Movies like The Brave Lion (1974)
The best movies like The Brave Lion (1974) are Hidden Blade (2023), Tai Chi Zero (2012) and The Eight Hundred (2020). If The Brave Lion 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 ratedSeven Samurai (1954)8.5/10 from 4,461 votes
- NewestBeast (2026)Released 2026
- In ChineseHidden Blade (2023)Also in Chinese
Hidden Blade (2023)
Follows the story of underground workers who risked their lives to send intelligence and defend the motherland, set after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor when the Wang Jingwei regime declared war on Britain and the U.S.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTai Chi Zero (2012)
In legendary Chen Village, everyone is a martial arts master, using their powerful Chen Style Tai Chi in all aspects of their lives. Lu Chan has arrived to train, but the villagers are forbidden to teach Chen Style to outsiders, and do their best to discourage him by challenging him to a series of fights. Everyone, from strong men to young children, defeats him using their Tai Chi moves. But when a man from the village's past returns with a frightening steampowered machine and plans to build a railroad through the village at any costs, the villagers realize they may have no choice but to put their faith in Lu Chan... who has a secret power of his own.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Eight Hundred (2020)
In 1937, eight hundred Chinese soldiers fight under siege from a warehouse in the middle of the Shanghai battlefield, completely surrounded by the Japanese army.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisClan of the White Lotus (1980)
The Qing emperor releases all detained Shaolin disciples, but the vindictive White Lotus clan decides to exterminate all the disciples. One martial artist survives the onslaught, and constantly trains while in hiding for revenge.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBlood Brothers (1973)
Set in the waning years of the Ching Dyansty, this dramatic, tragic, romantic, blood-soaked martial arts tale of betrayal and revenge explores one of the most sensational scandals in Chinese history and marked the true ascension of its director and actors to superstar status. In fact, Ti Lung won Taiwan's Golden Horse Award for Outstanding Performance as the challenging role of a jealous provincial governor who kills his friend in order to steal the man's wife.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEye for an Eye (2022)
A highly trained and exceptionally deadly swordsman looks for revenge after being caught in the middle of a power struggle that results in the assassination of an innocent woman's family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Worth the HypeMovies 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 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 thisMan of Tai Chi (2013)
In Beijing, a young martial artist's skill places him in position to experience opportunities and sacrifices.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisInvincible Shaolin (1978)
Three North Shaolin teachers are called on by the Manchus to teach their soldiers and are urged to challenge the current South Shaolin teachers. They defeat the South Shaolin teachers and, that night, the head general kills the South Shaolin teachers and blames their death on the North Shaolin teachers. The South Shaolin master sends more of his pupils, who are killed accidentally by the North Shaolin teachers. He finally sends two more of his students to train with old masters and trains one student himself with the goal of finally defeating the North Shaolin experts.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMexicali (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 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: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCrippled Avengers (1978)
A group of martial artists seek revenge after being crippled by Tu Tin-To, a martial arts master, and his son.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEye for an Eye 2 (2024)
The blind swordsman, skilled in martial arts, named Cheng Xiazi (Xie Miao), accidentally saves Zhang Xiaoyu (Yang Enyou), who has suffered from the destruction of his family. Under the persuasion of the orphan Xiaoyu, Cheng reluctantly keeps him by his side and teaches him skills. Xiaoyu also waits for the opportunity to seek revenge.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIp Man: Kung Fu Master (2019)
Ip Man’s promising career as a Policeman is ruined after he is framed for murder and targeted by a mob boss’s daughter.
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 thisThe Final Master (2015)
Determined to pass down his art, the Final Master of Wing Chun is caught in a power struggle with malicious local officials and ultimately must choose between personal honor and his master’s dying wish.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDevils on the Doorstep (2001)
During the Japanese occupation of China, two prisoners are dumped in a peasant's home in a small town. The owner is bullied into keeping the prisoners until the next New Year, at which time they will be collected. The village leaders convene to interrogate the prisoners. The townspeople then struggle to accommodate the prisoners. One is a bellicose Japanese nationalist, the other a nervous translator. Will the townspeople manage to keep the prisoners until the New Year?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Message (2009)
After a series of assassinations in Nanking, a Japanese spy master gathers a group of suspects in a mansion, then a tense cat-and-mouse game erupts as the Chinese agent tries to keep his or her identity a secret.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEmpire of the Sun (1987)
Jamie Graham, a privileged English boy, is living in Shanghai when the Japanese invade and force all foreigners into prison camps. Jamie is captured with an American sailor, who looks out for him while they are in the camp together. Even though he is separated from his parents and in a hostile environment, Jamie maintains his dignity and youthful spirit, providing a beacon of hope for the others held captive with him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBatman Begins (2005)
Driven by tragedy, billionaire Bruce Wayne dedicates his life to uncovering and defeating the corruption that plagues his home, Gotham City. Unable to work within the system, he instead creates a new identity, a symbol of fear for the criminal underworld - The Batman.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSeven Samurai (1954)
A samurai answers a village's request for protection after he falls on hard times. The town needs protection from bandits, so the samurai gathers six others to help him teach the people how to defend themselves, and the villagers provide the soldiers with food.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisIp Man and Four Kings (2019)
In 1950, a large number of martial artists entered Hong Kong to open a boxing gym. Among them, Ye Wen (Tang Wenlong) did not lose a reputation, causing the attention of Zheng Delong (Lin Fengyi), the owner of the Kowloon Walled Village. Zheng Delong’s fear of threatening himself I will plant the case of Fang Fang’s death on Ye Wen, and I want to remove Ye Wen by the hand of the police. The mysterious man emerged and rescued Ye Wen. Ye Wen is a self-certified innocence with a disciple, Amin Aqiang, who broke into the boundary of the Kowloon Walled City. Who thought that the city had already ambushed countless masters in the city, and he asked whether he could successfully bring Zheng Delong to justice, and he was still innocent!
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & drama
Johnny (2003)
A martial arts coach struggles to earn money through fights in order to save his wife suffering from blood cancer.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & action
Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)
The Bride unwaveringly continues on her roaring rampage of revenge against the band of assassins who had tried to kill her and her unborn child. She visits each of her former associates one-by-one, checking off the victims on her Death List Five until there's nothing left to do … but kill Bill.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisKikaider Reboot (2014)
In the near future, the brilliant Dr. Komyoji is enlisted to lead the ARK Project—a scientific endeavor dedicated to forging a brighter tomorrow through robotics. However, the doctor’s mysterious death puts those plans to an abrupt hold... Not long after, the grieving Komyoji children wander into the crosshairs of a black ops squad on the hunt for their father’s research. But from within the cross fire emerges Jiro—a bleeding-edge android programmed to protect the siblings! Now on the run, the Komyojis soon discover their father’s once hopeful ambitions have taken a DARK turn...
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
Kebab Connection (2004)
In Hamburg, Ibrahim "Ibo" Secmez, of Turkish descent, wants to direct the first German kung-fu movie. For now, he makes commercials for his uncle's kebab restaurant. Titzie, an aspiring actress and Ibo's German girlfriend, finds she's pregnant. Ibo is uncertain about fatherhood - compounded by his father's disowning him for getting a German girl pregnant - so Titzie sends him packing. He makes attempts at getting it right, but as the birth approaches, he's still not ready. In the background are three thugs in search of good tripe soup and a Capulet-Montegue feud between the kebab joint and a Greek taverna across the street. Can Ibo be the glove upon that hand?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHard Target (1993)
When a woman's father goes missing, she enlists a local to aid in her search. The pair soon discover that her father has died at the hands of a wealthy sportsman who hunts homeless men as a form of recreation.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRomeo Must Die (2000)
Two warring gang families (one African-American, the other Chinese) maneuver for bragging rights to the Oakland, California docks. Han Sing and Trish O'Day uncover a trail of deceit that leaves most of the warring factions dead... or worse!
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLady in Black Cracks the Gate of Hell (1967)
Ghost-faced To is murdered in a mortuary after paying a visit to Muk Lan-fa. A set of teeth is found missing from another dead body. Lan-fa’s sister Sau-chen follows the leads on a business card To left behind to a dental clinic which suddenly bursts into flame. The news of her sister’s abduction by the infamous Japanese criminal Katsu Saburo soon reaches Lan-fa. Working together with her police friend Ko Cheung to crack the case, Lan-fa analyses photo evidences in minute detail. The duo order the retrieval of a pole that has survived the explosion intact while lying in wait at the clinic. Sau-chen, who has escaped, saves the duo from the chiller where they are detained. Inspector Yeung retrieves the operation plan concealed in the pole and the secret codes in the set of teeth, but the spook is shot dead by Katsu before he could reach the Hell’s Gate and the treasure buried there. Constable Kwan, and others and wipes out the gang at the Hell’s Gate.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Brave Lion?
The closest matches to The Brave Lion are Hidden Blade (2023), Tai Chi Zero (2012) and The Eight Hundred (2020). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Brave Lion?
Start with Hidden Blade (2023), the closest match to The Brave Lion.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Brave Lion?
Seven Samurai (1954), rated 8.5/10 by 4,461 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Brave Lion?
Beast (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Chinese movies like The Brave Lion?
Yes: Hidden Blade (2023), Tai Chi Zero (2012) and The Eight Hundred (2020).
How are movies similar to The Brave Lion chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Brave Lion, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.