Movies like Only the Strong

If you like "Only the Strong" you are looking for rough, serious and realistic movies about / with martial arts, fight, high school, kung fu, mixed martial arts, capoeira and school themes of Action and Drama genre shot in France or USA.
Find your next favorite and similar movies in two steps: 1. Identify all themes of interest from this film (block below). 2. Look for them in the presented list.
Only the Strong (1993)
 6.5
 7K
Only the Strong (1993)
Genre: Action, Drama
Country: France, USA
Duration: 99 min.
Story: Former Green Beret Louis Stevens returns to his hometown of Miami after completing military service in Brazil, only to learn that his old high school has become a haven for gangs and drug dealers. After Stevens uses his capoeira skills to kick several drug dealers off of the school property, Kerrigan, one of Stevens' old teachers, sees the impact that Stevens has on the students. Kerrigan gives him the task of teaching Capoeira to a handful of the worst at-risk students at the school.
Style: rough, serious, realistic, independent film, cult film
Audience: teens, boys' night
Plot: martial arts, fight, high school, kung fu, mixed martial arts, capoeira, school, youth, friends, karate, teacher, hardcore, high school teacher, heroes, tough guy, street gang, drug dealer, juvenile delinquent, teacher student relationship, martial artist, brawl, showdown, fistfight, ex soldier, gangster ...
Time: 90s, year 1993
Place: usa, miami, florida
Keyword: fighting movie, gangsters

Movie in categories

fight movies
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90s movies
90s
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1637
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Most similar movies to Only the Strong

The list contains related movies ordered by similarity. Recommendation engine sorted out serious, realistic, suspenseful and rough films with plots about martial arts, hand to hand combat, heroes, master warrior, kung fu, fight and fistfight mostly in Action, Drama and Sport genres. Some movies like Only the Strong: The Redemption: Kickboxer 5 (1995), Ring of Fire (1991), Never Back Down (2008), Angel Town (1990), American Samurai (1992). The matching attributes are highlighted in bold.
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The Redemption: Kickboxer 5 (1995)
Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 87 min.
Story: Kickboxing champion Matt Reeves witnesses the murder of his friend Johnny. While investigating the crime, he learns that a Mr. Negaal in South Africa has founded a new kickboxing association and does not leave international champions much of a ...
Style: independent film, serious, realistic, rough, suspenseful
Audience: boys' night
Plot: martial arts, vigilante, tough heroes, kickboxing, vigilante justice, kickboxer, boxer, showdown, fight, terrorism, murder, rivalry ...
Time: 90s
Place: south africa, africa
⇓ similarity ⇓
100%
 4.6
 891
Ring of Fire (1991)
Genre: Action, Drama, Sport
Country: USA
Duration: 97 min.
Story: The main character, Johnny Woo, is a Chinese doctor who has given up fighting in the ring. His brother is a teacher in a kick-boxing club. Johnny Woo fall in love with Julie, whose brother is a teacher in a rival kick-boxing club. Tension builds ...
Style: independent film, fast, exciting, realistic, serious ...
Audience: teens, boys' night
Plot: martial arts, streetfighting, street fighter, street gang, tough heroes, gang war, illegal fistfight, kickboxing, shakespeare, competition, fight, heroes ...
Time: 20th century, 90s
Place: los angeles, california
⇓ similarity ⇓
100%
 6.5
 106K
Never Back Down (2008)
Genre: Action, Drama, Sport
Country: USA
Duration: 113 min.
Story: Rebellious Jake Tyler is lured into an ultimate underground fight Scene at his new high school, after receiving threats to the safety of his friends and family Jake decides to seek the mentoring of a veteran fighter who trains him for one final ...
Style: inspirational, serious, exciting, intense, entertaining ...
Audience: teens, chick flick, boys' night, teen drama
Plot: martial arts, high school, athlete and trainer, youth, fight, teenager, boxing, rivalry, teenage life, streetfighting, lesbian sex, contests and competitions ...
Time: 2000s, year 2008, 21st century
Place: florida, usa, orlando florida, brazil
⇓ similarity ⇓
100%
 5.0
 835
Angel Town (1990)
Genre: Action, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 106 min.
Story: A graduate student and martial-arts expert rents a room in a house owned by a single mother who lives there with her son. A local street gang is trying to recruit the son, but the new tenant tries to help the boy's mother keep him out of the ...
Style: action adventure, hood, independent film, fast, serious ...
Audience: boys' night
Plot: gang, martial arts, master warrior, gangster, mixed martial arts, ghetto, karate, kung fu, heroes, vigilante, single mother, violence spree ...
Time: 90s
Place: los angeles, usa, california
⇓ similarity ⇓
100%
Movie in collections
school movies
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youth movies
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American Samurai (1992)
Genre: Action
Country: USA
Duration: 94 min.
Story: When a father passes on the traditional family sword to one of his two adopted sons, the other--in a fit of jealous rage--joins a yakuza drug smuggling mob. When the other son decides to find him and set things straight, things don't seem to go ...
Style: realistic, rough, suspenseful, exciting, serious ...
Plot: martial arts, yakuza, master warrior, uninhibited rivalry, vengeance, gory, culture clash, gangster, contests and competitions, siblings relations, father son relationship, jealousy ...
Time: 90s
Place: japan, asia, turkey, istanbul turkey
⇓ similarity ⇓
100%
 4.6
 989
The Base (1999)
Genre: Action, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 93 min.
Story: Major Murphy, a US Army Investigator, has received a new assignment. Sgt. Gammon is suspected of dealing cocaine from his base, and Murphy must gather enough evidence to shut down Gammon and his entire operation. Along with his partner, Lt. Andrews, ...
Style: independent film, fast, serious, realistic, exciting ...
Audience: boys' night
Plot: undercover, martial arts, hand to hand combat, heroes, soldier, drug dealing, capoeira, us military, loyalty, border patrol, vigilantism, military ...
Time: 90s
Place: mexico, latin america
⇓ similarity ⇓
100%
Best of the Best (1989)
Genre: Action, Drama, Sport
Country: USA
Duration: 97 min.
Story: A team from the United States is going to compete against Korea in a Tae Kwon Do tournament. The team consists of fighters from all over the country--can they overcome their rivalry and work together to win?
Style: inspirational, emotional, exciting, serious, suspenseful ...
Audience: boys' night, family friendly, teens
Plot: martial arts, martial artist, martial arts tournament, underdog, culture clash, redemption, vengeance, taekwondo, violence, kung fu, fight scenes, fight ...
Time: 80s, year 1989
Place: seoul, asia, korea
⇓ similarity ⇓
100%
 4.6
 650
Final Impact (1992)
Genre: Action, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 99 min.
Story: A former kick-boxing world champion discovers a young fighter, and believes together they can win back the world crown.
Style: independent film, exciting, realistic, serious
Plot: martial arts, tough heroes, swimming pool, training, kickboxer, gym, gambling, suspicion of adultery, relationship problems, championship, nightclub, washed up star ...
Time: 90s
Place: ohio, usa, las vegas
⇓ similarity ⇓
100%
Movie in collections
usa movies
usa
13963
karate movies
1091
teacher movies
3839
hardcore movies
963
 6.8
 93K
Bloodsport (1988)
Genre: Action, Biography, Drama, Sport
Country: USA
Duration: 92 min.
Story: Frank Dux has entered the "kumite", an illegal underground martial-arts competition where serious injury and even death are not unknown. Chong Li, a particularly ruthless and vicious fighter is the favorite, but then again Dux has not ...
Style: exciting, grindhouse, cult classic, intense, serious ...
Audience: manly, teens, boys' night
Plot: martial arts, mixed martial arts, heroes, martial arts tournament, kung fu, tournament, underdog, master warrior, revenge, hand to hand combat, karate, underground fighting ...
Time: 80s, 20th century
Place: hong kong, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
100%
 6.2
 39K
Lionheart (1990)
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Sport
Country: USA
Duration: 108 min.
Story: Lyon Gaultier is a deserter in the Foreign Legion arriving in the USA entirely hard up. He finds his brother between life and death and his sister-in-law without the money needed to heal her husband and to maintain her child. To earn the money ...
Style: exciting, rough, suspenseful, sentimental, psychological ...
Audience: manly, boys' night
Plot: martial arts, on the run, drug dealer, french foreign legion, bet, rivalry, opponent, contests and competitions, family relations, kung fu, karate, soldier ...
Time: 20th century, 90s
Place: los angeles, california, usa, north africa, paris france ...
⇓ similarity ⇓
100%
New Fists of Fury (1976)
Genre: Action, Drama
Country: Hong Kong, Taiwan
Duration: 120 min.
Story: A brother and sister escape from Japanese-occupied Shanghai to Japanese-occupied Taiwan, to stay with their grandfather who runs a Kung-Fu school there. However, the master of a Japanese Kung-Fu school in Taiwan has designs on bringing all other ...
Style: action adventure, cult classic, fast, realistic, serious ...
Audience: boys' night
Plot: martial arts, kung fu, medieval, fight, heroes, master warrior, wartime life, school, murder, heroic mission, against the odds, tough heroes ...
Place: taiwan, asia, hong kong
⇓ similarity ⇓
31%
 7.5
 25K
Fist of Legend (1994)
Genre: Action, Drama
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 103 min.
Story: Chen Zhen, a Chinese engineering student in Kyoto, who braves the insults and abuse of his Japanse fellow students for his local love Mitsuko Yamada, daughter of the director, returns in 1937 to his native Shangai, under Japanse protectorate -in ...
Style: harsh, intense, realistic, suspenseful, rough ...
Audience: boys' night, manly
Plot: martial arts, kung fu, sword fight, violence, martial artist, fight scenes, fight, brutality, samurai, wuxia, master warrior, kung fu classic ...
Time: 20th century, 1930s
Place: china, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
30%
 5.6
 129
Soul of Chiba (1977)
Genre: Action, Drama
Country: Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Japan
Duration: 94 min.
Story: This mid-1970s martial arts classic stars Sonny Chiba as Mu Yun Tek, a young man trained in the Thai fighting style since childhood to one day avenge his parents' death. When a fellow student kills their teacher, Mu Yun's thirst for ...
Plot: martial arts, fighter, vengeance, showdown, jeet kune do, kung fu master, fight, tough guy, kung fu classic, one man army, kung fu fighting, ambush ...
⇓ similarity ⇓
29%
 5.2
 167
Fist of Fury 3 (1979)
Genre: Action, Drama
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 91 min.
Story: After avenging the death of his brother, Chen Shen (Bruce Li) returns home from Shanghai. He tells his mother (who went blind from crying over her son's death) that he will no longer fight. However, being a movie with the words "fist" ...
Style: independent film
Plot: martial arts, medieval, kung fu, bare chested male, vengeance, brother, mother, heroes, wing chun, master warrior, duel, brawl ...
⇓ similarity ⇓
29%
To Kill with Intrigue (1977)
Genre: Action, Drama
Country: Hong Kong, South Korea
Duration: 106 min.
Story: Young master Cao Le chases his pregnant girlfriend away from the family castle. He does it in order to save her from vicious bandits who are going to murder his family.
Style: surreal, serious, realistic
Audience: boys' night
Plot: martial arts, asian, kung fu, pregnancy, gory, heroes, fall in love, intrigue, gang, leadership, vengeance, rivalry ...
Time: 70s
Place: east asia, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
28%
Best of the Best II (1993)
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 101 min.
Story: In an underground fight club, blackbelt Travis Brickley is killed after losing to the evil martial arts master Brakus. Travis' death is witnessed by Walter Grady, the son of his best friend Alex Grady. Alex and his partner, Tommy Lee, vow to ...
Style: serious, suspense, independent film, realistic, rough ...
Audience: boys' night
Plot: martial arts, vengeance, master warrior, karate, friends, rivalry, contests and competitions, violence, death, kung fu, revenge, fighter ...
Time: 90s, year 1993, 20th century
Place: las vegas, usa
⇓ similarity ⇓
28%
 4.2
 597
Honor (2006)
Genre: Action, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 87 min.
Story: In a world where street gangs collide with the law, neighborhood friends, Raymond and Gabriel, must decide which side of the battle to join. This will be the ultimate fight - the one for power, family, and HONOR.
Style: suspense, exciting, captivating, tense, psychological ...
Audience: boys' night
Plot: streetfighting, martial arts, gang, urban ghetto life, friendship, uninhibited rivalry, rivalry, organized crime, showdown, gang war, underground tournament, underground fighting ...
⇓ similarity ⇓
28%
 5.7
 588
Fist of Fury 2 (1977)
Genre: Action, Drama
Country: Taiwan, Hong Kong
Duration: 104 min.
Story: After Chen Zhen's execution in Shanghai, the Japanese feared that his death would unite all Chinese kung fu schools against them. Fearing this, the Japanese gave orders to the head of the Hong Ku School, Miyamoto (Lo Lieh) to surpass all ...
Style: fast paced, independent film
Plot: martial arts, medieval, karate, kung fu, fight, bare chested male, master warrior, heroes, showdown, jeet kune do, vengeance, murder ...
Time: 1910s
Place: shanghai
⇓ similarity ⇓
28%
Movie in collections
 6.8
 996
Hapkido (1972)
Genre: Action, Drama
Country: Hong Kong, South Korea
Duration: 97 min.
Story: Korea, 1934. During the Japanese occupation, there is open warfare between rival martial arts schools. There is a fight in the marketplace, and three Chinese students can't stand the unfair way of students that side up with the invasors, when ...
Style: cult classic, stylized, serious, realistic
Audience: boys' night
Plot: martial arts, kung fu, fight, kung fu classic, dojo, female fight, rivalry, heroes, master warrior, murder, society, hopes ...
Time: 1930s
Place: china, korea, hong kong, asia, japan
⇓ similarity ⇓
28%
Dragon Lee Vs. The 5 Brothers (1978)
Genre: Action, Drama
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 87 min.
Story: Dragon Lee takes on five warriors who were sent by the emperor to discover who's behind the rebels plotting his downfall.
Plot: martial arts, brutality, violence, showdown, fistfight, duel, warrior, kung fu master, hand to hand combat, brawl, hapkido, martial artist ...
⇓ similarity ⇓
28%
Two Champions of Shaolin (1980)
Genre: Action, Drama
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 101 min.
Story: Shaolin warrior Tung Chien-chen is injured in battle against the hated Wu Tang clan, and nursed back to health by a knife-throwing master. As he recovers, Tung learns this deadly art, and also falls in love with his teacher's daughter. But when ...
Style: serious, realistic, suspenseful
Audience: boys' night
Plot: martial arts, kung fu, shaolin, fight, master warrior, secret agent, heroes, dealing with death, vigilantism, gang, rivalry, vengeance ...
Time: 70s
⇓ similarity ⇓
28%
American Ninja 3: Blood Hunt (1989)
Genre: Action, Drama
Country: USA, Canada, South Africa
Duration: 89 min.
Story: Jackson is back, and now he has a new partner, karate champion Sean, as they must face a deadly terrorist known as "The Cobra", who has infected Sean with a virus. Sean and Jackson have no choice but to fight the Cobra and his bands of ...
Style: serious, cult classic, captivating, grindhouse, independent film ...
Audience: boys' night
Plot: ninja, martial arts, tough heroes, fight scenes, good versus evil, terrorism, heroes, master warrior, one man army, mortal combat, vengeance, island ...
Time: 80s, 20th century
Place: japan, asia, usa, caribbean
⇓ similarity ⇓
27%
The Shaolin Temple (1982)
Genre: Action, Comedy, Drama
Country: China, Hong Kong
Duration: 100 min.
Story: The Tang emperor is betrayed by one of his generals, who installs himself as emperor in the East Capital. The son of one of his slave workers escapes to the Shaolin Temple, learns kung fu, and sets out to kill the traitor who killed his father. ...
Style: exciting, serious, stylized, captivating, touching ...
Audience: boys' night
Plot: martial arts, kung fu, master warrior, heroes, fight, coming of age, vengeance, monastery, medieval, renegade, tough heroes, monk ...
Time: 7th century
Place: china, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
27%
Movie in collections
 6.1
 168
The Himalayan (1976)
Genre: Action, Drama
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 105 min.
Story: The Tseng family is one of the most noble and respected clans in a small village in Tibet. The patriarch of the Tseng family wants to marry off his daughter Ching Lan into the Kao clan. However, the cunning and deceitful eldest brother Kao Chu only ...
Style: action adventure
Plot: martial arts, kung fu, warrior, tough guy, kung fu classic, kung fu master, martial artist, fistfight, duel, fight, brawl, kung fu fighting ...
⇓ similarity ⇓
27%
L.A. Streetfighters (1985)
Genre: Action, Drama
Country: South Korea, USA
Duration: 85 min.
Story: Tony is the new kid at school. He befriend gang leader Young, whose top rival is Chan. Tony is also dating Chan's sister, Lily. When Young and Tony are hired as personal security, they head to a private party run by a drug dealer. When Young ...
Style: bloody, independent film, fast, exciting, realistic ...
Audience: boys' night
Plot: ninja, martial arts, fight scenes, hitman, school, gang, gangster, teenage life, against the odds, drug dealing, criminal heroes, rivalry ...
Time: 80s
Place: los angeles
⇓ similarity ⇓
27%
Dragon Bruce Lee, Part II (1981)
Genre: Action, Drama
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 87 min.
Story: While transporting funds for independence movement, Lee Han-saeng is shot in the legs by the Japanese military police. He recovers from his wounds with the help of Jang Geo-chil, an independence fighter, and his daughter, Wan-ah. When the Japanese ...
Plot: bare chested male, violence, martial arts, karate, beefcake martial arts, kung fu, beefcake, tough guy, kung fu classic, fight, taekwondo, martial artist ...
⇓ similarity ⇓
27%
American Shaolin (1991)
Genre: Action
Country: USA, Hong Kong
Duration: 106 min.
Story: After being humiliated in the ring by a dirty kickboxer who pulled down his shorts and then hit him, a martial arts master decides to travel to China and enter a monastery where he may learn the Shaolin form of fighting. The film then veers into ...
Style: realistic, exciting, rough, serious, tense ...
Audience: boys' night
Plot: martial arts, kickboxer, fight, master warrior, vengeance, escapades, misfit, contests and competitions, uninhibited rivalry, rivalry, tough heroes, fish out of water ...
Time: 90s, 20th century
Place: usa, china, asia, beijing china
⇓ similarity ⇓
27%
Duel of Legends (2023)
Genre: Action, Drama, Sport
Country: USA
Story: Duel of Legends is directed by Hector Echavarria and is about a Chinese boy who is left to survive by himself because his parents were murdered by rebels. The boy is raised by a Temple Monk who teaches the boy the secrets of the Martial arts. When ...
Style: suspenseful, thought provoking, suspense, captivating
Plot: karate, fight, tough guy, martial arts, master warrior, hand to hand combat, showdown, fistfight, wrestler, warrior, combat, heroes ...
⇓ similarity ⇓
27%
Crippled Masters (1979)
Genre: Action, Drama
Country: Taiwan, Hong Kong
Duration: 90 min.
Story: Two men skilled in the arts of Kung-Fu are betrayed by their master and crippled for life, one left with no arms and the other with no legs. Despite their obvious disadvantages, they learn to combine their martial arts skills and seek revenge ...
Style: cult classic, disturbing, exciting, serious, suspenseful ...
Audience: boys' night
Plot: martial arts, kung fu, revenge, handicapped, cripple, exploitation, heroes, disability, misfit, confined, master criminal, danger ...
Time: 70s
⇓ similarity ⇓
27%
Once Upon a Time in China V (1994)
Genre: Action, Drama
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 101 min.
Story: Epic adventure set during a tumultuous time in China, when left without a leader, the cavalry is attacked by the powerful allies and pirate bands. A martial arts master, Wong Fei-Hong and Aunt Yee return to do battle against these evil forces.
Style: intense, suspense, brutal
Plot: martial arts, kung fu, medieval, one against many, fight, warrior, hand to hand combat, sword fight, mixed martial arts, fistfight, martial artist, corruption ...
Time: 1910s
⇓ similarity ⇓
26%
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