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The Grandmaster poster

Movies that feel likeThe Grandmaster (2013)

The fall of China's last dynasty, a time of chaos, division and war, is the golden age of Chinese martial arts. Legendary kung fu master Ip Man, who will eventually train Bruce Lee, finds his peaceful life interrupted by vengeance.

If you loved The Grandmaster, the closest films we have are The Legend Is Born: Ip Man (2010), Ip Man 3 (2015) and The Assassin (2015). All three share The Grandmaster's kinetic and epic feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Deep Water (2006).

🍅 78% Rotten Tomatoes★ 6.6 IMDb ↗TMDB ↗dir. Wong Kar-Waikineticcontemplativeepic
9 of 12 streaming nowAmazon Prime Video · Hulu · Peacock Premium

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If The Grandmaster hit the spot, these will too

The Legend Is Born: Ip Man poster
The Legend Is Born: Ip Man
2010 · dir. Herman Yau
★ 7drama · action · history

The same two preoccupations: martial arts, and kung fu

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.

Ip Man 3 poster
Ip Man 3
2015 · dir. Wilson Yip
🍅 76%★ 7action · drama · historyPrime VideoHulu

Both are built on the same subject: biography

When a band of brutal gangsters led by a crooked property developer make a play to take over the city, Master Ip is forced to take a stand.

The Assassin poster
The Assassin
2015 · dir. Hou Hsiao-hsien
🍅 80%★ 6.3action · adventure · historyPrime Video

Both keep coming back to the same thing: martial arts

The difference: Trades the stillness of The Grandmaster for an angle of its own

9th century China. Ten year old general’s daughter Nie Yinniang is abducted by a nun who initiates her into the martial arts, transforming her into an exceptional assassin charged with eliminating cruel and corrupt local governors. One day, having failed in a task, she is sent back by her mistress to the land of her birth, with orders to kill the man to whom she was promised – a cousin who now leads the largest military region in North China. After 13 years of exile, the young woman must confront her parents, her memories and her long-repressed feelings.

Ong Bak 3 poster
Ong Bak 3
2010 · dir. Tony Jaa
🍅 63%★ 4.9action · adventure · historyPrime Video

The same mix in both: momentum, then scale

The difference: Leans harder into adventure than The Grandmaster does

Tien is captured and almost beaten to death before he is saved and brought back to the Kana Khone villagers. There he is taught meditation and how to deal with his Karma, but very soon his arch rival returns challenging Tien for a final duel.

Bodyguards and Assassins poster
Bodyguards and Assassins
2009 · dir. Teddy Chan
🍅 50%★ 6.8drama · action · history

Both lean on stillness more than on action

The difference: The critics' underdog of the pair

In 1905, revolutionist Sun Yat-sen came to Hong Kong to meet revolutionary comrades. The Qing government sent a group of killers to murder him. Ordinary citizens from all walks of life joined together, blocking the streets and fighting off the assassins to keep Sun Yat-sen safe.

The Warlords poster
The Warlords
2007 · dir. Peter Chan
🍅 62%★ 7action · drama · history

Drama built on momentum, twice over

The civil war in China has ruined many lives including General Pang's. A wounded General Pang is saved by a beautiful young woman along with two other men. Together they vow to eradicate the rebels.

Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen poster
Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen
2010 · dir. Andrew Lau Wai-Keung
🍅 47%★ 6.2drama · action · historyPrime Video

History with a pulse of stillness, in both cases

The difference: Sits closer to thriller than The Grandmaster does

The Japanese forces occupy Shanghai and slowly start spreading terror in the city. Chen Zhen, who was presumed dead, returns to fight against the Japanese and put an end to their tyrannical rule.

A Taxi Driver poster
A Taxi Driver
2017 · dir. Jang Hoon
🍅 97%★ 7.9action · drama · historyPrime Video

Epic action, and it commits to that

May, 1980. Man-seob is a taxi driver in Seoul who lives from hand to mouth, raising his young daughter alone. One day, he hears that there is a foreigner who will pay big money for a drive down to Gwangju city. Not knowing that he’s a German journalist with a hidden agenda, Man-seob takes the job.

Chinese Zodiac poster
Chinese Zodiac
2012 · dir. Jackie Chan
🍅 25%★ 6action · adventure

Kinetic drama in both cases

Asian Hawk leads a mercenary team to recover several lost artifacts from the Old Summer Palace, the bronze heads of the twelve Chinese Zodiac animals which were sacked by the French and British armies from the imperial Summer Palace in Beijing in 1860. Assisted by a Chinese student and a Parisian woman, Hawk stops at nothing to accomplish the mission.

Mulan: Rise of a Warrior poster
Mulan: Rise of a Warrior
2009 · dir. Jingle Ma Choh-Sing
★ 6.6adventure · drama · action

History built on stillness, twice over

When barbarian hordes threaten her homeland, the brave and cunning Mulan disguises herself as a male soldier to swell the ranks in her aging father's stead. The warrior's remarkable courage drives her through powerful battle scenes and brutal wartime strategy. Mulan loses dear friends to the enemy's blade as she rises to become one of her country's most valuable leaders — but can she win the war before her secret is exposed?

The Promised Land poster
The Promised Land
2023 · dir. Nikolaj Arcel
🍅 97%★ 7.7action · drama · historyHulu

Both lean on scale more than on action

Denmark, 1755. Captain Ludvig Kahlen sets out to conquer a Danish heath reputed to be uncultivable, with an impossible goal: to establish a colony in the name of the king, in exchange for a royal title. A single-minded ambition that the ruthless lord of the region will relentlessly seek to put down. Kahlen's fate hangs in the balance: will his endevours bring him wealth and honour, or cost him his life...?

Deep Water poster
Deep Water
2006 · dir. Louise Osmond
🍅 96%★ 7.8documentary · adventure · drama

Common ground: biography

DEEP WATER is the stunning true story of the fateful voyage of Donald Crowhurst, an amateur yachtsman who enters the most daring nautical challenge ever – the very first solo, non-stop, round-the-world boat race.

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