10 Best CG-Free Martial Arts Movies

5. The Prodigal Son

In the West Jackie Chan is far and away the best known star of the Hong Kong New Wave movement of the 1980s, but fans of his early classics will be more than familiar with his two friends and fellow filmmakers, Yuen Biao and Sammo Hung - they frequently collaborated with Chan on a number of his best films including Wheels on Meals and Project A. Working without Jackie Chan on 1981's action film The Prodigal Son, director Sammo Hung and star Yuen Biao crafted one of the most memorable kung fu movie of the era and solidified Hung's reputation as a director who could effortlessly combine brutal yet elegant action sequences with a keen sense of humour and slapstick. Any of the awesome fight scenes throughout the film are fine examples of Hung's directing abilities, and his mastery of filming wing chun in The Prodigal Son would later secure his role as choreographer for Donnie Yen's Ip Man. Yuen Biao delivers the best performance of his career, with the final showdown one of the most exhilarating fights of all time. The scenes which feature Sammo Hung himself are also worth mentioning, with the energetic flipping, spinning calligraphy sequence standing out as a perfect combination of martial arts and comedy, every bit as inventive as the best of Jackie Chan and all the more impressive given Hung's portly physique.