The Raid has been garnering rave reviews for its fantastic martial arts sequences so JOE decided to look back at five films that boast some great ass-kicking action.

By Dermot Keys

Enter the Dragon

Most things diminish with age. Icons start to look dated, groundbreaking techniques become the norm, and what was once the epitome of cool becomes cheesy or anachronistic. Not Bruce Lee. Even after 40 years, watching him perform martial arts is still as thrilling as ever.

Lee had already churned out a stream of classic films when the westernised production Enter the Dragon solidified his legendary status and introduced the genre to a global audience.

He practically invented martial arts films as we know them, fought with an unrivalled fluidity and speed, and was one of the coolest people to ever grace the screen. It's safe to assume that most martial arts stars secretly hate him at some level.

Ong-Bak

Martial arts films fascinate us because we all secretly believe that we could do this stuff if we did a few push-ups and had a good sensei. Nobody wants to emulate an actor that is being flung around the screen on wires because it's one step up from playing Peter Pan in panto.

Ong-Bak unleashed Tony Jaa on the world, a martial artist who didn't need wires or CGI thanks to a god-given ability to kick ass.

Boasting a natural athleticism reminiscent of Bruce Lee, Jaa's physical feats also appeared to defy the known laws of physics. His character may have a weird elephant fetish but Ong-Bak is packed with fight sequences that you want to watch over and over again.

13 Assassins

When a group of samurai assassins set out to kill a sociopathic lord, it is clear that there is going to be a bit of a rumble. However, nothing quite prepares you for the orgy of violence that occurs in 13 Assassins.

Director Takeshi Miike turns killing into an art form as the band of assassins cut, hack and slice their way through an army to get to their target. Having said that, the film is visually impressive and the curious etiquette of the time adds an undeniable touch of class to proceedings.

An epic 45 minute showdown forms the centrepiece of 13 Assassins, which blends relentless action with a classical sensibility.

Zatoichi

This is a Japanese morality tale that features the ever-impressive Takeshi Kitano as the blind samurai, Zatoichi. The moral of this story is that if a blind guy carries a sword, there's a distinct possibility that he knows to use it. And use it he does.

Zatoichi is full of over-the-top violence and the director uses CGI blood like he's got stocks in the stuff. Kitano is a self-contained killing machine who looks almost lazy as slays his foes with economic efficiency.

The blind man's invincibility does stretch credibility but the stylised mayhem compensates for the logical flaws. Oddly, nobody ever asks about his blond hair but, all things considered, Zatoichi doesn't exactly seem open to personal questions.

Ip Man

Donnie Yen had an accomplished CV before Ip Man gave him a starring role as the eponymous Wing Chun founder who ended up training Bruce Lee. The film does make Ip Man seem like a sort of Kung Fu messiah but Yen’s dignified performance and the captivating fight scenes offset this.

Sure, they basically made up large chunks of Ip Man's life but there is no escaping the quality of the fight sequences and, if Wing Chun is an extension of Ip Man, then the film captured his essence. The best advice is to forget historical accuracy and just enjoy watching Yen beat the dung out of successive opponents.