It’s like the martial arts take on torture porn. Headshot is an underrated ultra-violent example of what Indonesian fight films are doing lately. Master Z aspires to create its own franchise, and it was announced last year that Zhang is on board for a sequel. He took over as fight choreographer in Ip Man 3, replacing Jackie Chan’s martial big brother Sammo Hung. It’s directed by Yuen Woo-Ping, the renowned fight choreographer behind Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and the Matrix films. To ramp things up, Master Z adds Dave Bautista as a devious restaurateur and Michelle Yeoh returning to her martial roots after her scene-stealing roles in Crazy Rich Asians and Star Trek: Discovery. It follows Cheung Tin Chi (Max Zhang), a rival defeated by Ip Man in Ip Man 3. Master Z is a spinoff of Donnie Yen’s Ip Man franchise. Donnie Yen, who appeared as the blind Chirrut Imwe in Rogue One, also recently played Commander Tung in Mulan. That never really happened, but it’s in the latest chapter Ip Man 4: The Finale, which was released on Netflix this summer. The storyline builds complexity with each sequel, from the introduction of a child Bruce Lee until Ip Man visits Bruce in San Francisco. Each film has its qualities, so much so that fans debate which is the best. It’s a franchise that demands to be viewed in order. Netflix has all four installments, but start at the beginning.
However Yen’s Ip Man tetralogy is the original and the strongest. There were so many that Ip Man films can almost constitute a genre on its own. When Donnie Yen launched this fictionalized account of Bruce Lee’s master, it was so popular that several copycat Ip Man films came out in its wake (Ip Man is a real historical person so there’s no copyright on the character).
And for those newbies to the genre, here are also some of the must-see classics, just to get you started. Here is a selection of some of the latest actioners to have recently become available on Netflix, which longtime fans may have overlooked. With movies ranging from internationally recognized masterpieces to cheesy and gratuitously ultra-violent flicks, it’s time for “Netflix and Kill” as we take revenge on the villains who dishonored our family and the Shaolin Temple. Netflix also has a solid collection of the classics, so many groundbreaking films that launched enduring franchises. Always with a watchful eye on foreign film, Netflix has acquired many of the most talked about titles, fresh off the boat from Asia which remains the cutting edge of the genre. There are so many great martial arts movies on Netflix.