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Shaolin poster

Movies that feel likeShaolin (2011)

China is plunged into strife as feuding warlords try to expand their power by warring over neighboring lands. Fuelled by his success on the battlefield, young and arrogant Hao Jie sneers at Shaolin's masters when he beats one of them in a duel. But the pride comes before a fall. When his own family is wiped out by a rival warlord, Hao is forced to take refuge with the monks. As the civil unrest spreads and the people suffer, Hao and the Shaolin masters are forced to take a fiery stand against the evil warlords. They launch a daring plan or rescue and escape.

If you loved Shaolin, the closest films we have are Once Upon a Time in China (1991), The Rebel (2007) and Ip Man: The Final Fight (2013). All three share Shaolin's kinetic and contemplative feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Fist of Legend (1994).

πŸ… 73% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 6.8 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Benny Chankineticcontemplative
8 of 12 streaming nowHBO Max Β· Amazon Prime Video Β· Hulu

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If Shaolin hit the spot, these will too

Once Upon a Time in China poster
Once Upon a Time in China
1991 Β· dir. Tsui Hark
πŸ… 90%β˜… 7.2action Β· dramaMax

The same two preoccupations: martial arts, and kung fu

The difference: Made in the 1990s, in a different era of the craft

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?

The Rebel poster
The Rebel
2007 Β· dir. Charlie Nguyen
β˜… 6.8action Β· drama

Kinetic where it counts, contemplative underneath

In French ruled Vietnam in 1922, the French and Vietnamese officers plot to sniff out arch-rebel De Canh.

Ip Man: The Final Fight poster
Ip Man: The Final Fight
2013 Β· dir. Herman Yau
πŸ… 67%β˜… 6.1action Β· dramaPrime Video

Kinetic action, and it commits to that

Ip Man reluctantly begins a series of challenges from rival kung fu schools and is soon drawn into the dark and dangerous world of the Triads.

Fist of Legend poster
Fist of Legend
1994 Β· dir. Gordon Chan
πŸ… 100%β˜… 7.5actionPrime VideoPeacock

One thread runs through both: martial arts

The difference: Reviewed even better

Chen returns to his school when he finds out that his martial arts teacher has died. When he learns that his school students are harassed by some hooligans, he gears himself up to save them.

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

Common ground: kung fu

The difference: Leans harder into history than Shaolin does

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.

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

Benny Chan working the same nerve twice

The difference: Sits closer to thriller than Shaolin does

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.

Invisible Target poster
Invisible Target
2007 Β· dir. Benny Chan
β˜… 6.7action

Both are Benny Chan's work, and they rhyme

The difference: Takes it somewhere less contemplative than Shaolin does

When the Ronin Gang robs an armored car, three cops β€” Chan, Fong and Wai β€” go on the warpath. Each has a personal interest in bringing down Ronin leader Tien: he killed Chan's fiancΓ©e, humiliated Fong and kidnapped Wai's brother.

Flash Point poster
Flash Point
2007 Β· dir. Wilson Yip
πŸ… 41%β˜… 6.7actionPrime Video

Kinetic drama in both cases

Detective Sergeant Ma Jun, known for dispensing his own brand of justice during arrests, teams up with an undercover cop, Wilson, to try and bring down three merciless Vietnamese brothers running a smuggling ring in the months before mainland China's takeover of Hong Kong. Jun pursues the gang tirelessly, sometimes ignoring police protocols. A showdown is inevitable!

The Protector 2 poster
The Protector 2
2013 Β· dir. Prachya Pinkaew
πŸ… 18%β˜… 5.3action

The same action instincts

Kham finds himself in trouble when he is accused of killing a trader. While on the run from the trader's nieces who are martial artists, Kham meets a friend who warns him of a terrorist plot.

Flight Crew poster
Flight Crew
2016 Β· dir. Nikolay Lebedev
β˜… 6.6actionPrime Video

Cut from the same action cloth

A story about bravery, self-sacrifice and human dignity put on trial by the merciless power of nature. A young pilot is fired from military air force after disobeying an absurd order. He gets a job as a co-pilot with a civil airline. Being brutally honest and direct, he is not on best terms with his new colleagues. During a flight to Asia his crew receives a distress message from a volcanic island and makes a decision to attempt a rescue mission. Will it be a success? Will they survive the disaster? They have a single chance to find that out: by being a team and sticking up for one another.

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

Drama built on stillness, twice over

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.

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

Drama with a pulse of stillness, in both cases

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.

In the mood for more kinetic?

all kinetic movies β†’

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