Movies like My Kung Fu 12 Kicks (1979)
The best movies like My Kung Fu 12 Kicks (1979) are Birth of the Dragon (2017), Fearless Hyena (1979) and Kung Pow: Enter the Fist (2002). If My Kung Fu 12 Kicks hooked you with its action, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Legend of Drunken Master (1994)7.5/10 from 1,162 votes
- NewestGladiator Underground (2025)Released 2025
Birth 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 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 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 action
Popcorn FlickMovies 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
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDragon: The Bruce Lee Story (1993)
This film is a glimpse into the life, love and the unconquerable spirit of the legendary Bruce Lee. From a childhood of rigorous martial arts training, Lee realizes his dream of opening his own kung-fu school in America. Before long, he is discovered by a Hollywood producer and begins a meteoric rise to fame and an all too short reign as one the most charismatic action heroes in cinema history.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIp Man 3 (2015)
When a band of brutal gangsters led by a crooked property developer make a play to take over the city, Master Ip is forced to take a stand.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
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
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 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 thisBorn to Race: Fast Track (2014)
Danny Krueger is a twenty-year old drag racer who plays by his own rules. After winning a scholarship to the prestigious Fast Lane Racing Academy, Danny finds himself competing against some of the fiercest young drivers in the world. Tension soars on and off the track, and a terrible incident leaves Danny without a racing partner. Facing dismissal from the academy, Danny is forced to team up with an old rival. The pair must learn to set aside their differences as they vie for rookie spots on a professional racing team.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLove on Delivery (1994)
After being humiliated in front of a love interest, delivery boy Ho Kam-An seeks help from a retired martial arts master for self-improvement, unaware that he might actually be a fraud.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFight Back to School 2 (1992)
Star Chow, an officer in the elite police unit, resigns when he is made a scapegoat for a botched investigation. He goes undercover at a school to complete the case and realizes a bumbling detective is also undercover as a student.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisStreet Fighter: Assassin's Fist The Movie (2014)
If one man changes his path, will he be able to change his destiny...or will he only delay the inevitable? Ryu and Ken are two traditional warriors who find themselves isolated in some corner of Japan to carry out their training as fighters, trying to master an ancient style of fighting, known as "Ansatsuken" (The Killing Fist). There they will begin to learn about the mysterious past of their trainer, Goken, and the tragic and dark legacy that the Ansatsuken style hides. Will they be able to choose their destiny or will history repeat itself once again?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEnter the Fat Dragon (2020)
After being dumped by his fiancé, heartbroken Hong Kong police officer Fallon Zhu gains 200+ pounds. His superiors demote him to the job of escorting convicts to Japan. When a convict in his custody mysteriously dies, he must team up with citizen Thor to solve the mystery.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both 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: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOnce Upon a Time in China (1991)
In late 19th-century Canton, legendary hero Wong Fei-Hung battles foreign forces' (English, French and American) plundering of China. When Aunt Yee returns from America totally westernised, Wong assumes the role of protector. This proves difficult when his martial arts school and local militia become involved in fierce battles with foreign and local governments. As violence escalates, even Aunt Yee has to question her new western ideals, but is it possible to fight guns with Kung Fu?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDouble Tap (2000)
Rick Pang, an IPSC champion who is also a gun expert who tinkers with his pistols to perfect his technique known as 'double tap' which is the terminology where a shooter can place two exact shots in the same spot to maximize marksmanship.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 thisThree Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon (2008)
The aging Zhao embarks on his final and greatest campaign, a road to adventure that will crown his name in glory for all time.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRoyal Tramp 2 (1992)
After discovering that the Empress is actually Lung Erh, a member of the St Dragon Sect, and that she imprisoned the real empress. Lung Erh, is bent on eliminating the person who disclosed her true identity, Wai Siu Bo. But more complications ensues when Lung Erh is assigned to protect the Prince, whose servant is none other than Wai Siu Bo.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Worth the HypeMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like My Kung Fu 12 Kicks?
The closest matches to My Kung Fu 12 Kicks are Birth of the Dragon (2017), Fearless Hyena (1979) and Kung Pow: Enter the Fist (2002). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after My Kung Fu 12 Kicks?
Start with Birth of the Dragon (2017), the closest match to My Kung Fu 12 Kicks.
What is the highest-rated movie like My Kung Fu 12 Kicks?
The Legend of Drunken Master (1994), rated 7.5/10 by 1,162 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like My Kung Fu 12 Kicks?
Gladiator Underground (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
How are movies similar to My Kung Fu 12 Kicks chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside My Kung Fu 12 Kicks, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.