
James Lew
Explore the best James Lew movies ranked by Movie Rankings users. The current highest-ranked actor credit here is Rush Hour. Browse 3 ranked credits, plus biography and full filmography.
James Jene Fae Lew (born September 6, 1952) is an American actor and martial artist. Raised in South Central Los Angeles, James Lew's destiny was to answer a cattle call in Hollywood for the hugely popular Kung Fu (1972) television series. He went on to star in the now collectible Hong Kong film, Young Dragon (1976). He made the move to big budget studio films in 1984. John Carpenter handpicked him as the Martial Arts Choreographer for 20th Century Fox's now cult film, Big Trouble in Little China (1986). Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Steven Seagal, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Mel Gibson, Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Dwayne Johnson, David Carradine, Chuck Norris, Dennis Quaid, Kurt Russell, Madonna, Charlie Sheen, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Kathleen Turner, Sylvester Stallone, Brandon Lee, Snoop Dogg and the list goes on and on. James was voted "Favorite Action Star" by fans of Inside Martial Arts magazine. Internet fans voted him into the Hall of Fame in the Martial Arts History Museum. Inside Kung Fu Magazine inducted him as one of the "Martial Arts Greats" alongside legends as Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, Steven Seagal, Jean-Claude Van Damme, and his longtime friend Jackie Chan. Hit Parader Magazine dubbed him "the king of big-screen martial arts villains." From the deadly killer in Red Sun Rising (1994) to the deadly fighter in the comedy spoof Hot Shots 2 (1993), Lew has proven his chops in both drama and comedy. As a stunt/fight coordinator his creative talents shone in the television series The Crow to recent work on the hit video game, The Matrix: Path of Neo (2005). He handpicked elite members for his company, "Hong Kong Wire Action Team," to bring state of the art action to movies. His formula for longevity in the film industry is diversity, hard work and having a whole lot of fun. Most recently, James Lew wrote, directed and starred in a movie inspired by his personal experiences in the business titled 18 Fingers of Death! (2006). The story follows Buford Lee (James Lew), the most famous unknown "B"-minus, low-budget, martial-arts movie star and Ronald Mack (Maurice Patton), a young black kid from the hood. Together they laugh and bond together on their quest to finally make Buford's break out movie, 18 Fingers of Death! (2006).
Top Ranked Credits (3)
What is the best James Lew movie?
Rush Hour is currently the highest-ranked James Lew movie on Movie Rankings based on aggregate head-to-head results from the community.
How many James Lew movies are ranked here?
This page currently tracks 3 ranked credits connected to James Lew.
How often do James Lew rankings update?
These rankings refresh whenever Movie Rankings recomputes global results. This page was last generated from site data on May 8, 2026.
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Best English Action Movies of 1998
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Best English Action Movies
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Best English Comedy Movies of 1998
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Best English Comedy Movies
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Best English Crime Movies of 1998
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Best English Crime Movies
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Best English Movies of 1998
See how Rush Hour compares with other top-ranked english movies from 1998.
Sources & freshness
Last refreshed from site data on May 8, 2026.
























































































































































