Connection
Films with theme "Martial arts films", sorted by rating
Add to a movie list
Ugetsu (1953)
, 1h37Directed by Kenji Mizoguchi
Origin Japon
Genres Drama, Science fiction, Thriller, Comedy, Fantasy, Horror, Historical
Themes Seafaring films, Sports films, Transport films, Martial arts films, Ghost films
Actors Masayuki Mori, Machiko Kyō, Kinuyo Tanaka, Mitsuko Mito, Eitarō Ozawa, Ryosuke Kagawa
Ugetsu is set in villages which line the shore of Lake Biwa in Ōmi Province in the late 16th century. It revolves around two peasant couples – Genjurō and Miyagi, Tōbei and Ohama – who are uprooted as Shibata Katsuie's army sweeps through their farming village, Nakanogō. Genjurō, a potter, takes his wares to nearby Ōmizo. He is accompanied by Tōbei, who dreams of becoming a samurai. A respected sage tells Miyagi to warn her husband about seeking profit in time of upheaval, and to prepare for a probable attack on the village. Genjurō arrives with his profits, but she asks him to stop. Genjurō nevertheless works long hours to finish his pottery. That night Nakanogō is attacked by soldiers, and the four main characters hide out in the woods.
Shah (2015)
Origin Pakistan
Genres Drama
Themes Sports films, Martial arts films, Boxing films
The film is based on the journey of Pakistani Olympian boxer Hussain Shah who started his life on the streets of Lyari, Karachi as a homeless child and went on to dominate Asian boxing for nearly a decade. He became the only boxer of Pakistan history to win an Olympic medal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics but was afterwards forgotten by public and media alike.
Million Dollar Baby (2005)
, 2h12Directed by Clint Eastwood
Origin USA
Genres Drama
Themes Films about euthanasia, Medical-themed films, Sports films, Films about suicide, La précarité, Martial arts films, Boxing films, Films about disabilities, Le boxe anglaise
Actors Clint Eastwood, Hilary Swank, Morgan Freeman, Jay Baruchel, Mike Colter, Brían F. O'Byrne
Margaret "Maggie" Fitzgerald, a waitress from a Missouri town in the Ozarks, shows up in the Hit Pit, a run-down Los Angeles gym owned and operated by Frankie Dunn, an old, cantankerous boxing trainer. Maggie asks Frankie to train her, but he initially refuses. Maggie works out tirelessly each day in his gym, even after Frankie tells her she's "too old" to begin a boxing career at her age. Eddie "Scrap-Iron" Dupris, Frankie's friend and employee (as well as the film's narrator), encourages and helps her.
Requiem for a Heavyweight (1962)
, 1h35Directed by Ralph Nelson
Origin USA
Genres Drama
Themes Sports films, Martial arts films, Boxing films, Le boxe anglaise
Actors Anthony Quinn, Jack Palance, Jackie Gleason, Mickey Rooney, Keenan Wynn, Kim Hunter
Après dix sept ans de carrière, le boxeur poids lourds Mountain Rivera est mis K.O. par Cassius Clay. Gravement blessé à l'oeil, il doit raccrocher les gants sous peine de perdre la vue. Avec l'aide de son fidèle soigneur, Army, il se lance alors à la recherche d'un travail. Une assistante sociale se prend d'affection pour ce colosse pathétique et offre la possibilité de devenir moniteur dans un camp de vacances. Mais son entraîneur, criblé de dettes, a d'autres projets pour lui, il entend le reconvertir en catcheur.
Raging Bull (1980)
, 2h9Directed by Martin Scorsese
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Biography, Action, Historical
Themes Films about immigration, Sports films, Martial arts films, Boxing films, Le boxe anglaise
Actors Robert De Niro, Cathy Moriarty, Joe Pesci, Frank Vincent, Nicholas Colasanto, Theresa Saldana
In a brief scene in 1964, an aging, overweight Italian American, Jake LaMotta (Robert De Niro), practices a comedy routine. The rest of the film then occurs in flashback. In 1941, LaMotta is in a major boxing match against Jimmy Reeves, where he received his first loss. Jake's brother Joey LaMotta (Joe Pesci) discusses a potential shot for the middleweight title with one of his Mafia connections, Salvy Batts (Frank Vincent). Some time thereafter, Jake spots a 15-year-old girl named Vickie (Cathy Moriarty) at an open-air swimming pool in his Bronx neighborhood. He eventually pursues a relationship with her, even though he is already married. In 1943, Jake defeats Sugar Ray Robinson, and has a rematch three weeks later. Despite the fact that Jake dominates Robinson during the bout, the judges surprisingly rule in favor of Robinson and Joey feels Robinson won only because he was enlisting into the US Army the following week. By 1947, Jake marries Vickie.
The Hidden Fortress (1958)
, 2h19Directed by Akira Kurosawa
Origin Japon
Genres Drama, Comedy, Action, Adventure
Themes Seafaring films, Sports films, Transport films, Martial arts films, Samurai films
Actors Toshiro Mifune, Minoru Chiaki, Kamatari Fujiwara, Misa Uehara, Takashi Shimura, Susumu Fujita
The film begins with two bedraggled peasants, Tahei and Matashichi (Minoru Chiaki and Kamatari Fujiwara). Through conversation, they reveal that they had intended to fight alongside the Yamana clan, but turned up too late, were taken for soldiers of the defeated Akizuki clan, and forced to bury the dead. After quarreling and splitting up, the two are both captured again and forced to dig for gold in the Akizuki castle with other prisoners.
Warrior (2011)
, 2h20Directed by Gavin O'Connor
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Martial arts, Action, Martial arts
Themes Films about alcoholism, Films about families, Medical-themed films, Films about drugs, Sports films, Martial arts films, Combat libre
Actors Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton, Jennifer Morrison, Frank Grillo, Nick Nolte, Kevin Dunn
U.S. Marine Tommy Riordan visits his father, Paddy Conlon (Nick Nolte), a recovering alcoholic who has returned to his Catholic faith. Tommy had to run away from Paddy with his dying mother when he was just a boy due to Paddy having previously been an abusive alcoholic, and has never quite forgiven him. Paddy tries to convince him that he has changed, but to no avail. The next day, Tommy enters a gym where he beats a professional fighter named Pete "Mad Dog" Grimes (Erik Apple) unconscious in less than 30 seconds, in a fight which is filmed via a cell phone's video camera and later uploaded to the Internet, where it goes viral. Tommy learns about a winner-takes-all mixed martial arts tournament called Sparta in which the winner will receive $5,000,000. Tommy asks his father to help him train for the tournament, but only under the condition that Paddy does not try to reconcile their relationship.
Throne of Blood (1957)
, 1h45Directed by Akira Kurosawa
Origin Japon
Genres Drama, Historical
Themes Seafaring films, Sports films, Théâtre, Transport films, Martial arts films, Samurai films, Political films, Films based on plays, Films based on works by William Shakespeare, Films about royalty
Actors Toshiro Mifune, Isuzu Yamada, Takashi Shimura, Minoru Chiaki, Akira Kubo, Kokuten Kōdō
Generals Miki and Washizu are Samurai commanders under a local lord, Lord Tsuzuki, who reigns in the castle of the Spider's Web Forest. After defeating the lord's enemies in battle, they return to Tsuzuki's castle. On their way through the thick forest surrounding the castle, they meet a spirit, who foretells their future. The spirit tells them that today Washizu will be named Lord of the Northern Garrison and Miki will now be commander of the first fortress. She then foretells that Washizu will eventually become Lord of Spiderweb Castle, and finally she tells Miki that his son will also become lord of the castle.
Rocky (1976)
, 1h59Directed by John G. Avildsen
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Action, Romance
Themes Sports films, Martial arts films, Boxing films, Le boxe anglaise
Actors Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, Burgess Meredith, Tony Burton
Rocky "The Italian Stallion" Balboa is a hard-living, but failing prize fighter from an Italian neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Between fights, he works as an enforcer for loan shark Anthony Gazzo, and is regarded by many of his neighbors as a bum. The World Heavyweight Champion, Apollo Creed, announces plans to hold a match in Philadelphia during the upcoming United States Bicentennial. However, he is informed five weeks from the fight date, that his scheduled opponent, Mac Lee Green, is unable to compete due to an injured hand. With all other potential replacements booked up or otherwise unavailable, Creed decides to spice things up and give a local contender a chance to face him. He settles on Rocky, believing that he will be an easy challenge.
The Twilight Samurai (2002)
, 2h9Directed by Yōji Yamada
Origin Japon
Genres Drama, Action, Historical, Romance
Themes Seafaring films, Sports films, Transport films, Martial arts films, Samurai films
Actors Hiroyuki Sanada, Rie Miyazawa, Nenji Kobayashi, Ren Osugi, Mitsuru Fukikoshi, Miki Hirano
At the start of the film, the main character, Iguchi Seibei, becomes a widower when his wife succumbs to tuberculosis. His wife receives a grand funeral, more than what a low-ranking samurai such as Seibei could afford. Seibei works in the grain warehouse, accounting for stores inventory for the samurai clan. His samurai colleagues mock him behind his back with the nickname Tasogare (Twilight). When evening approaches, Seibei rushes home to look after his senile elderly mother and two young daughters, Kayano and Ito, instead of bonding with his supervisor and other samurai colleagues over customary nights of dinner, geisha entertainment, and sake drinking. Even though he is a samurai, Seibei neglects his appearance, failing to bathe and being shabbily dressed. The well-being of his young daughters and medicine for his mother take priority over new clothes or the monthly bath fee and his daughters say they are both happy, even without a mother.
The Life of Oharu (1952)
, 2h28Directed by Kenji Mizoguchi
Origin Japon
Genres Drama
Themes Seafaring films, Films about sexuality, Sports films, Transport films, Erotic films, Films about prostitution, Martial arts films, Erotic thriller films
Actors Kinuyo Tanaka, Ichirō Sugai (菅井一郎), Toshiro Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Chieko Higashiyama, Jūkichi Uno
The story opens on Oharu as an old woman in a temple flashing back through the events of her life. It begins with her love affair with a page, Katsunosuke (Toshirō Mifune), the result of which (due to their class difference) is his execution and her family's banishment. Oharu attempts suicide but fails and is sold to be the mistress of Lord Matsudaira with the hope she will bear him a son. She does, but then is sent home with minimal compensation to the dismay of her father, who has worked up quite a debt in the meantime. He sends her to be a courtesan, but there, too, she fails and is again sent home. She goes to serve the family of a woman who must hide the fact that she is bald from her husband. The woman becomes jealous of Oharu and makes her chop off her hair, but Oharu retaliates, revealing the woman's secret. She again must leave—this time she marries a fan maker who is killed shortly after during a robbery. She attempts to become a nun, but Oharu is thrown out after being caught naked with a man seeking reimbursement for an unauthorized gift (it is made clear this is rape by Oharu's claims and distraught demeanor). She is thrown out of the temple, becomes a prostitute, but fails even at that. In the end, she is recalled to the Lord's house in order to keep secret her activities and to be exiled within the compounds to keep her secrets locked away. While being scolded for the life she chose, she attempts to find her son, and in the process, ends up running away as she chooses the life of a beggar over the life in exile.
The Real Shaolin (2008)
, 1h29Genres Martial arts, Documentary, Martial arts
Themes Sports films, Martial arts films
Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
, 1h51Directed by Quentin Tarantino
Genres Thriller, Martial arts, Action, Crime
Themes Feminist films, Seafaring films, Sports films, Transport films, Martial arts films, Samurai films, Yakuza films, Political films, Kung fu films, Gangster films
Actors Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu, Vivica A. Fox, Daryl Hannah, David Carradine, Michael Madsen
A woman in a wedding dress, the Bride, lies wounded in a church in El Paso, having been attacked by the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad. She tells their leader, Bill, that she is carrying his baby. He shoots her.
Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)
, 2h16Directed by Quentin Tarantino
Origin USA
Genres Thriller, Martial arts, Action, Crime, Martial arts
Themes Feminist films, Seafaring films, Sports films, Transport films, Martial arts films, Samurai films, Political films, Kung fu films
Actors Uma Thurman, David Carradine, Lucy Liu, Vivica A. Fox, Michael Madsen, Daryl Hannah
The pregnant Bride and her groom rehearse their wedding. Bill, the Bride's former lover, father of her child, and leader of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, arrives unexpectedly. On Bill's orders, the Deadly Vipers kill everyone at the wedding, but the Bride survives and swears revenge.
Sanjuro (1962)
, 1h36Directed by Akira Kurosawa
Origin Japon
Genres Drama, Comedy, Action
Themes Seafaring films, Sports films, Transport films, Martial arts films, Samurai films
Actors Toshiro Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Keiju Kobayashi, Reiko Dan, Yūzō Kayama, Takashi Shimura
Nine young samurai, including his nephew, believe that the lord chamberlain, Mutsuta, is corrupt after he tore up their petition against organised crime and said maybe he himself was behind the crimes. One of them tells the superintendent of this and he agrees to intervene. As the nine meet secretly at a shrine and discuss their problem, a ronin (Mifune) emerges from another room where he has been resting. The ronin has overheard their plans, and suggests that the superintendent is in fact the real corrupt official. While at first the samurai are insulted by his claims, they soon find themselves surrounded by the superintendent's men, proving that he was correct. The ronin hits a few of the attackers and bluffs their leader into leaving, taking only a small amount of money in reward to buy food because he is starving; however, after realizing that Mutsuta and his family must now be in danger, he decides to help the samurai bring down the corrupt officials.