Uma Thurman as The Bride holding a sword above her head in Kill Bill Vol. 2
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Nicholas Raymond
Published 22 minutes ago
Nicholas Raymond is an author and journalist based out of Alabama, where he proudly roots for the Alabama Crimson Tide football team. A graduate of the University of Montevallo, he has a degree in mass communication with a concentration in journalism.
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Sequels are notorious for being inferior to their predecessors, and that perception can also be fairly applied to the martial arts genre. However, it's important to note that there are actually several exceptions to this, so many that over a handful of the greatest martial arts movies in cinematic history are second, third, or even fourth installments in a specific series.
Sometimes, there will be an incredible entry in what would otherwise be an average martial arts movie franchise. More impressively, there's been a few instances of sequels somehow managing to equal or even surpass films already regarded as classics of the genre.
Among the great martial arts stars to have pulled this off at some point in their acting careers are Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Donnie Yen, and Jimmy Wang Yu.
10 The Raid 2
Iko Uwais covered in blood in The Raid 2
It's not easy to live up to the standard of a film regarded as one of the best martial arts movies of the 21st century, but The Raid 2 achieved that task, even if it stopped short of beating out the original. Iko Uwais' second outing as martial arts expert and police officer Rama leaned heavily on the facets of the first movie that made it such a major hit.
Its thin plot is its greatest weakness, but that was never the central appeal of the Indonesian film; it's grand fight sequences with all their moving parts and gratuitious violence were the driving force of the movie, and The Raid 2 doubles down on that, tying together even more spectacular set-pieces and gory finishing moves.
9 Ong Bak 2: The Beginning
Ong Bak 2 is in a similar category to The Raid 2, in that it's a great sequel, despite lacking a memorable storyline. Serving as the first installment of a two-part prequel to Ong Bak: Muay Thai Warrior, tells a rather predictable story of a man's quest to get revenge for the death of his parents.
The decision to make it a period piece makes Ong Bak 2 drastically different from the original, but the change works well for the film, which benefits from the creation of a fully-realized world based on ancient Thai culture. But, of course, what really makes Ong Bak 2 so special is its action, as Tony Jaa's commitment to avoiding wirework in favor of brutally realistic fight scenes is taken to a new level.
8 Kill Bill Vol. 2
Uma Thurman holding a sword in Kill Bill Volume 2.Custom image by Yailin Chacon.
Boasting a solid 84% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Kill Bill Vol. 2 was the second half of a standout, two-part love letter to old-school kung fu movies from Hollywood director Quentin Tarantino. It does well to wrap up the loose ends of the first film and demonstrates Tarantino's deep understanding of the various underlying elements of the genre.
Continuing the journey of Uma Thurman's character from the first movie and its embrace of the kung fu movie genre's obsession with revenge, the 2004 sequel holds nothing in back in regards to bloody action sequences and fun Easter eggs, including an unforgettable (and perfectly cast) cameo appearance from Gordon Liu as Pai Mei, the same character that served as the villain of Lui's Clan of the White Lotus.
7 Clan Of The White Lotus
Clan of the White Lotus/Fists Of The White Lotus - Pai Mei in yellow robe
Interestingly, Clan of the White Lotus itself is a sequel, albeit a loosely-connected one. Between 1977 and 1980, Shaw Brothers produced an unofficial trilogy of kung fu movies about monks from the Shaolin Temple and their conflict with the evil kung fu master, Pai Mei, who was played by Lo Lieh in all three films.
The three movies in question are Executioners from Shaolin, Clan of the White Lotus, and Abbot of Shaolin.
The last of the three films, which acts as a follow-up to Executioners from Shaolin, far exceeds both of its predecessors. As was the case with the last two films, Lo Lieh shines as the insidious Pai Mei, whose vast confidence could be seen as arrogance if he didn't have the martial arts prowess to go along with it.
In addition to Lo Lieh's show-stealing performance and some funny moments, Clan of the White Lotus does right by all the great old-school kung fu movie tropes, working in a well-written revenge narrative and some fun and creative training sequences wherein the hero has to learn a feminine approach to martial arts to balance his more aggressive style of fighting.
6 John Wick: Chapter 2
Keanu Reeves looking angrily to one side as John Wick in John Wick: Chapter 2
The first of three sequels to John Wick, John Wick: Chapter 2 sees Keanu Reeves' titular character get double-crossed and chased by assassins after he completes a job in the hopes of walking away from his life as a hitman. This premise opened the door for some well-choreographed fight scenes between Wick and Cassian (Common).
John Wick: Chapter 2 reflects an evolution of the first movie's signature gun-fu style, featuring all manner of over-the-top and brutal kills as Wick plows his way through his enemies at multiple points in the film.
5 Ip Man 2
Donnie Yen takes a fighting stance in Ip Man 2
After getting off to a great start, Wilson Yip and Donnie Yen's Ip Man movie franchise received a strong second chapter in the form of Ip Man 2, which brought in legendary martial arts star Sammo Hung as its martial arts choreographer, who put together a stunning tabletop fight between himself and Yen.
The battle between Hung and Yen was actually just one of several bright spots in the movie, which featured a well-developed cast of characters thrust into a story about multiple Chinese martial arts masters trying to preserve their pride amid British control of Hong Kong, topped off with a great showdown that showcased the contrasting approaches between the West and the East.
4 Once Upon A Time In China 2
Ip Man 2 isn't the only all-time great martial arts sequel to involve Donnie Yen. Another is Once Upon a Time in China II, which was the second in a series of seven martial arts period pieces, primarily led by Jet Li. The 1992 film puts Jet Li back in the role of real-life martial arts master Wong Fei-hung, this time protecting his students and loved ones from a villainous cult during a short stay in Canton.
The franchise's second adventure for Wong Fei-hung expands on the beautiful, historical world crafted by the first movie, complete with extravagent wirework for Jet Li's action sequences, with each one being different from the last. But the best part of it all is Jet Li's phenomenal fight scene with Donnie Yen, which is arguably one of the best ever filmed.
3 Police Story 2
Police Story is one of the best martial arts movies of the 1980s, and its first sequel isn't too far behind it. Never dragging, the 1988 Hong Kong classic features an intense - and also humorous car chase scene that sets the tone for Jackie Chan's both action-packed and comedic antics as he works to prevent a bombing and rescue his girlfriend (again).
Thanks in part to the latter plotline, Police Story 2 is able to demonstrate more of Jackie Chan's dramatic chops than usual, and does so to the movie's benefit. Of course, as a martial arts movie, it never allows the main character's personal drama to take over, balancing it perfectly with a slew of fight scenes and amazing stunts personally performed by the actor.
2 Master Of The Flying Guillotine
Fu Sheng Wu Chi holds the flying guillotine in The Master of the Flying Guillotine
In 1976, Jimmy Wang Yu wrote, directed, and starred in Master of the Flying Guillotine, a direct sequel to The One-Armed Boxer, a movie about a martial artist who has to take revenge on the team of assassins who cost him his arm and his kung fu school. Master of the Flying Guillotine pits him against the blind master of two of the assassins he killed.
Master of the Flying Guillotine uses the master's quest for revenge to deliver a plethora of action and thrills, from an epic martial arts tournament, brutal finishing moves ala Mortal Kombat, an over-the-top weapon in the titular "flying guillotine," and one of the kung fu movie genre's most menacing villains ever.
1 Drunken Master II
If there's any martial arts sequel that can beat Wang Yu's Master of the Flying Guillotine it's Drunken Master II, which has a strong case for being both better than Chan's first outing as Wong Fei-hung, and what's more, the actor's single greatest contribution to the martial arts genre.
Despite the original's iconic status, Drunken Master II improved on Chan's first time playing the character by giving him greater emotional depth by exploring in earnest the very real consequences of relying on the drunken boxing kung fu style and foregoing the more traditional kung fu movie ending seen in Drunken Master.
Drunken Master II's own legendary reputation is owed not only to its superior story, but also a noteworthy performance from 1970s martial arts icon Ti Lung, and the talents of all-time great kung fu movie director Lau Kar-leung.
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