Movies Like The Martial Arts Kid

If you liked The Martial Arts Kid (2015), a action and drama movie directed by Michael Baumgarten, here are 20 movies with a similar feel, based on TMDB's recommendations. Each one links to its cast, trailer and where it's streaming.

1
The Karate Kid (1984)
★ 7.2/10Also action and drama
New Jersey teen Daniel LaRusso moves to Los Angeles with his mother, and soon strikes up a relationship with Ali. He quickly finds himself the target of bullying by a group of thugs, led by Ali's ex-boyfriend Johnny…
2
The Karate Kid Part III (1989)
★ 5.9/10Also action and family
Despondent over the closing of his karate school, Cobra Kai teacher John Kreese joins a ruthless businessman and martial artist to get revenge on Daniel and Mr. Miyagi.
3
Embattled (2020)
★ 6.7/10Also action and drama
The eldest son of a ruthlessly tough MMA champion must fight his way out of the abusive cycle his father has continued.
4
Beast (2026)
★ 7.5/10Also action and drama
MMA legend Patton James, now a commercial fisherman, is pulled back into the cage when his brother is in danger. Reuniting with his old coach Sammy, he commits to one final fight in one championship against the brutal…
5
Never Back Down: No Surrender (2016)
★ 7/10Also drama and action
Picking up after the events of Never Back Down 2, former MMA champion Case Walker is on the comeback trail to become champion once again.
6
Karate Kid: Legends (2025)
★ 7/10Also action and drama
After a family tragedy, kung fu prodigy Li Fong is uprooted from his home in Beijing and forced to move to New York City with his mother. When a new friend needs his help, Li enters a karate competition – but his…
7
Never Back Down (2008)
★ 6.8/10Also drama and action
Jake, full of anger after his father's death, is just starting to find a place for himself at his new Orlando high school - until Ryan, head of an underground MMA fight club, picks Jake out as a prime opponent. After…
8
Birth of the Dragon (2017)
★ 5.8/10Also action and drama
Set against the backdrop of San Francisco’s Chinatown, this cross-cultural biopic chronicles Bruce Lee’s emergence as a martial-arts superstar after his legendary secret showdown with fellow martial artist Wong Jack Man.
9
Walking Tall (2004)
★ 6.4/10Also drama and action
A former U.S. soldier returns to his hometown to find it overrun by crime and corruption, which prompts him to clean house.
10
Skater Girl (2021)
★ 7.2/10Also drama and family
Prerna, a teenager growing up in rural India, comes of age when she’s introduced to the sport of skateboarding. As a result, she has to fight the odds to follow her dreams and compete in the national championship.
11
Jawbone (2017)
★ 6.1/10Also action and drama
A former youth boxing champion, Jimmy McCabe is a man in search of hope but looking in all the wrong places. When he hits rock bottom he turns to his childhood boxing club and the only family he has left: gym owner…
12
47 Ronin (2013)
★ 6.2/10Also drama and action
Kai—an outcast—joins Oishi, the leader of 47 outcast samurai. Together they seek vengeance upon the treacherous overlord who killed their master and banished their kind. To restore honour to their homeland, the…
13
Never Back Down 2: The Beatdown (2011)
★ 6.5/10Also drama and action
Four fighters from different backgrounds come together to train under an ex MMA rising star and then ultimately have to fight each other and the traitor in their midst.
14
An American Girl: Chrissa Stands Strong (2009)
★ 6.5/10Also drama and family
A fourth grader and her friends deal with bullying from a more popular girl in their class.
15
Undisputed II: Last Man Standing (2006)
★ 7.4/10Also action and drama
Heavyweight Champ George "Iceman" Chambers is sent to a Russian jail on trumped-up drug charges. In order to win his freedom he must fight against the jailhouse fighting champ Uri Boyka in a battle to the death. This…
16
Best of the Best (1989)
★ 6.5/10Also action and drama
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?
17
Blood and Bone (2009)
★ 7.4/10Also action and drama
In Los Angeles, an ex-con takes the underground fighting world by storm in his quest to fulfill a promise to a dead friend.
18
Out of My Mind (2024)
★ 7.7/10Also drama and family
Melody Brooks, a sixth grader with cerebral palsy, has a quick wit and a sharp mind, but because she is non-verbal and uses a wheelchair, she is not given the same opportunities as her classmates. When a young educator…
19
Welcome to Sudden Death (2020)
★ 6.1/10Also action and drama
Jesse Freeman is a former special forces officer and explosives expert now working a regular job as a security guard in a state-of-the-art basketball arena. Trouble erupts when a tech-savvy cadre of terrorists kidnap…
20
Little Lord Fauntleroy (1980)
★ 7.3/10Also family and drama
Young Cedric Errol and his widowed mother live in genteel poverty in 1880s Brooklyn after the death of his father. Cedric's grandfather, the Earl of Dorincourt, has long ago disowned his son for marrying an American…