Donnie Yen's 10 Best Martial Arts Fight Scenes, Ranked (2025)

Donnie Yen has contributed to some unbelievable martial arts fight scenes, with some standing out as the best in his career. The Hong Kong actor and action star has been one of the most marketable martial artists in the industry, with a career dating back to the 1980s. His popularity grew through the '90s and 2000s but reached international acclaim in the 2010s with the Ip Man films and his roles in the American films Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and XXX: Return of Xander Cage. In 2023, Yen starred in John Wick: Chapter 4.

Donnie Yen's advanced and innovative fight scenes largely define his career. He's skillful in various martial arts, having directed and choreographed films as well as starring in them. At the age of 60 and with over 60 films under his belt, Yen is still kicking butt and delivering even more iconic fights.

10 John Wick: Chapter 4 - Donnie Yen's Intro

John Wick: Chapter 4 was met with critical and commercial acclaim, with Donnie Yen's performance as Caine being a standout. Caine first arrives at the Osaka Continental to kill John Wick and finds himself in a huge melee with John, Shimazu Koji, and Koji's men. All the fights are epic, with Donnie Yen getting to show off his skills as the blind assassin character. Donnie Yen has been wasted in Hollywood action films before, but John Wick allowed him to do what he does best, even utilizing his signature Ip Man punches.

9 The Lost Bladesman - Donnie Yen vs. Wang Xuebing

The Lost Bladesman is a historical biographical war film where Donnie Yen plays the Chinese military general Guan Yu. By the time Guan Yu goes up against Wang Xuebing's character Wang Zhi, he's already killed quite a few important people. But their fight is particularly fun due to the use of different weaponry. Guan Yu's spear against Wang Zhi's sword creates an exciting battle where both fighters are forced to use distinctly different fighting styles. Donnie Yen showcases a mastery of the large polearm weapon, proving he can fight with anything.

8 Iron Monkey - Donnie Yen vs. Shaolin Monks

Iron Monkey is one of Donnie Yen's earliest starring roles, shortly after his break-out in the industry. While many of Yen's greatest fights see him in vicious, back-and-forth confrontations, the Iron Monkey fight scene sees him calmly taking on some armed goons with nothing but his fists. Faced off against several evil Shaolin monks carrying blades, Yen never expresses any fear and sends them running after a three-minute encounter. The Iron Monkey battle offers a taste of Donnie Yen's work in wire fu, a film technique that mixes wirework and kung fu.

7 Hero - Donnie Yen vs. Jet Li

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Donnie Yen's fight with Jet Li is not only one of Yen's best fight scenes, it's one of the most epic sword fights of all time. Hero is a great wuxia film filled with amazing sword battles, but the duel between Jet Li's Nameless and Donnie Yen's Sky stands out due to the stars involved. Both actors are iconic martial artists and have faced off on screen multiple times. Combined, they bring a level of action talent to their battles that very few movie star combinations could muster, and the fantastical wuxia wire fu elements and serene musical score elevate the clash.

6 Kung Fu Jungle - Donnie Yen vs. Prison Inmates

Kung Fu Jungle sees Donnie Yen as a martial arts expert and policeman who was imprisoned for accidentally killing someone. When a serial killer begins targeting martial arts masters, the police release Yen's character to help them catch the killer. Dressed in his prison uniform, Yen gets into a brutal brawl with the other inmates, bringing his electric combat skills against the clearly outmatched herd of opponents.

5 Legend Of The Fist - Dojo Fight

Legend of the Fist is a martial arts film that sees Donnie Yen taking on the mantle of Bruce Lee's iconic hero character, Chen Zhen, from the film Fist of Fury. It's not the best reboot, but Donnie Yen still brings his signature prowess in a dojo fight scene against dozens of henchmen. Heavily outnumbered, Donnie Yen still appears in control, eliminating the goons before taking on the villain Chikaraishi himself. Channeling the Bruce Lee energy, Donnie Yen rips off his bloodied shirt and turns the tide in the fight, clobbering Chikaraishi to the floor.

4 Ip Man 2 - Donnie Yen vs. Kung Fu Masters

Ip Man 2 is one of the best Donnie Yen movies and brought some top-quality action sequences. The film follows Donnie Yen's Ip Man arriving in Hong Kong to open a martial arts academy, where he must fight the city's kung fu masters to prove himself. The fight requires Yen and his opponents to balance on a round table while going at it, raising the stakes for the duel with limited space. While the fight ends in a stalemate, Yen manages to prove himself. The film's climactic fight against the boxer Twister is also entertaining and has the advantage of being eight minutes long.

3 Kill Zone - Donnie Yen vs. Wu Jing

Also titled SPL: Sha Po Lang, Kill Zone contains one of the most raw and intense fight scenes ever put on film. This unique look is because much of the combat is improvised between Donnie Yen and Chinese actor and martial artist Wu Jing. Their fight goes on for nearly three minutes, with Wu's knife clashing against Yen's baton. Wu manages to land some slashes early on, but Donnie Yen is able to grab hold of his opponent's knife and gruesomely eliminate him.

2 Flash Point - Donnie Yen vs. Collin Chou

The 2007 Hong Kong film Flash Point isn't one of Donnie Yen's best films, but the clash between him and Taiwanese actor and martial artist Collin Chou is one of his best sequences. In a scene that starts with men holding guns, the firearms are quickly dropped and replaced by the martial artists' fists. The bloody brawl goes on for seven minutes, taking on multiple forms and styles as the two ferociously trade blows, with Donnie Yen finally coming in for the win by jumping onto Chou's shoulders for a rear naked choke.

1 Ip Man - Donnie Yen vs. 10 Karate Masters

Ip Man is the film where Donnie Yen cemented himself as one of the greatest martial arts stars ever. The movie was unanimously acclaimed for having some of the best fight scenes ever put on film, and Donnie Yen's fight against the ten black belts is the best of his career. With solely hand-to-hand combat, Yen brutally takes on all ten opponents one at a time with rapid fist punches until one man is left. Yen clobbers him in the head before laying him out and realizing the carnage he's dealt. Ip Man sees Donnie Yen as an unrelenting force unmatched in cinema.