Movies like The Death Games (1997)
The best movies like The Death Games (1997) are Dragon Lord (1982), Ninja: Shadow of a Tear (2013) and Mr. Nice Guy (1997). If The Death Games hooked you with its action, 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 4,460 votes
- NewestLion Fist (2026)Released 2026
Dragon 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
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNinja: Shadow of a Tear (2013)
Fight everyone and trust no one: it's the code of survival practiced by martial-arts master Casey Bowman after his life of domestic bliss is shattered by a savage act of violence. Vowing revenge, the fearless American stealthily tracks the killer from Osaka to Bangkok to Rangoon with the help of a wise and crafty sensei. His only clues: a series of victims whose necks bear the distinctive mark of strangulation by barbed wire. Fighting to avenge as well as to survive, Casey must sharpen his razor-like responses and take his battle skills to the next level, even using deep meditation to fake his own death. His target: the sinister drug lord Goro, who is flooding the streets with deadly meth cooked at his remote jungle factory. To prepare for his ultimate confrontation, Casey must finally become an invisible warrior worthy of the name Ninja. But just when his prey is cornered, an unexpected twist shows Casey that his battle is only beginning: he truly can trust no one.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMr. Nice Guy (1997)
A Chinese chef accidentally gets involved with a news reporter who filmed a drug bust that went awry and is now being chased by gangs who are trying to get the video tape.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies 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: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCode of Silence (1985)
A Chicago cop is caught in the middle of a gang war while his own comrades shun him because he wants to take an irresponsible cop down.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Big Brawl (1980)
A young Asian American martial artist is forced to participate in a brutal formal street-fight competition.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
SnoozefestMovies 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
Worth the HypeMovies 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: Recommended by TMDB viewers · 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: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe 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
Worth the HypeMovies 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
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGladiator Underground (2025)
Two brothers compete in the world's deadliest underground fighting tournament, where they must decide whether to play by the rules or to cast their honor aside and team up to bring down the dark syndicate running the tournament.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Worth the HypeMovies 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
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLion Fist (2026)
Martial arts fighter Joe goes to prison for four years and takes his wife's blame for a drug bust. After his release, he learns that his son needs expensive surgery because of a life-threatening tumor. Joe's only chance to save him: a brutal all-styles tournament with a $100,000 prize.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGame of Death (1978)
A martial arts movie star must fake his death to find the people who are trying to kill him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRapid Fire (1992)
College student Jake Lo is pursued by smugglers, mobsters and crooked federal agents after he witnesses a murder by a Mafia kingpin.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies 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
Worth the HypeMovies 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
SnoozefestMovies like thisBest of the Best (1989)
A team from the United States is going to compete against Korea in a Tae Kwon Do tournament. The team consists of fighters from all over the country--can they overcome their rivalry and work together to win?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLegacy of Rage (1986)
A man is framed for murder by his drug-dealing best friend who covets his girlfriend, leading to eight years in jail and a vow of revenge upon release.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both 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
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
The Story of Yuan Tiangang (2024)
Three hundred years ago, the elegant and spirited young man Yuan Tiangang, born with a doomed fate, unintentionally caused the death of his loved ones from a young age. As a result, he decided to gamble with fate and mastered the skill of "Chenggu Bone Divination," using it to target those whose lives were not supposed to end prematurely. At that time, it happened to be the end of the Sui Dynasty, with widespread chaos in the world. How will Yuan Tiangang change his destiny and become a notorious but respected leader amidst the turmoil of the late Sui Dynasty?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
Rider of Revenge (1971)
The story of Rider of Revenge revolves around a convict on the death row, who has killed many people and hidden a huge stash of loot somewhere. Several parties race against time and each other to get him out of jail, including the dashing daughter of the chief constable (Shang-Kuan Ling Feng), an upright lone swordsman (Tien Peng), a chivalrous young man (Chiang Pin), and gangsters coveting the treasure.
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 thisWong Fei-Hung Goes to a Birthday Party at Guanshan (1956)
Wong Fei-Hung Goes to a Birthday Party at Guanshan is a Wong Fei-Hung movie starring Kwan Tak-Hing.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
Wong Fei-Hung and the Lantern Festival Disturbance (1956)
Wong Fei-Hung and the Lantern Festival Disturbance is a 1956 Wong Fei-Hung movie directed by Wu Pang.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
Book Without Words (1965)
Book Without Words is a 1965 Cantonese martial arts film directed by Chan Lit-Ban and starring Cheung Ching.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
The Story of Wong Fei-Hung, Part 4: The Death of Liang Huan (1950)
The Story of Wong Fei-Hung, Part 4: The Death of Liang Huan is the fourth movie in Kwan Tak-Hing's Wong Fei-Hung series.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
Handsome Vagabond (1982)
After serving three years in prison for a murder he didn't commit, an angry streetfighter seeks justice. Two sworn brothers oppose a gang of killers running a gym.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Death Games?
The closest matches to The Death Games are Dragon Lord (1982), Ninja: Shadow of a Tear (2013) and Mr. Nice Guy (1997). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Death Games?
Start with Dragon Lord (1982), the closest match to The Death Games.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Death Games?
Seven Samurai (1954), rated 8.5/10 by 4,460 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Death Games?
Lion Fist (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
How are movies similar to The Death Games chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Death Games, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.