Martial Arts

A film which involves the use of various fighting arts which are usually Eastern in origin, such as kung-fu, karate, and tae-kwon do. The form reached its highest peak of popularity in the '70s with the international sensation of Bruce Lee. Though Run-Run Shaw and others were generating a healthy local business in martial arts films, it wasn't until the handsome and blindingly quick Lee arrived that kung-fu movies were really known outside of Hong Kong. Enter the Dragon was the landmark, a posthumously released film that grossed over 100 million dollars and spawned hordes of imitators in the U.S. and abroad. Chuck Norris was the most prominent of the American martial art stars, kicking his way through a long series of low-grade action flicks. In the '90s, the subgenre enjoyed a resurgence with the rising star of Hong Kong Cinema, and Jackie Chan in particular.

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