Summary

• Martial arts movies incorporate real stunts to enhance action, showcasing actors' genuine physical skills.
• Iconic actors like Jackie Chan and Donnie Yen perform gravity-defying moves without special effects.
• Tony Jaa popularizes Muay Thai with impressive flying knee strikes in The Protector, showcasing raw skill.

Being the star of a martial arts movie requires more physicality than most other genres, with many actors presenting some truly impressive moves on-screen over the years with no special effects to speak of. Many martial arts films have incorporated special effects to enhance the action to some degree or another, from the high-flying wire work of films like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon to the CGI-laden fight scenes of franchises like The Matrix movie series. Whatever the case, practical stunts always added a new layer of appreciation to fight scenes for audiences to enjoy.

Many famous names in the martial arts movie space began as fighters first and actors second, backing up their screen presence with genuine martial arts skills that would translate to the real world. Some of the action choreography produced by the greatest martial arts stars is so impressive that scenes can look fake, whether it's altered via green screen or careful editing choices. In reality, many trademark moves of martial arts films' biggest names were actually performed, even if they seem too impressive to believe.

10 Jackie Chan’s Flying Throat Chop

Drunken Master II (1994)

One of the most iconic films of Jackie Chan's career, Drunken Master II, allowed the agile stunt performer to open up his martial arts skills at a young age. Showing off his evasive drunken boxing fighting style against the powerful Taekwondo kicks of Ken Lo's John, Chan managed to land an amazing flying throat chop that both struck his weak point and dodged his attacks at the same time. Like all his many infamous stunts, Chan really performed this move with nothing to aid him other than his own raw physical skill.

9 Michael Jai White's Psycho Kick

Universal Soldier: The Return (1999)

Michael Jai White was really capable of performing this elaborate flying kick.

A more underrated martial arts star, Michael Jai White's innate on-screen charisma betrayed a genuine martial arts skill as a decorated kickboxer. In Universal Soldier: The Return, White made use of one of his most famous moves, the amazingly-named psycho kick, on Jean-Claude Van Damme. Seeming to defy gravity, Michael Jai White was really capable of performing this elaborate flying kick, which feinted its direction three times in the course of a single leap before finally striking true.

8 Lateef Crowder's Capoeira Kicks

Tom-Yum-Goong (2005)

In Tom-Yum-Goong, actor and stunt performer Lateef Crowder got to show off his Capoeira skills against Tony Jaa as a nameless assassin. The high-flying and acrobatic kicks of Crowder's character showed off the flashy and rhythmic style amazingly, emphasized by the trails of water created by the half-flooded temple serving as the two fighters' arena. Going hard enough in the scene to actually suffer from a tendon injury in real life, Crowder has since recovered, becoming famous for serving as Din Djarin's stunt double in The Mandalorian.

7 Scott Adkins' Fakeout Kick

Undisputed II: Last Man Standing (2006)

An under-appreciated martial arts actor, Scott Adkins may not quite be a household name, but his actual skills are formidable. Going up against Michael Jai White in Undisputed II: Last Man Standing, Adkins' character Yuri Boyka managed to land an impressive fakeout kick that misdirected his opponent, transitioning from a traditional roundhouse into a last-minute snap kick with his other leg in the blink of an eye. When slowed down by director Isaac Florentine, it was hard to believe Adkins actually pulled the move off.

6 Donnie Yen’s Double-Sided Kick

Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen (2010)

Yen once actually defeated eight opponents in a real street fight.

One of the most iconic martial arts actors ever, Donnie Yen has had no shortage of practical experience when it comes to pulling off some gravity-defying attacks. In Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen, Yen's titular character took on a horde of martial artists at once. Amazingly, he was able to kick two of them at the same time by flying into the air and extending his feet in both directions. Considering Yen once actually defeated eight opponents in a real street fight (via Goodyfeed), the scene may have been even more accurate than it seemed.

5 Benny Urquidez’ss Fire-Extinguishing Kick

Wheels on Meals (1984)

Despite simply playing a nameless thug, Benny Urquidez managed to put one of the coolest martial arts moves on screen without breaking a sweat. During a fight in a fancy dining room with Jackie Chan's character, Urquidez unleashed a roundhouse kick so fast it extinguished the lit candles on a table. With this display of raw talent, it was no wonder that Urquidez and Chan's fight became one of the most iconic scenes in Jackie Chan's entire career, later describing the kickboxer with a sense of awe and reverence.

4 Bruce Lee's Six-Inch Punch

Ip Man 4: The Finale (2019)

Being filmed far after Bruce Lee's ing, the spirit of the martial arts legend lived on with Danny Chan's performance in Ip Man 4: The Finale. In a demonstration, Chan's Bruce Lee sent a student careening backward in a chair with a punch delivered from a mere six inches away. Emulating real footage of Bruce Lee beat for beat, Chan's re-creation of Bruce Lee's ability to generate staggering power in bursts of extremely short distances showed off his mastery of the Jeet Kune Do creator's techniques.

3 Dolph Lundgren’s Heart-Stopping Punch

Rocky IV (1985)

In Rocky IV, Russian athlete Ivan Drogo opened the film with a mortal punch, hitting hard enough to kill Rocky's longtime rival and friend, Apollo Creed. It seemed that actor Dolph Lundgren's punches may have been just that deadly, with Lundgren nearly killing Stallone on the set of Rocky IV following a single blow that accidentally connected. After tending to him in the ICU, doctors remarked that Stallone's injuries were reminiscent of a car accident, proving that Lundgren was capable of backing up his character's deadly punches.

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2 Jean-Claude Van Damme's Split Punch

Bloodsport (1988)

With enough signature moves of his own to nearly create an entirely new fighting style, Jean-Claude Van Damme has had no shortage of breathtaking martial arts moves in his movies that were really performed. The most common technique he incorporated into his attacks was his use of the splits, best demonstrated in his breakout role, Bloodsport. Getting the most out of his flexibility, Van Damme dropped to the floor by splitting his legs before delivering a painful punch to his opponent's groin, inspiring the move set of Mortal Kombat's Johnny Cage.

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1 Tony Jaa's Flying Knee

The Protector (2005)

...no special effects or elaborate stunt doubles were needed to produce Jaa's flying knee motions...

Helping to popularize Muay Thai in the West, Tony Jaa's character in The Protector made liberal use of one of the system's most iconic movies. Unleashing his flying knee strike a great many times throughout the course of the film, Jaa almost seemed to be carried by invisible wires, flying high and fast into his opponents' faces. Amazingly, no special effects or elaborate stunt doubles were needed to produce Jaa's flying knee motions, only the jaw-dropping skill of one of martial arts movies' most impressive performers.

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Source: Goodyfeed