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Movies that feel like The Way of the Dragon (1972)

If you loved The Way of the Dragon, the closest films we have are From Dusk Till Dawn (1996), Scarface (1983) and Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003). All three share The Way of the Dragon's kinetic and gritty feel, which is what we rank on before quality. 10 of the 12 picks below are included with a subscription right now on fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium and Paramount Plus Essential and others, checked against today's data.

After a Chinese restaurant in Rome is threatened by the mafia, who will stop at nothing to acquire the property, the owner recruits a family friend in Hong Kong, kung fu expert Tang Lung, to help them defend their business.

πŸ… 88% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 7.1 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Bruce Leekineticgrittymelancholydread

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If The Way of the Dragon hit the spot, these will too

Looking for the series itself? Also in this series: Enter the Dragon (1973) Β· Pete's Dragon (1977) Β· Red Dragon (2002) Β· How to Train Your Dragon (2010) Β· How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014) Β· How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019)

From Dusk Till Dawn poster
From Dusk Till Dawn
1996 Β· dir. Robert Rodriguez
πŸ… 65%β˜… 7.2horror Β· action Β· crime

The same mix in both: momentum, then grit

The difference: Missing the melancholy of The Way of the Dragon

After kidnapping a father and his two kids, the Gecko brothers head south to a seedy Mexican bar to hide out in safety, unaware of its notorious clientele.

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Scarface poster
Scarface
1983 Β· dir. Brian De Palma
πŸ… 77%β˜… 8.3action Β· crime Β· drama

Gangster sits at the heart of each

The difference: Not nearly as dread-soaked as The Way of the Dragon

After getting a green card in exchange for assassinating a Cuban government official, Tony Montana stakes a claim on the drug trade in Miami. Viciously murdering anyone who stands in his way, Tony eventually becomes the biggest drug lord in the state, controlling nearly all the cocaine that comes through Miami. But increased pressure from the police, wars with Colombian drug cartels and his own drug-fueled paranoia serve to fuel the flames of his eventual downfall.

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Kill Bill: Vol. 1 poster
Kill Bill: Vol. 1
2003 Β· dir. Quentin Tarantino
πŸ… 85%β˜… 8.2action Β· crime

Both circle martial arts and kung fu

The difference: None of the melancholy that defines The Way of the Dragon

An assassin is shot by her ruthless employer, Bill, and other members of their assassination circle – but she lives to plot her vengeance.

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Lethal Weapon 2 poster
Lethal Weapon 2
1989 Β· dir. Richard Donner
πŸ… 82%β˜… 7.3action Β· thriller Β· crime

Both trade on melancholy more than on being action

The difference: Plays it as thriller more than The Way of the Dragon does

Riggs and Murtaugh are on the trail of South African diplomats using their immunity to engage in criminal activities.

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Kick-Ass poster
Kick-Ass
2010 Β· dir. Matthew Vaughn
πŸ… 78%β˜… 7.6action Β· crime

Kinetic crime, and it commits to that

The difference: 38 years apart, and the 2010s show

Dave Lizewski is an unnoticed high school student and comic book fan who one day decides to become a super-hero, even though he has no powers, training or meaningful reason to do so.

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Branded to Kill poster
Branded to Kill
1967 Β· dir. Seijun Suzuki
πŸ… 100%β˜… 7.2thriller Β· crime Β· action

Action with a pulse of grit, in both cases

After botching his latest assignment, a third-ranked Japanese hit man becomes the target of another assassin.

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Batman Begins poster
Batman Begins
2005 Β· dir. Christopher Nolan
πŸ… 85%β˜… 8.2drama Β· crime Β· action

The same preoccupation in both: martial arts

Driven by tragedy, billionaire Bruce Wayne dedicates his life to uncovering and defeating the corruption that plagues his home, Gotham City. Unable to work within the system, he instead creates a new identity, a symbol of fear for the criminal underworld - The Batman.

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Police Story 2 poster
Police Story 2
1988 Β· dir. Jackie Chan
πŸ… 84%β˜… 7.1action Β· crime Β· thriller

Both keep circling back to fight

The Hong Kong super-cop must stop a group of blackmailing bombers at the same time that the villains of the first Police Story are out for revenge.

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Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) poster
πŸ… 79%β˜… 6.1action Β· crime

Kinetic crime in both cases

Harley Quinn joins forces with a singer, an assassin and a police detective to help a young girl who had a hit placed on her after she stole a rare diamond from a crime lord.

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The Italian Job poster
The Italian Job
2003 Β· dir. F. Gary Gray
πŸ… 72%β˜… 7action Β· crime

Action built on grit, twice over

Charlie Croker pulled off the crime of a lifetime. The one thing that he didn't plan on was being double-crossed. Along with a drop-dead gorgeous safecracker, Croker and his team take off to re-steal the loot and end up in a pulse-pounding, pedal-to-the-metal chase that careens up, down, above and below the streets of Los Angeles.

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Police Story poster
Police Story
1985 Β· dir. Jackie Chan
πŸ… 90%β˜… 7.5action Β· crime Β· comedy

Fistfight is the engine of both

Officer Chan Ka Kui manages to put a major Hong Kong drug dealer behind the bars practically alone, after a shooting and an impressive chase inside a slum. Now, he must protect the boss' secretary, Selina, who will testify against the gangster in court.

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Iron Monkey poster
Iron Monkey
1993 Β· dir. Yuen Woo-ping
πŸ… 91%β˜… 7.5action Β· crime Β· drama

Both built around kung fu

In this Hong Kong variation of Robin Hood, corrupt officials of a Chinese village are robbed by a masked bandit known as "Iron Monkey", named after a benevolent deity. When all else fails, the Governor forces a traveling physician into finding the bandit.

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In the mood for more kinetic?

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The best-reviewed films that share The Way of the Dragon's defining feeling.