The martial arts genre is one of the most consistently entertaining out there, especially for those who love action movies. Many classic films within the genre do ultimately follow a formula, but it's one that fans generally come to love. A fair few martial arts movies are set in China, usually several hundred years ago, and feature stories that are mostly grounded in reality. Often, the main character will need to train, and there'll be a final act that lets them unleash their physical skills.

For those who want to branch out and seek something a little different, the good news is that not all martial arts movies adhere to such a formula. The following movies are all notable for being ones that mixed martial arts fighting with unexpected or unusual genres, emerging as unique and unpredictable action movies in the process, with all being essential watches for those who like their kung fu movies a little less traditional.

10 'The Boxer from Shantung' (1972)

The Boxer from Shantung - 1972

The rise-and-fall gangster movie is one that most people are likely familiar with, as it was told many times in Hollywood during the 1930s and 1940s. However, none of those old crime movies starring actors like James Cagney and Edward G. Robinson feature martial arts, given gangsters from that era usually just used Tommy Guns.

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Thankfully, for anyone who wants to see a classic gangster story merged with martial arts, The Boxer from Shantung provides just that, following that tried-and-true rise-and-fall story with a young man seeking fame and fortune in Shanghai, no matter the cost. The fight sequences make this one of the best martial arts movies of all time, and the final action set piece is particularly bloody and impressive.

9 'Shaolin Soccer' (2001)

Shaolin Soccer (2001)  (1)

It's pretty easy to work out what Shaolin Soccer will be about from the eye-catching title alone. After all, Shaolin Kung Fu is one of the most famous styles of kung fu in history, and soccer (or football to some) is similarly regarded as one of the most popular sports of all time, especially on an international scale.

As such, Shaolin Soccer is a gleeful blend of a kung fu movie and a wholly unique sports movie. It parodies both while having a genuinely fun story that's easy to get wrapped up in, taking the best elements from the two genres, and using them to have a series of great – albeit very silly – sports/action sequences.

8 'Police Story' (1985)

Police Story (1985)

Martial arts movies featuring Jackie Chan naturally stand out, as he has a unique style of fighting and stuntwork that are often as funny as they are physically impressive. However, one of his best movies – Police Story – isn't as frequently comedic, and is more of a crime/thriller that features Chan playing a renegade police officer who likes to play by his own rules.

It's a great deal of fun to see Jackie Chan taking part in his usual spectacular action scenes, but this time done in contemporary times, and blended with a police-focused storyline. It all works well and feels seamless, making it unsurprisingly one of Jackie Chan's most acclaimed movies, and also one that got several sequels.

7 'Kung Fu Hustle' (2004)

A man kicking a bunch of goons down some stairs

Kung Fu Hustle is as much of a live-action cartoon as it is a martial arts movie. As such, it's easily one of the funniest martial arts movies of all time, and manages to pull off being a parody of the martial arts genre while also delivering genuinely great martial arts action.

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The plot is only really there to deliver wild action and slapstick comedy, being about a wannabe martial arts master getting mixed up in a conflict between a criminal gang and several genuine martial arts masters who are living in hiding. It's the kind of movie that needs to be seen to be believed, and it manages to be endlessly over-the-top and creative with its humor and action.

6 'The Boxer's Omen' (1983)

The Boxer's Omen - 1983
Image via Shaw Brothers

It's very hard to summarize a movie that's quite as wild as The Boxer's Omen. It contains fantasy elements, horror elements, and a story about revenge all at once, and naturally does all this while being a martial arts movie with plenty of inventive action, as one might expect from something produced by Shaw Brothers Studio.

Few movies combine action, horror, and fantasy in a way quite like how The Boxer's Omen does. It's one of the most famous (or perhaps infamous) movies to ever come out of the legendary Hong Kong movie studio, and is well worth seeking out for anyone who feels like it takes a lot for them to be surprised by a martial arts movie.

5 'The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires' (1974)

The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires - 1974
Image via Shaw Brothers

The existence of a movie like The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires is a novelty in itself, and therefore worth watching for those who like great martial arts movies and/or old-school horror movies. It was a co-production between Shaw Brothers Studio, which was best known for producing many martial arts movies, and Hammer Film Productions, which generally made horror movies.

The martial arts and horror genres clash violently and messily here, with a plot involving Van Helsing teaming up with several martial arts warriors to defeat Count Dracula and his undead forces. It's very hokey and silly, but the fact it's a one-of-a-kind movie that almost doesn't sound like it could be real makes it enough of an oddity to be worth checking out.

4 'The Super Inframan' (1975)

Infra-Man - 1975
Images via Shaw Brothers Studio

Anyone wandering what a science-fiction Shaw Brothers movie would be like doesn't need to look further than The Super Inframan. It's a cult classic that follows a man getting turned into a cyborg superhero who may be the only thing that can stop demonic forces from taking over the planet.

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The charm of The Super Inframan is seeing martial arts action combined with the sort of sci-fi schlock best displayed (gloriously) in many old Godzilla movies. It's got creative monsters and non-stop action, and while it may well be too silly for some, for others, it might well feel like one of the greatest - and most underrated - superhero movies of all time.

3 'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' (2021)

Simu Liu punches someone on a bus as Shang Chi

It might sound like a stretch to call a movie in the MCU a martial arts movie, but in all honesty, 2021's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings ticks many of the boxes needed to be considered one. Much of the action in the first two acts feel inspired by martial arts movies of old, and the story surrounding powerful warriors and fantastical elements links it to classic kung fu cinema, too.

By the end, it leans into more traditional and CGI-heavy MCU action, but for much of its runtime, it has the spirit of a martial arts movie. It also does that while following the conventions of modern-day superhero origin story, with the two types of film contrasting in interesting ways, and making Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings one of the better movies from Marvel's fourth phase.

2 'Holy Flame of the Martial World' (1983)

Holy Flame of the Martial World - 1983

Combining martial arts action with fantastical elements might not be too unusual on paper, but the approach to doing just that in 1983's Holy Flame of the Martial World most certainly is unexpected. It's a very over-the-top action/fantasy/epic film about two siblings seeking revenge for the death of their parents, but tells such a story in a wild and oftentimes comedic way.

The editing is unbelievably fast-paced, and the movie seems to introduce a new element every minute or two, making it feel like a relentless and even exhausting movie. But it does this in a way that's also very enjoyable, so long as the audience can keep up with all the wild things the movie constantly throws at them.

1 'Vengeance!' (1970)

Vengeance! - 1970

There are plenty of movies that deal with the topic of revenge, but few are as action-packed as the appropriately titled Vengeance! It follows a man who wants to avenge the death of his older brother, and will stop at nothing to make sure everyone responsible for killing his sibling suffers and ultimately dies for what they've done.

And sure, Lady Snowblood and Kill Bill are both action movies that deal with revenge and could be classified as martial arts movies, but none feel as rigidly part of the genre as Vengeance! does. It succeeds at being both a great martial arts action movie and a great (albeit very brutal) revenge movie, truly managing to be the best of both worlds for people who aren't afraid of movies that get a little messy.

NEXT: The Most Underrated Classic Martial Arts Movies, According to Letterboxd