10 Incredible Asian Action Movies You Have To See Before You Die

From: Hong Kong

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 84%

Ip Man is a biopic like nothing you'll see in western cinema. It follows the life of the titular martial arts master as his hometown of Foshan is captured and occupied by the Japanese during the Sino-Japan war of 1937. With his house and wealth confiscated and his family forced into hard labour, Ip enters a tournament set up by the Japanese in which the Chinese can fight for food.

After walking the competition without breaking a sweat, the Japanese military become interested in Ip Man's fighting style and are soon attempting to enlist him to teach Wing Chun to their soldiers. Of course he refuses, and instead challenges General Miura to a one-on-one fight. Miura, being a master of Japanese martial art Karate, accepts the challenge, and the resulting battle is one of the most memorable in all of Asian cinema.

With the help of legendary martial arts choreographer Sammo Hung, Director Wilson Yip was able to create a beautifully structured film, with a calm yet charismatic performance from star man Donnie Yen being the glue that keeps it all together. It is a movie that makes use of the established conventions of the genre in places yet openly ignores them in others, with the end result a thoroughly exciting, character driven affair that is a fitting tribute to the man who taught Bruce Lee how to fight.