Top 10 Kung Fu Movies on Netflix Right Now
Netflix has quietly built a solid collection of kung fu movies. Not all of them are good, but the ones worth your time are very worth your time. Here’s what to watch, in order of how fast you should hit play.
1. Enter the Dragon (1973)
Bruce Lee’s masterpiece and the movie that introduced kung fu to the West. The plot is classic 70s — a martial artist goes undercover at a tournament on a remote island. But the fighting is electric. Lee moves like nothing you’ve seen before. Even 50 years later, this movie feels fast.
2. Ip Man (2008)
The story of Ip Man, Bruce Lee’s teacher. Donnie Yen plays the Wing Chun master with a quiet dignity that makes every fight scene meaningful. The “ten against one” scene is one of the best choreographed fights in modern cinema. There are four Ip Man movies; start with the first one.
3. The Raid (2011)
Indonesian, not Chinese, but the most intense martial arts movie ever made. A SWAT team gets trapped in a building controlled by a crime lord and has to fight floor by floor to survive. The fight choreography is brutal and relentless. Not for the squeamish.
4. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
The movie that proved martial arts films could be art. Breathtaking wire-fu choreography set against stunning Chinese landscapes. The fight on bamboo tops is one of the most beautiful scenes in cinema history. If you’ve only seen one movie on this list, make it this one.
5. Hero (2002)
Zhang Yimou’s visual masterpiece starring Jet Li. Every fight scene is color-coded — red, blue, green, white — representing different versions of the same story. The calligraphy scene, the lake fight, the falling leaves — it’s poetry in motion.
6. The Grandmaster (2013)
Wong Kar-wai’s take on Ip Man’s story, starring Tony Leung. Less about fighting, more about philosophy and the passing of an era. The rain fight in the opening scene is worth the price of admission alone.
7. Police Story (1985)
Jackie Chan at his peak. No wires, no doubles, just Chan throwing himself through glass, down escalators, and into cars. The final fight in a shopping mall is one of the most dangerous stunts ever filmed. Chan did it himself, obviously.
8. Unleashed (2005)
Jet Li plays a man raised like a dog — literally kept on a leash and trained to fight. When he escapes, he discovers humanity for the first time. Darker than most kung fu movies, with genuine emotional weight.
9. House of Flying Daggers (2004)
Another Zhang Yimou visual feast. A love story set against the backdrop of a rebellion, with some of the most creative fight scenes ever filmed — including a battle in a bamboo forest and an echo game with drums. Gorgeous from start to finish.
10. Shadow (2018)
Zhang Yimou returns to form with a wuxia film shot entirely in black, white, and shades of gray. The story involves body doubles, political intrigue, and umbrella-blade fights in the rain. Stunningly original.