The 40 Best Action/Martial Arts Movies of the Decade (2011-2020)

20. Ip Man 3 (Wilson Yip, 2015, Hong Kong)

There are a good number of fights (But could have done with 2 more), saying that thought, the choreography was very well done and every fight scene was great viewing. It was a good way to end the trilogy, as Ip man enters a new phase in his life and i did enjoy listening to his philosophy. Leung Kar Yan has a great fight scene and I enjoyed his role, but once again Donnie Yen kicks butt as Master Ip man and in a role which he has made his own. (kingofkungfu)

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19. The Fable (Kan Eguchi, 2019, Japan)

Kan Eguchi directs a movie that combines comedy, parody of both manga and adaptations, and violent action in an impressive package, which, amazingly, manages to thrive because Eguchi does not seem to know where exactly he wanted to go with the overall style, but exploited the fact in order to present a rather entertaining spectacle. In that fashion, the film begins as a comedy filled with slapstick humor and gags, with the concept of Jackal Tomioka being the highlight, but as time passes, it becomes more serious, to the point that, at the end, it borders on the action thriller. (Panos Kotzathanasis)

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18. The Age of Shadows (Kim Jee-won, 2016, South Korea)

In terms of direction, the film is a true masterpiece. Kim creates a great atmosphere that is shaped through a number of “confrontations”, usually between two characters, with the ones between Lee and Kim standing apart. The noir element is chiefly present in these scenes. The highlight of his direction, though, is the sequence on the train, where he manages to retain the agony through an astonishing number of events, which occur despite the restricted space. The bloody finale of these events is another highlight of the film. After that point, the dramatic element also enters the movie, along with the most violent scenes, which include graphic depiction of torturing. (Panos Kotzathanasis)

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17. Kundo: Age of The Rampant (Yoon Jong-bin, 2014, South Korea)

The year is 1859, feudal loseon is plagued with numerous natural disasters, poor harvest, poverty. hunger and death. But the rich nobles are only concerned with their own wealth and continue to exploit and persecute the poor. In this dark period, Kundo was a single shred of hope for the poor, an entity which can be the subject of fear to unjust nobles. After killing poor butcher Dolmuchi's mother and sister, millionaire Jo-yoon commands absolute power over him. Clouded by vengeance, Dolmuchi is accepted as a member of Kundo. and unsheathes his sword for the weak.

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16. Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota (Vasan Bala, 2018, India)

“Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota” is filled to the brim with throwbacks and references to not just kung fu classics but also popular Bollywood action films of the 80s and 90s, both at the script level as well as in its execution. In that sense, it feels very much like a Bollywood “Kill Bill”. Director Vasan Bala throws in as many namechecks to martial arts superstars and hit action films as he can muster. Much like “Kill Bill”, this film also references a classic Bruce Lee costume unashamedly, only this time it is his red tracksuit from “Longstreet”. Even Supri's wardrobe, for that matter, is evidently styled on Julie Estelle's Hammer Girl from “The Raid: Berandal” in her introductory scene and her climactic scene from “Headshot” in the climax. (Rhythm Zaveri)

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15. Gantz (Shinsuke Sato, 2011, Japan)

To get the comparison with the anime out of the way, I would say that Sato retained the surreal atmosphere of both the manga and the anime, although he almost completely excluded the sexual aspects and many of violent ones as well. Visually, the film stayed very close to the original, with the help of magnificent special effects and cinematography. Some fan service does exist, particularly in the way Sato focuses on the figures of Natsuna Watanabe, who plays Kei and Ayumi Ito, who plays Aikawa, with the extremely tight uniforms implemented by all the characters giving a nice excuse to do so. Furthermore, the film does not lack in gore, chiefly in the first part, with the action scenes being particularly violent. The second part, although somewhat more elaborate in this aspect, with the sword-fights being truly top-notch, seems to be a little more “tame” regarding the violence, as much as in all the PG-18 aspects. (Panos Kotzathanasis)

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14. Geran (Areel Abu Bakar, 2020, Malaysia)

Car races, illegal fighting, and few action scenes here and there, of which the one in the house allows Feiyna Tajudin to shine as Fatimah, particularly due to the slapping she “admonishes”, is the most impressive, take care of the action aspect in the movie, at least until the last part. It is in this last section of the movie that Azian Komeng's action choreography, Khoharullah Majid's abilities as Ali, Areel Abu Bakar's cinematography, and Nik Johan's frantic editing find their apogee… “Geran” is a great action movie, that thrives both on the martial arts aspect, but also on context, in a trait not so frequently associated with the action category, but something Malaysian cinema seems to have the knack for, as witnessed also in films like “Bunohan” and “One Two Jagga“. (Panos Kotzathanasis)

 13. 13 Assassins (Takashi Miike, 2010, Japan)

Miike took the former film and added violence, blood, and slapstick humor (the scene with the mayor is preposterously hilarious), thus transforming it into his own unique style. The movie is split into two parts: the initial one has almost no action, apart from Naritsugu's violent acts that are shot in Miike's typically extreme fashion; the second is filled with impressive battle scenes, where the large budget of the film becomes obvious. (Panos Kotzathanasis)

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12. Rurouni Kenshin Trilogy (Keishi Ohtomo, 2012-2014, Japan)

Of course, with this kind of title, the action is probably the most important aspect and the result in that department, is even more impressive. The abilities of the aforementioned actors (and the stuntmen of course) benefit and are benefited the most by the exceptional action and stunts choreographies by Kenji Tanigaki and Takahito Ouchi, who focused on the speed of the scenes with great results. Tsuyoshi Imai's editing also implements this speed with many and well placed cuts, while the slower pace he implements in the non-action scenes also works quite well for the overall narrative. DOP Takuro Ishizaka's camera follows the action artfully, while he does not fail to highlight the beauties and the ugliness of the various settings the story takes place. (Panos Kotzathanasis)

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11. BuyBust (Erik Matti, 2018, Philippines)

The film starts a bit slowly, building the tension and introducing the characters, but as soon as the story moves to the slums, the action picks up and never actually stops, taking over the whole narrative. Hand-to-hand combat, guns, knives and any kind of weapon one could imagine are used in an unending series of brutal battles, against both experts and simple people (including housewives). The death toll presented on screen is unprecedented, as cops, criminals and slum residents fall like flies with no-mercy whatsoever. (Panos Kotzathanasis)

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