10) Curse Of The Golden Flower 2006
Chow Yun Fat plays a bad guy very well as most of his characters teeter on his charisma deceiving or welcoming you. It's a line he plays with the entire movie. This is another movie dealing with war lord families. Only this time Father isn't someone to toy with. This is my favorite Chow Yun Fat movie as he chooses to take a role in a movie that isn't your standard happy ending movie and still manages to make you think about a lot of things the movie has to offer. It's a ballsy role for a ballsy movie that is absolutely gorgeous. (Be sure to watch The Killer if you like Chow Yun Fat.)
9) RAN 1985
An old dying war lord relinquishes power to his eldest son. This is what war lord families fight like. Army on army action. An Evil man expecting honor from his three sons is amusing as the old war lord shows all signs of finally accepting his fate.
8) Ong Bak 2003
Tony Jaa lays the Muay Thai smackdown on an underworld full of criminals that killed his Uncle and stole his "Ong Bak" (The villages ancient Buddha image worth lots of money.) The style of fighting is incredibly original and a pure joy to watch in a modern sense.
7) IP Man 2008
Underrated Donnie Yen is a peaceful master pushed to the edge of blind anger and many Japanese soldiers suffer at his hands because of it. It's a great moral story showing that sometimes fighting can solve problems but most of the time it doesn't.
6) The Legend Of Drunken Master 1994
Drunken Boxing immortalized by Jackie Chan. This is a cool story of becoming a man by drinking yourself almost to death. The first time Jackie drinks and fights it is for dishonorable reasons. The second time he does it he has learned his lesson and uses it for honorable reasons. This is Jackie Chan's best movie. (I always hold a special place in my heart for Rumble In The Bronx.)
5) Fist Of Legend 1994
The OG High School brawler. This is hands down Jet Li's best movie. (Kiss Of The Dragon is an incredibly close second.) Jet Li whoops some Japanese ass in this movie.
4) Enter The Dragon 1973
Martial Artist Bruce fucking Lee uses his invitation to a tournament to spy on the Evil Lord that hosts it. All I really have to say is, "Boards don't hit back."
3) Seven Samurai 1954
Rich and poor, right and wrong. This movie depicts a lot of what is wrong and right with humanity. A poor village has no way to protect themselves from bandits until seven unemployed Samurais make their way to the village. The tactics of the Samurai are a joy to watch.
2) 13 Assassins 2010
13 Assassins join together to take down an Evil Lord. Japanese Law will allow the Evil Lord to take over. They are the only thing in his way. Takashi Miike directs an amazing final build up action scene that goes on for a good 30 minutes and doesn't let up. The story gets you to care for all of the Assassins and the mutual greater good they are fighting for. The darkness of the film has quite the light at the end of the tunnel.
1) Sword Of Doom 1966 (Unfortunately for this one I can't find the original trailer with subtitles.)
The journey to the dark side has never been better portrayed than this movie. Tatsuya Nakadai plays an Evil Samurai that plays coy at first and lets out hints here and there of what he is capable of until the epic battle at the end where he fights his inner demons almost literally.
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