Inspired by Late Night Peep Show's excellent Little Ninjai cartoon, us G4-ians decided to start brushing up on our martial arts flicks and come up with a list of the best flicks of the genre. After a weekend of sitting around the house, watching TV in our underwear and eating popcorn while dressed in a white tablecloth (hey, we work with what we got!), we came up with the list below.

Now, you can argue of course, and there's certainly many more that didn't make the cut. But we feel these rep the genre pretty well and that if you started with this batch under your black belt, you'd be primed for a good ol' fashioned argument with any movie buff as to what is what, and who is the most worthy of hero worship. And if the argument turns violent and you have to protect yourself, well, then you'll be ready for that too. A little ol' fashion ass kicking never hurt anyone, right (except for your opponent!). 'Cause in this post Crouching Dragon, Hidden Tiger world, with the influx of new school martial arts epics riding high in the form of Hero, House of Flying Daggers, The Promise, and many more, the timing couldn't be better for a list like this. Believe me, you'll thank us later.

So let’s take a look back at some martial arts flicks from back in the day, and celebrate the classics, shall we?

The Chinese Connection a.k.a. Fist of Fury (1972)
Admirably remade in 1994 by Jet Li as Fist of Legend, this is one of Bruce Lee’s best films. Less stylized and on a smaller budget than, say, Enter the Dragon, this film is for the hardcore Lee fans who wanna see the master at work. Here, there ain’t no arenas or bikini babes to distract ya from the bloodshed. Nope, this is back-alley brawlin’, baby, and it gets no rawer.

Enter the Dragon (1973)
This is the widely considered the best martial arts film of all time, and it’s certainly the most influential. The set-up has been repeated a million times: a young, poor, streetwise kid with superb skills is spotted by a rich bad guy with a penchant for gladiator-like arena death matches, who has gathered the greatest fighters in the world to his island fortress to battle till only one stands. Our hero has to earn some cash (or seek revenge, or both -- depending on the film) so he accepts and is whisked off to prove he is a true champion. But the reason this film stands alone is because Bruce Lee is simply breathtaking to watch. His moves are fast as lightning and he oozes charisma in every scene. There’s a reason the man’s name is still spoke with reverence -- he was truly the greatest ever. (For a really bad b-movie remake of this flick, go find Kill, And Kill Again! starring James Ryan. It's craptacular to the max!)

Shaolin Master Killer a.k.a. Master Killer, 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978)
Directed by Lau Kar-Leung and starring Gordon Liu, this 'un is among the most respected martial arts films in the genre. The story of a young man who joins the Shaolin Temple when the Manchus kill his family and eventually seeks revenge, Master Killer is loosely based on the story of kung fu's origins. Shaolin was a technique used by a select group of monks who weren't happy to share their techniques with the public, so they created a secret style. Fans of Wu Tang Clan will have to score this as it’s basically the film that influenced their whole philosophy and sound. Many Wu Tang soundbytes are pulled from here, one of their rappers named himself after this flick, and their debut album and name are taken from it, too. Now that's street cred!

Five Deadly Venoms (1978)
Fearing that the skills he has taught his pupils are being used for evil, the dying master of the Poison Clan dispatches his last pupil on a mission to find a retired colleague and warn him that his is going to be robbed by some of his former students. But these are no ordinary pupils, they are five of the deadliest fighters in the world, each an expert in his own lethal combat style: The Centipede, The Snake, The Scorpion, The Lizard, and The Toad. This is the one that started the whole trend of having a bad guy force where each dude has his own special fighting skill and powers. Video games like Mortal Kombat were greatly influences by this concept, and it even inspired the name of a really bad Miami rap group!

The Kid with the Golden Arm a.k.a. Jin Bei Tong (1979)
The Kid with the Golden Arm has a terrific setup: the hero has invincible arms that can not be penetrated by the blades or other weapons. His arms are his weapons and once he disarms his enemy, they do not stand a chance. But watch out for Iron Feet, a nemesis who kills his enemies with his feet. His kicking style may be the only match for The Kid’s power arms. Who will in their battle to the death? Go rent it and find out!