The Best Sammo Hung Martial Arts Movies

Key Takeaways

• Sammo Hung’s
  Millionaires Express
  mixes Western-style martial arts with comedy, appealing to fans despite mixed reviews.
• Pedicab Driver
  showcases iconic fight scenes and combines traditional Kung Fu with street fighting, pleasing fans with realism.
• The Magnificent Butcher
  impresses with intense, well-choreographed fight sequences and a blend of humor and martial arts techniques.

The best Sammo Hung martial arts movies prove why he’s a legend and dominates the genre. Known for choreographing the fight sequences in the IP Man series, Sammo shows that he isn’t just a martial artist—he’s a director, actor, and choreographer who marked Hong Kong cinema. Some of his notable works are The Magnificent Butcher, in which he stars, and Wheels on Meals, where he directs, showing that Sammo’s versatility is unmatched.

Dominating genres like action, drama, and comedy, Sammo Hung’s talent wows fans every time. Are these the best Sammo Hung martial arts films? Some of them definitely are, and for those who disagree, perhaps a rewatch will change that perspective.

8 Millionaires Express

Starring Martial Artists Yuen Biao And Cynthia Rothrock

• Running time: 1h 48m
• Director: Sammo Kam-Bo Hung

Sammo Hung directs and stars in Millionaires Express, an action-comedy masterpiece, alongside martial artists Cynthia Rothrock and Biao Yuen. This 1986 movie centers around a train robbery and combines Western-style martial arts like Kung Fu with a great deal of comedy. Some viewers say that Millionaires Express is one of the funniest Sammo Hung martial arts movies, while others find it a complete mess, resulting in a 6.9/10 rating on IMDb.

Despite the mixed reviews, Millionaires Express is a must-watch for martial arts fans. The film offers a blend of intense fight sequences and hilarious comedy, with Cynthia Rothrock’s powerful kicks and Yuen Biao’s impressive athletic stunts making it well worth the watch.

7 Pedicab Driver

Nominated For Best Action Choreography

• Running time: 1h 35m
• Director: Sammo Kam-Bo Hung

In Pedicab Driver, Sammo Hung delivers some iconic martial arts sequences, including the last fight scene, which is masterfully choreographed. It combines traditional Kung Fu mixed with street fighting. Viewers can also see some incredible pole fighting between Sammo and Lau Kar-Leung delivered with perfect camera angles.

Fans also praised the realism of the fights, resulting in a 7.4/10 rating on IMDb. Fans consider this one of Sammo Hung’s best works, combining fast-paced moves, intense action, and his quintessential comedy.

6 Warriors Two

One Of The Earliest Sammo Hung Movies

• Running time: 1h 36m
• Director: Sammo Kam-Bo Hung

Sammo Hung directed and starred in Warriors Two, one of his earliest films, in 1978. The film highlights the Wing Chun combat style with realistic strikes and well-choreographed combat scenes. Martial arts fans think the movie takes some time to pick up the pace, but once it gets going, it delivers a worthwhile cinematic experience.

The plot centers on a young banker who trains under a skilled martial artist to master Wing Chun. The banker is on a journey to learn the art of Wing Chun, so the major part of the movie focuses on martial arts training and combat, delivered through Sammo Hung’s unique direction. Despite the slow start, most viewers consider it one of the best martial arts movies ever made. It is a must-watch for any classic Hong Kong movie fans.

5 Painted Faces

The Best Cinematography Award Winner

• Running time: 1h 52m
• Director: Alex Law

Painted Faces was directed by American writer-producer Alex Law and stars Sammo Hung alongside co-stars Ching-Ying Lam and Pei-Pei Cheng. This action-drama is based on the true story of Sammo Hung, Jackie Chan, and Yuen Biao on their journey of being trained by a harsh master at the Peking Opera School. Viewers will have a deeper knowledge of their struggles, achievements, and bonds gained over the years after watching this film.

This movie won 11 awards and received 8 further nominations. In addition, thanks to Sammo Hung’s performance — who plays himself in the movie — he earned the Asia-Pacific Film Festival award for Best Actor.

4 My Lucky Stars

The Best Trio In Martial Arts Movies Gets Together

• Running time: 1h 39m
• Director: Sammo Kam-Bo Hung

In Lucky Stars, Sammo Hung, Jackie Chan, and Yuen Biao team up for another movie, which had action-comedy fans excited. The plot centers around two police officers, played by Jackie Chan and Yuen Biao, hunting a Japanese criminal. When one of them is taken prisoner, the other forms a group, led by Sammo Hung, to rescue their friend.

The highlights of the film are the energetic and fast action scenes and the fight choreography, which makes it a stand out among the Lucky Stars series.

3 The Magnificent Butcher

An Easy Favorite Sammo Hung Movie Co-Starring Biao Yuen

• Running time: 1h 48m
• Director: Woo-Ping Yuen

The Magnificent Butcher definitely needs to be included in any list of the best Sammo Hung martial arts movies. Directed by Woo-Ping Yuen, this film features intense, well-choreographed fight sequences showing the star’s classic Kung Fu. What fans most like about Sammo Hung’s movies is the blend of humor, emotion, and martial arts techniques he delivers, and The Magnificent Butcher is a standout in each regard.

Sammo Hung’s characters are always fun, relatable, and full of personality. What makes this movie stand out is its smart use of objects as weapons, which makes it interesting to watch. For martial arts fans who aren’t familiar with this movie, it’s time to give it a watch.

2 The Prodigal Son

Best Action Choreography Winner

• Running time: 1h 44m
• Director: Sammo Kam-Bo Hung

Directed by Sammo Hung, The Prodigal Son is a martial arts movie addressing themes of discipline, humility, and growth. Yuen Biao plays a wealthy man who truly believes he’s skilled in Kung Fu. This changes when he encounters a true master.

The film’s reviews are positive, with some fans mentioning the character development, realism, and technique shown in the fight scenes, and naming The Prodigal Son as one of the best Wing Chun movies ever created, earning it a 7.3/10 rating on IMDb.

1 Wheels On Meals

Starring Jackie Chan, Biao Yuen, And Sammo Kam-Bo Hung

• Running time: 1h 48m
• Director: Sammo Kam-Bo Hung

Wheels On Meals is the reason Sammo Hung is known as an incomparable director, actor, and choreographer who always blends action, storytelling, and comedy perfectly. This film revels in the chemistry between the best trio in the martial arts genre—Sammo Hung, Jackie Chan, and Biao Yuen.

In this movie, Sammo Hung plays a private detective who is chaotic and fun to watch. Unpredictable fight sequences also feature in the movie, earning him a nomination for Best Action Choreography at the Hong Kong Film Awards in 1985.