Subgenre Sampler
Martial Arts: 374 Films to Buy & Rent
My Young Auntie (1981)
- Dir. Liu Chia Liang
Feat. Kara Hui, Liu Chia Liang
- Screwball comedy fits like a glove in this kung fu farce concerning a family inheritance and the sexual tension between a side–kicking Aunt…
Shogun Assassin (1981)
- Dir. Kenji Misumi
Feat. Tomisaburo Wakayama, Masahiro Tomikawa
- Samurai classic is a composite of two Japanese features in which a formidable warrior violently defends his honour with his young son in a…
They Call Her...Cleopatra Wong (1981)
- Dir. Bobby A. Suarez
Feat. Marrie Lee
- Singapore's top policewoman, the deadly Miss Cleopatra Wong, teams up with her Filipino counterpart to bust a counterfeit operation in this…
Warrior, the (Jaka Sembung) (1981)
- Dir. Sisworo Gautama Putra
Feat. Barry Prima
- A shirtless Robin hood figure with magical powers fights off the evil Dutch Imperialists. Jam packed with ambitious stunts and unique special effects…
Battle Creek Brawl (Big Brawl, The) (1980)
- Dir. Robert Clouse
Feat. Jackie Chan, Jose Ferrer
- Jackie Chan goes up against a merciless giant man named Kiss when he finds himself caught up in the middle of a giant small town brawl in Battle…
Encounters of the Spooky Kind (Gui da gui) (1980)
- Dir. Sammo Hung
Feat. Sammo Hung, Biao Yuen
- A groundbreaking Hong Kong blend of martial arts action, horror, and slapstick humour, set around Hung's attempts to battle the voodoo and hopping…
Octagon, The (1980)
- Dir. Eric Karson
Feat. Chuck Norris, Karen Carlson, Lee Van Cleef…
- Economical Chuck Norris martial arts adventure focusing on a retired karate champion recruited to take out a group of Central American terrorists he…
Young Master, The (Shi di chu ma) (1980)
- Dir. Jackie Chan
Feat. Jackie Chan, Biao Yuen
- A fine early action–comedy from the phenomenal Jackie Chan, here trying to lure a wayward fellow student back to the 'right' side of martial…
A Force Of One (1979)
- Dir. Paul Aaron
Feat. Chuck Norris, Jennifer O'Neill, Clu Gulager…
- Passable crime thriller with Chuck Norris near the start of his career playing a karate champion assisting the police to hunt down a…
Bushido Blade, The (1979)
- Dir. Shusei Kotani
Feat. Richard Boone, Frank Converse, James Earl Jones…
- Predating SHOGUN by a year, this martial arts adventure set in mid–19th century Japan, has an American marine (Boone) pledged to recover the…