The 10 Best Donnie Yen Films
With his presence in John Wick: Chapter 4 and the upcoming spin-off that will focus on his character, Donnie Yen is finally getting the English-language, international showcase he’s always deserved. Yen is a huge star in his motherland of China and is about to become a very bright draw for international audiences, finding himself new fans every time he’s seen in an American film. With this new one, he should no longer be “oh I know that guy from somewhere” and be quite well known as the badass that he is. To you get to know his work, here are ten of the best Donnie Yen movies (in no particular order):
Dragon (aka Wu Xia) (2011)
A big part of Yen’s career has been filled with period pieces in which martial arts play an important role (the wuxia genre), and Dragon is no different. Here, Yen plays a family man hiding a dark past; when that past catches up with him, he must resort to his deadly skills, and fights ensue. These bouts are solid, but the film does not rely entirely on them to remain engaging. The story itself is strong, and Yen’s character, Liu Jinxi, is a layered one. The presence of Takeshi Kaneshiro is a welcome addition. It should also be noted that Yen handled the fight design, choreography, and direction for the film. Additionally, one of the first major Chinese martial arts stars, Jimmy Wang Yu, appears as one of the villains.
Ip Man (series) (2008-2019)
We’re cheating a bit here by including four films in a single entry. The Ip Man series chronicles the life and work of Master Ip Man, a martial arts expert best known in the West as the sifu who trained a young Bruce Lee. However, Ip Man was much more than that, and these films tell his story in a romanticized yet compelling way. Donnie Yen proves that he can truly act while also kicking plenty of butt, all while staying cool as can be. He brings a Zen-like calm to the role that is fascinating to watch, and the character’s evolution is fantastic, allowing Yen to fully explore the role, add depth, and demonstrate a strong arc as an actor.
While the fighting is important, the films place even greater emphasis on depicting the life and times of Master Ip Man, giving both the character and Yen’s performance room to grow. Yen also served as the action choreographer for the first three entries in the series. The fourth film co-stars Scott Adkins, who would later appear alongside Yen in John Wick: Chapter 4. The first two Ip Man films remain among the best movies Donnie Yen has ever made.
Hero (2002)
This Zhang Yimou film showcases what the director and his stars can accomplish with a hefty budget, a solid script, and stunning wire work showcased in perfectly choreographed fight scenes. Following their face-off in Once Upon a Time in China II (1992), Donnie Yen and Jet Li get another chance at a battle royale, and they make the most of it. If there is one complaint, it’s that Yen doesn’t get much screen time in Hero; however, what he does get is a great showcase for his talent. The film is arguably one of the best-known entries in Yen’s career in the United States, alongside Blade II, Star Wars: Rogue One, and John Wick: Chapter 4.
Kill Zone (aka SPL) (2005)
This is a film designed to showcase what Donnie Yen can do, if ever there was one. He plays a cool, bad-boy cop who joins a new team and must figure out what they’re really up to. The film features two incredible fights: first, Yen goes head-to-head with Chinese superstar Wu Jing (The Wandering Earth), and then, in the finale, he faces the legendary Sammo Hung. Yen has rarely looked better, kicking, punching, and throwing everything he’s got. He also directed the action sequences here, something he often does.
Kill Zone marked Yen’s first starring collaboration with director Wilson Yip, before the two teamed up again for the Ip Man series mentioned above. At the time, Yen’s career was on the rocks, and the film’s surprise success revitalized him as an action star. Indeed, despite a slow first half, it ranks as one of the very best Donnie Yen movies.
Once Upon a Time in China II (1992)
This one is a must-see, as it’s an early film in Yen’s career and has the distinction of pitting him against Jet Li, another martial arts master beloved around the world. Their climactic fight is something special and clearly demonstrates that Yen can hold his own against an icon like Li. This Tsui Hark film is a fan favorite, thanks to its sheer entertainment value and the freedom it gives the cast to fully inhabit their characters.
As the second entry in a long-running series, it can largely be watched as a standalone film without losing too much of the overall story. According to his IMDb credit, Yen was uncredited for his work as an action choreographer on the film. Once Upon a Time in China II also marked the first collaboration between Yen and Hark, who would later work together again as star and director on Seven Swords in 2005.
Kung Fu Killer (aka Kung Fu Jungle) (2014)
Here, as with many of his films, Yen not only stars but also serves as action director, a role he is well known for and highly sought after to perform. The fight scenes are sharp and expertly staged, allowing viewers to fully appreciate the choreography. The cast list is impressively deep, bringing a wide range of fighters to the screen and actively involving them in the filmmaking process.
The film showcases not only Yen’s talent but also that of many other fighters who rarely receive this much screen time. It’s the kind of movie made with clear respect for the industry and for everyone involved in both martial arts filmmaking and martial arts competition.
14 Blades (2010)
This period piece also co-stars Sammo Hung and allows Yen to showcase not only his hand-to-hand combat skills but also his proficiency with blades, something he is clearly adept at. His role here is more balanced, giving him a character who isn’t defined solely by fighting and even allows him to function, perhaps surprisingly, as a romantic lead, in a martial-arts period-piece sort of way.
It’s an enjoyable watch, thanks to the elaborate costumes, Yen’s long hair, the action, and an opening that’s reminiscent of Rapid Fire, which inevitably makes one wonder how Yen might have worked alongside Brandon Lee had we not lost him so young.
Big Brother (2018)
An almost family-friendly film, something Yen doesn’t have many of on his resume, Big Brother follows his character as he enters a school and tries to connect with overworked students preparing for their state exams. The film is entertaining, offering some solid fight sequences, but more importantly, it sheds light on the pressures placed on high school students in China and how the system often leaves those with fewer resources behind. This is an important film in its own right, with the added appeal of starring Donnie Yen, who also served as action director. It’s an action-comedy-drama for the whole family, as long as the kids can handle a few intense war scenes and some serious subject matter at times.
Raging Fire (2021)
The final film from director Benny Chan, Raging Fire reunites Donnie Yen with Nicholas Tse, who co-starred with him in Bodyguards and Assassins (a period piece that underutilized Yen) and Dragon Tiger Gate (a modern story where three heroes use their martial arts skills to fight injustice). Raging Fire also credits Yen as action director, alongside Kenji Tanigaki and Dede Ku. This film is high-octane and contemporary, giving Yen and Tse plenty of room to showcase their talents both as actors and as fighters.
Iron Monkey (1993)
Director Yuen Woo-ping’s martial arts classic features Donnie Yen as the second lead to Yu Rongguang’s costumed titular hero. In the film, Yu plays a doctor who secretly becomes a masked martial artist to fight injustice. Yen portrays Wong Kei-ying, another doctor with exceptional martial arts skills and the father of the legendary Chinese folk hero Wong Fei-hung (played by Jet Li in the Once Upon a Time in China films). Suspected of being the Iron Monkey himself, Yen’s character attempts to prove his innocence, only to realize that he and the masked hero share the same sense of justice. The film culminates with the two teaming up, much to the delight of martial arts fans everywhere. Not only is it one of the best Donnie Yen movies, but it also stands as one of the finest martial arts films ever made.
Honorable Mention: Blade II (2002)
In Guillermo Del Toro’s sequel to the 1998 comic book adaptation, which outperformed its predecessor at the box office ($155 million versus the original’s $131.2 million), Donnie Yen was brought in to play Snowman, a vampire with serious fighting skills. Yen was also hired as fight choreographer and martial arts coordinator, roles perfectly suited to his expertise in multiple martial arts, blade combat, and other fighting styles. Being recognized as one of China’s first mixed martial artists certainly didn’t hurt.
While his limited screen time leaves viewers wanting more of him as Snowman (Yen himself noted that the experience of making the film was far from ideal), the movie remains significant in his career. It’s not one of the very best Donnie Yen films, but it played a role in bringing him back to Hong Kong cinema, leading to movies like Seven Swords and Kill Zone… after his encounter with Jackie Chan in Shanghai Knights, of course.
Indeed, Yen’s career has been varied and filled with strong performances on both the acting side and on the martial arts side of things. Years ago, he spoke with Editor-In-Chief Chris Bumbray and cited Chasing the Dragon, a non-fighting film, as one that he was particularly proud of. The fact that he grew up both in Hong Kong and Boston should give him an advantage in being cast in American action film, as his English is perfect, but looking over his career, it’s clear that the Chinese film industry is, understandably, his priority. Of course, the man has been involved in many more movies than just these listed here, and all of them are basically must-see entertainment.
Which ones did we miss that are necessary to know his body of work and why? Let us know in the comments what you think the best Donnie Yen movies are!
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