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Due to the vagaries of rights acquisition, it has taken Arrow Video three volumes of its indispensable Shawscope series to offer the movie that started it all in terms of Shaw Brothers Studio’s ascent to the top of the Hong Kong box office: Chang Cheh’s groundbreaking 1967 wuxia The One-Armed Swordsman. As such, it can be easy to take for granted Chang’s ultraviolence and grim thematic undertones given how many later, more refined efforts from Chang and other filmmakers have already been released.

Nonetheless, The One-Armed Swordsman’s economy of pacing and visceral transmission of its hero’s rage give the film a power undiminished by the host of copycats that flooded the Hong Kong market over the next decade. Jimmy Wang Yu’s maimed warrior, Fang Kang, cuts an instantly iconic profile: hair bound in a fin-like top knot and beard honing his jaw to a point,...

Martial arts movies combine action and storytelling, pushing the boundaries of cinema with their high-energy sequences and choreographed performances. Iconic filmmakers like Jackie Chan, Chang Cheh, and Yuen Woo Ping have made significant contributions to the martial arts genre. Martial arts movie franchises stand out due to their multifaceted nature, covering a wide range of genres and employing various techniques, from wirework to complex camera rigs, all supported by months of rigorous training.

Martial arts movies have a rich and enduring legacy in the world of cinema, with influential directors and actors paving the way for the genre's evolution. From the early classics to contemporary trends, martial arts films have not just captivated audiences with high-energy action; they have also pushed the boundaries of storytelling through the art of combat. Iconic filmmakers of the genre like Jackie Chan, Chang Cheh, and Yuen Woo Ping have made a huge impact on the genre,...

On April 5th, 2022, the martial arts world lost one of its very first cinematic heroes. Jimmy Wang Yu passed away peacefully at the Taipei Zhenxing Hospital at the age of 80 after a six-year battle with declining health. Upon hearing the news, Jackie Chan posted on his blog, “The contributions you’ve made to kung fu movies, and the support and wisdom you’ve given to the younger generations will always be remembered in the industry.”

By younger generations, Jackie was referring to himself. Wang helped Jackie get a foothold in Kung Fu movies. In 1976, Wang faced Chan in one of Chan’s earliest Kung Fu films, Killer Meteors. Wang co-directed the film with Hong Kong movie mogul Lo Wei, and after Chan and Wei clashed, Wang helped young Jackie get things sorted out.

Wang starred in nearly 90 films most of which were Wuxia films, the genre of chivalrous martial arts masters.

Jimmy Wang Yu, a Taiwanese actor who was once one of the biggest stars of martial arts cinema, died Tuesday in a Taipei hospital from an undisclosed illness he battled for six years. He was 79 and his death was announced on Instagram by his daughter, Linda Wang.

Born in Shanghai, China, Wang moved to Hong Kong and made his name as an action star at Shaw Brothers Studio during the 1960s. His best-known film was One-Armed Swordsman, which, as the title suggests, was about swordplay, a hallmark of his combat skills. The film would become the first Hong Kong film to make HK1million at the local box office.

The action films made Wang one of the biggest stars in Asia, and popular in the U.S. underground grindhouses that specialized in low-budget films.

One-Armed Swordsman saw two sequels, Return of the One-Armed Swordsman in 1969, in which Wang reprised his role,...

When I think of Wu Xia movies, I immediately think of Shaw Brothers and the many classic they have made over the years. What I love about this genre is many things, the Swordplay, The Characters, Story lines, Setting, Costumes and much more.

Wu Xia, traditionally is a form of literature. But after high demand over the years it’s become involoved in many art forms such as Movies, Opera, Video Games and beyond. This list of 30 Wu Xia movies listed, i hope you’ll like and want to thank my friend Richard Robinson for contributing to the list. If we missed any classics out, its most probably because we honestly forgot at that time or maybe we haven’t seen all the classic Wu Xia movies so far, anyway enjoy the list and let us know what you thought in the commen box at the bottom.

1.Have Sword Will Travel (1969)

Cast: David Chiang,...