4 of the century’s best action movies are leaving Netflix soon

I love martial arts movies. It’s been a big part of my beat since joining the Polygon team. But that wasn’t always true.

The action movies I grew up watching were more like James Bond. Many spy movies, superhero ones, and occasionally, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon About 10 years ago, I happened to be able to watch great modern martial arts movies back-to-back over the course of a week. Undisputed 2: Last Man Standing, Universal Soldier: Day of Liquidationand blood and bones It opened my eyes to what is possible in a space that connects directly to video. But it was Wilson Yip and Donnie Yen’s Yip Man series that cemented my interest in the genre and sparked further discovery.

Loosely based on the life of famed Wing Chun grandmaster Yip Man, the film reunites Yip and Yen after the two perform back-to-back bangers. SPL and flash point. Ip Man’s film combines great combat choreography with inspiring period storytelling, all revolving around the unique talents of its protagonist, a movie star operating at his best. .

Donnie Yen is one of the most charismatic and talented movie stars working today. Western audiences may know him best from his roles in his recent films. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and John Wick: Chapter 4or from shanghai nights and Blade II. (He also Blade Ⅱaction choreographer). But he has a long, long history of using his star power to propel good Hong Kong action movies, and the Ip Man series is just one of his most recent examples.

Yen’s amazing martial arts skills combined with the series’ choreography is the flashiest part of the film. But what makes them truly great filmmakers is the way they rely on his deep soulfulness to tell moving stories.Yip Man The film deals with tragedy on both an individual and national level, confronting oppression, atrocities, and bone-crushing blows as well as the many ways people hurt each other.

And Yen fulfills the mission, inflicting a deep depression on Yip. At first he fought because he wanted to, and had friendly matches with his fellow martial arts masters. Protect your sight. The film’s narrative and Yen’s performance do a great job of building this clear purpose, making it easy for audiences to become deeply immersed in his battles.

Image: Well Go USA Entertainment

There are many other things I love about the Ip Man movies, but what really stands out is the excellent action in this series, helmed by two of the most influential and accomplished martial arts directors and choreographers of our time. is. Yip Man and ip man 2 There’s an action directed by Sammo Hung (best known for his collaboration with childhood friend Jackie Chan), ip man 3 and Ip Man 4: The Finale There is an action directed by Yuen Woo Ping (who made Chan a star) Drunken masterknown internationally for his work on The Matrix films. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; and kill bill). In them (and in the hands of Yen), the series’ fight scenes sing and yip with some of the top screen fighters working today, including Max Chan, Louie Fang, Scott Adkins, and Hung himself. let them fight.

from outstanding battles Yip Man We see Yip, enraged at seeing Japanese soldiers (all black belts) abusing his fellow Masters, demanding he fight 10 Japanese soldiers. Up until this point, Yip had been relatively quiet and reserved, reluctant to display his prowess against the Japanese forces that had occupied his home during the Sino-Japanese War. However, after witnessing this cruel act against his friends and colleagues, a switch flips and Yip relentlessly displays Yen’s unimaginable speed and martial arts skills, relentlessly dispatching all ten combatants.

Not content with just re-enacting hits, later movies have added exciting elements to their massive set-plays.of ip man 2Yen fights Samo Hung On a table that is barely balanced.of ip man 3fights former Tony Jaa stunt double Simon Cook in a jam-packed elevator When driving my wife home from the hospital.

In the Ip Man movie, each of these fight scenes uses impressive choreography to the beat of the larger story and characters.Yes, those are impressive spectacle moments, but they aren’t just Or The best action movies show us how to harness the beauty of the body in motion to express anger, regret, joy, redemption, and a host of other emotions with just words and facial expressions. There are few better ways to do that than Yen, an incredibly skilled martial artist with acting prowess to match.

together Undisputed 2 (available for digital rental or purchase), Universal Soldier: Day of Liquidation (free with ads on Crackle), and blood and bones (Free with ads on Crackle), Ip Man’s movies were my gateway to the world of martial arts movies, and now you can too. Watch it before Netflix ends on July 21st.

If you’re reading this post after the movies have left the platform, you can watch the first three Ip Man books for free on Peacock, Hi-Yah!, and for free with a library card on Hoopla or Kanopy. Or watch for free with ads on Tubi. , crackling, Pluto TV.you can see Ip Man 4: The Finale Available free at Hi-Yah! or with your Hoopla and Kanopy library card. If you want to know more about Yip Man, be sure to check out Yuen Woo Ping’s work. ip man 3 spin off Master Z: Yip Man Legacy (free with Peacock, Hi-Yah, Hoopla and Kanopy library cards, or free with Crackle, Pluto, Freevee ads), and Wong Kar-wai’s radically different take on the Ip Man story, Grand Master (Stream on Prime or free with ads on Tubi).

Click here to read more about Donnie Yen’s excellence in the line of duty 4 (free, with ads on Tubi, Crackle, Freevee), Wing Chun (available for digital rental or purchase on Amazon), and previous collaborations with Wilson Yip, SPL (Free, with ads on Tubi) flash point (Streaming on Peacock and Hi-Yah!, free with library cards on Hoopla, free with ads on Tubi, Pluto, Freevee).