10 Hard Hitting Foreign Action Films

5. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000, Taiwan, Hong Kong, USA, China)

This Ang Lee directed picture, was responsible for opening up the Chinese film market to an international audience and bringing martial arts films to a new artistic level. This film beat the path for movies like Hero and House of Flying Daggers, both of which are almost like ballets rather than action movies. The characters move with grace and show how beautiful martial arts can be. While tracking down a fugitive and a valuable sword, two warriors come across the daughter of a nobleman who wants to be a warrior. Unlike the other plots in this movie, it is more complex. However, the fight scenes are breathtaking against the backdrop of China. It has a mythical feel that gives the movie a sense of wonder. The three stars of the film, Chow Yun-Fat, Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Ziyi are some of the best martial artists in the world. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon makes their moves seem bigger than life. This is the most artistic film on the list, but still has some of the best fight scenes ever captured in the history of cinema.