Martial arts films of the 1940s

47 films: 43 boxing films, 2 jidaigeki (period dramas), 1 martial arts films, 1 samurai films.

1940

• City for Conquest (1940) – Anatole Litvak
• Golden Gloves (1940) – Edward Dmytryk
• The Notorious Elinor Lee (1940) – Oscar Micheaux

1941

• Bowery Blitzkrieg (1941) – Wallace Fox
• Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941) – Alexander Hall
• Knockout (1941) – William Clemens
• Ringside Maisie (1941) – Edwin L. Marin
• The 47 Ronin (1941) – Kenji Mizoguchi
• The Art of Self Defense (1941) – Jack Kinney
• The Miracle Kid (1941) – William Beaudine
• The Pittsburgh Kid (1941) – Jack Townley

1942

• Gentleman Jim (1942) – Raoul Walsh
• Kurama Tengu (1942) – Daisuke Itō
• Sunday Punch (1942) – David Miller

1943

• Harlem (1943) – Carmine Gallone
• Kid Dynamite (1943) – Wallace Fox
• Nitôryû kaigen (1943) – Daisuke Itō
• Sanshiro Sugata (1943) – Akira Kurosawa
• The Champion (1943) – Carlo Borghesio
• The Man from Down Under (1943) – Robert Z. Leonard
• To Duck or Not to Duck (1943) – Chuck Jones

1944

• The Contender (1944) – Sam Newfield

1945

• Come Out Fighting (1945) – William Beaudine
• The Great John L. (1945) – Frank Tuttle

1946

• Champion Without a Crown (1946) – Alejandro Galindo
• Gentleman Joe Palooka (1946) – Cy Endfield
• Joe Palooka, Champ (1946) – Reginald LeBorg
• Mr. Hex (1946) – William Beaudine
• The First Glove (1946) – Andrey Frolov
• The Kid from Brooklyn (1946) – Norman Z. McLeod

1947

• Body and Soul (1947) – Robert Rossen
• Fright Night (1947) – Edward Bernds
• Joe Palooka in Fighting Mad (1947) – Reginald LeBorg
• Joe Palooka in the Knockout (1947) – Reginald LeBorg
• Killer McCoy (1947) – Roy Rowland

1948

• Leather Gloves (1948) – William Asher
• Rabbit Punch (1948) – Chuck Jones
• Whiplash (1948) – Lewis Seiler

1949

• Champion (1949) – Mark Robson
• Diez segundos (1949) – Alejandro Wehner
• Duke of Chicago (1949) – George Blair
• Fighting Fools (1949) – Reginald LeBorg
• Joe Palooka in the Big Fight (1949) – Cy Endfield
• Joe Palooka in the Counterpunch (1949) – Reginald LeBorg
• No Way Back (1949) – Stefan Osiecki
• Ringside (1949) – Frank McDonald
• The Set-Up (1949) – Robert Wise

Data: Wikidata (CC0 1.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.