feelsalike.com

Movies that feel like The Protector (2005)

If you loved The Protector, the closest films we have are Ong-Bak (2003), Chocolate (2008) and Undisputed III: Redemption (2010). All three share The Protector's kinetic and gritty feel, which is what we rank on before quality. 8 of the 12 picks below are included with a subscription right now on Amazon Prime Video, Hulu and Peacock Premium and others, checked against today's data.

A young fighter named Kham must go to Australia to retrieve his stolen elephant. With the help of a Thai-born Australian detective, Kham must take on all comers, including a gang led by an evil woman and her two deadly bodyguards.

πŸ… 53% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 7 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Prachya Pinkaewkineticgrittycontemplativetense

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If The Protector hit the spot, these will too

Looking for the series itself? Also in this series: The Protector 2 (2013)

Ong-Bak poster
Ong-Bak
2003 Β· dir. Prachya Pinkaew
πŸ… 85%β˜… 7.1action Β· crime Β· thriller

Prachya Pinkaew working the same nerve twice

The difference: Reviewed even better

When the head of a statue sacred to a village is stolen, a young martial artist goes to the big city and finds himself taking on the underworld to retrieve it.

Feels alike?
Chocolate poster
Chocolate
2008 Β· dir. Prachya Pinkaew
πŸ… 71%β˜… 6.9action Β· crime

The same hand behind both of them: Prachya Pinkaew

The difference: Missing the stillness of The Protector

Zen, an autistic teenage girl with powerful martial arts skills, gets money to pay for her sick mother Zin's treatment by seeking out all the people who owe Zin money and making them pay.

Feels alike?
Undisputed III: Redemption poster
Undisputed III: Redemption
2010 Β· dir. Isaac Florentine
β˜… 7.4action Β· thriller Β· crime

Both are working the same pair: martial arts, fighter

Russian inmate Boyka, now severely hobbled by the knee injury suffered at the end of Undisputed 2. No longer the feared prison fighter he was, he has declined so far that he is now good only for cleaning toilets. But when a new prison fight tournament begins - an international affair, matching the best fighters from prisons around the globe, enticing them with the promise of freedom for the winner - Boyka must reclaim his dignity and fight for his position in the tournament.

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Master Z: Ip Man Legacy poster
Master Z: Ip Man Legacy
2018 Β· dir. Yuen Woo-ping
β˜… 6.5action Β· crime Β· drama

Both are built on the same subject: martial arts

Following his defeat by Master Ip, Cheung Tin Chi tries to make a life with his young son in Hong Kong, waiting tables at a bar that caters to expats. But it's not long before the mix of foreigners, money, and triad leaders draw him once again to the fight.

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Gangs of Wasseypur - Part 1 poster
Gangs of Wasseypur - Part 1
2012 Β· dir. Anurag Kashyap
πŸ… 91%β˜… 8.2action Β· thriller Β· crime

Both keep coming back to the same thing: gang

In 1970s India, Sardar Khan vows to take revenge on the man who killed his father decades earlier.

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In the Line of Duty 4 poster
In the Line of Duty 4
1989 Β· dir. Yuen Woo-ping
β˜… 7.1action Β· crime Β· thriller

The same mix in both: momentum, then grit

Two detectives who are up to their necks in trouble and in each other's face, as they try to shut down a drug-trafficking scheme that could be connected with international ties to organized crime. But in the midst of their investigation, innocent immigrant dock worker Luk Wan-Ting gets caught up in the mix when he witnesses the murder of an intelligence operative and is framed for the crime.

Feels alike?
The Outlaws poster
The Outlaws
2017 Β· dir. Kang Yun-sung
πŸ… 92%β˜… 7.2action Β· crime Β· thriller

One thread runs through both: gang

In Chinatown, law and order is turned upside down when a trio of feral Chinese gangsters arrive, start terrorizing civilians, and usurping territory. The beleaguered local gangsters team up with the police, lead by the badass loose cannon Ma Seok-do, to bring them down. Based on a true story.

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New Police Story poster
New Police Story
2004 Β· dir. Benny Chan
πŸ… 63%β˜… 6.9action Β· thriller Β· crime

Common ground: fighter

Sent into a drunken tailspin when his entire unit is killed by a gang of thrill-seeking punks, disgraced Hong Kong police inspector Wing needs help from his new rookie partner, with a troubled past of his own, to climb out of the bottle and track down the gang and its ruthless leader.

Feels alike?
Mesrine: Killer Instinct poster
Mesrine: Killer Instinct
2008 Β· dir. Jean-FranΓ§ois Richet
πŸ… 81%β˜… 7.5drama Β· action Β· thriller

Both land stillness and tension at once

Jacques Mesrine, a loyal son and dedicated soldier, is back home and living with his parents after serving in the Algerian War. Soon he is seduced by the neon glamour of sixties Paris and the easy money it presents. Mentored by Guido, Mesrine turns his back on middle class law-abiding and soon moves swiftly up the criminal ladder.

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SPL: Kill Zone poster
SPL: Kill Zone
2005 Β· dir. Wilson Yip
πŸ… 80%β˜… 6.9action Β· crime Β· drama

Kinetic action, and it commits to that

Chan, an articulate senior detective nearing the end of his career, is taking care of the daughter of a witness killed by ruthless crime lord Po. Martial arts expert Ma is set to take over as head of the crime unit, replacing Chan who wants an early retirement.

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Ninja: Shadow of a Tear poster
Ninja: Shadow of a Tear
2013 Β· dir. Isaac Florentine
πŸ… 100%β˜… 6.1action Β· crime Β· thriller

Crime with a pulse of grit, in both cases

Fight everyone and trust no one: it's the code of survival practiced by martial-arts master Casey Bowman after his life of domestic bliss is shattered by a savage act of violence. Vowing revenge, the fearless American stealthily tracks the killer from Osaka to Bangkok to Rangoon with the help of a wise and crafty sensei. His only clues: a series of victims whose necks bear the distinctive mark of strangulation by barbed wire. Fighting to avenge as well as to survive, Casey must sharpen his razor-like responses and take his battle skills to the next level, even using deep meditation to fake his own death. His target: the sinister drug lord Goro, who is flooding the streets with deadly meth cooked at his remote jungle factory. To prepare for his ultimate confrontation, Casey must finally become an invisible warrior worthy of the name Ninja. But just when his prey is cornered, an unexpected twist shows Casey that his battle is only beginning: he truly can trust no one.

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The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil poster
The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil
2019 Β· dir. Lee Won-tae
πŸ… 97%β˜… 7action Β· crime Β· thriller

Both lean on tension more than on thriller

After barely surviving a brutal attack by a sadistic serial killer, crime boss Jang Dong-su is left humiliated. Determined to catch the killer known as K, he forms an uneasy alliance with Jung Tae-seok, a relentless and incorruptible detective who often disrupts his illegal business. However, while Jang Dong-su wants K dead, Jung Tae-suk is determined to bring him to justice. With a deal in placeβ€”whoever finds K first will decide his fateβ€”the hunt begins, blurring the lines between crime and law.

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In the mood for more kinetic?

all kinetic movies β†’

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