Last month, I saw a bunch of movies on the Criterion Channel that caught my eye. They were starring an actor named Sammo Hung, a guy whom I had heard about in my martial arts movie love, but I was embarrassed that I had only seen a few of them.

Well, I sat down and spent a month watching these films, and I got obsessed with the action and with him as an actor.

Today, I wanted to bring you some of my favorites.

Let's dive in.

1. Eastern Condors (1987)

This movie feels like Sammo basically watched The Dirty Dozen and Rambo, said "hold my beer," and then made a movie more insane than both. He plays a convicted soldier leading a bunch of other scumbags on a suicide mission in Vietnam. And it rocks. The script is basically an excuse to get from one jaw-droppingly dangerous stunt to the next.

2. The Prodigal Son (1981)

This movie contains a perfect character arc. A spoiled rich kid (Yuen Biao) thinks he's a kung fu master because his dad pays people to lose to him. Then he gets his ass handed to him for real and has to learn from the ground up. Sammo directs and plays one of the masters, and he fills every frame with some of the most authentic fighting ever filmed.

3. Project A (1983)

Okay, so this is technically a Jackie Chan movie, but Sammo’s fingerprints are all over it. He co-directed and co-stars as the lovable rogue Fei. This is the "Three Dragons" (Sammo, Jackie, Yuen Biao) at the absolute peak of their powers. The chemistry is off the charts.

4. Ip Man 2 (2010)

Yeah, it's a Donnie Yen movie. But Sammo choreographs the fights and steals the show as the rival master, Hung Chun-nam. His table-top fight against Donnie is an all-timer, a chess match between two legends.

5. Wheels on Meals (1984)

The Three Dragons go to Barcelona in a fish-out-of-water action-comedy that’s firing on all cylinders. Sammo directs and plays the goofy private-eye sidekick. The whole thing is light, fun, and an absolute blast to watch, and then it ends with what might be the single greatest one-on-one fight ever filmed: Jackie Chan vs. Benny "The Jet" Urquidez. Sammo knew exactly what he had with those two and just let the cameras roll.

Summing It Up 

I know I need to see more of his movies, but these are the ones that were immediately accessible to me and that made me so excited about seeking out others. Criterion has a bunch I haven't watched, so I am digging into them now, and I can firmly say they have some of the most stunning action I've ever witnessed, even compared to Jackie Chan movies.

Let me know what you think I should watch in the comments.

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