8 Best Martial Arts Movies to Watch While Waiting for 'Street Fighter'

Fans of martial arts movies are eagerly awaiting the film adaptation of the iconic game Street Fighter, set to hit theaters on October 16, 2026.

Now is the time to remember the genre's golden age. These movies are not only benchmarks of visual choreography and incredible physical performances – they also represent the philosophical and cultural foundations that are essential to the modern action genre.

1. 'Enter the Dragon', 1973

IMDb Score: 7.6/10

Enter the Dragon was Bruce Lee's final film. The talented actor and martial artist died just six days before its premiere.

The plot revolves around a secret martial arts tournament hosted by businessman Han on his private island. Han was once a student at the Shaolin Monastery but chose to use his knowledge for evil, resulting in his exile.

The police suspect Han of drug trafficking and running a prostitution ring but are unable to arrest him due to a lack of evidence. They then turn to Lee, a kung fu master who peacefully teaches young monks.

2. 'Ong-bak: The Thai Warrior', 2003

IMDb Score: 7.1/10

Ting, a young man from a rural village, is a Muay Thai master. The village chief sends him to the city on an important mission: to retrieve a revered Buddha head known as Ong Bak.

Frightened by the urban environment, Ting is aided by his cousin, Humlae, who left the village long ago and is now involved in petty crime.

Initially, Humlae tries to deceive Ting, but after a series of incidents, he warms up to his relative and helps him find the statue.

3. 'Ip Man', 2008

IMDb Score: 8.0/10

Known to his students and fellow kung fu practitioners as Master Ip, he is one of the most renowned teachers of this martial art in Foshan. The city already has a reputation as a major draw for anyone interested in kung fu.

However, Ip Man is the only teacher in Foshan who doesn't have students or his own school. He only conducts occasional sparring sessions with other teachers behind the closed doors of his home.

Years later, when the Japanese invaded China, Ip Man was one of the few who remembered the honor and dignity he had cultivated during those years, even under the extremely difficult conditions of occupation.

4. 'Drunken Master', 1978

IMDb Score: 7.4/10

This legendary Hong Kong action movie features a young Jackie Chan who was just beginning to develop his fight choreography style.

The plot follows Fei-hung, a rebellious young man apprenticed to a martial arts master who practices the rare drunken style of kung fu. Fei-hung laughs at his drunken master, but he quickly brings Fei-hung down to earth.

Chan transformed this comical form of kung fu into a spectacular display – the drunken master's fights amuse and impress viewers alike with their martial arts symphony of kicks and punches.

5. 'Fist of Fury', 1972

IMDb Score: 7.2/10

Martial arts master Chen Zhen has always distinguished himself with his unmatched fighting skills. He is lightning fast and extremely experienced.

Upon returning to his former school, Chen Zhen receives tragic news about his mentor: he was brutally murdered in an attack on the martial arts school.

Chen Zhen investigates the attack and discovers that a Japanese Bushido school orchestrated it. With no hope of legal recourse, the young master decides to bring the perpetrators to justice himself.

6. 'Bloodsport', 1988

IMDb Score: 6.8/10

This is perhaps the most important martial arts movie for a generation raised on hundreds of VHS tapes in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

The plot follows an underground martial arts tournament called Kumite with a substantial prize pool and a rather controversial reputation. Frank, an American soldier, is preparing to participate.

He was adopted by a Japanese karate teacher as a child. From childhood, he achieved great success in karate through persistent training and earned a sacred Japanese sword.

7. 'The Grandmaster', 2013

IMDb Score: 6.6/10

China, 1936. Ip Man has been appointed head of a powerful kung fu school. There are other contenders for the position, so he must prove himself worthy.

His goal is to unite all the existing schools in the country into one. To achieve this, he must fight a master from each school to prove his superiority.

The Grandmaster is not only a masterpiece in its genre but also one of Wong Kar-wai's finest works. Wong created a kung fu film that focuses not only on the fights, but also on the philosophy of the martial art itself.

8. 'Mortal Kombat', 1995

IMDb Score: 5.8/10

In many ways, Paul W.S. Anderson's Mortal Kombat remains the definitive video game adaptation. Released in 1995, the movie captured the chaos and exuberant violence of the iconic Mortal Kombat series.

Despite several attempts to replicate its success, no one has yet cracked Mortal Kombat's secret formula.

The plot revolves around a group of heroes who must compete in a Mortal Kombat tournament against dark forces. If the Earthlings lose, a tragic fate awaits the human world – an invasion by the forces of evil and the enslavement of all life.