Hong Kong action movies have shaped global cinema like few genres ever have. From Bruce Lee’s kung fu classics to John Woo’s stylish shootouts, the city’s filmmakers inspired everyone from Quentin Tarantino to the Wachowskis. The genre is back in the spotlight thanks to Kenji Tanigaki’s The Furious, which has been riding a wave of glowing reviews.
To mark the occasion of its U.S. release on June 12, 2026, we have ranked ten Hong Kong action movies based on their action, influence on the genre, and pure rewatch value. From timeless classics to the new release everyone is talking about, here are the 10 must-watch action thrillers from Hong Kong cinema.
10. Police Story (1985)
Nobody blends action and comedy like Jackie Chan, and Police Story remains the gold standard of his craft. Chan plays Sergeant Kevin Chan Ka-kui, an honest cop who gets framed for murder by a drug lord he helped put away. What follows is a showcase of innovative action choreography and the kind of death-defying stunts that made Chan a global legend.
There’s an iconic scene where he slides down a pole wrapped in live lights inside a shopping mall. Chan’s gift for physical comedy works wonderfully here, turning every brawl into a slapstick comedy. While it is Chan at his peak, the other films in this list pushed the genre into even bolder territory.
9. Once Upon a Time in China (1991)
Visionary filmmaker Tsui Hark teamed up with a rising Jet Li for this historical epic, and the result was a star-making turn for the ages. Li plays the folk hero Wong Fei-hung in a hero’s journey tale set in 19th-century Foshan, where the martial artist defends his people against foreign exploitation and local corruption.
The fight choreography is exceptional, with Li’s grace and precision elevating every set piece into poetry in motion. Once Upon a Time in China‘s success spawned five sequels and a TV series, cementing its legacy. The landmark kung fu movie earns a well-deserved spot on this list for its mix of action with historical storytelling.
8. Infernal Affairs (2002)
If Infernal Affairs feels familiar, that is because Martin Scorsese adapted it into the Oscar-winning The Departed. The original is a masterful action thriller that trades martial arts for nerve-shredding tension. Tony Leung plays a police mole embedded deep inside a triad, while Andy Lau plays a triad mole climbing the ranks of the police force, with each man racing to expose the other first.
The tight plotting keeps you guessing until the devastating finale, and the two leads deliver career-best performances. While it redefined the Hong Kong crime thriller and deserved a higher spot on the best of Hong Kong cinema, this list ultimately rewards films with more visceral and bone-crunching action.
7. SPL: Kill Zone (2005)
SPL: Kill Zone gave fans a dream matchup of Donnie Yen versus Sammo Hung, representing two generations of martial arts royalty colliding on screen. Yen plays the inspector who is set to replace the ailing detective Chan Kwok-chung, played by Simon Yam, inheriting both his unit and his dangerous mission to bring down the triad boss. The crime lord Wong Po is played by Hung.
The adrenaline-pumping action sequences, including Yen’s legendary alleyway duel with Wu Jing, still feel ahead of their time. The film spawned several sequels, but the original remains unbeaten in terms of action. It is a modern classic just shy of all-time greatness on this list.
6. Fist of Fury (1972)
Bruce Lee’s most brilliant contribution to action cinema, Fist of Fury, is fueled by pure rage and grief. Lee plays Chen Zhen, a martial arts student sworn to avenge his beloved deceased teacher. He takes on the Japanese dojo, which he believes is responsible. Consumed by vengeance, Chen becomes an unstoppable force, and Lee’s ferocious screen presence has never burned brighter.
Sharp-eyed fans can even spot a young Jackie Chan, who worked as an uncredited stuntman on the film. Beneath the fists, the film wrestles with revenge, grief, and the wounds of Japan’s colonial history. It cracks this list because every martial arts film that followed owes Lee a debt.
5. Ip Man (2008)
After over two decades in the industry, Donnie Yen finally got his career-defining role with Ip Man, a biographical drama about the real-life Wing Chun grandmaster who would later teach Bruce Lee. This out-and-out martial arts movie single-handedly revived kung fu cinema for the 21st century and launched a beloved franchise.
Sammo Hung’s epic choreography delivers fast and bone-crunching action. The movie peaked in one of the genre’s greatest modern-day sequences, where a quietly seething Ip Man takes on ten Japanese karatekas after witnessing his friend’s death. Yen’s restrained dignity makes the explosions of violence hit even harder. It earns the middle-of-the-list spot for reigniting an entire genre while telling a deeply human story.
4. Hard Boiled (1992)
John Woo’s final Hong Kong movie before his Hollywood transition is also one of his very best. Hard Boiled is a supremely satisfying cops-versus-robbers thriller in which Chow Yun-fat’s hard-nosed Inspector Yuen teams up with Tony Leung’s undercover agent to take down a ruthless triad.
The elaborate action sequences and epic gunfights remain unmatched. None more so than the climactic hospital shootout, featuring a jaw-dropping long take staged with newborn babies caught in the crossfire. It is action filmmaking at its most audacious. Woo’s bullet-riddled filmography is bound to make it to a best action films list, and none deserves it more than his swan song to Hong Kong cinema.
3. The Killer (1989)
Another iconic John Woo and Chow Yun-fat collaboration, The Killer is the film that made international audiences and critics discover Woo’s action filmmaking genius. Chow plays Ah Jong, an assassin who accidentally blinds a nightclub singer during a shootout. Wracked with guilt, he takes one final job to pay for her surgery, only to be double-crossed by his employers.
Danny Lee gives a top-notch performance as the detective drawn into Ah Jong’s orbit. The film’s themes of redemption give the spectacular action a surprisingly moving soul. An action movie that can shred your nerves and break your heart simultaneously deserves one of the top spots in this list.
2. A Hero Never Dies (1998)
Johnnie To’s brilliant action movie deserves far more recognition than it gets. A Hero Never Dies follows two rival triad enforcers whose loyalty and friendship are tested in the middle of a brutal gang war, with betrayal sitting at the center of it all. When their bosses cast them aside, the rivals find themselves bound by a code their masters abandoned.
Visually impressive and packed with classic action scenes, the film builds to a shocking and standout climax that ranks among the genre’s most unforgettable shootouts. It laid the foundation for 21st-century Hong Kong action cinema, bridging the heroic bloodshed era and everything that came after.
1. The Furious (2026)
Kenji Tanigaki’s revenge thriller is the best advertisement Hong Kong action cinema has had in years. Xie Miao plays Wang Wei, a mute father hunting child traffickers across Southeast Asia after his daughter is kidnapped. His ally is Joe Taslim’s Navin, who is searching for his missing wife, and together they tear through the kidnappers in one insane action sequence after another.
Think Taken meets The Raid, with fight choreography drawing comparisons to The Night Comes for Us, and its Lionsgate release inviting obvious John Wick parallels. With a 97% Rotten Tomatoes score, it is a perfect summertime action movie for moviegoers. FandomWire’s Matt Hambidge called it “a brutal, no-holds barred action thrill ride” in our review of The Furious.
| Ranking | Movies | Where to Watch |
| 1 | The Furious (2026) | In theaters from June 12 |
| 2 | A Hero Never Dies (1998) | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 | The Killer (1989) | Fubo, Kanopy, Tubi |
| 4 | Hard Boiled (1992) | Kanopy, Pluto TV, Tubi |
| 5 | Ip Man (2008) | Hulu, Peacock |
| 6 | Fist of Fury (1972) | Paramount+ |
| 7 | SPL: Kill Zone (2005) | Prime Video |
| 8 | Infernal Affairs (2002) | HBO Max |
| 9 | Once Upon a Time in China (1991) | HBO Max |
| 10 | Police Story (1985) | HBO Max |
Which of these movies is your favorite? Are you excited to catch The Furious in theaters? Let us know in the comments below!
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