Martial Arts Action backdrop

Martial Arts Action movies

Fight-first action where choreography matters: duels, tournaments, mastery arcs, striking, grappling, and clean technique.

Never Back Down: No Surrender

1. Never Back Down: No Surrender

Drama Action Martial Arts Action Sports Competition
6.3
20161h 41min

Overview

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.

Themes

Loyalty and betrayal, Mentorship under threat, Promotional manipulation, Comeback under pressure, Steroid doping schemes, Ethical boundaries in sport

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Skin Trade

2. Skin Trade

Thriller Action Drama Crime Martial Arts Action
5.6
20141h 36min

Overview

After his family is killed by a Serbian gangster with international interests. NYC detective Nick goes to S.E. Asia and teams up with a Thai detective to get revenge and destroy the syndicates human trafficking network.

Themes

Trafficking and exploitation, Moral ambiguity in justice, Transnational crime networks, Duty versus vengeance, Revenge and personal loss, Corruption and manipulation

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Rurouni Kenshin Part III: The Legend Ends

3. Rurouni Kenshin Part III: The Legend Ends

Action Adventure Fantasy Martial Arts Action Adventure Epic
7.5
20142h 15min

Overview

Shishio sets sail in his ironclad ship to bring down the government. In order to stop him, Kenshin trains with his old master to learn his final technique.

Themes

Loyalty under pressure, Political upheaval, Mentor training, Duty versus survival, Will to live, End of an era

Available on

Netflix
Netflix Standard with Ads
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Vampire Academy

4. Vampire Academy

Comedy Action Fantasy Parody Martial Arts Action
5.4
20141h 44min

Overview

Rose, a rebellious half-vampire/half-human guardian-in-training and her best friend, Lissa -- a mortal, royal vampire Princess - have been on the run when they are captured and returned to St. Vladamirs Academy, the very place where they believe their lives may be in most jeopardy. Rose will sacrifice everything to protect Lissa from those who intend to exploit her from within the Academy walls and the Strigoi (immortal, evil vampires) who hunt her kind from outside its sanctuary.

Themes

On the run dynamics, Guardian duty under threat, Spirit power costs life, Royal vampire expectations, Strigoi threat and fear

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Ninja: Shadow of a Tear

5. Ninja: Shadow of a Tear

Action Crime Thriller Martial Arts Action Narcotics Crime
6.1
20131h 35min

Overview

Fight everyone and trust no one: it's the code of survival practiced by martial-arts master Casey Bowman after his life of domestic bliss is shattered by a savage act of violence. Vowing revenge, the fearless American stealthily tracks the killer from Osaka to Bangkok to Rangoon with the help of a wise and crafty sensei. His only clues: a series of victims whose necks bear the distinctive mark of strangulation by barbed wire. Fighting to avenge as well as to survive, Casey must sharpen his razor-like responses and take his battle skills to the next level, even using deep meditation to fake his own death. His target: the sinister drug lord Goro, who is flooding the streets with deadly meth cooked at his remote jungle factory. To prepare for his ultimate confrontation, Casey must finally become an invisible warrior worthy of the name Ninja. But just when his prey is cornered, an unexpected twist shows Casey that his battle is only beginning: he truly can trust no one.

Themes

Loyalty under pressure, Deception and loyalty, Trauma and endurance, Revenge and violence, Code of survival, Mentor manipulation

Available on

Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Protector 2

6. The Protector 2

Action Martial Arts Action
5.3
20131h 44min

Overview

Kham finds himself in trouble when he is accused of killing a trader. While on the run from the trader's nieces who are martial artists, Kham meets a friend who warns him of a terrorist plot.

Themes

Deception and betrayal, Duty vs loyalty, Organized crime networks, Violence as solution, Corruption in authority, Hostage rescue under pressure

Available on

Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Here Comes the Boom

7. Here Comes the Boom

Comedy Action Drama Martial Arts Action Underdog Sports
6.4
20121h 45min

Overview

A high school biology teacher moonlights as a mixed-martial arts fighter in an effort to raise money to save the school's music program.

Themes

Education funding pressure, Teacher as fundraiser, Professional purpose versus obligation, Student empowerment through arts, Music program value, Community mobilization around education

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
fuboTV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Overview

An ex-mercenary known for finding missing children is hired by a mixed martial arts fighter whose daughter has been kidnapped.

Themes

Contested authority, Deception and impersonation, Factional violence, Ransom economy, Loyalty under pressure, Leadership and governance

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Never Back Down 2: The Beatdown

9. Never Back Down 2: The Beatdown

Drama Action Martial Arts Action Sports Competition
5.7
20111h 39min

Overview

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.

Themes

Cooperation under pressure, Mentorship and accountability, Money versus sport, Competition and loyalty, Diverse backgrounds under strain, Betrayal within the group

Available on

Netflix
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Warrior

10. Warrior

Drama Action Sports Competition Martial Arts Action
8.1
20112h 20min

Overview

The youngest son of an alcoholic former boxer returns home, where he's trained by his father for competition in a mixed martial arts tournament – a path that puts the fighter on a collision course with his estranged, older brother.

Themes

Intergenerational conflict, Alcoholism in family dynamics, Military past scrutiny, Financial strain and sacrifice, Sibling rivalry and reconciliation, Media attention pressure

Available on

Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Video
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.