Movies like The Challenger (1979)
The best movies like The Challenger (1979) are The Prodigal Son (1981), Enter the Fat Dragon (1978) and Fearless Hyena (1979). If The Challenger hooked you with its action and comedy, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedPolice Story (1985)7.6/10 from 1,129 votes
- NewestAccident Man: Hitman's Holiday (2022)Released 2022
The Prodigal Son (1981)
A rich man's son believes himself to be the best kung fu fighter in Canton. Unfortunately, his father, anxious for his son's safety, bribes all his opponents to lose. After a humiliating defeat at the hands of an actor in a traveling theatre company, the son resolves to find a better teacher.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEnter the Fat Dragon (1978)
Ah Lung is a pig farmer and a devoted Bruce Lee fan who is anxious to follow in Lee's footsteps, but only ridiculed for his attempts. He is sent to the city to earn a living working at his uncle's restaurant, but when he arrives, he finds a gang of thugs causing trouble in the restaurant. He takes the chance to prove himself and attacks the thugs, defeating them and saving the restaurant. Soon, he becomes a waiter, and discovers a plot by the same thugs to kidnap a woman he works with. Eventually, he defeats the thugs once again and saves the day.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFearless Hyena (1979)
Lung is a talented fighter but prefers to spend his time loafing around and picking fights, despite orders from his grandfather not to fight. Unknown to him, a brutal general has been slaughtering all the people from his grandfather’s clan. When the general recognizes Lung’s style of kung fu during one of his street fights, he hunts down Lung’s grandfather and kills him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFearless Hyena 2 (1983)
A pair of evil kung-fu artists, Heaven and Earth, are slaughtering the entire Yin-Yang brotherhood.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisGallants (2010)
Master Law awakes from a 30-year coma without memories, but his martial arts skills are intact. His renowned kung fu academy is now a teahouse, and greedy developers are trying to steamroll it to make way for condos
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Magnificent Butcher (1979)
A plump butcher student of Wong Fei Hung, Lam Sai-Wing gets into trouble with a rival kung-fu school known as Five Dragons. He is accused of raping the Head of that school's goddaughter and killing his son. Now Ko, the Head of Five Dragons, wants revenge.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLegend of the Dragon (1991)
Chow Siu-lung leaves his hometown in order to study kung fu in the city but ends up getting conned by his own uncle instead.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNinja in the Dragon's Den (1982)
A Japanese master of ninjutsu and a Chinese expert in kung fu, put their differences aside after their master is killed by a mortal enemy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMad Monkey Kung Fu (1979)
A disgraced former Kung Fu expert makes a living as a merchant with the help of a hot headed friend. When the men are harassed by gangsters, the merchant decided to teach his friend monkey boxing so they can defend their business.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFist of Fury 1991 (1991)
Lau Ching, a Mainlander with an incredibly powerful right arm, arrives in Hong Kong to find his cousin. He befriends with a drifter named Handsome, and a martial artist girl named Mandy. In order to woo her, Ching participates in a fighting competition in hopes of winning a $10 million prize, and must defeat his love rival, Wai, in the ring.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Legend (1993)
The secret Red Lotus Flower Society is committed to the overthrow of the evil Manchu Emperor and his minions. One of his Governors is sent on a mission to retrieve a list of members of that secret society. Meanwhile, Canton kung fu practitioner Fong Sai-Yuk falls in love with the beautiful daughter of a rich merchant.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisKung Pow: Enter the Fist (2002)
A movie within a movie, created to spoof the martial arts genre. Writer/director Steve Oedekerk uses contemporary characters and splices them into a 1970s kung-fu film, weaving the new and old together. As the main character, The Chosen One, Oedekerk sets off to avenge the deaths of his parents at the hands of kung-fu legend Master Pain. Along the way he encounters some strange characters.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLegend of the Red Dragon (1994)
A young father and his infant son are beset by forces of evil and corruption. They wander China, upholding their sense of honor and protecting the weak. When they are forced into combat, spectacular and hilarious fast-motion kung fu sequences follow. In the end, they must call on all of their abilities in a battle royale, to attempt to vanquish a supernatural man-monster or die trying.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOnce Upon a Time in China II (1992)
Wong Fei-Hung faces the White Lotus Society, a fanatical cult seeking to drive the Europeans out of China through violence, even attacking Chinese who follow Western ways. Wong must also defend revolutionary Dr. Sun Yat Sen from the military.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Young Master (1980)
Youthful martial arts master Lung is searching for his missing brother, when he is mistaken for a criminal on the run. He must prove his innocence by solving the case himself, while local lawmen and merciless mercenaries are hot on his trail.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Paper Tigers (2020)
Three middle aged men polish their martial arts skills to avenge their fallen master.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAccident Man: Hitman's Holiday (2022)
The Accident Man is back, and this time he must best the top assassins in the world to protect the ungrateful son of a mafia boss, save the life of his only friend and rekindle his relationship with his maniacal father figure.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & comedy
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: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDragon Lord (1982)
Dragon and his madcap pal Cowboy spend their days getting into mischief, frustrating the elders, chasing girls, and competing in the village sport. When Dragon overhears a fiendish plot by smugglers to sell China's national treasures overseas, the pair leap into action. Also, Cowboy's wealthy father is kidnapped by the villainous and lethal Big Boss, and the scene is set for a furious martial arts showdown.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNo Retreat, No Surrender 2: Raging Thunder (1987)
In this sequel, Scott Wylde, an American kickboxer, must go to Cambodia to rescue his Vietnamese girlfriend from Russian and Vietnamese troops.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisZatoichi Meets Yojimbo (1970)
Zatoichi treks to a village that has always been a favorite spot of his, only to discover that it’s become a living hell, plagued by feuding father and son yakuza as well as the younger crime boss’s bodyguard, scruffy, smart-mouthed, cash-hungry Yojimbo of legend.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Jade Fox (1979)
In her bid for domination of the kingdom, a wicked woman invites opponents to their doom at her 'Fairyland' estate.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
The Water Margin (1972)
The corruption in the Sung Dynasty of 11th century China is so rampant that it inspires a band of Oriental Robin Hoods - the Honorable 108. Mountain bandits who nevertheless live by a scrupulous code of conduct, the Honorable 108 pledge to end the repression of the brutal overlords.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
The Descendant Of Wing Chun (1978)
Fierceful fighting displays the Wing Chun style of kung fu in this tale of revenge. Evil bandit Ma Lung escapes from prison and seeks revenge on retired Wing Chun teacher Lam Chan, who had helped to imprison him. Ma wreaks havoc on Lam's Wing Chun school and kills a few of Lam's students. Lam has no choice but to avenge his students' deaths at a final showdown confronting Ma. Director Wang Ha creates an unforgettable tale of vengeance that won"t release you from its grips until the final credits.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
The Heroic Trio (1993)
While one tough woman with an invisible robe has stolen 18 babies for her powerful master, two other tough women and the cops try to stop her.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAakhri Muqabala (1977)
A simple tale of kung fu revenge.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
Guards of Shaolin (1984)
A troop of monks from the Shaolin Temple embark on a mission to get the Golden Sutra to Tibet after the Shaolin Abbot is killed by their traitorous teacher. They are joined on their quest by a beautiful, female warrior – with aims to avenge her father's death. They traverse forests and mountains on their mission, all the while fighting off deadly ninja assassins, vicious gangsters and even the undead.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
Lost in Alaska (1952)
After two volunteer firemen rescue a gold prospector from suicide, they discover that the police mistakenly want them for murder.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
The Lavender Hill Mob (1951)
A meek bank clerk who oversees the shipments of bullion joins with an eccentric neighbor to steal gold bars and smuggle them out of the country.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Underdog Knight (2008)
Lao San is a young veteran high in Kungfu power but low in intelligence. After landing on a job as a body guard for a wealthy antique collector, Lao San finds out his boss's plot to rob the National Art Museum.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Challenger?
The closest matches to The Challenger are The Prodigal Son (1981), Enter the Fat Dragon (1978) and Fearless Hyena (1979). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Challenger?
Start with The Prodigal Son (1981), the closest match to The Challenger.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Challenger?
Police Story (1985), rated 7.6/10 by 1,129 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Challenger?
Accident Man: Hitman's Holiday (2022) is the most recent release on this list.
How are movies similar to The Challenger chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Challenger, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.