Martial arts film
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Martial arts film is a film genre that originated in the Pacific Rim. This genre is a type of action film characterized by extensive fighting scenes employing various types of martial arts. This genre has mainly been produced in China, peaking in the 1970s, and has been dominated by Hong Kong action cinema and its kung fu and wuxia films. Famous actors include Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Jet Li. This genre is no longer limited to Asian films - there are many action movies starring western martial artists such as Chuck Norris, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Steven Seagal.
Bruce Lee
Beginning in the 1970s, Asian martial arts films came to international attention largely due to its greatest icon, Bruce Lee. His films elevated the genre to a new level and sparked a greater interest in martial arts in the West. Lee became famous for playing Kato in the TV series The Green Hornet during the 1960s yet it was when he returned to Hong Kong and starred in three films that shot him to stardom all over Asia, The Big Boss (1971), Fist of Fury (1972) and Return of the Dragon (1972). Yet he achieved global stardom in his last completed film and the first Kung fu film to be produced by a Hollywood studio, Enter the Dragon (1973). It is the most well known and considered by many to be the definitive martial arts film.
