Movies Like Archanai Pookal

If you liked Archanai Pookal (1982), a movie directed by Gokula Krishnan, 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
Beast (2026)
★ 7.5/10
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…
2
Sidney (2022)
★ 6.9/10
This revealing documentary honors the legendary Sidney Poitier—iconic actor, filmmaker, and civil rights activist. Featuring interviews with Denzel Washington, Spike Lee, Halle Berry, and more.
3
Virunga (2014)
★ 7.9/10
Virunga in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is Africa's oldest national park, a UNESCO world heritage site, and a contested ground among insurgencies seeking to topple the government that see untold profits in the…
4
Jacknife (1989)
★ 6.4/10
A conflict develops between a troubled Vietnam veteran and the sister he lives with when she becomes involved romantically with the army buddy who reminds him of the tragic battle they both survived.
5
Casualties of War (1989)
★ 7.2/10
During the Vietnam War, a soldier finds himself the outsider of his own squad when they unnecessarily kidnap a female villager.
6
Birth of the Dragon (2017)
★ 5.8/10
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.
7
Hounddog (2008)
★ 6.5/10
A drama set in the American South, where a precocious, troubled girl finds a safe haven in the music and movement of Elvis Presley.
8
Missing in Action (1984)
★ 5.9/10
American servicemen are still being held captive in Vietnam and it's up to one man to bring them home in this blistering, fast-paced action/adventure starring martial arts superstar Chuck Norris. Following a daring…
9
The Man Who Never Was (1956)
★ 7/10
The true story of a British effort to trick the Germans into weakening Sicily's defenses before the 1943 attack. A dead soldier is dressed as a British officer and outfitted with faked papers showing that the Allies…
10
Walking Tall (2004)
★ 6.4/10
A former U.S. soldier returns to his hometown to find it overrun by crime and corruption, which prompts him to clean house.
11
No Retreat, No Surrender 2: Raging Thunder (1987)
★ 6/10
In this sequel, Scott Wylde, an American kickboxer, must go to Cambodia to rescue his Vietnamese girlfriend from Russian and Vietnamese troops.
12
Birdy (1984)
★ 7.1/10
Two young men are seriously affected by the Vietnam War. One of them has always been obsessed with birds - but now believes he really is a bird, and has been sent to a mental hospital. Can his friend help him pull…
13
Hard Target 2 (2016)
★ 6.3/10
Forced into a deadly cat-and-mouse game, a disgraced mixed martial arts fighter is hunted through the jungles of Southeast Asia.
14
American Shaolin (1991)
★ 6.9/10
After facing brutal humiliation in the ring, a young karateka travels to China in order to study the ancient art of Shaolin Kung Fu, becoming the first American Shaolin.
15
Never Back Down: Revolt (2021)
★ 6.3/10
An amateur fighter is lured by a trafficking syndicate specializing in elite underground fighting where her brutal captor forces her to fight or face certain death.
16
A Toxic Love Story (2026)
★ 6.4/10
A string of threatening emails escalates into a revenge plot involving a newly married US marshal and his ex-girlfriend.
17
The Birth of a Nation (1915)
★ 5.9/10
Two families, abolitionist Northerners the Stonemans and Southern landowners the Camerons, intertwine. When Confederate colonel Ben Cameron is captured in battle, nurse Elsie Stoneman petitions for his pardon. In…
18
Dead Man's Shoes (2004)
★ 7.1/10
A soldier returns to his small town and exacts a deadly revenge on the thugs who tormented his disabled brother while he was away.
19
Zulu (1964)
★ 7.4/10
In 1879, during the Anglo-Zulu War, man-of-the-people Lt. Chard and snooty Lt. Bromhead are in charge of defending the isolated and vastly outnumbered Natal outpost of Rorke's Drift from tribal hordes.
20
Bad Ass 2: Bad Asses (2014)
★ 6.1/10
Vietnam vet Frank Vega now runs an East L.A. community center where he trains young boxers to survive in and out of the ring. But when his prize student falls in with the wrong crowd and turns up dead, Frank teams up…