Movies Like The Principal (1987)

The Principal is a 1987 action, adventure, crime, drama film from Christopher Cain with a MovieMagicScore of 6.5/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Tough Enough and Once Were Warriors.

Action Adventure Crime Drama

Tough Enough

2006

From the youth directed novel of the same name by Greogor Tressnow comes a film by Detlev Buck that is a realistic portrait of life in the section of Berlin called Neukölln. It’s about power and weakness, delinquents and victims, and the difficulties a 15-year-old faces in a poor and criminal environment.

6.8

MagicScore

Once Were Warriors

1994

A drama about a Maori family living in Auckland, New Zealand. Lee Tamahori tells the story of Beth Heke’s strong will to keep her family together during times of unemployment and abuse from her violent and alcoholic husband.

7.4

MagicScore

Assassination Classroom

2015

A mysterious creature destroys 70% of the moon. The creature then warns that if he is not destroyed by March of next year, Earth will be next. The creature also demands that he becomes the homeroom teacher for 3rd grade E class at Kunugigaoka Junior High School. The government is powerless to say no. The creature then becomes the homeroom teacher of 3rd grade E class which consists of failed students including Nagisa Shiota. The creature is called Teacher Koro. Meanwhile, the government requests that the students try to kill Teacher Koro even though he possesses super powers. The government offers a 10 billion yen reward for whomever successfully kills him. The students are confused by the situation, but decide to kill Teacher Koro. When their class begins with Teacher Koro, the students finds themselves having a good time with their new teacher.

7.3

MagicScore

Maria Full of Grace

2004

A pregnant Colombian teenager becomes a drug mule to make some desperately needed money for her family.

7.2

MagicScore

Assassination Classroom: Graduation

2016

Story continues with the students' own conflicts, Koro Sensei’s identity and the fate of the world. The time limit for assassination is approaching.

7.1

MagicScore

The Class

2008

Teacher and novelist François Bégaudeau plays a version of himself as he negotiates a year with his racially mixed students from a tough Parisian neighborhood.

7.0

MagicScore

Beverly Hills Ninja

1997

Haru, an orphaned American who washes ashore in Japan and is mistaken for the great White Ninja of legend. Raised among the finest Ninjas, Haru grows strong and big - very big. With the grace of all Three Stooges rolled into one body, Haru is an embarrassment to his clan. But when a beautiful blonde pleads for his help, Haru is given one dangerous, disastrously funny chance to prove himself.

5.7

MagicScore

Freche Mädchen

2008

Teenage best friends Mila, Hanna and Kati play matchmaker to their teachers while helping each other through their own budding romances.

5.3

MagicScore

This Land Is Mine

1943

Somewhere in Europe, in a city occupied by the Nazis, a gentle school teacher finds himself torn between collaboration and resistance, cowardice and courage.

7.2

MagicScore

#10

Drillbit Taylor

2008

Dealing with a sociopathic school bully, three high school freshmen hire a low-budget bodyguard to protect them, not realizing he is just a homeless beggar and petty thief looking for some easy cash.

5.8

MagicScore

#11

New Police Story

2004

Sent into a drunken tailspin when his entire unit is killed by a gang of thrill-seeking punks, disgraced Hong Kong police inspector Wing needs help from his new rookie partner, with a troubled past of his own, to climb out of the bottle and track down the gang and its ruthless leader.

7.2

MagicScore

#12

A Brighter Summer Day

1991

A boy experiences first love, friendships and injustices growing up in 1960s Taiwan.

8.2

MagicScore

#13

Bound by Honor

1993

Based on the true life experiences of poet Jimmy Santiago Baca, the film focuses on two Indigenous Latino American half-brothers Paco and Cruz, and their bi-racial (half-Indigenous Latino American and half-European American) cousin Miklo. It opens in 1972, as the three are members of an East L.A. gang known as the "Vatos Locos", and the story focuses on how a violent crime and the influence of narcotics alter their lives. Miklo is incarcerated and sent to San Quentin, where he makes a "home" for himself. Cruz becomes an exceptional artist, but a heroin addiction overcomes him with tragic results. Paco becomes a cop and an enemy to his "carnal", Miklo.

8.2

MagicScore

#14

In the Heat of the Night

1967

African-American Philadelphia police detective Virgil Tibbs is arrested on suspicion of murder by Bill Gillespie, the racist police chief of tiny Sparta, Mississippi. After Tibbs proves not only his own innocence but that of another man, he joins forces with Gillespie to track down the real killer. Their investigation takes them through every social level of the town, with Tibbs making enemies as well as unlikely friends as he hunts for the truth.

7.6

MagicScore

#15

The Mayor of Hell

1933

Members of a teenage gang are sent to the State Reformatory, presided over by the callous Thompson. Soon Patsy Gargan, a former gangster appointed Deputy Commissioner, arrives and takes over the administration to run the place on radical principles. Thompson needs a quick way to discredit him.

7.1

MagicScore

#16

Fighting Elegy

1966

Kiroku boards with a Roman Catholic family and falls for the daughter Michiko. He ignores his feelings, joins a gang, gets in fights and, eventually, becomes involved with the radical Kita Ikki group.

6.9

MagicScore

#17

The Wild Boys

2017

Island of La Réunion, in the beginning of the 20th century. Five teenagers commit a savage crime. As punishment, a Dutch captain takes them to a supernatural island with luxuriant vegetation and bewitching powers.

6.5

MagicScore

#18

The Sun's Burial

1960

In Osaka's slum, capricious folks without futures engage in pilfering, assault and robbery, prostitution, and the trading of ID cards and blood.

6.5

MagicScore

#19

Faster, Faster

1981

Angela is a young waitress who turns her back on society when she meets and falls in love with Pablo, a reckless criminal delinquent. Along with Pablo’s gang of car thieves, the pair embark on a drug and disco-fueled robbery spree as they hurtle toward oblivion.

6.4

MagicScore

#20

Shank

2009

Teenage gang member Cal, hides his sexuality from his fellow gang members despite their often violent dislike of anyone that isn't the same as them, be they unsuspecting shoppers, foreign students, gays, etc. When his world collides with Olivier, a student he rescues from a pointless beating, he encounters a lifestyle that presents as many new experiences as it does obstacles.

5.9

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like The Principal?

The top films similar to The Principal by MovieMagicScore are Tough Enough (6.8), Once Were Warriors (7.4), Assassination Classroom (7.3). Each shares action/adventure/crime/drama themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is The Principal worth watching?

The Principal holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.5/10 from 297 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is The Principal?

The Principal (1987) is a action, adventure, crime, drama film directed by Christopher Cain, starring Jim Belushi, Louis Gossett Jr., Rae Dawn Chong.

Where can I find more recommendations like The Principal?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more action recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like Tough Enough Movies like Once Were Warriors Movies like Assassination Classroom Movies like Maria Full of Grace Movies like Assassination Classroom: Graduation Movies like The Class

About movies like The Principal

This ranked list pairs The Principal (1987), a action and adventure and crime and drama film from Christopher Cain, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Jim Belushi take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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