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Best Martial Arts Movies With Female Leads

Published

1 month ago

November 19, 2024

Christoph Rediske

Key Takeaways

Female-led martial arts films gained traction in the 2000s, but women have long defined the genre.
Martial arts cinema captivates viewers with its artistry and visual spectacle.
Iconic martial arts films like House of Flying Daggers and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon have reshaped the genre.

Long celebrated for their dynamic action, captivating stories, and iconic characters, martial arts films hold a special place in cinema across different audiences for many people and cultures.

Inspiring and influencing Western media over the years, the 2000s could be seen as the era that ignited the flame of female-led martial arts films. However, women have been at the forefront of the media for decades, joining male filmmakers and actors in defining a beloved genre of cinema.

8 Best Martial Arts Movies of the 1980s

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Breaking stereotypes and introducing a world of viewers to movies that offer a thrilling blend of empowerment and artistry, marital arts cinema can leave audiences in awe.

8 Supercop 2 (1993)

A Sort Of Sequel

Director: Stanley Tong

Run Time: 1hr 44mins

Release Date: 21 October, 1993

In this Hong Kong spin-off of the ‘Police Story’ film series, Michelle Yeoh revisits her character from the first Supercop and is promoted to film lead. While playing a police detective trying to take down a crime syndicate, she fights for her life and takes on a long, extended car chase scene.

While not seen as good as the original, Yeoh was praised for her fighting skills and going toe to toe with men who, at first glance, would seem too tough to take. And it is always good to see a sidekick promoted to lead.

7 Yes, Madam! (1985)

Buddy Cops

Director: Corey Yuen

Run Time: 1hr 33mins

Release Date: 30 November, 1985

In the 80s era of buddy cop movies, a female lead team-up would have been a change of pace, and even today, there aren’t many of these films around.

This film marks one of Michelle Yeoh’s first starring roles in a feature film, and critics praised the fight and stunt scenes involving her and Cynthia Rothrock. Often described as the first movie in the ‘girls with guns’ subgenre of films, the action scenes come one after another in quick succession, keeping the drama moving. Overall, it would have been a pleasant change of pace in the 1980s to see a shakeup of the standard buddy cop formula.

6 Chocolate (2008)

Zen: Warrior Within

Director: Prachya Pinkaew

Run Time: 1hr 32mins

Release Date: 6 February, 2008

Quite unique in plot and characterization, the Thai martial arts film Chocolate centers on an autistic heroine who teaches herself the skills needed to collect debts owed by her mother and protect the ones she loves.

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Though many of the icons have left the genre, new stars have risen to take their place. These balletic explorations of combat are alive and well.

While the idea of teaching oneself martial arts by observing is extremely farfetched, what the movie lacks in realism, it makes up for with location and skill. Already having trained in taekwondo, the film’s lead, Yanin Vismitananda, also underwent training in capoeira, which really enhances the build-up and showdown of the fight scenes.

5 Sister Street Fighter (1974)

The Spin-Off

Director: Kazuhiko Yamaguchi

Run Time: 1hr 26mins

Release Date: 31 August, 1974

The first in a trilogy, Sister Street Fighter, comes directly off the success of The Street Fighter (also 1974) and stars martial arts actor Etsuko Shihomi as the lead – a fierce fighter searching for her kidnapped brother.

This movie is praised for creating a new type of character: an untamed warrior with a good heart who is, unlike some women in other Toei studio films, not sexualized. With extraordinary fight sequences and wacky villains, the energy of this female-led powerhouse embodies some of the best of the genre.

4 Kill Bill Volume 1 (2003)

American Action

Director: Quentin Tarantino

Run Time: 1hr 51mins

Release Date: 10 October, 2003

The first of two Kill Bill films, volume one, follows The Bride on her “roaring rampage of revenge” against the assassins who put her in a coma and stole her unborn child. Leading her to Tokyo, where the majority of martial arts is seen, as she fights the yakuza.

When making these films, Tarantino took inspiration from marital arts, samurai cinema, and exploitation films, and these inspirations certainly shine through in volume one. The high-concept violence, music scores, and homages to classic marital arts cinema are enhanced by the lead performances of the film’s female stars, who seamlessly take to the fighting choreography.

3 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

Balancing Act

Michelle Yeoh in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon

Director: Ang Lee

Run Time: 1hr 59mins

Release Date: 8 December, 2000

Driven mainly by three female characters, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon has become one of the most famous martial arts films in recent history. It received ten Academy Award nominations, the highest number for a non-English-language film, and was widely well-received by Western audiences.

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Director Ang Lee sought to create a harmony between Eastern and Western styles, wanting to create a movie spectacle that both audiences would want to see. The cinematography, storytelling, and martial arts skills were so well received that it opened the gates for future projects to be greenlit. It is also another feather in Michelle Yeoh’s fantastic career cap.

2 House Of Flying Daggers (2004)

Period Piece

Director: Zhang Yimou

Run Time: 1hr 59mins

Release Date: 3 December, 2004

Set in AD 859, in the decline of the Tang dynasty, a secret rebel group opposes the government. After the success of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Western audiences became much more receptive to foreign-language films, and the beauty of House of Flying Daggers truly captivated viewers.

While some critics at the time claimed that the film’s plot was overtaken by the visuals, it could not be argued that the characters, especially Zhang Ziyi’s ‘Mei’, have depth and were thoroughly researched by the actors. The landscapes, costumes, and set design utilize wuxing ‘color theory’ to tell elements of the story, in keeping with the Chinese philosophy.

1 Lady Snowblood (1973)

Wrath Incarnate

Director: Toshiya Fujita

Run Time: 1hr 37mins

Release Date: 1 December, 1973

A major inspiration for Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill films, Lady Snowblood is a story of vengeance and retribution. The character of Yuki Kashima inspired Tarantino’s ‘The Bride’, and like his films, the movie is shown out of chronological order.

The movie is a beautiful representation of female strength in a brutal world. Its dark themes often juxtapose the elegance of the martial arts and visuals, such as the running theme of snow, and each scene is crafted with intense scrutiny.

Lady Snowblood not only influenced Kill Bill but also inspired further adaptations, sequels, and even a 2017 Post Malone music video, showing how ingrained this film is in other media.