4. Ip Man (2008, Hong Kong, China)
Unlike other movies on this list that have a stronger focus on action, Ip Man has some amazing character development alongside some amazing martial arts scenes. Ip Man, was actually a real person, Yip Man, who was an incredibly influential grandmaster of Martial Arts who's students included Bruce Lee. This loosely based biopic takes place in China in the 1930's. Ip Man is a independent wealthy business man who is friendly and loves practicing martial arts. He doesn't compete but is friendly with the martial arts community. After the Japanese invasion of China, Ip loses his home and wealth and gets a job as a coolie, which is essentially a slave in a mine. The Japanese establish an arena where coolies can compete against the Japanese for rice. At first Ip turns down the offer until a tragedy forces him to fight. Don't let the Biopic label fool you, this is a violent movie. The fight scenes are not over the top, bringing some gravity to the fights. Seeing how fast star Donnie Yen is indescribable. His punches and kicks strike with a startling impact that this movie will impress any action fan, in any country.