Movies like Fight in Vain (1971)
The best movies like Fight in Vain (1971) are Missing Link (1988), River Wild (2023) and The Pilgrim's Progress (2019). If Fight in Vain hooked you with its adventure, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedUp to His Ears (1965)7.0/10 from 204 votes
- NewestBalls Up (2026)Released 2026
- In FrenchThe Incredible Shrinking Man (2025)Also in French
Missing Link (1988)
A million years ago in Africa: the last of the ape-humans is on flight from the humans, who killed the rest of his clan. Alone, seeking others of his kind, he traverses steps, deserts and mountains until he reaches the coast. But there are already humans, too.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRiver Wild (2023)
Follows a pair of siblings who love but distrust each other as they embark on a white-water rafting trip with a small group. One of their friends from childhood turns out to be more dangerous than he appears.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Pilgrim's Progress (2019)
An epic journey, faithfully adapted to modern-day. Christian faces distractions, challenges, and perils at every turn of the way. But ends victorious, with helpful guides, as he stays on the narrow path to the distant Celestial City.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Incredible Shrinking Man (2025)
Paul, is an ordinary man who divides his life between his shipbuilding company, his wife Elise and their daughter Mia. During a sea trip, Paul finds himself confronted with a strange, unexplained meteorological phenomenon. From then on, Paul shrinks inexorably, without science being able to explain why or be of any help to him. When, by accident, he finds himself a prisoner in his own cellar, and while he is only a few centimeters tall, he will have to fight to survive in this banal environment that has become perilous. During this experience, Paul will find himself confronted with himself, with his humanity, and will try to answer the great questions of existence.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhite Fang 2: Myth of the White Wolf (1994)
A boy and his dog, White Fang, must try to save the noble Haida tribe from evil white men in turn-of-the-century Alaska.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJack Hunter and the Quest for Akhenaten's Tomb (2008)
Adventurer Jack Hunter sets off in pursuit of a legendary tomb, meeting dangerous old adversaries, and even more dangerous old flames, along the way.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGold (2022)
In the not-too-distant future, two drifters traveling through the desert stumble across the biggest gold nugget ever found and the dream of immense wealth and greed takes hold. They hatch a plan to excavate their bounty, with one man leaving to secure the necessary tools while the other remains with the gold. The man who remains must endure harsh desert elements, ravenous wild dogs, and mysterious intruders, while battling the sinking suspicion that he has been abandoned to his fate.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKali: Avenging Angel (2024)
Lisa, aka Kali, has nothing left to lose when she finds out her husband has been executed in Rio to cover up a corruption scandal. A former Special Forces recruit, she heads to Brazil with fists, blood and explosives, to find out the truth.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThree Crowns of the Sailor (1991)
Shortly after murdering his professor, a young man encounters a sailor who offers him a position on his ship in exchange for 3 Danish crowns and his attention as he recounts his life story.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure
Worth the HypeMovies 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 adventure
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCome Away (2020)
Before Alice went to Wonderland, and before Peter became Pan, they were brother and sister. When their eldest brother dies in a tragic accident, they each seek to save their parents from their downward spirals of despair until finally they are forced to choose between home and imagination, setting the stage for their iconic journeys into Wonderland and Neverland.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure
SnoozefestMovies like thisBalls Up (2026)
Two marketing executives go "balls out" and pitch a bold full‑coverage condom sponsorship with the World Cup. After their drunken celebration in Brazil sparks a global scandal, they must outrun furious fans, criminals, and power-hungry officials to salvage their careers and make it home alive.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure
SnoozefestMovies like thisUp to His Ears (1965)
A millionaire realizes he really wants to live after he has hired an assassin to kill him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure
Worth the HypeMovies like thisJack Hunter and the Lost Treasure of Ugarit (2010)
Jack Hunter, an adventurous treasure seeker, goes to Syria after his mentor and father figure Professor Fredrick Shaffer is killed. Professor Frederick Shaffer believed that the people of Ugarit, a town in Syria that existed during the Pharoah’s reign, had buried a treasure before they were wiped out by the Pharoahs. Jack Hunter is one of the few archaeologists in the world who can interpret Ugarit writings
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
The surviving Resistance faces the First Order once again as the journey of Rey, Finn and Poe Dameron continues. With the power and knowledge of generations behind them, the final battle begins.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBoys' School (1938)
In a college, three friends form a secret society. Their objective - going to America. One night, after one of their secret meetings, one of them sees a man coming out from a wall. The next day, after he talks about it, he disappears. Then, the second one vanishes. Are they gone to their dreams? That's when the art teacher is murdered. Suspicions now are too high so the third one decides to investigate.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSurvive (2024)
A couple celebrates their son’s birthday in the middle of the ocean on their boat. A violent storm hits and it brings up hungry creatures from the depths and they fight for their survival.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure
SnoozefestMovies like thisMoney Money Money (1972)
When they realize the times are changing, five crooks decide to switch from bank robberies to personality abductions.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Water Man (2020)
Hoping to save his sick mother, a boy named Gunner and his friend Jo venture into the remote Wild Horse forest to search for a mythical figure who possesses the secret to immortality. When they go missing, Gunner's father Amos must immerse himself in his son's world to find them.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAngélique (2013)
The incredible destiny of Angélique: a beautiful girl who found in her love for Joffrey Peyrac the strength to fight injustice and submission in a century plagued by power struggles, inequality and the oppression.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Fight in Vain?
The closest matches to Fight in Vain are Missing Link (1988), River Wild (2023) and The Pilgrim's Progress (2019). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Fight in Vain?
Start with Missing Link (1988), the closest match to Fight in Vain.
What is the highest-rated movie like Fight in Vain?
Up to His Ears (1965), rated 7.0/10 by 204 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Fight in Vain?
Balls Up (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there French movies like Fight in Vain?
Yes: The Incredible Shrinking Man (2025), Kali: Avenging Angel (2024) and Three Crowns of the Sailor (1991).
How are movies similar to Fight in Vain chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Fight in Vain, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.