Movies like First Option (1996)
The best movies like First Option (1996) are Mexicali (2026), Embattled (2020) and Only the Strong (1993). If First Option hooked you with its action and drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedBeast (2026)7.5/10 from 226 votes
- NewestBeast (2026)Released 2026
Mexicali (2026)
A former special forces contractor is forced out of retirement as an avocado farmer in Mexico when local gangsters try to force him and his family off their farm.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEmbattled (2020)
The eldest son of a ruthlessly tough MMA champion must fight his way out of the abusive cycle his father has continued.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOnly the Strong (1993)
Former Green Beret Louis Stevens returns to his hometown of Miami after completing military service in Brazil, only to learn that his old high school has become a haven for gangs and drug dealers. After Stevens uses his capoeira skills to kick several drug dealers off of the school property, Kerrigan, one of Stevens' old teachers, sees the impact that Stevens has on the students. Kerrigan gives him the task of teaching Capoeira to a handful of the worst at-risk students at the school.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like this44 Minutes: The North Hollywood Shoot-Out (2003)
After a failed bank robbery, two heavily armed men hold the Los Angeles Police Department at bay for 44 minutes.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMaster Z: Ip Man Legacy (2018)
Following his defeat by Master Ip, Cheung Tin Chi tries to make a life with his young son in Hong Kong, waiting tables at a bar that caters to expats. But it's not long before the mix of foreigners, money, and triad leaders draw him once again to the fight.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe 8 Diagram Pole Fighter (1984)
The Yangs are betrayed by a government official conspiring with the Mongols. All of the Yang family males except the 5th and 6th brother are killed. Fu Sheng loses his mind after the death of his family, while the other brother takes refuge in a Buddhist temple.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Mission (1999)
Triad boss Lung, who has just escaped being killed in an assassination attempt hires the killers Curtis, James, Mike, Roy and Shin for his protection.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBeast (2026)
MMA legend Patton James, now a commercial fisherman, is pulled back into the cage when his brother is in danger. Reuniting with his old coach Sammy, he commits to one final fight in one championship against the brutal champion Xavier Grau.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWelcome to Sudden Death (2020)
Jesse Freeman is a former special forces officer and explosives expert now working a regular job as a security guard in a state-of-the-art basketball arena. Trouble erupts when a tech-savvy cadre of terrorists kidnap the team's owner and Jesse's daughter during opening night. Facing a ticking clock and impossible odds, it's up to Jesse to not only save them but also a full house of fans in this highly charged action thriller.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRev (2020)
A young thief with a history of grand theft auto becomes an informant and helps police bring down a criminal enterprise involved in the smuggling of hundreds of exotic super cars.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIn Full Bloom (2019)
Set shortly after the end of World War II, a philosophical boxing drama of two fighters from opposite worlds (USA and Japan) who are pulled together for a questionable fight arranged by their unscrupulous managers and the Yakuza.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOut of Inferno (2013)
On the hottest day in 50 years, a serious fire incident happened to a busy commercial tower, a gaggle of fire fighters with an indestructible enthusiasm are going to save lives.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBirth of the Dragon (2017)
Set against the backdrop of San Francisco’s Chinatown, this cross-cultural biopic chronicles Bruce Lee’s emergence as a martial-arts superstar after his legendary secret showdown with fellow martial artist Wong Jack Man.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisSnake & Crane Arts of Shaolin (1978)
Jackie Chan stars as the young warrior Hsu Yiu Fong. Hsu has been entrusted with the book of the "Art of the Snake and Crane," after the mysterious disappearance of the eight Shaolin Masters who had written it. He must fight off numerous clans who are all attempting to steal the book from him, to find out the true reason for the disappearance of the Shaolin Masters.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisIcefall (2025)
A young Indigenous game warden arrests an infamous poacher only to discover that the poacher knows the location of a plane carrying millions of dollars that has crashed in a frozen lake. When a group of criminals and dirty cops are alerted to the poacher’s whereabouts, the warden and the poacher team up to fight back and escape across the treacherous lake before the ice melts.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWeekend in Taipei (2024)
A former DEA agent and a former undercover operative revisit their romance during a fateful weekend in Taipei, unaware of the dangerous consequences of their past.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both 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
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTrigger Point (2021)
Nicolas Shaw is a retired U.S. special operative who becomes part of an elite 'invisible' team that quietly takes out the worst villains around the world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKing of Killers (2023)
Garan is a part of a group of international hitmen who are contracted to take out the most dangerous killer in the world, only to find out that they're the ones being hunted.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Final Option (1994)
A look at the SDU in the Royal Hong Kong Police Force - how members are selected, how they are trained, their lives, what they think, the relationships between SDU members and their friends and the pressures they face.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & drama
Nakshatra Poratam (1993)
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & drama
The New Option (2002)
Faced with early retirement and difficulty recruiting, Stone is forced to lower his standard of acceptance. When a vicious, military-trained group of criminals commit a chain of big-time robberies, the Flying Tigers are called into action once again.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
China Girl (1942)
Two-fisted newsreel photographer Johnny Williams is stationed in Burma and China in the early stage of WW II. Captured by the Japanese, he escapes from a concentration camp with the aid of beautiful, enigmatic 'China Girl' Miss Young. The two arduously make their way back to friendly lines so that Johnny can deliver the vital military information he's managed to glean from his captors.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Birds of Prey (1973)
Harry Walker, a former military pilot, works as a helicopter pilot and traffic reporter for a Salt Lake City radio station. One day while working he observes a bank robbery in progress and the kidnapping of a young woman who worked at the bank. Harry goes into pursuit which leads to an exciting conclusion.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
God Is My Co-Pilot (1945)
Robert L. Scott has dreamed his whole life of being a fighter pilot, but when war comes he finds himself flying transport planes over The Hump into China. In China, he persuades General Chennault to let him fly with the famed Flying Tigers, the heroic band of airmen who'd been fighting the Japanese long before Pearl Harbor. Scott gets his chance to fight, ultimately engaging in combat with the deadly Japanese pilot known as Tokyo Joe.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
The New Option: The Syndicate (2003)
Ninth film in the series titled The New Option, it once again stars Michael Wong as Stone Wong, an SDU captain who's a damn man at his job. Stone is a no-nonsense SDU trainer who must initiate young studs into their SDU world.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
The New Option: The Revenge (2003)
Fifth film in the series titled The New Option, it again stars Michael Wong as Stone Wong, an SDU captain who's a damn man at his job. Stone is a no-nonsense SDU trainer who must initiate young studs into their SDU world.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
The New Option: Puppet Hon (2003)
Third film in the 10 film series titled The New Option, it again stars Michael Wong as Stone Wong, an SDU captain who's a damn man at his job. Stone is a no-nonsense SDU trainer who must initiate young studs into their SDU world.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
The New Option: The Final Showdown (2003)
Tenth film in the 10 film series titled The New Option Hon Kin, head of the police's Organized Crime Division, has been pushed to the edge by a triad boss intent on killing him. In a fit of fury, Hon embarks on a violent rampage that ends tragically. With the very existence of the Special Duty Unit(SDU) now in jeopardy because of the aftermath, Commander Stone (Michael Wong) must make up his mind and decide on SDU's future.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
Like First Option and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like First Option?
The closest matches to First Option are Mexicali (2026), Embattled (2020) and Only the Strong (1993). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after First Option?
Start with Mexicali (2026), the closest match to First Option.
What is the highest-rated movie like First Option?
Beast (2026), rated 7.5/10 by 226 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like First Option?
Beast (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
How are movies similar to First Option chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside First Option, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.