teach a different aspect of Shaolin kung fu.

The 36th Chamber of Shaolin dissects the brutal training process of serious martial arts piece by piece, examining the mental fortitude necessary to progress in such harsh conditions. Beyond a simple tale of perseverance, the film also examines how San Te’s wishes to use the system to protect the innocent clashes with the Shaolin’s traditional values. In the end, the titular 36th chamber, which teaches kung fu to the masses, proves that even the deepest-rooted traditions must be willing to evolve.

3

The Grandmaster

Takes Ip Man in a different direction

Though he might be the most iconic actor to bring the character to life, Donnie Yen isn’t the only one to have played the famous real-life martial arts master, Ip Man. In 2013, Tony Leung got his chance with The Grandmaster, yet another loose biopic inspired by the actual escapades of the daring Wing Chun disciple. This time around, rather than Japanese occupation, Ip Man starts off more concerned with the rivalry between China’s northern and southern regions, being chosen to represent the south when they are forced to choose a master among them.

It says a lot that one of The Grandmaster‘s most intense battles is simply a philosophical debate held over a Chinese flat-cake, which Ip Man uses as a cunning metaphor. The film goes on to take a more comprehensive look at Ip Man’s life, peppering in the trials and tribulations of the turbulent period of China’s history he lived through with statements of self-discovery through the lens of martial arts. The movie also examines how martial arts are meant to grow and evolve thorugh such modern developments.

2

The Way Of The Dragon

Bruce Lee at his most meditative

Often seen as a brilliant modern-day philosopher as well as a martial arts movie star, it figures that the great Bruce Lee would helm one of the best philosophically-charged martial arts movies ever made. Enter The Way of the Dragon, Lee’s sole directorial film and the last one he would star in during his own lifetime. The low-stakes plot takes place at a restaurant in Rome, who bring aboard a young martial artist to protect them from the squeeze of a local gang of criminals putting pressure on the business.

This movie waxes poetical about the very nature of martial arts, whether it’s meant to be a simple method of defending oneself or an entire way of life. These musings tie in neatly to Bruce Lee’s own public statements on martial arts styles, leading to the creation of his own Jeet Kune Do, which takes inspiration from many sources. The story also touches on the importance of understanding the limitations of the self, and the care one should heed not to recklessly try to surpass them without careful consideration.

1

A Touch Of Zen

An epic that chews on high concepts for a long time

A massive, sprawling two-part wuxia epic that took three years to fully complete filming, it figures that A Touch of Zen would emphasize some philosophical themes. Based on the classic Chinese story Xianü, the film is set during the Ming Dynasty, centering on a failed artist rapidly approaching middle age, Ku Shen Chai. Ku’s life is shaken up when a mysterious princess on the run from an assassin who murdered the rest of her family takes him under her wing, prompting him to learn martial arts and slowly turn into a valiant warrior.

A Touch of Zen‘s lengthy run time allows it to examine all sorts of societal themes relevant to the time period, including gender roles, ghost stories, and, of course, Zen Buddhism. Beyond these surface-level themes, however, the film also cuts deep to the core of questions surrounding the nature of enlightenment, dichotomies, and reality itself, exploring action versus mere ideation. Few martial arts films are as deep or heavy with their stories as A Touch of Zen.

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