feelsalike.com

Movies that feel like Kickboxer (1989)

If you loved Kickboxer, the closest films we have are Bloodsport (1988), The Fugitive (1993) and First Blood (1982). All three share Kickboxer's kinetic and tense feel, which is what we rank on before quality. 10 of the 12 picks below are included with a subscription right now on fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel and Philo and others, checked against today's data.

If your enemy refuses to be humbled... Destroy him. Accompanied by his brother Kurt, American kickboxing champion Eric Sloane, arrives in Thailand to defeat the Eastern warriors at their own sport. His opponent: ruthless fighter and Thai champion, Tong Po. Tong not only defeats Eric, he paralyzes him for life. Crazed with anger, Kurt vows revenge.

πŸ… 36% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 6.4 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Mark DiSallekinetictensecontemplative

When is Kickboxer streaming? β†’

If Kickboxer hit the spot, these will too

Bloodsport poster
Bloodsport
1988 Β· dir. Newt Arnold
πŸ… 48%β˜… 6.8action Β· thriller Β· drama

The same two preoccupations: martial arts, and sports

An American Army Major goes AWOL to Hong Kong for an outlawed martial arts contest called the Kumite.

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The Fugitive poster
The Fugitive
1993 Β· dir. Andrew Davis
πŸ… 96%β˜… 7.8action Β· thriller Β· drama

The same mix in both: momentum, then tension

The difference: Critics rated this one higher still

Wrongfully convicted of murdering his wife and sentenced to death, Richard Kimble escapes from the law in an attempt to find the real killer and clear his name.

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First Blood poster
First Blood
1982 Β· dir. Ted Kotcheff
πŸ… 86%β˜… 7.7action Β· thriller Β· drama

Contemplative action in both cases

When former Green Beret John Rambo is harassed by local law enforcement and arrested for vagrancy, he is forced to flee into the mountains and wage an escalating one-man war against his pursuers.

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Merantau poster
Merantau
2009 Β· dir. Gareth Evans
β˜… 6.7action Β· drama Β· thriller

Both keep circling back to martial arts

The difference: 20 years apart, and the 2000s show

In Minangkabau, West Sumatera, Yuda a skilled practitioner of Silat Harimau is in the final preparations to begin his "Merantau" a century's old rites-of-passage to be carried out by the community's young men that will see him leave the comforts of his idyllic farming village and make a name for himself in the bustling city of Jakarta.

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San Andreas poster
San Andreas
2015 Β· dir. Brad Peyton
πŸ… 48%β˜… 6.1action Β· drama Β· thriller

Both trade on momentum more than on being thriller

In the aftermath of a massive earthquake in California, a rescue-chopper pilot makes a dangerous journey across the state in order to rescue his estranged daughter.

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Haywire poster
Haywire
2011 Β· dir. Steven Soderbergh
πŸ… 80%β˜… 5.8action Β· thriller Β· drama

Drama built on tension, twice over

A black ops soldier seeks payback after she is betrayed and left for dead.

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Captain Phillips poster
Captain Phillips
2013 Β· dir. Paul Greengrass
πŸ… 93%β˜… 7.8action Β· drama Β· thriller

Action with a pulse of stillness, in both cases

The true story of Captain Richard Phillips and the 2009 hijacking by Somali pirates of the US-flagged MV Maersk Alabama, the first American cargo ship to be hijacked in two hundred years.

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Enemy of the State poster
Enemy of the State
1998 Β· dir. Tony Scott
πŸ… 71%β˜… 7.3action Β· drama Β· thriller

Kinetic thriller, and it commits to that

When the videotape of the murder of a congressman unknowingly ends up in the hands of labor lawyer and dedicated family man Robert Clayton Dean, he is framed for the murder. With the help of the mysterious Brill, Dean attempts to throw the NSA off his trail and prove his innocence.

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Fist of Fury poster
Fist of Fury
1972 Β· dir. Lo Wei
β˜… 7.2drama Β· action Β· thriller

Both trade on tension more than on being drama

During the Japanese occupation of Shanghai, Chen Zhen, the star pupil of a recently-deceased martial arts teacher battles a Japanese dojo which seeks the demise of his fighting school.

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The Bourne Supremacy poster
The Bourne Supremacy
2004 Β· dir. Paul Greengrass
πŸ… 81%β˜… 7.7action Β· drama Β· thriller

Action built on stillness, twice over

A CIA operation to purchase classified Russian documents is blown by a rival agent, who then shows up in the sleepy seaside village where Bourne and Marie have been living. The pair run for their lives and Bourne, who promised retaliation should anyone from his former life attempt contact, is forced to once again take up his life as a trained assassin to survive.

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Shooter poster
Shooter
2007 Β· dir. Antoine Fuqua
πŸ… 47%β˜… 7.2drama Β· action Β· thriller

Cut from the same action cloth

A top Marine sniper, Bob Lee Swagger, leaves the military after a mission goes horribly awry and disappears, living in seclusion. He is coaxed back into service after a high-profile government official convinces him to help thwart a plot to kill the President of the United States. Ultimately double-crossed and framed for the attempt, Swagger becomes the target of a nationwide manhunt. He goes on the run to track the real killer and find out who exactly set him up, and why, eventually seeking revenge against some of the most powerful and corrupt leaders in the free world.

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White House Down poster
White House Down
2013 Β· dir. Roland Emmerich
πŸ… 52%β˜… 6.3action Β· drama Β· thriller

Both are thriller through and through

Capitol Policeman John Cale has just been denied his dream job with the Secret Service protecting President James Sawyer. Not wanting to let down his little girl with the news, he takes her on a tour of the White House, when the complex is overtaken by a heavily armed paramilitary group. Now, with the nation's government falling into chaos and time running out, it's up to Cale to save the president, his daughter, and the country.

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In the mood for more kinetic?

all kinetic movies β†’

The best-reviewed films that share Kickboxer's defining feeling.