The portrayal of martial arts in movies has evolved beyond action and entertainment, helping to shape global perceptions of the sport and its cultural roots. Martial arts movies often carry themes like honor, nobility, and personal growth. These values can be seen in characters who face personal struggles, undergo rigorous training, and learn to control their actions. A great example is Ip Man, starring Donnie Yen. In the film, Ip Man is a highly skilled Kung Fu master, known for his calm and caring nature, who avoids fighting unnecessarily. He faces personal struggles as he is forced to leave his home under the Japanese invasion of China.
In earlier years, particularly in Hong Kong cinema, martial arts movies often portrayed martial artists as mysterious, or even one dimensional, like Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon, where his role is characterized by his Kung Fu skills, focusing less on his internal journey. While portrayals like these helped popularize martial arts around the world, they also oversimplified the cultural and personal aspect of martial arts.
Berkeley High School freshman Zoe Dickinson, has been practicing Taekwondo for eight years. For Dickinson, it has not been just a physical discipline, but a source of friendship and mentorship. For Asian American martial arts students like Dickinson, these inaccurate media portrayals shape real world perceptions of the sport, narrowing the outside perspective of martial arts. “I don't want to be like the stereotype, but it (martial arts) definitely plays a part in our culture,” Dickinson said. “I feel like, when I tell people I do martial arts, they kind of assume like, wow, you're so Asian for that.” Alexa Davis, a BHS freshman who practices Kung Fu, describes many martial arts movies as “a lot more showy,” separating the sport from its roots in discipline and personal growth.
Yet many films have captured the true nature of martial arts and its cultural impact. Matt Carton, a BHS english teacher and martial arts movie enthusiast sees martial arts films as more than just physical displays. “To me it’s just a beautiful art form,” Carton said, “Even within that violence, it's not real violence, it's choreography, filmmaking, and expression.” Carton's passion began with Jackie Chan's Police Story films, and eventually grew into a deeper appreciation for both classic and modern martial arts movies. From Bruce Lee’s role in The Big Boss, which portrayed challenged Western stereotypes of Asian men, to Michelle Yeoh in Police Story 3 who challenged gender norms by performing her own stunts. “It’s almost as if everyone was just topping one and other, all these movies sort of speak to different communities.”
As the genre continues to evolve, martial arts movies represent cultural identity and personal growth, not just action and entertainment. When martial artists are portrayed thoughtfully, they can be capable of breaking barriers and stereotypes.