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Rocky II poster

Movies that feel likeRocky II (1979)

After Rocky goes the distance with champ Apollo Creed, both try to put the fight behind them and move on. Rocky settles down with Adrian but can't put his life together outside the ring, while Creed seeks a rematch to restore his reputation. Soon enough, the "Master of Disaster" and the "Italian Stallion" are set on a collision course for a climactic battle that is brutal and unforgettable.

If you loved Rocky II, the closest films we have are Seven Samurai (1954), Once Upon a Time in China (1991) and Bloodsport (1988). All three share Rocky II's contemplative and kinetic feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Floating Weeds (1959).

🍅 68% Rotten Tomatoes★ 7.3 IMDb ↗TMDB ↗dir. Sylvester Stallonecontemplativekineticromantic
7 of 12 streaming nowHBO Max · Paramount Plus Premium · Criterion Channel

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If Rocky II hit the spot, these will too

Looking for the series itself? Also in this series: Rocky (1976) · Rocky III (1982) · Rocky IV (1985) · Rocky V (1990) · Rocky Balboa (2006)

Seven Samurai poster
Seven Samurai
1954 · dir. Akira Kurosawa
🍅 100%★ 8.6action · dramaMax

The same mix in both: stillness, then momentum

The difference: Critics rated this one higher still

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.

Once Upon a Time in China poster
Once Upon a Time in China
1991 · dir. Tsui Hark
🍅 90%★ 7.2action · dramaMax

Both are built on the same subject: hero

The difference: Takes it somewhere less romantic than Rocky II does

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?

Bloodsport poster
Bloodsport
1988 · dir. Newt Arnold
🍅 48%★ 6.8action · drama

Common ground: sports

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

Ashes of Time poster
Ashes of Time
1994 · dir. Wong Kar-Wai
🍅 79%★ 7drama · action

Romantic drama in both cases

Ouyang Feng is a heartbroken and cynical man who spends his days in the desert, connecting expert swordsmen with those seeking revenge and willing to pay for it. Throughout five seasons in exile, Ouyang spins tales of his clients' unrequited loves and unusual acts of bravery.

The Sea Inside poster
The Sea Inside
2004 · dir. Alejandro Amenábar
🍅 85%★ 7.9drama

Both keep coming back to the same thing: intensive care

The difference: 25 years apart, and the 2000s show

Ramón Sampedro is a ship mechanic and part-time poet left a quadriplegic following a diving accident. Ramón fought for 30 years for the legal right to end his own life. He develops close relationships with his long-term lawyer Julia and his friend Rosa, who tries to convince him that his life is worth living. Despite his situation, Ramón manages to inspire those around him to live life to the fullest.

When We Were Kings poster
When We Were Kings
1996 · dir. Leon Gast
🍅 100%★ 7.9documentaryMax

The same two preoccupations: boxer, and world champion

The difference: Sits closer to documentary than Rocky II does

It's 1974. Muhammad Ali is 32 and thought by many to be past his prime. George Foreman is ten years younger and the heavyweight champion of the world. Promoter Don King wants to make a name for himself and offers both fighters five million dollars apiece to fight one another, and when they accept, King has only to come up with the money. He finds a willing backer in Mobutu Sese Suko, the dictator of Zaire, and the "Rumble in the Jungle" is set, including a musical festival featuring some of America's top black performers, like James Brown and B.B. King.

The Bodyguard poster
The Bodyguard
1992 · dir. Mick Jackson
🍅 38%★ 6.4action · drama · romanceParamount+

Action with a pulse of stillness, in both cases

A former Secret Service agent grudgingly takes an assignment to protect a pop idol who's threatened by a crazed fan. At first, the safety-obsessed bodyguard and the self-indulgent diva totally clash. But before long, all that tension sparks fireworks of another sort, and the love-averse tough guy is torn between duty and romance.

Curse of the Golden Flower poster
Curse of the Golden Flower
2006 · dir. Zhang Yimou
🍅 65%★ 7action · drama · fantasy

Kinetic drama, and it commits to that

During China's Tang dynasty the emperor has taken the princess of a neighboring province as his wife. She has borne him two sons and raised his eldest. Now his control over his dominion is complete, including the royal family itself.

Floating Weeds poster
Floating Weeds
1959 · dir. Yasujirō Ozu
🍅 96%★ 7.9dramaMax

Action built on romance, twice over

A theater troupe master's visit with his old flame unintentionally sets off a chain of unexpected events with devastating consequences.

Yi Yi poster
Yi Yi
2000 · dir. Edward Yang
★ 8.1drama

Both lean on stillness more than on drama

Each member of a family in Taipei asks hard questions about life's meaning as they live through everyday quandaries. NJ is morose: his brother owes him money, his mother is in a coma, his wife suffers a spiritual crisis when she finds her life a blank and his business partners make bad decisions.

East of Eden poster
East of Eden
1955 · dir. Elia Kazan
🍅 86%★ 7.8drama

Romantic action, and it commits to that

In the Salinas Valley in and around World War I, Cal Trask feels he must compete against overwhelming odds with his brother for the love of their father. Cal is frustrated at every turn, from his reaction to the war, how to get ahead in business and in life, and how to relate to his estranged mother.

Nikita poster
Nikita
1990 · dir. Luc Besson
🍅 89%★ 7.2action · thriller

A streak of momentum through both

A beautiful felon, sentenced to life in prison for the murder of a policeman, is given a second chance – as a secret political assassin controlled by the government.

In the mood for more contemplative?

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The best-reviewed films that share Rocky II’s defining feeling.