The Best of the Martial Arts Films

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The Best of the Martial Arts Films (1990)

A review about martial arts films as well as some of its biggest movie stars.A review about martial arts films as well as some of its biggest movie stars.A review about martial arts films as well as some of its biggest movie stars.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.9/10

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YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Top cast29

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John Saxon

Self - Host

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Self
(archive footage)

Chris Casamassa

Self
(archive footage)

Jackie Chan

Self
(archive footage)

Robert Clouse

Self

Keith Cooke

Self
(archive footage)

Peter Cunningham

Self
(archive footage)

Joyce Godenzi

Self
(archive footage)

Sibelle Hu

Self
(archive footage)

Sammo Kam-Bo Hung

Self
(archive footage)

Shô Kosugi

Self
(archive footage)

Tak-Hing Kwan

Self
(archive footage)

Bruce Lee

Self
(archive footage)

Angela Mao

Self
(archive footage)

Michiko Nishiwaki

Self
(archive footage)

Richard Norton

Self
(archive footage)

Ron Pohnel

Self
(archive footage)

Cynthia Rothrock

Self
(archive footage)

Director
- Sandra Weintraub
Writer
- Sandra Weintraub
All cast & crew
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User reviews7

Featured review

10/10

Definitive and essential viewing for the martial arts genre

This is the definitive documentary about classic pre-1990 martial arts films.

It's a beautifully paced look at some of the best fight scenes of the 70s and 80s, and it's a great starting point for anyone looking to get into the genre. It's elegantly presented and narrated by John Saxon, whose voice adds some real gravitas and glue to the flow of the clips.

It's a very Golden Harvest heavy selection, but there are also scenes from other Hong Kong movie companies such as Seasonal Films which add to the variety. A few Shaw brothers clips wouldn't have gone amiss, but I think that would have been too complicated due to rivalries and licencing.

A martial arts classic in its own right, and a tremendous source for the very best in which films to seek out.

BrickNash
Jan 13, 2021
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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
In widescreen releases of the film, the footage from Warriors Two is shown in 1.85:1 widescreen, despite being originally filmed and released in 2.35:1. Not only that, but the English dub is not the same as the original theatrical version of Warriors Two. This is because this footage was not taken directly from Warriors Two, but rather from the footage (and dub) of the film used in the documentary Bruce Lee The Legend, which was originally in 1.85:1.

Goofs
John Saxon's spoken narration confuses a clip of 'Jackie Chan (I)' fighting Benny Urquidez and Wah Yuen in Dragons Forever (1988) for Soif de Justice (1984) footage.

Quotes
Self - Host: With the proper training, even a simple paper fan can become a deadly weapon.

Alternate versions
The UK release of this film has no cuts listed by the BBFC but at the very end the narrator says, "We've saved the best for last, here is Bruce Lee fighting with the deadly nunchaku in Enter the Dragon." The clip begins with Lee beating up a few of the guards, then he knocks one over in to some water and it fades out and ends with the shot of the nunchaku cut.