Related
Summary
As a genre , warriorlike arts movieshave never been afraid to get ridiculous , resulting in some unforgettable films that flourish on the extremes of weirdness . Oftentimes , things can get lost in translation in the phone game between cultures that is the westerly reception to martial arts films made in Asia . Wuxia storiesin particular are n’t afraid to go all - out on the downright supernatural elements , adding in some layers of fatuity in between the action . unite that with some low - budgets , unco different approaches to play compare to the West , and the resulting avalanche of downright flakey warlike arts movies becomes seemingly insurmountable .
That ’s not to say that filmmakers in the East are incompetent of recognize the utter strangeness of some of the soldierly artistic production genre ’s lesser - known films . More often than not , writers and directors are very much in on the gag of their unbelievably eldritch photographic film , celebrating the ridiculousness of their plot . Whether these pic are capital in spite of their bizarreness or because of it , savour in the glow ofironic enjoyment , it ’s safe to say that they ’ve allow for an unforgettable impression of the few cult lover who ’ve managed to weather their runtime .
10The Crippled Masters
1979
Long before the body positivity movement had gain any traction in Hollywood , Hong Kong unleashedCrippled Masterson audience in 1979 , channelise by Chi Lo . Featuring a pair of martial graphics master denounce and disfigured by their master , the buddy - activity revenge flick boast some implausibly unique action sequences . Despite one friend having no blazon , and the other having no legs , the titulary masters manage to chip at a bloody course through China in search of their treasonous master . astonishingly , both men are play by actual - life martial arts passe-partout with corresponding disabilities , whose clean-cut skill shine through the newspaper - thin plot .
9The Battle Wizard
1977
Laying dormant deep beneath the iceberg of hidden Kung - Fu movies , The Battle Wizardwelcomes its scant few viewers with jaw - expend insanity . Far removed from the reality of on-key martial artistry , The Battle Wizard ’s protagonist embarks on a journey to get a line a mortal Kung - Fu art allowing him to force out lasers from his fingertip . Along the way , he combat a mysterious dissemble woman , a giant Hydra , a lecherous turtle - like monster with fly strand chela arms , and a fire - respiration sorcerer with giant mechanically skillful chicken legs ( ! ) . Every minute as gloriously weird as its verbal description , The Battle Wizardmight be the unmarried foreign film to amount out of the illustriousShaw Brothers Studio .
8Shaolin Youth Posse
1972
Taking place in the familiar territory of a barren Shaolin Temple , Shaolin Youth Posseshakes up a relatively typical Kung - Fu formula by eschew the exercise of adult actors , with the eponymous crew of dry pint - sized monks being tasked to defend their home from wave of enemy . Far from the cutesy , child - friendly flick its premise might bestow to mind , Shaolin Youth Posseis shockingly brute towards its jejune hoagie , not afraid to depict baby dying vicious death with all the low - budget gore it can muster . For maximum bizarreness , be sure to catch the dubbed version , with grown adult contribute their best ear - grate impersonation kid voice to the ADR .
7Gym Kata
1985
immix martial art with Olympian gymnastics , Gym Kata ’s clumsy title shop the delicious depth of strangeness the film takes its viewers to . Starring tangible biography Olympic gymnast Kurt Thomas , the film is , shockingly , an adaptation of a novel , out to on demonstrating the favourable position of a calisthenics - free-base panache in the face of true Kung - Fu . Beyond the creation of its eponymic " warlike art",Gym Kataalso introduces viewing audience to the fictional country of Parmistan , a mountainous farming of beautiful princesses , trigger-happy warriors , and , of course , obstruction courses for Thomas to conquer .
6Interzone
1987
Though more notably inspired by George Miller’sThe Road Warrior , Interzoneis a post - apocalyptic take on Kung - Fu activity that follow the efforts of a spiritually - enhanced monk to protect the last fertile land in the country , the eponymous Interzone , from a vagabond gang of raiders . The order of Thelonious Sphere Monk , who have reverence names like " Panasonic " and " General Electric " , fight to keep up a vault of carefully - curated debris from the previous civilization from the the like of villainess and bodybuilder , Mantis , clad in a pubescence - wakening dress . There ’s so much to value about this heterosexual - to - picture ItalianMad Maxrip - off , not the least of which being its surprisingly well - choreograph scrap scenes .
5Shaolin Soccer
2001
An example of a comedic martial nontextual matter film very much in on its own joke , Shaolin Soccercrosses over genres , at once a Kung - Fu story and a classic sports dramatic event . Directed by Stephen Chow ofKung - Fu Hustlefame , Shaolin Soccerplays with the idea of a soccer team comprised entirely of Shaolin Kung - Fu masters , used to encourage the art to the masses . feature some jaw - discharge stuntwork , supernatural uses of Tai Chi , and an antagonistic rival squad fire by American drug literally called " Team Evil",Shaolin Socceris an action clowning that is truly reverence as one of thebest comedic martial art films ever made .
4Ninja III: The Domination
1984
The simple logline forNinja III : The Dominationis enough to sell any connoisseur of the outre on watching it . The film orb around an aerobics fancier who is possessed by an evil Ninja by way of his haunted steel , become her into a killing simple machine that harnesses the awesome tycoon of both Ninjutsu and Dancercise . The film has too many absurd scenes to count , but the pièce de résistance is the final exorcism scene , followed by a optical maser - fueled Ninja duel for the circumstances of the hapless dancer . Ninja III : The Dominationproves that the U.S. is just as equal to of creating some truly strange soldierly arts movies .
3Swordsman II
1992
The 2d installment of theSwordsmantrilogy , the cinema has little to do with its harbinger , stir the focus of the Wuxia period of time series to the villainous Dongfang Bubai , who crosses paths with the previous film ’s protagonist by mere coincidence . Dongfang ’s fluid sexuality identity , over - the - top performance , and breathless fighting choreography were enough to supercede the series altogether , take over the role of the protgaonist for the third cinema . This freakish tale of cultus , samurai , and powerful martial art manuals is a important submission in theoften - overlookedSwordsmantrilogy .
2Robo Vampire
1988
Not content to simply coalesce two genres , Robo Vampireis a warriorlike prowess science fiction repugnance - drollery military action monstrosity that runs with five unlike conflicting estimate and tone , tot up up at once by its two - word title . Starting out as a atomic number 6 transcript ofRobocop , complete with Peter Weller ’s original suit being directly rustle onto the poster , Robo Vampireshakes up the conversant story with an shot of Chinese hopping Vampires , and of course , martial prowess . Needing to be see to be consider , the literal tinfoil robot costume , unabashed continuity errors , and gallons of imitation blood culminate in a beautiful disaster that feels almost mastermind .
1The Story Of Ricky
1991
This picture ’s unassuming title betrays a viscerally gory exploitation film with some of the most unlikely moments in all of the warriorlike arts writing style . True to its give-and-take , the flick secern the write up of Ricky , an inhumanly strong battler imprisoned for taking retaliation on the felon that bolt down his girlfriend . The audience is necessitate on a loth journey over Ricky ’s shoulder as he ruthlessly slaughters the vile inmates of his futuristic prison house in the far - off year of 2001 . It ’s out of the question to look away whole as Ricky take apart his opposition with some of the most brutal killing in anymartial art film , performing all manner of unconvincing feats of speciality along the agency .
