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The Top 5 Best Thai Martial Arts Films Ever. Do You Agree?

In order to be a great martial art film, a movie just has to follow one rule: keep audiences entertained. Those films produced in Thailand manage to do just that, earning the praise of being home to some of the best movies. The films may lack a serious story-line, but the incredible choreography more than makes up for it all.

Narrowing down the movies to find the best is no easy task, but we came up with what we feel are the top five best Thai martial arts films. Each movie in our list features the enchanting choreography from the late famed director and martial artist . His films used no CGI to show off each actor's athletic prowess.


(2004)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AQcZalRbRQ

 

This remake of the 1986 film bears little resemblance to it beyond a title. Nevertheless, it is just as action-packed and entertaining. It follows Deaw, a former Special Forces officer, on a journey to help a village along with his sister and other Olympic athletes. The visit turns into a nightmare as it's taken over, and Deaw and the others must fight to save it.

The final village fight alone is enough to land this film on the list of best Thai martial arts movies. It's an all-out brawl that keeps viewers on the edge of their seats.


 

What's a martial arts film without a healthy dose of vengeance? In this one, a violent gang is abducting and killing women throughout Thailand. Deu is rescued by Sanim and his friends and soon undergoes training in the fictional drunken-style of in order to confront and stop the gang.

Once again, Panna Rittikrai's choreography is put to good use even in a fighting form that not many use. It's simply satisfying to watch such a variety of techniques be flawlessly stretched beyond imagination.


(The Protector)

When two of his family's beloved elephants are taken, Kham travels to Australia to get them back at any means necessary. He enlists the aid of a Thai police officer stationed there as well as a Thai girl forced into slavery. They take on the ruthless Madame Rose gang in an attempt to find his family's elephants.

The star of the film, Tony Jaa, choreographed the moves alongside his mentor Panna Rittikrai. Jaa is perhaps the greatest thing about this film. His smooth moves never fail to impress.


Zen, the main character of the film, takes a different approach to martial arts when compared to other protagonists. She, like many of you reading this perhaps, was engrossed with the arts by watching it on TV. Zen started practicing, emulating what she watched on TV as well as the nearby martial arts gym. She uses these skills to confront criminals from her mother's former gang and others.

 

The woman is completely self-taught, making for a compelling story to follow. Actress and lead star Jeeja Yanin became an overnight sensation with this film, proving herself a force to be reckoned with in the martial arts world.


Ong-Bak: Thai Warrior

 

This film rightfully lands near the top of any list of best Thai films, and for good reason. First of all, the basic premise is that of Ong-Bak, a sacred Buddha, being stolen and the main character Ting setting out to rescue it. Trained in Muay Thai by monks, he never used his skills in combat. His journey pushes him to unleash his skills in ways he never has before.

It is a film that first put actor Tony Jaa on the map for mainstream audiences. Many came away enamored by the man, drawing comparisons to the great martial artists that came before him like Jet Li and Jackie Chan. You'll be glued to your screens watching his choreography.


Although we listed the top five Thai martial arts films, there are plenty of more out there to keep you entertained for hours on end. Can you think of any amazing thai martial arts films we have missed? Leave your comments below

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Guest Writer

  • No, I don’t agree, what about ip man or Rise of the Legend? There are a lot of them better than some of these

  • No we do NOT agree!

    Born to Fight? Raging Phenoix???
    seriously?

    no Fist of Legend? Flash Point, SPL 2, Ip Man 1 or Ip Man 3, Ong Bak 2? (ninja scenes).
    True Legend. Iron Monkey? Ninja Shadow of a Tear, Merantu or The Raid?

    sorry, i think you must be new to Martial Arts movies or you just haven’t seen enough sick movies yet:)

    • None of the movies you list are Thai films except for Ong Bak 2.. Do any of you even read the title to the article?

      • Thank you, at least some one is paying attention. Although to be fair we do usually do top lists from all martial arts films do easy mistake to make. This was a guest post in which the writer wanted to focus on Thai only. For a list of all martial arts films we do have a top 100…

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