Five top-grossing 2017 martial arts action films you can binge on

Ferociously choreographed fight scenes, bona fide special effects, big budgets, top-grossing films globally and record breaking productions are all the range in 2017’s martial arts action movies. PHOTO| FILE| NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • An unpredictable Chinese soldier has no qualms taking up insane special mission anywhere on the planet.
  • The action takes over from the first 2015 film, Wolf Warrior as Leng Feng brings his extraordinary marksmanship to global levels.
  • He arrives in African soil to use his skills to ward off violent arms dealers and rancorous local rebels from medical aid providers. 
  • The film perfectly balances action sequences, intriguing special effects and the memorable performance of its cast.

Ferociously choreographed fight scenes, bona fide special effects, big budgets, top-grossing films globally and record breaking productions are all the range in 2017’s martial arts action movies.

Perfect for that uneventful couple of hours or anytime you want to charge your adrenaline and hurtle hormones to ecstasy levels, the following films pack cleverly elucidated plotlines and action sequences worth losing yourself in.

WOLF WARRIOR 2(2017)

Not many Chinese action films break numerous records but the Wolf Warrior 2 is on a class of its own.

An unpredictable Chinese soldier has no qualms taking up insane special mission anywhere on the planet. The action takes over from the first 2015 film, Wolf Warrior as Leng Feng brings his extraordinary marksmanship to global levels.

He arrives in African soil to use his skills to ward off violent arms dealers and rancorous local rebels from medical aid providers. 

The film perfectly balances action sequences, intriguing special effects and the memorable performance of its cast.

Its patriotic intonation is noteworthy and a major reason why it broke the record of being the biggest money maker in a day at the Chinese box office and only second to Star Wars: The Force Awakens among high grossers in a single market. 

Wolf Warrior 2is the highest-grossing film in the history of Chinese cinema and also the Chinese film entry to the 90th Academy Awards Best Foreign Language films category.

Cast include Wu Jing, Hans Zhang, Celina Jade, Yu Qian and Frank Grillo.

GOD OF WAR(2017)

God of Waris based on the true story of the great Chinese military general and strategist Qi Jiguang (1528-1588) who served the Ming Dynasty. The film stars Vincent Zhao, Yasuaki Kurata, Regina Wan and Sammo Hung.

The exploits of Qi are legendary and historic, particularly against the marauding wokou pirates across the coastal regions of China.

He was also an elite imperial guard trainer and defensive planner.

Throughout the film the simplicity of the famous fighter and military general is laid bare, including the strategies that informed his renowned military manuals from his experience that served his successors for years.

The film however looks at the story of Qi and his bossy wife and how a conquering general big among men can be very small in his own house.

PARADOX(2017)

A police negotiator from Hong Kong police receives the news that his daughter traveling to Thailand has disappeared.

He takes matters personally and travels there and with the help of a few detective friends he seeks to get to the bottom of the matter.

It becomes clear Bangkok’s mayoral candidate is in need of a heart transplant and urgently so and his daughter was the one to provide the much needed organ.

An action film from the Hong King Cinema, it features Louis Koo, Wu Yue, Tony Jaa and Gordon Lam.

The creative wild action choreography by Sammo Hung takes the vicious fight scenes to frenzy heights.

KUNG FU YOGA(2017)

 Jack Chan plays a well-known Chinese archaeology professor. Together with a beautiful Indian professor, he and his team are in search of the Magadha Tibetan treasure.

Their team begins perilously as the treasure they have found beneath frozen water mass is stolen from them by hired hands and they are left there to perish.

In the melee of finding a way out a treasure hunter masquerading as an archaeologist from their team snips a diamond artefact that will change their course significantly.

As the action takes them to the innermost vastu shastra mystery they will realise not everyone is who they claim to be and things are not really what they seem to be.

Cast includes Jackie Chan, Sonu Sood, Disha Patani, Eric Tsang and Aarif Rahman.

LADY BLOODFIGHT(2017)

The film follows a familiar plot to earlier martial art films starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, 1988’s Bloodsport and 1989’s Kickboxer with a girl as the protagonist.

A gorgeous American girl is striding through Hong Kong with her backpack when three hapless thugs try to rob her. She fights them off using uncooked street martial arts skills drawing the eye of a Wudang champion who sees a fighter in her.

An underground Kumite, a street underground fighting tournament for ladies only, beckons and the Wudang champion trains her meticulously to prepare to take on the toughest female fighters in a bloody showdown while fighting off other degenerate shadowy forces that manifest on her journey to be the top lady blood-fighter on the planet.

The film stars the stunt performer and martial artist Amy Johnson on her debut starring role including Kathy Wu, Jenny Wu, Sharon Zhang and Muriel Hofmann.