Four of the best action movies of the century are about to leave Netflix

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

The action movies I grew up watching were more of the James Bond variety – lots of spy movies, a few superhero movies, now and then Crouching tiger, hidden dragon I sneaked in About 10 years ago I stumbled upon a flood of excellent modern martial arts films over the course of a week. Undisputed 2: Last Man Standing, Universal Soldier: Day of ReckoningAnd blood and bones opened my eyes to what’s possible in the direct-to-video space. But it was Wilson Yip and Donnie Yen’s Ip Man series that cemented my interest in the genre and pushed me to explore more.

Loosely based on the life of famed Wing Chun grandmaster Ip Man, the films reunite Yip and Yen after the pair delivered back-to-back smash hits SPL And flash point. Fusing great fight choreography with haunting historical stories, the Ip Man films all center around the unique talents of their protagonist, a movie star operating at the absolute peak of his powers.

Donnie Yen is one of today’s most charismatic and talented film stars. He is best known to western audiences for his recent roles in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story And John Wick: Chapter 4or from Shanghai Knight And Blade II (He also served as Blade II‘s action choreographer). But he has a long, long history of using his star power to fuel excellent Hong Kong action films, and the Ip Man series is just one of the most recent examples.

Yen’s incredible martial arts skills combined with the series’ choreography is the most striking part of the film. But what really makes them great filmmakers is the way they draw on his deep soulfulness to tell a moving story. The Ip Man The films deal with tragedies on both a personal and national level, dealing with oppression, cruelty and the many ways people hurt one another – not just with bone-crushing blows.

And Yen is up to the task and fills Ip with deep melancholy. In the beginning he fights because he wants to and engages in friendly competitions with other martial arts masters, but eventually he fights because he has to and protects the people and values ​​he holds dear. The films’ narratives and Yen’s performance do a great job of emphasizing this clear purpose and making it easy for audiences to delve deep into his struggles.

There’s a lot more to like about the Ip Man movies, but the standout element is the franchise’s superb action, directed by two of the most influential and accomplished martial arts directors and choreographers of modern times. ip man And IP man 2 have action directed by Sammo Hung (known for his collaboration with his childhood friend Jackie Chan), while IP Man 3 And Ip Man 4: The Finale The action is directed by Yuen Woo-ping (who helped establish Chan as a star). Drunk Masterand is internationally known for his work on the Matrix films; Crouching tiger, hidden dragon; And Kill Bill). In her hands (and Yen’s) sing the franchise’s fight scenes, which pits Ip against some of today’s leading film fighters, including Max Zhang, Louis Fan, Scott Adkins and Hung himself.

The outstanding fight of ip man sees an angry Ip demanding to fight 10 Japanese soldiers (all black belts) after seeing them manhandle a fellow champion. Up until this point, Ip had been relatively quiet and reserved, reluctant to use his skills against the Japanese troops occupying his homeland during the Second Sino-Japanese War. But after witnessing this gruesome act against a friend and colleague, a switch is flipped and Ip brutally defeats all ten fighters, ruthlessly displaying Yen’s unimaginable speed and martial arts skills.

Not content with just replaying the hits, the later films add exciting folds to some of their larger set pieces. In IP man 2Yen fights Sammo Hung on a barely balanced table. In IP Man 3He fights former Tony Jaa stunt double Simon Kook in a crowded elevator while he was bringing his wife home from the hospital.

In each of these fight scenes, the Ip Man films use stunning choreography at the service of the larger story and character beats. Yes, they are impressive moments of spectacle, but they are not Only The. The best action movies use the beauty of moving bodies to show how we can express anger, regret, joy, redemption, and a whole host of other emotions beyond just words or facial expressions. There’s no better vehicle for that than Yen, an incredibly talented martial artist with acting skills to match.

Along with Undisputed 2 (available for digital rental or purchase), Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning (free with ads on Crackle) and blood and bones (free with ads on Crackle) The Ip Man movies were welcome introductions to the world of martial arts cinema for me, and now they can be for you too. Be sure to check them out before they leave Netflix on July 21st.

If you’re reading this after the films left the platform, you can still watch the first three Ip Man films on Peacock, Hi-Yah!, for free with a library card on Hoopla or Kanopy, or for free with ads on Tubi, Crackle and Pluto TV. You can watch Ip Man 4: The Finale on Hi Yah! or free with a library card at Hoopla and Kanopy. For more Ip Man quality, I highly recommend checking out Yuen Woo-pings as well IP Man 3 spin off Master Z: Ip Man Legacy (Peacock, Hi-Yah, free with library card at Hoopla and Kanopy, or free with ads at Crackle, Pluto and Freevee) and Wong Kar-wai’s very different take on the Ip-Man story, The grand master (Stream on Prime or free with ads on Tubi).

For more outstanding performances by Donnie Yen, click here In the Line of Duty 4 (free with advertising on Tubi, Crackle and Freevee), Wingchun (available to rent digitally or buy from Amazon) and his previous collaborations with Wilson Yip, SPL (free with advertising on Tubi) and flash point (Stream on Peacock and Hi-Yah!, free with a library card on Hoopla, or free with ads on Tubi, Pluto, and Freevee).