Martial Arts Movies with the Most Fight Scenes
If a martial arts film has more than a dozen brawls in it, I'm including it.
Counting fights is a matter of personal discretion, but in general, I'll consider a scene if it includes at least some semblance of back-and-forth choreography (no one-hit knockouts) and lasts at least ten seconds. Montages composed of short matches count as single fights.
Because I'm not as well-versed in Asian cinemas, I've included mainly North American films for now, but feel free to mention any other qualifiers in a private message.
Thanks a bunch, DeathViperKhan, for helping me with the tallying!
Counting fights is a matter of personal discretion, but in general, I'll consider a scene if it includes at least some semblance of back-and-forth choreography (no one-hit knockouts) and lasts at least ten seconds. Montages composed of short matches count as single fights.
Because I'm not as well-versed in Asian cinemas, I've included mainly North American films for now, but feel free to mention any other qualifiers in a private message.
Thanks a bunch, DeathViperKhan, for helping me with the tallying!
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- DirectorRay BradyStarsGordon AlexanderElizabeth TanNeil RaymentAliens appear at the UN and invite Earth to join the Galactic Federation, there is a catch though, Earth has one year to send a team of it's best fighters to represent the planet in an unarmed combat tournament. The fate of the Earth depends on the tournaments outcome.Fight Count: 35
- DirectorAlan MehrezPhilip TanStarsDaniel BernhardtJames HongPat MoritaAlex Cardo is imprisoned and disciplined by one of the inmates. His new master also tells him about the brutal yet illegal Kumite tournament - but how will they get there?Fight Count: 28
- DirectorDavid HueyStarsGary DanielsDavid CarradineTadashi YamashitaProject K.I.C.K was a drug given to cattle to make them grow quicker, if the meat is eaten from these cattle it has horrible side effects. James is a martial artist hired by the DEA to find to a dealer his former Master who is trying to start selling the drug in an American. But little does James know not is what it seems.Fight Count: 26
- DirectorFeng HuangStarsAngela MaoCarter WongSammo Kam-Bo HungThree graduated Hapkido students return to China from Japanese-occupied Korea in order to set up their own school. However, problems start to arise when a local Japanese martial arts school tries to run the new school out of town.Fight Count: 25
- DirectorJino KangStarsJino KangBill DuffMichael BauldA mixed martial arts teacher is haunted by his failure to prevent the murder of young couple years earlier.Fight Count: 24
- DirectorArt CamachoStarsDon WilsonCynthia RothrockLorenzo LamasA computer virus has invaded a virtual reality fighting game leaving a rebellious teen trapped within. Now the boy's father must enter the tainted program and battle his way through a deadly maze of martial arts fighters to save his son.Fight Count: 23
- DirectorCirio H. SantiagoStarsMatt MullinsJoe SabatinoGlen MeadowsAlex Danko descends into the ultra-violent underworld of extreme martial-arts to find his brother's killer with the help of hardened Detective Ramirez and his brother's alluring ex-lover in this post-apocalyptic allegory of greed and revenge set in in 2050 Los Angeles.Fight Count: 22
- DirectorSiu-Hung LeungStarsBrandon GainesFeihong YuKeith VitaliJack Cody has always wanted to enter the world of the Superfights, a free fighting tournament. One night, he rescues a girl from a mugging and he becomes a national hero. Then, he is finally given his opportunity to become a Superfighter. He soon discovers a Ninja who tells him that the man behind the Superfights is involved with illegal acts. When this comes to Jack, he must fight now for his life.Fight Count: 22
- DirectorJ. Stephen MaunderStarsJalal MerhiBolo YeungCynthia RothrockThe Tiger Claws killer is broken out of jail by a former colleague, who acquires a large shipment of weapons and schemes to open a portal to the past into an ancient martial arts temple.Fight Count: 22
- DirectorNewt ArnoldStarsJean-Claude Van DammeDonald GibbLeah Ayres"Bloodsport" follows Frank Dux, an American martial artist serving in the military, who decides to leave the army to compete in a martial arts tournament in Hong Kong where fights to the death can occur.Fight Count: 21
- DirectorJalal MerhiStarsOlivier GrunerJalal MerhiLorenzo LamasPrisoners are dying at the Ogden Correctional Institution, a prison where a corrupt Warden has taken justice and business into his own hands.Fight Count: 21
- DirectorErnie Reyes Jr.StarsErnie Reyes Jr.Corin NemecErnie Reyes Sr.A martial arts champion saves the life of a street fighter and must fight for him in the ultimate fight to the death.Fight Count: 21
- DirectorJean-Claude Van DammeStarsJean-Claude Van DammeRoger MooreJames RemarA group of gentlemen of fortune visits a legendary "Lost City", located in Tibet. They plan to steal a priceless statue "Golden Dragon" during the martial arts tournament.Fight Count: 21
- DirectorAlan MehrezStarsDaniel BernhardtJohn Rhys-DaviesAmber Kelleher-AndrewsAfter his trainer is murdered, Alex Cardo uses his martial arts skills and takes on the one responsible.Fight Count: 20
- DirectorPhillip KoStarsDarren ShahlaviTamara GuoKarin PerathonerIn the future, a computer bug sets a new breed of armed and dangerous villains loose on an unsuspecting world. Digital game characters who govern their own destiny and with global domination at their cyber fingerprints pose the biggest threat to mankind. Our greatest hope lies with the "Techno Warriors" to capture and drag them back into the digital domain.Fight Count: 20
- DirectorAlbert PyunStarsKeith CookeTina CoteNorbert WeisserA kickboxing champion is forced to fight cyborgs in a tournament when the company kidnaps his fiancee.Fight Count: 20
- DirectorAlbert PyunStarsSasha MitchellKamel KrifaBrad ThorntonDavid Sloan must travel to Mexico to save his wife from a savage drug lord who's also an old nemesis.Fight Count: 20
- DirectorTeddy PageStarsCynthia KhanDale CookDon Nakaya NeilsenIn a post-apocalyptic world, a man helps a beautiful young girl get revenge against a roving gang of renegades that destroyed her village.Fight Count: 19
- DirectorJack KaprielianStarsJ.D. RifkinPaul LoganT.J. Storm"SATO" a sinister Asian warlord puts up $1 million dollar prize and attracts martial arts fighters to his remote island. He entraps them as they fight to the death.Fight Count: 19
- DirectorRoss BoyaskStarsCecily FayJoelle SimpsonHelen Steinway BaileyTwo powerful female warriors must journey across a post-apocalyptic land to fight a ritual duel, and fulfill an ancient prophecy.Fight Count: 19
- DirectorRichard W. MunchkinStarsMichael WorthJenilee HarrisonSam J. JonesA skillful fighter who works as a mechanic goes with his friend to a rich guy's villa where illegal fighting is being organizes. It should be easy money, but the friend gets killed and now the mechanic wants revenge on the people involved.Fight Count: 18
- DirectorShan HuaStarsBilly ChongCarl ScottLouis NegliaWhen a Black Panther's whole family is wiped out by a ruthless band of assassins, he's determined to avenge their murder. The gang think he's weak but they didn't reckon with him employing the aid of a martial arts genius.Fight Count: 18
- DirectorSteven L. AustinStarsGary DanielsIan JacklinGerald OkamuraThere are battles fought in the ring, in the streets, for love and for honor.... but now Jake Tanner (Gary Daniels) faces the battle of his life. To save his brother (Ian Jacklin) he must make the ultimate sacrifice.Fight Count: 17
- DirectorRobert ClouseStarsJackie ChanKristine DeBellJosé FerrerA young Asian-American martial artist is forced to participate in a brutal formal street-fighting competition.Fight Count: 17
- DirectorTeddy PageStarsDale CookAndrea LamatschDon Nakaya NeilsenMax, a prize boxer who has developed a drinking habit after his girlfriend Susan left him, gets involved in dirty business once she asks him to help her find her missing husband.Fight Count: 17
- DirectorGareth EvansStarsIko UwaisYayan RuhianArifin PutraOnly a short time after the first raid, Rama goes undercover with the thugs of Jakarta and plans to bring down the syndicate and uncover the corruption within his police force.Fight Count: 17
- DirectorJoseph MerhiStarsMichael WorthMartin KovePhillip Troy LingerA member of the U.S. kickboxing team recruits his father and his fellow teammates to help stop a ruthless gambler from rigging the World Kickboxing Championship in Las Vegas.Fight Count: 17
- DirectorRichard W. MunchkinStarsJeff WincottSteven Vincent LeighCharlene TiltonJeff Wincott plays a gambler who puts his life on the line to buy his way out of the clutches of a mobster.Fight Count: 16
- DirectorRick JacobsonStarsDominick LaBancaPamela PondKisuLos Angeles 2050 A.D. Crime. Drugs. Violence. Rape. The City of Angels has descended into chaos. Street fighter Dominic La Banca seeks to avenge his brother's death in this lawless city. To find the killer, he must enter the deadly underworld of the Alley Fights a savage kickboxing match of the future!Fight Count: 16
- DirectorTeddy PageStarsLoren AvedonSean P. DonahueGreg DouglassBilly is a young fighter whose sister, Judith was blinded after a near gang rape. When he learns she must have eye surgery, crime boss Russell has Billy compete in illegal street fights. When Billy learns he may get killed, he quits but is later killed by Russell and his men, who were the ones responsible for Judith's accident. After his death, Billy must rely on one man to seek revenge for him: his best friend David. However, David must train in the martial arts before he can seek revenge. David seeks guidance from the ghost of Billy as well as Billy's trainer and ally, Murphy.Fight Count: 16
- DirectorHector EchavarriaStarsHector EchavarriaPatrick KilpatrickJames RussoFrom the cage to the big screen, the world's greatest Mixed Martial Arts Champions come together for the first time in a major motion picture. When an MMA world champion is lured into the illegal world of underground cage fighting by an elusive promoter, he quickly realizes that the only way out is to kill or to be killed. In a place where some fight for glory and some fight for the fight; he will fight for his life. Now, in his greatest effort to come out on top, he can never look back; never show weakness, never leave...and NEVER SURRENDER.Fight Count: 16
- DirectorPatrick AlanStarsBolo YeungMaryam d'AboWilliam ZabkaFight matches, that end when a man is either unconscious or dead, are fought in Tijuana. 2 naive friends, hoping to make a quick buck, go there. One owes money to a loan shark - giving them plenty of practice in no rule fights.Fight Count: 16
- DirectorRaimund HuberStarsDaniel O'NeillPraya LundbergGwion Jacob MilesFour backpackers arrive in Thailand to party and drink. A gambling game goes wrong and with their lives on the line they desperately decide to kidnap a billionaires daughter. Things go wrong when her 'father' doesn't play ball and prefers to use the kidnapping to further his own interests.Fight Count: 15
- DirectorRaimund HuberStarsKazu Patrick TangJohan KirstenMacha PolivkaThe Devil's Cauldron, a city where depravity and violence has forged a society in which only the lethal and callous can survive, two young men who possess the intellect and ferocity to flourish, carve a name for themselves as the most efficient and unstoppable hit men. Side by side, these two brothers are the deadliest killers, feared by even the most evil criminals. But when a woman of rare beauty mysteriously enters the brother's lives she blinds them with her sweet promises and turns them against each other, resulting in an epic battle that threatens to bring the Devil's Cauldron to the brink of destruction.Fight Count: 15
- DirectorRick JacobsonStarsJerry TrimbleHoward JacksonAlvin ProuderLuke Powers travels to L.A. to find that his brother has been murdered in a back alley martial arts tournament. Luke enters the tournament circuit to try to flush out his brother's killer. With the help of a trainer and former fighter, Lucke enters what he thinks will be a victorious battle.Fight Count: 15
- DirectorAndrew StevensStarsDon WilsonMichael BernardoKen McLeodScientist brings virtual reality characters to life. Two are women from the cybersex game site. The third is a warrior who wants to unleash the rest of the bad guys from the virtual reality underworld. A border cop must defeat the virtual reality warrior while learning to relate to one of the cybersex babes.Fight Count: 15 (I'm counting the final fight as a two separate ones)
- DirectorKôichi SakamotoStarsJohnny Yong BoschDan SouthworthPamela WalworthOn an isolated ranch in the desert, one man must protect his wife from a secret past that he is now forced to confront. With the sun towering in the sky overhead, the ranch sits beneath the vast blue, isolated amidst the arid terrain, Though life is certainly evident as a house warming party ensues.Fight Count: 14
- DirectorJulaluck IsmaloneDavid IsmaloneStarsJawed BerniDavid IsmaloneJakkrit KanokpodjananonA former boxer, Mike, moves to Thailand to start a new life when he is robbed and left with nothing...until he meets Yo, a skilled Muay Thai boxer, and his beautiful wife. The new friends soon enter an underground fight club called "Fighting Fish" in order to make the money they desperately need to survive, but in this dangerous world, losing is not an option.Fight Count: 14
- DirectorToby RussellStarsMatt MullinsDon WilsonCynthia RothrockWhen an American cop witnesses his mentor's murder in a trade deal gone wrong, he finds himself on the wrong side of the law in Thailand. But despite the bounty on his head and pressure to leave the country, he teams up with an ex-military mercenary out to settle a score of his own to bring the killers to justice. Their quest for vengeance brings them face-to-face with a band of notorious criminals who vow to take them down if the jungle's natural elements don't kill them first.Fight Count: 14
- DirectorDennis LawStarsJing WuRonald ChengMiki YeungA young man learns the fighting techniques of Sanda from a coach. The two become best friends as the young man prepares to enter an underground tournament, competing against some of the top fighters of the world.Fight Count: 14
- DirectorJoe Mari AvellanaStarsCris AguilarJoseph AlDave AllenDuring Vietnam War, a member of US special forces is shanghaied and forced to participate in an underground street fight tournament where losers die. His teammate discovers this and enters the tournament to save him and end it.Fight Count: 14
- DirectorJonas QuastelStarsPeter WellerGary DanielsArkie ReeceBlackmailed back into the arena by a ruthless crime boss, a former underground fighting legend must survive a gauntlet of savage matches where losing just one fight... means losing it all.Fight Count: 14
- DirectorRaimund HuberStarsJohnny MessnerChia-Hui LiuAmmara SiripongCaptured international assassins are locked up inside a high-tech bunker known as the Killing Chamber. To break out of this concrete hell they must duel each other, fight deadly ninjas and battle against gangs of masked maniacs. And... if they survive this, they will have to confront Snakehead: the lethal, deranged top dog who will stop at nothing to kill 'em all!Fight Count: 14
- DirectorLloyd Lee BarnettStarsChristian OliverLes BrandtCary-Hiroyuki TagawaFramed for assassinating the Grandmaster, the Lost Ninja Clan must fight their way up an underground nuclear bunker filled with hordes of supernatural enemies, mutants, and flesh-eating zombies.Fight Count: 14
- DirectorTony JaaPanna RittikraiStarsTony JaaSarunyu WongkrachangSorapong ChatreeA young Thai boxer learns the skills and inner meaning of martial arts.Fight Count: 14 (I'm counting the final battle as several separate ones)
- DirectorRichard W. MunchkinStarsDon WilsonMaria FordSy RichardsonA martial-arts fighter battles murderous gang members and the henchmen of an evil underground fighting champion to save his girlfriend.Fight Count: 14
- DirectorPaul ZillerStarsBolo YeungWilliam ZabkaMichael BernardoShingo and the boys (Nick and Ruben) are blackmailed into helping Rawlins infiltrate an underground shootfighting ring in MiamiFight Count: 14
- DirectorJean-Marc MinéoStarsJon FooCaroline DuceyMichaël CohenAfter witnessing the brutal murder of his parents, a young boy is raised by a martial arts master who grooms him to be a lethal killer. Some 20 years later, it's time to take revenge on the assassins who destroyed his childhood.Fight Count: 13
- DirectorLou KennedyBrandon PenderBrandon De-WildeStarsKe Huy QuanEddie SaavedraEd NeilMichael, a Vietnam vet with two kids, pulls off a bank heist with his gang, which includes the bank's manager. To ensure the loyalty of everyone involved, Mike makes a special set of keys, so that the hiding place for the loot can only be opened if all the members are present. The bank manager gets cold feet and tries to back out, so Mike and his buddies kill him and his wife, but his daughter gets hold of the key and runs for help to David, one of her father's old friends who also happens to be a Vietnam vet and a former comrade of Michael's. Will David be able to protect his friend's daughter?Fight Count: 13
- DirectorJoe CoppolettaStarsIan JacklinMartin KoveMatthias HuesA kickboxing champ and a reporter are searching for a missing man, but they turn up a series of illegal kickboxing matches run by an arms dealer.Fight Count: 13
- DirectorShay CasserleySimon LinscheidStarsJames P. BennettMikey GrahamJohnny MurrayA classic good versus evil action flick, mixed with kicks, guns, motorcycles and a hot babe!Fight Count: 13
- DirectorTso Nam LeeStarsYukari ÔshimaMoon LeeChi-Ji ChinA cop goes undercover as a nightclub singer to catch a professional hitman.Fight Count: 13
- DirectorDavid JacksonStarsMax MartiniNick ChinlundJane Park SmithAn Iraqi war vet returns home to find that his brother is in a coma from participating in an illegal underground fight club.Fight Count: 13