Martial Arts Movies Available for Netflix Instant Viewing that Make the Roku Worth the Price

I must admit to not being a fan of martial arts chop socky movies myself. I think Asian cinema has really come a long way from its reliance on the cheesy quick zoom and martial arts action of the 1970s, but I'm well aware that there plenty of those who believe that these kinds of movies are the apex of cinematic history. If you are one of those who get a thrill out of watching men and women flying through the air and engaging in one extended karate or kung-fu action sequences after another and you have a Netflix subscription of at least three movies out at once, then you should invest in the Roku device that will allow you to enjoy Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Jet Li and others as often as you wish.

Enter the Dragon: Special Edition.
The Bruce Lee classic by which all other martial arts movies must ultimately be judged is available in a special edition. Not really sure what is so special about this edition and be aware that the Netflix Roku option doesn't include any special features included on a DVD.

The Karate Kid.
Okay, so Ralph Macchio would be down in about two seconds if he ever faced Bruce Lee, but that's not really the point. I'm not a big fan of this movie; I'm not sure I've ever seen it in its entirety. It stands as one of touchstone movies of the 1980s along with Breakfast Club and Back to the Future, however, so you may very well be a huge fan. Go for broke with your Roku.

Drunken Master.
Rumble in the Bronx introduced Jackie Chan to most Americans and many of them sought out his previous work at their local video store after watching it. Drunken Master was one of the movies that really established Jackie Chan as the inheritor of Bruce Lee's mantle and he serves himself well. If you are thrilled by watching a man do stunts without benefit of any other special effect than his own athleticism, then you'll enjoy this or any of the other Jackie Chan movies available for Netflix instant viewing like Thunderbolt.

Once Upon a Time in China, Parts I and II.
What next, Once Upon a Time in Belize? The original and the sequel starring Jet Li. What more do you nee do to hear? If you are a fan of martial arts movies, then you already know Jet Li. Take a look at two movies from the early 90s that established his reputation and brought about a renaissance of interest in chop socky movies in America.

Above the Law.
The way I figure it, if you can sit still for a Steven Seagal movie for two hours, then you deserve some kind of recognition. As for me, I've only occasionally landed on a Seagal movie while channel surfing and for some reason I've been able to identify it as such even before Seagal actually appears on-screen. Netflix this only if you possess that unique ability.

Lone Wolf McQuade.
Take the above paragraph and replace the name Steven Seagal with Chuck Norris. I have never understood this man's popularity nor his ability to even sometimes receive critical support. What's the deal with that?

King Kung Fu.
To judge by the reviews left by both Netflix renters and IMDB viewers, King Kung Fu offers pretty much nothing that would make it worth trip to your TV via the Roku. However, there is something to be said for its utterly silliness. I have only watched about a fifteen minutes of it and though it does indeed seem to have been made by bored college kids over a slow weekend, it has a certain goofy charm. And, besides, isn't the site of a man in a gorilla suit doing kung-fu movies worth at least a look? I mean you've got a Netflix subscription and you've got the Roku. It's not going to cost you anything so go ahead.

18 Fingers of Death.
Back in the mid-1970s when premium cable channels meant that that only about ten movies were available each month and they would air for five nights straight, I can remember watching a movie called Five Fingers of Death. The scene that that has never left my impressionable mind is one in which one guy jabs his fingers into another guy's eye sockets and when he pulls them out there are no longer any eyeballs there. Very entertaining to an 11 year old boy. This one features over three times as many fingers and should be three times as entertaining. I can't vouch for that assumption, however, because I am simply not in a place in my life at this time to bring myself to watch a martial arts movie about a guy named Buford Lee. It's a comedy, just in case you couldn't tell, although apparently not much of a comedy.

Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior.
Never seen it. Haven't even heard of it. But it's a got a Netflix rating equal to Enter the Dragon so maybe it is worthwhile if you are into martial arts action movies and it might just be enough to make your Netflix Roku investment worth it.