This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

I enjoyed this movie as an overview of the martial arts film genre; however, I must admit that I'm just a casual fan who watches these movies when I encounter them on TV but doesn't really seek them out. I recognized most of the names of the major artists covered in this film and did come away with more respect for the performers and their craft. That being said, if I'd been a devoted follower of the genre, I would've been disappointed. Even I could tell that it only skimmed the surface of martial arts films, focusing primarily on those featuring names recognizable to the American film-goers. I liken it to being a big fan of a music group who's happy that the group is finally being recognized in commercials, soundtracks, etc., but disappointed that only the group's most popular songs are used time and time again, while the lesser known, but often superior, songs are ignored. On a final note, I found the narration and little animation shorts inserted between the film clips really poor and simplistic. I would've appreciated the film more if it had been narrated by an actual participant in the martial arts genre and if the simplistic animation segments were deleted entirely.

Having viewed Cinema of Vengeance and The Art of Action, I was on a quest to find a film that was an update on the current status of the martial arts genre in those two movies' same style, and this is it. A hilarious and fun look into the history of the genre, this film takes its own approach. The normal everyday guy who loves these films wants to tell you about them in everyday speaking and charming animation. I applaud the movie for sticking with this style. Its less formal than any documentary you may ever see, but its completely relatable in the excitement one may have for these movies.The movie follows the history of martial arts cinema, basically. The Art of Action did a better job of going in chronological order compared to this film, which jumps back and forth in the timeline. This can be excused though since it wants to group everything together that belongs in a certain category. The film's strong point though is that its up to date and covers more than The Art of Action did, being 9 years newer. A lot has happened in the genre and that's what I wanted to see. This film is heavy on using clips from several movies which is great. It gets you interested in some of the films shown.Some personal highlights for me: -Seeing Jacky Wu Jing get a mention! He is a very underrated modern star of the genre who deserves more serious roles. Sadly nothing was mentioned about Fatal Contact, an awesome movie that he stars in. -Showing how Hollywood ripped off Police Story, with side-by-side comparisons to prove it! -Everything about Bruce Lee was covered, and acknowledged that Bruce-splotation was terrible.My minor complaints: -Footage from Legend of the Drunken Master was used instead of Drunken Master II. The former release of the film had dull sound effects, a butchered soundtrack and a changed ending. Even though it was stated once in this film as Drunken Master II, the footage was not of that and was not stated about the American changes. -Sammo Hung deserved a bigger chunk of the film. He was breezed over and just sort of mentioned. What he has done for the genre is immense. -Yuen Biao was not mentioned at all! How can you have Jackie and Sammo and no Yuen?? -Woo Ping should of also got his own section of the movie. His contributions to the genre as a director and choreographer are legendary.For a big martial fan like myself, this movie is a godsend. It is a welcome update to The Art of Action. It makes you appreciate the genre and may get you interested in some new films you haven't seen. To any newcomer to the genre who may have seen only a hand full of martial arts films, this is a great film to see where the genre came from, where it's going, and what is out there for you to start watching. I recommend it to anyone!

For those of you who enjoyed the two documentaries by Mark Hartley, Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation! (2008), Machete Maidens Unleashed! (2010) or enjoyed watching American Grindhouse (2010)will probably enjoy this entertaining film about the kung fu/wuxia genre.This documentary starts in silent era, moves quickly into 60's & 70's with names like King Hu, Cheh Chang, Bruce Lee, Gordon Liu etc.80's & 90's dominates by names like Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Tsui Hark and of course John Woo.2000's with names like Donnie Yen, Stephen Chow etc and also what the future for this genre may be with films like Kung Fu Panda (2008)becoming box office hits.The film also depicts the women who did kung fu films such as Pei-pei Cheng, Michelle Yeoh and Cynthia Rothrock.Critics may say that the documentary only deals with the biggest names, most well known, renowned films of this genre but this film serves its purpose as an brilliant introduction and summary.The biggest flaw for this writer, is the lack of interviews & anecdotes that makes for example Mark Hartleys films so highly entertaining. But despite this I think anyone with interest for kung fu/wuxia films should see this.

Found out about Films of Fury through some Kung-Fu fan friends of mine, and thought I'd look into it... It was truly awesome. As a film enthusiast, I learned a lot about Kung-Fu in film, its history and influence on pop-culture. This chronicles Kung-Fu films as far back as "The Magnificent Butcher" and comes to more recent films like Kung Fu Panda. Ric Meyers (the writer) claimed that Kung Fu Panda is the greatest Kung-Fu film that America has produced, due to its complete representation of "The Full Glory" of Kung Fu... Spirituality and the betterment of one's skill. I learned A LOT. I write screenplays and will produce movies one day, so this is a film I'll keep at hand whenever the DVD comes out. You can catch it on-demand, it truly is a hidden gem.