Ip Man (PG13) - Donnie Yen plays Yip Man in this dynamic and moving true story of the kung fu master's life in Foshan when the Japanese took over China. We see Yip Man as a sophisticated and educated family man living in Foshan who had a passion for Wing Chun but no interest in students and no interest in violence. The movie not only portrays a gripping story and features excellent technique in the art of Wing Chun, it also delineates the whole philosophy behind it. Wing Chun is about dissolving attacks. We seek no argument, we seek no violence, but if it is brought to our door, we remove the obstacle cleanly, simply and efficiently. The actual fight scenes are a fantastic showcase for real Wing Chun technique. This movie is hard to find since it's not widely available in North America, but it is the definitive Wing Chun movie. Not to be missed.

Dragon, the Bruce Lee Story (PG13) - Jason Scott Lee (no relation) plays Bruce Lee, the legendary martial artist, Sifu and philosopher. Although Jason Scott Lee wasn't a martial artist, his technique is pretty good and this truly is an amazing story about a martial arts legend based on his wife Linda's book. There's a lot of Wing Chun action throughout the movie including scenes of Bruce training with Grandmaster Yip Man, later teaching his own students at his own kwoon as well as young Bruce on a wooden dummy and doing the Sil Lum Tao. Considering how little training he had previously, Jason Scott Lee is amazing and impressively believable as the legendary Bruce Lee.

Enter the Dragon (R) - Arguably the most exciting martial arts movie ever made & a showcase of both Wing Chun and Bruce Lee's athleticism. Bruce Lee was an intense, focused individual who amply demonstrates the power of our Wing Chun techniques mixed with movie-style flashier moves. Note that Bruce Lee only learned part of Wing Chun, quite correctly felt that what he learned was incomplete and filled in the gaps creatively himself borrowing from other martial arts. The result is that his techniques are sometimes textbook Wing Chun and sometimes all over the place in a movie. All Bruce Lee films contain a fair amount of Wing Chun, but Enter the Dragon is the most intense. It's also good that it was filmed in English, not redubbed later.

Prodigal Son (R) - Finally a movie about Wing Chun using actual Wing Chun techniques. The version of Wing Chun in the movie is not perfect & some moves are more like acrobatics (as in most kung fu movies), but there's plenty of real Wing Chun in the combat scenes and the story involves actual characters from the Wing Chun lineage. This movie tells the story of Wong Wah Bo, Leung Yee Tei & Leung Jan, three important characters in Wing Chun history (see the History page for details). It has extremely good & realistic fight scenes. It's also very funny, particularly Samo Hung's role as an elder Wing Chun master dabbling in calligraphy.

Warriors Two (R) - This movie is sort of a sequel to Prodigal Son. It picks up with Leung Jan, the elder pharmacist Wing Chun Master of Fat Shan who runs a kung fu school. Chan Wah Soon begs to learn Wing Chun from him for revenge and personal safety and eventually becomes a great student. The action comes to a boil as the students must seek justice for their master. As in Prodigal Son, the combat scenes and the story involve actual characters from the Wing Chun lineage. It has great training scenes and the fights are quite exciting. 

Rapid Fire (R) - Brandon Lee was Bruce Lee's son, a terrific martial artist & a really good actor. Rapid Fire shows off both skills very well with exciting and varied action sequences and a pretty good story. His intense physical presence is different than his dad but compelling & totally believable in his techniques, carrying a powerful strength but also more vulnerability than his father would show on film. It is unfortunate that Brandon's untimely death cut short a brilliant career. This film is slightly cheesy in spots, but the martial arts action is wall to wall excellence and a great showcase of Wing Chun.

Forbidden Kingdom (PG) - Jackie Chan & Jet Li team up to transform Michael Angarano from a kung fu fanboy-wannabe into a real martial artist on a mythic quest. Its the first onscreen team up of Jackie and Jet and they both get to show what makes them legendary in dual roles each. It's a very funny and spiritual movie about a kid growing into a man, with lots of great kung fu. Normally, I don't like unrealistic kung fu on wires, but the mythological nature of the story gives them license to do so in some parts while there's plenty of Jackie and Jet's real talents on display. The kid's journey from boy to man, from fanboy to martial artist is surprisingly well grounded considering its a fantasy movie. Teens often dream of who they want to be but are afraid to actually do it and unfulfilled dreams are bad for the soul. The movie clearly shows how he suffers when he lets his dreams go unrealized, how hard and scary it may be to go for it, and the reward from becoming what you know you should be. The scene at the end where Michael's character is pushed literally against the wall and suddenly realizes he doesn't have to let people push him around any more is pure gold. The movie is a bit violent for younger kids but is a great movie for kids to see when they are old enough to handle the fight scenes for the message it says about achieving goals.

Bourne Identity (PG) - Matt Damon plays Jason Bourne, a black ops CIA assassin who doesn't remember who he is. It's an exciting journey as he discovers who he is and kiss butt with an efficient and no-nonsense style. The fighting scenes involve multiple attacks being dispatched without comment, without the movie overplaying or over dramatizing, just dealing with it in a matter of fact fashion, which is the beauty of watching it in comparison to most martial arts movies which are obviously trying to showcase the action in an artificial way. The sequel "Bourne Supremacy" is also good, but the camera pans in so tight and jittery that you can't see what's going on.

Remo Williams (PG) - Fred Ward plays Remo Williams, a clumsy cop who becomes a martial arts master in the art of Sinanju, the alleged sun source of all martial arts. As Master Chiun says, Remo moves like baboon with two clubbed feet, but this movie is funny, exciting and encapsulates some of the best ideas of Wing Chun training (use minimal energy, don't meet force on force, proper breathing etc). It's based on an amazing set of 150 novels (spanning 35 years) called Destroyer about a regular cop who gets pulled into a secret organization and is taught by an eccentric martial arts master. Chiun is a Korean cross between Yip Man & Yoda as he teaches Remo to rise beyond use of physical force in combat and master himself. The action and story are fairly good, but what makes this film fascinating to watch are the training sequences, the wonderful interplay of characters and the philosophical approach to efficiency. It's clearly the opposite of showy martial arts. It's more fun if you read the novels. It is highly unfortunate that they did not make sequels to this film with better action and drawing on some of the better novels in the vast series. The only problem with the film is that there should be more action once Remo has actually acquired some training. Still, a great watch and very funny as well.

Drunken Master II/ Legend of Drunken Master (R) - Jackie Chan is an amazing martial artist, comedian, stuntman and actor. This film doesn't include either Wing Chun or actual drunken style boxing (which is a real kung fu style by the way), but it contains a lot of jaw-dropping stunts, amazing fight scenes and is very funny. Jackie Chan doesn't fake anything & he has the injuries to prove it. This film shows why Jackie Chan truly is the world's greatest action movie star and the craziest. The original Drunken Master is also of interest. Not quite as good, but pretty funny, especially the crazy training scenes.

Fist of Legend (R) - Jet Li is very much Bruce Lee's successor in martial arts films, both inventive and flexible in his techniques and a good actor. The action scenes are amazing in this film and very real, unlikely most Jet Li films that obscure his real abilities with special effects. Jet Li is a special effect, so it's great to just open up to a wide angle shot and let him do his thing as in this film. Great training scenes, great fights, good story. What more can we say?

Rumble in the Bronx (R) - Like most Jackie Chan movies, the plot, dialog & script are odd, but the action is intense, varied and creative. Jackie's ability to use any found object from a t-shirt to snow skis as a weapon is thrilling to watch. It's bizarre having Vancouver double for the Bronx, but in Jackie Chan's world, it's OK. There's also some Wing Chun content since he works out on the Wing Chun wooden dummy early on in the film. 

Around The World In Eighty Days (G) - Jackie Chan is simply a world treasure, this movie is an example of why there's something wrong with anyone who doesn't like him. This is the only G rated movie on our list. Jackie is very funny as Passé partout, Phileas Phogg's valet who accompanies him for exciting action around the world. This movie is a little cheesy but it's wonderfully entertaining for all ages, you can watch it with your kids and it features some serious kung fu action on par with Jackie's very best movies. The fight with 4 guys in the French art studio where Jackie creates art while fighting is brilliant.

Rumble in the Bronx (R) - Like most Jackie Chan movies, the plot, dialog & script are odd, but the action is intense, varied and creative. Jackie's ability to use any found object from a t-shirt to snow skis as a weapon is thrilling to watch. It's bizarre having Vancouver double for the Bronx, but in Jackie Chan's world, it's OK. There's also some Wing Chun content since he works out on the Wing Chun wooden dummy early on in the film. 

Return of the Dragon/Way of the Dragon (R) - Despite the title, this Bruce Lee movie's plot has nothing to do with Enter the Dragon. It's not up to the same production values, but has truly inspired fighting sequences including a major showdown between Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris, two martial arts legends. Worth watching for that alone.

Supercop (R) - A very funny Jackie Chan film that pairs him up with Michelle Yeoh, an amazing martial artist in her own right. It's certainly a great example of a woman doing kung fu and stunts that are as amazing as anything Jackie Chan can do. Amazing action overcomes confusing plot. Both Jackie and Michelle do real stunts that are more fantastic than any special effect like hanging from a helicopter, getting smashed into buildings, hitting and getting dumped off moving cars and crash-landing a motorcycle on a moving train. They do all this and more for real and the outtakes at the end show how much some of the scenes hurt. However, don't rent the sequel called Supercop II. It's a huge disappointment with bland action.

Undercover Blues (PG) - Very funny movie about married CIA agents with a baby who get in lots of fights. It's very Wing Chun-like in that a) the man and woman are totally relaxed no matter how angry and psycho their attackers are, b) the woman is equally adept because they don't use force on force and c) they use many one-handed defenses. They're actually holding a baby while defending kicks, punches, grabs and knives with workable, believable moves and wristlocks like we do for one-handed defenses in our classes. This is the only good one-handed defense movie we know of.

Shaolin Temple (R) - Classic kung fu fighting with a young Jet Li as a boy who enters a Shaolin Temple and learns kung fu & philosophy after his father is killed.

Jackie Chan Adventures (G) - This is an animated TV show shown on YTV Saturdays and Sundays. My kids like it a lot and so do I. It has a better plot and characters than some Jackie Chan films and the kung fu is interesting at times. We recommend it because it's funny, exciting and can be enjoyed by the whole family. The best thing about the shows are the characters who are hilariously well defined. Jackie Chan produces the show and answers viewer questions at the end of each episode. You will note that both the real and animated Jackie have Wing Chun wooden dummies that they practice on regularly. Click here to visit the Jackie Chan Adventures web site!

Romeo Must Die (R) - Another classic Jet Li film with good story and mostly reality-based, although it gets a little special effects-ish in one fight at the end. There's a particularly funny use of found objects to fight and a scene where honor won't let him hit a woman trying to kill him, so he has to use his girlfriend's body to hit the other woman with. You don't see that every day! The story is also quite involving, but the fight scenes are the draw. 

Rush Hour II (PG13) - A great Jackie Chan film with kung fu action throughout, good story and even Chris Tucker does some great stunt work. Note: This sequel is actually much better than the original Rush Hour (go figure!)

Shanghai Noon (PG13) - A novel Jackie Chan film set in the old west with good comedy acting by Luke Wilson and Lucy Lui. It has an OK story and great pacing and humor along with inventive action scenes using objects he picked up on the set where they filmed near Calgary (like Jackie knows any other way!).

The Empire Strikes Back (PG) - How could this be on our list, you ask? Well, among the Star Wars films, this one stands apart as the most dramatic & involving and has a lot of martial arts-like content with the training scenes between Yoda and Luke Skywalker. It's very easy to see Yoda as an aged Sifu imparting the ways of the Force (Chi) to struggling student Luke. It's the classic harsh and inscrutable Sifu teaches dumb, impatient, but well-meaning student sort of situation. It is unfortunate that they never have Luke doing open-handed combat since all that training with the Force would have made him fantastic at Chi Sao. 

Under Siege (R) - As good as a Steven Seagal movie gets, the Aikido master is pretty good in this one. It has a clever script, good action in a pretty good film overall in the style of Bruce Willis Die Hard films. Seagal isn't funny or thrillingly inventive like Jackie Chan, but he is amazingly good at Aikido, a martial art consistent with Wing Chun principles of center-line theory and using the opponent's force against him but lacking some techniques and elements that make Wing Chun more complete as a system.

Wing Chun (PG13) - A difficult to find movie that is actually about Yim Wing Chun, the founding student of Ng Mui that the fighting style was named after. Wing Chun is played for laughs by Michelle Yeoh. Michelle was Miss Malaysia and a 3-time kickboxing champion, so she was perfect for the beautiful but unbeatable Yim Wing Chun. Considering the dramatic story and great casting, the film should be much better than it is. Unfortunately, it's too much low-brow comedy and weird flying special effects, not enough real kung fu. They don't actually use Wing Chun techniques in a film about Wing Chun herself. Imagine making a film about the founders of a martial art without using the actual art? A better fight coordinator who really knew Wing Chun could have made this a classic. It's not at the top of our list, but if you can find it, it's worth a laugh.


More Jackie Chan Movies that are Worth Seeing (these are all very good & highly recommended)
Who Am I
Operation Condor
The Big Brawl (Hollywood film in English)
Drunken Master (previous film before Legend of Drunken Master/Drunken Master II)
Police Story & Police Story II (prequels to Supercop/Police Story III)
Rush Hour
Wheels on Meals
Armor of God

More Bruce Lee Movies that are Worth Seeing (can't go wrong with with Bruce Lee)
The Big Boss/Chinese Connection
Fists of Fury
Game of Death

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