Movies Like The Art of Self-Defense

If you liked The Art of Self-Defense (2019), a comedy and thriller movie directed by Riley Stearns, 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
Die Hart (2023)
★ 5.9/10Also comedy and thriller
Kevin Hart - playing a version of himself - is on a death-defying quest to become an action star. And with a little help from John Travolta, Nathalie Emmanuel, and Josh Hartnett - he just might pull it off.
2
God Bless America (2012)
★ 7/10Also comedy and drama
Fed up with the cruelty and stupidity of American culture, an unlikely duo goes on a killing spree, killing reality TV stars, bigots and others they find repugnant.
3
The Last Supper (1995)
★ 6.5/10Also comedy and thriller
A group of idealistic but frustrated liberals succumb to the temptation of murdering right-wing pundits for their political beliefs.
4
Code 3 (2025)
★ 7.1/10Also comedy and drama
A burned-out paramedic tries to survive his last 24 hours on the job while training a new recruit.
5
Boyka: Undisputed IV (2016)
★ 7.2/10Also drama and thriller
In the fourth installment of the fighting franchise, Boyka is shooting for the big leagues when an accidental death in the ring makes him question everything he stands for. When he finds out the wife of the man he…
6
Suburbicon (2017)
★ 5.9/10Also thriller and drama
In the quiet family town of Suburbicon during the 1950s, the best and worst of humanity is hilariously reflected through the deeds of seemingly ordinary people. When a home invasion turns deadly, a picture-perfect…
7
Blood and Bone (2009)
★ 7.4/10Also thriller 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.
8
Only God Forgives (2013)
★ 5.8/10Also drama and thriller
Julian, who runs a Thai boxing club as a front organization for his family's drug smuggling operation, is forced by his mother Crystal to find and kill the individual responsible for his brother's recent death.
9
Undisputed II: Last Man Standing (2006)
★ 7.4/10Also thriller 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…
10
The Legend of Barney Thomson (2015)
★ 6.1/10Also comedy and drama
Barney Thomson, awkward, diffident, Glasgow barber, lives a life of desperate mediocrity and his uninteresting life is about to go from 0 to 60 in five seconds, as he enters the grotesque and comically absurd world of…
11
Burn After Reading (2008)
★ 6.7/10Also comedy and drama
When a disc containing memoirs of a former CIA analyst falls into the hands of gym employees, Linda and Chad, they see a chance to make enough money for Linda to have life-changing cosmetic surgery. Predictably, events…
12
They Cloned Tyrone (2023)
★ 6.6/10Also comedy and mystery
A series of eerie events thrusts an unlikely trio onto the trail of a nefarious government conspiracy lurking directly beneath their neighborhood.
13
Kinds of Kindness (2024)
★ 6.5/10Also comedy and drama
A triptych fable following a man without choice who tries to take control of his own life; a policeman who is alarmed that his wife who was missing-at-sea has returned and seems a different person; and a woman…
14
Defendor (2009)
★ 6.4/10Also drama and comedy
A crooked cop, a mob boss and the young girl they abuse are the denizens of a city's criminal underworld. It's a world that ordinary Arthur Poppington doesn't understand and doesn't belong in, but is committed to…
15
Small Apartments (2012)
★ 5.9/10Also comedy and drama
When a clumsy deadbeat accidentally kills his landlord, he must do everything in his power to hide the body, only to find that the distractions of lust, the death of his beloved brother, and a crew of misfit characters…
16
Life After Fighting (2024)
★ 7/10Also drama and thriller
Retired martial arts world champion Alex Faulkner has settled into a simple life, when the disappearance of two of his students leads to an unthinkable discovery close to home. Just when all hope of finding the…
17
Best of the Best 2 (1993)
★ 6/10Also thriller and drama
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…
18
11:14 (2004)
★ 6.8/10Also thriller and comedy
Tells the seemingly random yet vitally connected story of a set of incidents that all converge one evening at 11:14pm. The story follows the chain of events of five different characters and five different storylines…
19
Marked for Death (1990)
★ 6.1/10Also drama and thriller
Just retired from the Drug Enforcement Agency, John Hatcher returns to his hometown and quickly discovers that drugs have infiltrated his old neighborhood. Determined to drive the dealers out, Hatcher crosses paths…
20
Ca$h (2010)
★ 5.9/10Also thriller and comedy
A stroke of good luck turns lethal for Sam Phelan and his wife Leslie when they are faced with a life-changing decision that brings strange and sinister Pyke Kubic to their doorstep. As Pyke leads Sam and Leslie on a…