Movies like Game of Death (1978)
The best movies like Game of Death (1978) are Game of Death II (1981), Fist of Fury (1972) and Enter the Dragon (1973). If Game of Death hooked you with its drama and action, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedIp Man (2008)7.8/10 from 4,326 votes
- NewestLife After Fighting (2024)Released 2024
- Same seriesGame of Death II (1981)Game of Death
Game of Death II (1981)
In this dark tale of revenge, Bruce Lee "returns" as Billy Lo, whose best friend Chin Ku dies of a sudden illness. But suspicion of foul play arises when a gang tries to steal Ku's coffin at the funeral using a helicopter. When Lo's younger brother Lo hears about the incident, he leaves his Buddhist master to investigate the truth. His trail soon leads him to the Castle of Death, the last place Chin Ku was seen alive. There, he meets and befriends an unlikely ally--a cruel and merciless martial arts expert who is also the tower's master. But when the master dies under mysterious circumstances, Lo ends up dueling with someone far more terrifying.
Why it matches: Same series: Game of Death · both drama & action
SnoozefestMovies like thisFist of Fury (1972)
During the Japanese occupation of Shanghai, Chen Zhen, the star pupil of a recently-deceased martial arts teacher battles a Japanese dojo which seeks the demise of his fighting school.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEnter the Dragon (1973)
A martial artist agrees to spy on a reclusive crime lord using his invitation to a tournament there as cover.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Way of the Dragon (1972)
After a Chinese restaurant in Rome is threatened by the mafia, who will stop at nothing to acquire the property, the owner recruits a family friend in Hong Kong, kung fu expert Tang Lung, to help them defend their business.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Big Boss (1971)
Cheng is a young Chinese mainlander who moves in with his expatriate cousins to work at an ice factory in Thailand. He does this with a family promise never to get involved in any fights. However, when members of his family begin disappearing after meeting the management of the factory, the resulting mystery and pressures force him to break that vow and take on the villainy of the Big Boss.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBloodsport (1988)
An American Army Major goes AWOL to Hong Kong for an outlawed martial arts contest called the Kumite.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLady Bloodfight (2016)
Jane is a beautiful but troubled American girl backpacking through Japan, when her raw street fighting skills draw the attention of Oshima, Japanese karate champion, who recruits and trains her to fight in the vicious, all-female, underground martial arts tournament known as "The Kumite". After months of rigorous preparation, Jane is ready to face off against the deadliest female fighters in the world, including Ling, the Chinese apprentice of Oshima's nemesis. But other nefarious forces lie in the shadows, and Jane and Ling will have to unite on a journey that will take them from the gritty underworld of Hong Kong to the glitz of Macao, before deciding who really is the best female fighter on the planet.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBruce Lee: A Warrior's Journey (2000)
Documentary on the legendary martial artist Bruce Lee, with a focus on the production of his unfinished film Game of Death. Using interviews and behind-the-scenes footage, Lee aficionado John Little paints a portrait of the world's most famous action hero, concluding with a new cut of Game of Death's action finale, reconstructed from Lee's notes and recently-recovered footage.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisIp Man (2008)
A semi-biographical account of Yip Man, the first martial arts master to teach the Chinese martial art of Wing Chun. The film focuses on events surrounding Ip that took place in the city of Foshan between the 1930s to 1940s during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Directed by Wilson Yip, the film stars Donnie Yen in the lead role, and features fight choreography by Sammo Hung.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOng-Bak (2003)
When the head of a statue sacred to a village is stolen, a young martial artist goes to the big city and finds himself taking on the underworld to retrieve it.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOnce Upon a Time in China (1991)
In late 19th-century Canton, legendary hero Wong Fei-Hung battles foreign forces' (English, French and American) plundering of China. When Aunt Yee returns from America totally westernised, Wong assumes the role of protector. This proves difficult when his martial arts school and local militia become involved in fierce battles with foreign and local governments. As violence escalates, even Aunt Yee has to question her new western ideals, but is it possible to fight guns with Kung Fu?
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Invincible Armour (1977)
Hwang Jang Lee is a corrupt Ming guard who frames John Liu for murder. A wanted fugitive, John hides out with a teen who is an expert in the infamous Iron Armor technique, a technique that means the expert can withstand anything. However, Hwang is an expert in it as well as the Eagle Claw's. Can John stop Hwang before it's too late?
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller & action
Five Fingers of Death (1972)
A young boxer joins a martial arts school to increase his skill so he can enter a martial arts competition. He leaves the school when he hears that a local gangster is terrorizing the town. He comes to the aid of a young singer and brings on the wrath of the local gang. He eventually enters the martial arts competition after learning iron palm technique and takes out all competition.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBruce Lee, My Brother (2010)
An action-dramatic biopic of the eponymous martial arts legend as told by his younger brother, Robert Lee. It revolves around Bruce Lee's life as a rebellious adolescent in Hong Kong before he sets off for the USA and conquers the world at the age of 18 with only $100 in his pocket.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCrouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
Two warriors in pursuit of a stolen sword and a notorious fugitive are led to an impetuous, physically-skilled, teenage nobleman's daughter, who is at a crossroads in her life.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFist of Legend (1994)
Chen returns to his school when he finds out that his martial arts teacher has died. When he learns that his school students are harassed by some hooligans, he gears himself up to save them.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRumble in the Bronx (1995)
Keung comes from Hong Kong to visit New York for his uncle's wedding. His uncle runs a market in the Bronx and Keung offers to help out while Uncle is on his honeymoon. During his stay in the Bronx, Keung befriends a neighbour kid and beats up some neighbourhood thugs who cause problems at the market. One of those petty thugs in the local gang stumbles into a criminal situation way over his head.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPolice Story (1985)
Officer Chan Ka Kui manages to put a major Hong Kong drug dealer behind the bars practically alone, after a shooting and an impressive chase inside a slum. Now, he must protect the boss' secretary, Selina, who will testify against the gangster in court.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDrunken Master (1978)
After getting into trouble, a mischievous young man is sent to train under a brutal, but slovenly old beggar, who teaches him the secret of the Drunken Fist.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Chinese Boxer (1970)
Lei Ming, a noble young martial arts student who doesn't know the meaning of giving up. He faces a treacherous, blood-thirsty Japanese karate expert, which leads to many memorable battles as well as several unforgettable training sequences.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDragon: The Bruce Lee Story (1993)
This film is a glimpse into the life, love and the unconquerable spirit of the legendary Bruce Lee. From a childhood of rigorous martial arts training, Lee realizes his dream of opening his own kung-fu school in America. Before long, he is discovered by a Hollywood producer and begins a meteoric rise to fame and an all too short reign as one the most charismatic action heroes in cinema history.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTai-Chi Master (1993)
Falsely accused for cheating in a martial arts competition, two boyhood friends are banished from their Shaolin Temple and go their separate ways. As adults, they join opposing sides in a civil war. When one betrays the other, they settle their differences mano-a-mano.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Raid (2012)
Deep in the heart of Jakarta's slums lies an impenetrable safe house for the world's most dangerous killers and gangsters. Until now, the run-down apartment block has been considered untouchable to even the bravest of police. Cloaked under the cover of pre-dawn darkness and silence, an elite swat team is tasked with raiding the safe house in order to take down the notorious drug lord that runs it. But when a chance encounter with a spotter blows their cover and news of their assault reaches the drug lord, the building's lights are cut and all the exits blocked. Stranded on the sixth floor with no way out, the unit must fight their way through the city's worst to survive their mission. Starring Indonesian martial arts sensation Iko Uwais.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978)
During the Qing Dynasty, a fishmonger is killed by the reigning Manchu government for supporting the anti-government movement; his son manages to escape to Shaolin Temple, where he plans to learn its secretive brand of martial arts to seek revenge.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSPL: Kill Zone (2005)
Chan, an articulate senior detective nearing the end of his career, is taking care of the daughter of a witness killed by ruthless crime lord Po. Martial arts expert Ma is set to take over as head of the crime unit, replacing Chan who wants an early retirement.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMy Wife is a Gangster 3 (2006)
When Aryong, the daughter of a triad boss from Hong Kong is accused of killing the boss of a competing triad, she goes into hiding in Korea. Upon arriving, she is guided by a nimble but loyal Gi-chul and his motley crew, who are assigned to protect her until her return.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBorn to Defence (1988)
Jet, a young soldier at the end of the Second World War must overcome some abusive Americans who are bullying him as well as the Chinese people.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNo Retreat, No Surrender 3: Blood Brothers (1990)
Two feuding brothers of differing political views, one a policeman, the other a martial artist, join forces to avenge the death of their father, a retired agent who was brutally murdered by the mafia.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLife After Fighting (2024)
Retired martial arts world champion Alex Faulkner has settled into a simple life, when the disappearance of two of his students leads to an unthinkable discovery close to home. Just when all hope of finding the children is lost, he locates the imprisoned girls and unsurfaces an international child trafficking operation, which draws him back into the fight of his life against those behind it.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLegend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen (2010)
The Japanese forces occupy Shanghai and slowly start spreading terror in the city. Chen Zhen, who was presumed dead, returns to fight against the Japanese and put an end to their tyrannical rule.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Game of Death?
The closest matches to Game of Death are Game of Death II (1981), Fist of Fury (1972) and Enter the Dragon (1973). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Game of Death?
People who watched Game of Death most often go on to Fist of Fury (1972), Enter the Dragon (1973) and The Way of the Dragon (1972).
What is the highest-rated movie like Game of Death?
Ip Man (2008), rated 7.8/10 by 4,326 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Game of Death?
Life After Fighting (2024) is the most recent release on this list.
Is Game of Death part of a series?
Yes. It belongs to Game of Death, which includes Game of Death II (1981).
How are movies similar to Game of Death chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Game of Death, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.