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Movies that feel like Chinese Zodiac (2012)

If you loved Chinese Zodiac, the closest films we have are The Assassin (2015), Major Grom: Plague Doctor (2021) and Ong Bak 3 (2010). All three share Chinese Zodiac's kinetic and epic feel, which is what we rank on before quality. 6 of the 12 picks below are included with a subscription right now on Amazon Prime Video, MUBI and ARROW and others, checked against today's data.

Asian Hawk leads a mercenary team to recover several lost artifacts from the Old Summer Palace, the bronze heads of the twelve Chinese Zodiac animals which were sacked by the French and British armies from the imperial Summer Palace in Beijing in 1860. Assisted by a Chinese student and a Parisian woman, Hawk stops at nothing to accomplish the mission.

πŸ… 25% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 6 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Jackie Chankineticepic

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If Chinese Zodiac hit the spot, these will too

Looking for the series itself? Also in this series: Armour of God (1986) Β· Operation Condor (1991)

The Assassin poster
The Assassin
2015 Β· dir. Hou Hsiao-hsien
πŸ… 80%β˜… 6.3action Β· adventure Β· history

The same mix in both: momentum, then scale

The difference: Critics rated this one higher still

9th century China. Ten year old general’s daughter Nie Yinniang is abducted by a nun who initiates her into the martial arts, transforming her into an exceptional assassin charged with eliminating cruel and corrupt local governors. One day, having failed in a task, she is sent back by her mistress to the land of her birth, with orders to kill the man to whom she was promised – a cousin who now leads the largest military region in North China. After 13 years of exile, the young woman must confront her parents, her memories and her long-repressed feelings.

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Major Grom: Plague Doctor poster
Major Grom: Plague Doctor
2021 Β· dir. Oleg Trofim
β˜… 6.3action Β· adventure

Kinetic action in both cases

In present day St. Petersburg, police major Igor Grom, an honest and skilled cop with unconventional methods, pursues a vigilante murderer in the mask of a plague doctor.

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Ong Bak 3 poster
Ong Bak 3
2010 Β· dir. Tony Jaa
πŸ… 63%β˜… 4.9action Β· adventure Β· history

Adventure with a pulse of scale, in both cases

The difference: Leans harder into history than Chinese Zodiac does

Tien is captured and almost beaten to death before he is saved and brought back to the Kana Khone villagers. There he is taught meditation and how to deal with his Karma, but very soon his arch rival returns challenging Tien for a final duel.

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Project A poster
Project A
1983 Β· dir. Jackie Chan
πŸ… 81%β˜… 7.2action Β· adventure Β· comedy

Jackie Chan working the same nerve twice

The difference: Made in the 1980s, in a different era of the craft

In late 19th century Hong Kong, the British may rule the land, but the pirates rule the waters. Coast Guard officer Dragon Ma is determined that his beloved Coast Guard will not be made a fool of.

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Who Am I? poster
Who Am I?
1998 Β· dir. Jackie Chan
πŸ… 70%β˜… 6.8adventure Β· action Β· comedy

Jackie Chan directing both, with the same fingerprints on each

A group of covert CIA operatives trailing a potential new energy source are double-crossed by corrupt agent Morgan, who causes a helicopter crash in remote South Africa. The sole survivor, suffering severe amnesia, is nursed to recovery by a kindly native tribe who call him "Whoami" after the question he keeps asking. With the help of a mysterious reporter Christine, Whoami pieces together his past and tracks the turncoat agent and his criminal cohorts.

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Mulan: Rise of a Warrior poster
Mulan: Rise of a Warrior
2009 Β· dir. Jingle Ma Choh-Sing
β˜… 6.6adventure Β· drama Β· action

Both lean on momentum more than on action

When barbarian hordes threaten her homeland, the brave and cunning Mulan disguises herself as a male soldier to swell the ranks in her aging father's stead. The warrior's remarkable courage drives her through powerful battle scenes and brutal wartime strategy. Mulan loses dear friends to the enemy's blade as she rises to become one of her country's most valuable leaders β€” but can she win the war before her secret is exposed?

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Hercules poster
Hercules
2014 Β· dir. Brett Ratner
πŸ… 58%β˜… 6action Β· adventure

Adventure built on scale, twice over

When a new enemy threatens the innocent, Hercules must lead his fearless team of warriors in a battle against overwhelming odds.

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Beowulf poster
Beowulf
2007 Β· dir. Robert Zemeckis
πŸ… 71%β˜… 6.3adventure Β· action Β· animation

Action in the same key

A 6th-century Scandinavian warrior named Beowulf embarks on a mission to slay the man-like ogre, Grendel.

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The Grandmaster poster
The Grandmaster
2013 Β· dir. Wong Kar-Wai
πŸ… 78%β˜… 6.6action Β· drama Β· history

The same action instincts

The fall of China's last dynasty, a time of chaos, division and war, is the golden age of Chinese martial arts. Legendary kung fu master Ip Man, who will eventually train Bruce Lee, finds his peaceful life interrupted by vengeance.

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Bodyguards and Assassins poster
Bodyguards and Assassins
2009 Β· dir. Teddy Chan Tak-Sam
πŸ… 50%β˜… 6.8drama Β· action Β· history

Both are action through and through

In 1905, revolutionist Sun Yat-sen came to Hong Kong to meet revolutionary comrades. The Qing government sent a group of killers to murder him. Ordinary citizens from all walks of life joined together, blocking the streets and fighting off the assassins to keep Sun Yat-sen safe.

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The Legend Is Born: Ip Man poster
The Legend Is Born: Ip Man
2010 Β· dir. Herman Yau
β˜… 7drama Β· action Β· history

Both know what they want from action

The remarkable true story of the early life of Ip Man, the formidable kung fu genius who would become Bruce Lee's mentor; beginning at the start of his journey from his initial training through to the ultimate battle to become supreme master of the art of Wing Chun.

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13 Assassins poster
13 Assassins
2010 Β· dir. Takashi Miike
πŸ… 95%β˜… 7.5adventure Β· drama Β· action

Cut from the same adventure cloth

A bravado period action film set at the end of Japan's feudal era in which a group of unemployed samurai are enlisted to bring down a sadistic lord and prevent him from ascending to the throne and plunging the country into a war-torn future.

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In the mood for more kinetic?

all kinetic movies β†’

The best-reviewed films that share Chinese Zodiac’s defining feeling.