Everyone loves a good martial arts movie every once in a while. There's something inherently appealing about them. Maybe it's the physicality and choreography on display, or maybe it's the hidden storytelling that goes on in every fight. Either way, they're a staple of the action genre, and they're still going strong after hundreds of separate titles.

Tubi just so happens to have every martial arts movie under the sun, even including some of the most obscure and legally-dubious productions in all of their grainy glory. If you ever wanted to see some classic martial arts films or some of the wildest directions the genre has ever gone in, you're in luck. These are just some of the best martial arts films coming to Tubi in August 2023.

Drunken Master (1978)

Drunken Master, one of the most influential kung fu comedies, is an absolute staple of the genre you can't afford to miss. Directed by Yuen Woo-ping, Drunken Master sees Jackie Chan playing Wong Fei-hung, a mischievous man forced into training under a martial arts master named Beggar So. But, after neglecting his training and subsequently getting beaten down by Yim Tit-sam, Wong Fei-hung takes up a secret form of "Drunken Boxing" in order to set himself straight.

Loosely inspired by real figures and Chinese folk heroes, Drunken Master features fights based on the traditional "Hung Ga" system, which the real Wong Fei-hung was a practitioner of. It also incorporates several comedic elements throughout its brisk runtime, with Jackie Chan facing off against bizarre opponents or incorporating jokes into its interstitial moments. Drunken Master would even spawn multiple sequels, the most popular of which being The Legend of Drunken Master.

The Paper Tigers (2020)

An underrated martial arts film that flew by in 2020, The Paper Tigers has a pretty unique premise. A group of three kung fu prodigies have grown into washed-up, middle-aged men. But, when their old master is murdered at the hands of a mysterious perpetrator, they put aside their aging bodies and adult responsibilities in order to avenge their master's passing.

Directed by Bao Tran in his feature-length directorial debut, inspiration for The Paper Tigers came directly from the kind of martial arts films that were more about fun than drama. Notable for being a Kickstarter success after failing to find a home at a major studio, The Paper Tigers is something you won't typically find elsewhere. Everyone on screen is having an absolute blast, and that fun translates into the viewing experience.

The Invincible Pole Fighter (1984)

The Invincible Pole Fighter – or The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter – is simply stunning. From the mind of Lau Kar-leung, this frenetic flick sees Gordon Liu (Kill Bill) playing the fifth son of the Song general Yeung Yip. When Yeung Yip is captured and subsequently killed by the Liao dynasty, the fifth son ends up finding refuge in a Buddhist monastery. But as his past is seemingly put behind him, his sister is captured by the same forces that killed his father, forcing him to break his Buddhist vows of peace.

A surprisingly somber revenge film, this martial arts adventure trades laughs for drama and viciousness during its climactic battles. The film's signature weapon, a wooden pole, is as much a character as the rest of the cast, dazzling with the dozens of different ways it's utilized. The Invincible Pole Fighter is perfect if you want a martial arts film with a bit more seriousness to it.

Master of the Flying Guillotine (1976)

Master of the Flying Guillotine is arguably the most surreal martial arts film in all of Tubi. A sequel to Jimmy Wang Yu's One-Armed Boxer, this utterly-kooky flick sees the One-Armed Boxer return as he's being stalked by a mysterious assassin. When the call of a martial arts tournament draws him and a group of his students into the open, the assassin finds their time to strike.

Probably the only thing in existence given an homage by both Quentin Tarantino and the Wu-Tang Clan, Master of the Flying Guillotine is nothing but fun entertainment. It doesn't waste your time and knows what it's trying to be: an entertaining, off-the-wall, and, most importantly, fun martial arts film with one of the most viscerally cool antagonists ever put to screen.

Related: 15 Martial Arts Movies With a Sense of Humor

The Protector (2005)

The Protector – known internationally as Tom-Yum-Goong – stars Tony Jaa after his breakout role in 2003's Ong Bak: The Thai Warrior. An international adventure, Jaa stars as Kham, a descendent of the King of Thailand's royal guard. Raised alongside the king's war elephants, his elephant "family" is soon stolen by a group of poachers, forcing Kham into the middle of Australia on an impromptu rescue mission.

The action on offer here is borderline indescribable. Tony Jaa's choreography is the absolute highlight of The Protector, building up to a lengthy one-take fight sequence that's sure to leave you breathless. It's a fantastic introduction to Tony Jaa's extensive body of work.

Ong Bak: The Thai Warrior (2003)

Speaking of Tony Jaa, we also have Ong Bak: The Thai Warrior. While Jaa would direct and star in the two prequels to Ong-Bak, Prachya Pinkaew is in the director's chair here. Jaa plays Ting, a remote villager skilled in Muay Thai as he spends his days in rural Thailand. But, when the head of an ancient Buddha statue is suddenly stolen, Ting takes it upon himself to travel to Bangkok and personally take it back by force.

Ong-Bak was, for a good number of people, their first exposure to Muay Thai as a martial art. A lack of CGI and other filmmaking tricks makes each fight feel all the more authentic, and Jaa's athletic choreography as a whole has been compared to the likes of Bruce Lee and Jet Li.

Related: Best Wuxia and Chinese Martial Arts Movies, Ranked

Dragon (2011)

Directed by Peter Chan, 2011's Dragon sees Donnie Yen and Takeshi Kaneshiro starring in a unique fusion of martial arts and film noir. Yen plays a reformed warrior who has since abandoned his bloodthirsty ways for a life of peace. But, when he's forced into defending himself, he draws the attention of a curious detective who can't help but investigate further, pulling the two into a fight for survival against forces way beyond their control.

The combination of two starkly different genres works incredibly well in Dragon. There are two degrees of tension working here based on how deep the rabbit hole goes and whether our protagonists can fight their way out of it. Even Donnie Yen, who you may associate more with eye-catching choreography, puts on a more subdued and nuanced performance here.

Ip Man (2008)

Not much needs to be said for Ip Man. This late 2000s film brought Wing Chun to the West in a dramatic account of the eponymous martial artist's life. Set before and during the Sino-Japanese War, Donnie Yen stars as the titular Wing Chun master in a gripping examination of what it takes to survive. When Ip Man's martial arts practice is shuttered during the Japanese occupation of his home, he may find himself igniting a spark that leads to a wider revolution.

Combining some genuine drama in-between some brilliant fight scenes, with one scene, in particular, seeing Donnie Yen beating down ten opponents at once, it's a martial arts film with a bit more substance than you'd typically expect.

Blind Fury (1989)

Originally released in 1989, the same director behind Salt and Clear and Present Danger has also directed Blind Fury. Blinded during his enlistment in Vietnam, Rutger Hauer returns to the United States after being treated by a rural village. He's now a bona fide blind swordsman, and upon visiting the home of his friend, he quickly gets wrapped up in a deadly crime syndicate that threatens the life of a newly-orphaned little boy.

Between some surprisingly entertaining choreography and compelling performances between Rutger Hauer and Brandon Call, Blind Fury is a cult classic that has been rightfully re-evaluated as such in the modern day.