Karate movies
The Deadly Art of Survival1979Real-life kung fu master Nathan Ingram stars in this gritty, low-budget martial arts epic as a local karate school owner who clashes with a gang of drug traffickers posing as the owners of a rival dojo. Director Charlie Ahearn (who helmed the landmark hip-hop film Wild Style) used the housing projects next to his New York Lower East Side apartment as his central location in this 1979 classic, shot on a vintage Super 8 camera.
The Tattoo Connection1978When a diamond is stolen in Hong Kong, the company insuring the diamond sends a former CIA agent to Hong Kong to retrieve it. Meanwhile, one of the thieves begins to have a change of heart because his girlfriend wants him to leave his criminal organization.
Death Dimension1978The Pig has a plan to eradicate some people with a freeze bomb that instantly freezes people to death. It is up to Detective Ash to stop him and protect the woman with the secret to the ice bomb embedded in a microdot under the skin of her forehead.
Good Guys Wear Black1978The former leader of a commando rescue attempt into Vietnam tries to discover why his squad members are being murdered, one-by-one, after the war is over.
Karate Wars1978Maki travels from Japan to Hong Kong and Thailand in order to show the superiority of Japanese karate to those countries' native to martial arts.
Golgo 13: Assignment Kowloon1977Duke Togo (codename: Golgo 13) is a ruthless assassin who's accepted a tricky assignment from an American drug syndicate. His mission is to "rub out" Hong Kong's underworld kingpin. His main obstacle is the relentless Detective 'Smitty' Smith, determined to stop Togo no matter the cost. The result is an explosive adventure through the seamy, violent streets of Hong Kong.
Death Promise1977An apartment dweller goes on a search-and-destroy mission to kill the ruthless landlords who murdered his father.
Karate for Life1977The last of the Masutatsu Oyama trilogy. Oyama takes a job as a professional wrestler in Okinawa, but when he discovers that he is expected to take a dive, he quits in disgust. However, when a friend finds herself in desperate need of medical supplies, Oyama steps back in the ring to raise the money—but will he be able to follow the script this time?
Breaker! Breaker!1977Truck driver searches for his brother, who has disappeared in a town run by a corrupt judge.
Black Belt Karate1977Young man travels to Indonesia to visit relatives and learns the art of karate.
Spy Ring Kokuryukai1976Lady Karate focuses on Yoshiko's mission to persuade China's la emperor, Puyi to leave his comfortable existence in Tientsin and journey back to Manchuria to be the figurehead ruler of Manchukuo under the direction of the Japanese occupiers. She has ten days to finish the job or she'll be obligated to commit hara-kiri at the end of it. She also has enemies among the Japanese military who want to maintain control over Pu Yi themselves.
The Aztec Karate Fighter1976Potter who makes fake pre-Colombian statues gets mixed up with thieves and treasure-hunters at an Aztec art museum.
Death Machines1976Madame Lu has created three "Death Machines," a trio of martial arts experts who have been injected with a special serum, turning them into mindless zombies, capable only of murder, at Lu's command. Tasked with eliminating her enemies, the Death Machines go on a blood-soaked rampage, killing anyone in their path. After they massacre an entire dojo, leaving only one survivor, the Death Machines and Madame Lu herself become the targets of his vengeance...
Sister Street Fighter: Fifth Level Fist1976Kiku Nakakawa, the only daughter of an old kimono shop owner in Kyoto, is enthusiastic about karate. To help her friend Michi avenge her brother, she sneaks into a movie studio in Kyoto where a drug dealing syndicate is based.
Karate Warriors1976Sakata protects a little boy while coping with rival gangs.
Dragon Princess1976A karate master played by Sonny Chiba is attacked and left crippled and blinded in one eye. He trains his daughter (Etsuko Shihomi) with the intention of her avenging not only himself but a murdered friend.
Karate Bear Fighter1975Masutatsu Oyama is recruited by his former Army friend to work for a crew of gangsters, but when they kill both his girlfriend and his best friend, Oyama flees away to a small town where he both learns lessons in martial arts philosophy from a wandering master and helps a young boy take on a challenge to fight a ferocious captured bear to win money for the boy's injured father.
The Return of Sister Street Fighter1975When Koryu's childhood friend Shurei is abducted by gangsters, the desperate young woman recruits a female martial artist and a tough-as-nails stranger to join her for a dangerous rescue mission.
Black Force1975A Blaxploitation flick where four karate experts are hired to retrieve a stolen African witchdoctor fetish doll.
The Man with the Golden Gun1974Cool government operative James Bond searches for a stolen invention that can turn the sun's heat into a destructive weapon. He soon crosses paths with the menacing Francisco Scaramanga, a hitman so skilled he has a seven-figure working fee. Bond then joins forces with the swimsuit-clad Mary Goodnight, and together they track Scaramanga to a Thai tropical isle hideout where the killer-for-hire lures the slick spy into a deadly maze for a final duel.