Movies like The Ninth Layer (2026)
The best movies like The Ninth Layer (2026) are Kung Fu Jungle (2014), Best of the Best 4: Without Warning (1998) and Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame (2010). If The Ninth Layer hooked you with its mystery and adventure, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedHero (2002)7.5/10 from 2,640 votes
- NewestHunting Season (2025)Released 2025
- In ChineseKung Fu Jungle (2014)Also in Chinese
Kung Fu Jungle (2014)
A martial arts instructor working at a police academy gets imprisoned after killing a man by accident. But when a vicious killer starts targeting martial arts masters, the instructor offers to help the police in return for his freedom.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBest of the Best 4: Without Warning (1998)
A group of Russian mobsters have stolen a huge supply of paper for printing U.S. currency, and are now flooding the market with conterfeit bills. When one of the mobsters decides to give herself in and hand over a data CD to the DA, she is shot and killed, but not before handing the disc to an unsuspecting Tommy Lee. Despite working with the police as a martial arts instructor, Lee doesn't go to the cops with the disc, but instead goes on the run, giving the mafia time to kidnap his daughter and hold as a hostage in exchange for return of the disc. Will Tommy ever see his daughter again?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & adventure
SnoozefestMovies like thisDetective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame (2010)
When the future empress Wu Zetian's two courtiers die in a mysterious fire, she gets Di Renjie, a former detective and rebel, released from prison to solve the mystery of the fire.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Ritual Killer (2023)
Unable to process the death of his daughter, Detective Boyd embarks on a hunt for a serial killer who murders according to a brutal tribal ritual: Muti. The only person who can help Boyd is Professor Mackles, an anthropologist who hides an unspeakable secret. The line between sanity and madness thins as Boyd goes deeper into the killer’s world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisDetective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings (2018)
Dee, the detective serving Chinese empress Wu Zetian, is called upon to investigate a series of strange events in Loyang, including the appearance of mysterious warriors wearing Chiyou ghost masks, foxes that speak human language and the pillar sculptures in the palace coming alive.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOverdrive (2017)
Master car thieves square off against French gangsters in the South of France with money, women and lives all on the line.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisStowaway (2022)
A tenacious party girl fights to survive after three thieves commandeer her luxury yacht. Unable to escape and trapped on the yacht at high seas, the prey becomes the hunter as she turns the tables on the intruders and takes matters into her own hands.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMoscow Mission (2023)
Tough Chinese detectives go on a mission to Moscow to hunt down ruthless robbers who have been plaguing the trans-Siberian railway with violence and chaos.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAbsolution (2024)
An aging ex-boxer gangster working as muscle for a Boston crime boss receives an upsetting diagnosis. Despite a faltering memory, he attempts to rectify the sins of his past and reconnect with his estranged children. He is determined to leave a positive legacy for his grandson, but the criminal underworld isn’t done with him and won’t loosen their grip willingly.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like this14 Blades (2010)
Commander Qinglong is the loyal leader of the assassin group that serves the emperor. But when his allies plan a rebellion against the ruler, he finds himself in danger.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDragon (2011)
A sinful martial arts expert wants to start a new tranquil life, only to be hunted by a determined detective and his former master.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Bodyguard (2016)
Wu-Lin is the successor of an ancient, once powerful Chinese clan, the "Iron Feet." After the death of his master, Wu-Lin leaves his rural village for the City of Stone-Cold looking for his fellow apprentice Jiang Li. Along the way, he becomes the bodyguard of Fei-Fei, the daughter of Jia-Shan Li, the richest family in the city, and quickly gets drawn into a mob war in order to protect her.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRaining in the Mountain (1979)
In Ming Dynasty China, the retiring abbot of a Buddhist monastery invites two dignitaries to help him choose a successor, not suspecting that both of them have hired help to steal a priceless parchment kept in the temple.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & adventure
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHunting Season (2025)
When a reclusive survivalist and his daughter rescue a mysterious, wounded woman from a river, they become entangled in a deadly web of violence and revenge, forcing them to confront a brutal criminal to survive.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisIn the Blood (2014)
When her husband goes missing during their Caribbean vacation, a woman sets off on her own to take down the men she thinks are responsible.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Virtuoso (2021)
Danger, deception and murder descend upon a sleepy town when a professional assassin accepts a new assignment from his enigmatic boss.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & action
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Five Venoms (1978)
A dying master sends his last student to check up on five former pupils, who each know a special style of kung-fu.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Infernal Machine (2022)
Reclusive and controversial author Bruce Cogburn is drawn out of hiding by an obsessive fan, forcing the novelist to confront a past that he thought he could escape, and to account for events set in motion by his bestseller decades earlier. Cogburn's search for who is behind the manipulation and mental torment he encounters leads to an emotional roller-coaster ride full of fear and danger, where things are not always as clear as they seem to be, and where past deeds can have dire consequences.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisReign of Assassins (2010)
Set in ancient China, Zeng Jing is a skilled assassin who finds herself in possession of a mystical Buddhist monk's remains. She begins a quest to return the remains to its rightful resting place, and thus places herself in mortal danger because a team of assassins is in a deadly pursuit to possess the remains which holds an ancient power-wielding secret.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHero (2002)
During China's Warring States period, a district prefect arrives at the palace of Qin Shi Huang, claiming to have killed the three assassins who had made an attempt on the king's life three years ago.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisToday You Die (2005)
A former thief who is trying to go straight seeks vengeance on those who framed him.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & adventure
SnoozefestMovies like thisMissing in Action 2: The Beginning (1985)
Prequel to the first Missing In Action, set in the early 1980s it shows the capture of Colonel Braddock during the Vietnam war in the 1970s, and his captivity with other American POWs in a brutal prison camp, and his plans to escape.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisFirewalker (1986)
A pair of adventurers try to track down an ancient Aztec/Mayan/Egyptian/Apache horde of gold.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & adventure
SnoozefestMovies 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: Similar story and style · both action & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisKarate Bear Fighter (1975)
Masutatsu 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.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & adventure
Æon Flux (2005)
400 years into the future, disease has wiped out the majority of the world's population, except one walled city, Bregna, ruled by a congress of scientists. When Æon Flux, the top operative in the underground 'Monican' rebellion, is sent on a mission to kill a government leader, she uncovers a world of secrets.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisMortal Kombat (2021)
Washed-up MMA fighter Cole Young, unaware of his heritage, and hunted by Emperor Shang Tsung's best warrior, Sub-Zero, seeks out and trains with Earth's greatest champions as he prepares to stand against the enemies of Outworld in a high stakes battle for the universe.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & adventure
Worth the HypeMovies like thisUnder Siege (1992)
A disgruntled ex-CIA operative, his assistant and their assembled group of terrorists seize a battleship with nuclear blackmail in mind. They've planned for every contingency but ignore the ship's cook, former Navy SEAL Casey Ryback—an error that could be fatal.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Karate Kid Part II (1986)
Summoned by his dying father, Miyagi returns to his homeland of Okinawa, with Daniel, after a 40-year exile. There he must confront Yukie, the love of his youth, and Sato, his former best friend turned vengeful rival. Sato is bent on a fight to the death, even if it means the destruction of their village. Daniel finds his own love in Yukia's niece, Kumiko, and his own enemy in Sato's nephew, the vicious Chozen. Now, far away from the tournaments, cheering crowds and safety of home, Daniel will face his greatest challenge ever when the cost of honor is life itself.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Legend of Drunken Master (1994)
Returning home with his father after a shopping expedition, Wong Fei-hung is unwittingly caught up in the battle between foreigners who wish to export ancient Chinese artifacts and loyalists who don't want the pieces to leave the country. Fei-hung must fight against the foreigners using his Drunken Boxing style, and overcome his father's antagonism as well.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
Worth the HypeMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Ninth Layer?
The closest matches to The Ninth Layer are Kung Fu Jungle (2014), Best of the Best 4: Without Warning (1998) and Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame (2010). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Ninth Layer?
Start with Kung Fu Jungle (2014), the closest match to The Ninth Layer.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Ninth Layer?
Hero (2002), rated 7.5/10 by 2,640 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Ninth Layer?
Hunting Season (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Chinese movies like The Ninth Layer?
Yes: Kung Fu Jungle (2014), Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame (2010) and Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings (2018).
How are movies similar to The Ninth Layer chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Ninth Layer, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.