Important points
Jet Li successfully transitioned from martial arts to westerns and showed off his acting skills. Films like Unleashed, The Warlords, and The Swordsman 2 demonstrate Jet Li’s versatile acting range and martial arts skills.
Jet Li is undoubtedly one of the most successful movie stars in the martial arts world. Starting his career as a martial arts champion and retiring due to injury at the age of 18, he has built an enviable film career with roles that showcase his incredible martial arts skills, likeable personality, and natural charisma.
Related Top 10 Hollywood Martial Arts Movies, Ranking
Since Bruce Lee’s rise to fame in the ’70s, Hollywood became obsessed with martial arts films, and since then, the West has produced many genre hits.
Rather than relying solely on his physical strength, he has played roles that push his acting skills into new realms and bring more depth to his characters. Lee has appeared in several high-profile Hollywood action films and is one of the few martial arts stars to successfully transition into Westerns.
10 Unleashed
A grueling action thriller
Director: Louis Leterrier Release date: 2005 Running time: 1 hour 43 minutes
By the mid-2000s, Jet Li had starred in several successful films and established himself as a major action star in Hollywood. Unleashed further cemented his status with great action scenes and Lee’s skilled acting skills. Unleashed follows Jet Li’s character Danny, who has been enslaved since childhood and trained by the mob to fight in illegal underground combat.
After his caretaker, played by the legendary Bob Hoskins, is injured, Danny must find his way and eventually meets a blind piano player played by Morgan Freeman. With such a great cast, Unleashed punches above its weight, with Jet Li providing the action and emotional core of the film.
9 Warlords
historical action masterpiece
Director: Peter Ho-Sang Chan, Waiman Yip Release date: 2007 Running time: 2 hours 6 minutes
Set during China’s Taiping Rebellion in the 1860s, the film follows Li’s character, General Pan Qingyun, as he forms a powerful alliance with two bandit leaders after his defeat. The Warlords is an epic with memorable battle scenes, great costumes, and great acting.
Related: 8 best historical games you should play if you like shoguns
Here are some great historical games for fans of the Hulu/FX adaptation of James Clavell’s novel Shogun.
The film won numerous awards, including Best Picture and Best Director at the 27th Hong Kong Film Awards. Jet Li also had a big win that night, taking home the Best Actor award. In The Warlords, Jet Li proves he’s more than just a martial artist as he leads a strong cast of veteran actors in this modern era classic.
8 Swordsman 2
Unique kung fu classic
Director: Xiutan Ching Release date: 1992 Running time: 1 hour 52 minutes
Featuring an outstanding performance by Bridget Lin, Swordsman 2 is a classic kung fu film in the wuxia genre. The film follows Lin Wu Chun, played by Jet Li, as he discovers that his friends from a warring tribe have been attacked and kidnapped, and goes on a mission to save them.
The Swordsman 2 is a top-notch martial arts blockbuster with great cinematography and top-notch action. This is the second part of the trilogy, continuing from the first film, but with a completely new cast of actors. Swordsman 2 is a must-see movie for Jet Li fans. Jet Li’s physical description and charismatic screen presence are perfect. This is a classic of Hong Kong cinema.
7 The Legend of Von Sayuk
Jet Li flies high in classic wuxia style
Director: Corey Yuen Release date: 1993 Running time: 1 hour 40 minutes
The Legend of Fong Saiyuk is one of Jet Li’s outstanding kung fu films and won several awards including Best Action Choreography at the Hong Kong Film Awards. The film depicts the semi-fictional folk hero Fong Saiyuk who falls in love with the beautiful daughter of a wealthy merchant and competes in a martial arts contest to win her hand.
7 Related Kung Fu Movies You Should Watch If You Love Shifu
The fighting game Sifu takes inspiration from Kung Fu movies. Here are some of the best games in this genre that you should check out if you love this game.
The film has some great fight scenes with highly exaggerated movements and high-flying wirework. For martial arts fans looking for radical realism, this is not the movie for you. But The Legend of Fong Sai-Yuk perfectly captures Jet Li’s fluid action and incredible technique honed over years as a martial arts champion.
6 Tai Chi Master
One of Jet Li’s best classic martial arts movies
Director: Yun Woo-ping Release date: 1993 Running time: 1 hour 36 minutes
This fun kung fu classic follows two best friends who are exiled from the Shaolin Temple and must find their way in a strange and unknown world. Eventually, the two friends find themselves on opposite sides of the rebellion and have to clash. Tai Chi Master co-stars the amazing Michelle Yeoh and once again showcases Jet Li’s incredible martial arts skills.
Although the film also includes some cheap wire work and exaggerated stunts, the fight scenes are very well choreographed and everything Lee fans have come to expect. Tai-Chi Master is a solid entry in Jet Li’s impressive career and a movie that all kung fu fans will enjoy.
5 Once Upon a Time in China 2
Jet Li’s Classic Kung Fu Series
Director: Hark Tsui Release date: 1992 Running time: 1 hour 53 minutes
The second installment of the Once Upon a Time in China series is a more focused story and is sometimes considered the strongest of the series. Once Upon a Time in China 2, starring Rosamund Kwan, Donnie Yen and Max Mok, is set in 1895 during the Qing Dynasty and stars Jet Li’s Wong Fei-hong, who lives in the midst of political unrest. It depicts being caught up in.
Once Upon a Time in China 2 has the same high level of production as the first film. The outstanding fight scenes are choreographed by industry legend Yuen Woo-ping, who would go on to choreograph action classics The Matrix and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The film is a historical blockbuster that showcased Jet Li’s incredible martial arts skills and cemented his name as a box office star.
4 Ocean Heaven
Jet Li’s first full-scale drama appearance
Director: Xiaolu Xue Release date: 2010 Running time: 1 hour 36 minutes
Ocean Heaven marks Jet Li’s first serious dramatic role, away from the high-flying action that he is known for. The film revolves around Sam Wong, a terminally ill patient who struggles to raise his autistic son as a single father. Partly based on the real life of first-time writer/director Xue Xiaolu, this story is a moving tale of a father’s unflinching love for his son.
Jet Li shines in this role, proving his all-around talent as an actor. He made this film in the hope that it would promote more compassion around the world. He also did not receive any acting fees for the film. Ocean Heaven received positive reviews and won several awards.
3 Legendary Fist
classic remake
Director: Gordon Chan Release date: 1994 Running time: 1 hour 43 minutes
This excellent remake of Bruce Lee’s classic Fist of Fury (1972) is one of Jet Li’s best films and stands as a classic of the genre. The film follows Chen Zhen as she investigates the death of her former master.
6 anime characters inspired by Bruce Lee
These animated characters take a lot of inspiration from Bruce Lee.
In Fist of Legend, Jet Li’s skill level is the highest. This classic title, like many others, put Jet Li on the same level as the greats of martial arts cinema. Following Fist of Legend, fight choreographer Yuen Woo-ping was hired by the Wachowskis for The Matrix (1999).
2 fearless
Jet Li proves he’s still on top
Director: Ronnie Yu Release date: 2006 Running time: 1 hour 44 minutes
In Fearless, Jet Li stars as the famous martial artist Huo Yuanjia. The film depicts the life of a man famous for restoring Chinese pride and challenging foreign fighters when outside forces sought to destabilize the Qing Dynasty. Lee brings infectious charisma, incredible martial arts skills, and impressive acting talent to the film.
“Fearless” may not be an accurate historical recreation of the time. However, this movie is popular among Jet Li fans. This work won the Best Choreography Award at the Hong Kong Film Awards. Its stunning fight scenes recalled classic kung fu movies and further cemented Lee as one of the all-time greats.
1 hero
A stunning martial arts epic
Director: Zhang Yimou Release date: 2002 Running time: 2 hours
Shortly after the Oscar-winning Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), demand for big-budget martial arts films in the West reached an all-time high. Two years later, Jet Li’s stunning action blockbuster Hero was released to widespread acclaim.
Regarded as one of the most beautiful films of all time, the film won several awards at the Hong Kong Film Awards and was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars. The film tells the story of Nameless and his mission to kill three assassins who threaten the rule of Emperor Qin. With its stunning cinematography and highly stylized fight scenes, the film was a commercial and critical success, further establishing Jet Li as one of the world’s biggest martial arts stars.
Further ranking of the top 10 Yakuza movies
Organized crime has an exciting and dangerous place in movies, and this is especially true in movies about the Yakuza.
