I love the martial arts genre despite the fact that there are plenty of terrible films in it. Some films deserve the criticism they receive while others don’t and some just get overlooked completely. Here’s a list of some underrated ones that you should check out.
- Revenge of the Ninja
There were a lot of ninja movies made in the 80s but “Revenge of the Ninja” with Shô Kosugi (“Black Eagle”) is one that deserves a little more love. It’s undeniably goofy but what do you expect with that title? It’s got a few really fun fight scenes and I found it to be way better than other films of the era such as “Ninja Terminator” and “American Ninja”.
- Triple Threat
“Triple Threat” is a lot like “The Expendables” but with a greater focus on martial arts stars rather than more general action stars. Its cast includes Tonya Jaa (“Ong-Bak”), Iko Uwais (“The Raid”) and Scott Adkins (“Undisputed III: Redemption”). The movie has some really impressive action sequences and should have got more attention.
- Best of the Best
Despite having a string of sequels, “Best of the Best” never gets talked about. It’s a lot like “The Karate Kid” but with better fights and better performances. Eric Roberts (“The Dark Knight”) and James Earl Jones (“Star Wars”) appear alongside martial artist Phillip Rhee (“Ninja Turf”). It’s a really satisfying sports movie.
- Fist of the North Star (1995)
Gary Daniels (“Firepower”, “Rage”) has done a lot of underrated martial arts movies. However, it’s his live-action version of “Fist of the North Star” that seems to be hated and I don’t really get why. It’s not as good as the anime version but I think it does a pretty good job of capturing the dystopian sci-fi aesthetic and the outrageous action.
- Clementine
Steven Seagal (“Hard To Kill”, “Into The Sun”) has done plenty of bad movies so it’s easy for people to dismiss anything he does. However, “Clementine” is very different from really anything else he’s done. It’s a Korean drama movie with some great martial arts fights. Seagal shows up at the end of the movie and it’s probably the best fight of his entire film career.