Best movies like American Yakuza
Last updated March 2024
Looking for movies related to American Yakuza? Leverage your expertise to guide others toward films and tv shows you've seen before that they might like also. Help broaden the community of people suggesting videos to each other. We welcome your engagement!
Plot Summary:
When Nick Davis leaves prison after one year in solitaire, he is hired to operate forklift in a warehouse in the harbor owned by the Japanese Yakuza patriarch Isshin Tendo. The place is assaulted by the Italian Mafia leaded by Dino Campanela and Nick rescues and saves the life of Shuji Sawamoto, who is the representative of Yakuza interests in America. Shuji hires Nick to work for Yakuza and becomes his godfather in the family after his oath to join Yakuza. However, Nick is a lonely FBI undercover agent assigned to penetrate in the criminal organization. When the FBI discovers that Campanela is organizing a massive attack to destroy the Yakuza, Nick's boss Littman calls off the operation to leave the dirty work to the Italian Mafia. But the connection of Nick with Shuji and his goddaughter Yuko forces him to help his Japanese family.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: crime drama, independent film, exciting, rough, bleak, serious, realistic, suspenseful, cynical
Best tv shows and movies like American Yakuza (1993):
Similar in 86%
Road House 2: Last Call (2006)
Plot Summary:
Shane Tanner, the son of a legendary cooler named Dalton, learns that his uncle Nate got beat up by a group of men because he doesn't want to sell his bar, The Black Pelican, to a bunch of drug dealers. To help out his uncle, Shane teams up with local school teacher Beau Hampton, who is a regular at the Black Pelican, and takes down the baddies.
IMDB Rating: 4.3
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 86 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, fast, ridiculous
Similar in 79%
Blue Tiger (1994)
Plot Summary:
Gena is a sweet and dedicated mother to her little son. One day, whilst shopping with him for a halloween mask, her son is accidently shot through the chest by a Japanese Gunman, trying to kill an opposing gang of bus operators. Gena notices that the gunman has a picture of a blue tiger on his chest. She is turned into an obsessed person and has an identical red tiger etched into her skin. She then tracks down the killer and plots his death. This leads her into the world of the Japanese Mafia.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 849
Genere: Action, Crime, Thriller
Country: USA, Japan
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: crime drama, independent film, exciting, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 80%
No Way Back (1995)
Plot Summary:
When F.B.I. Agent Zack Grant's partner is killed during a blown-up operation, he attempts to find the person responsible. Mafiaso Frank Serlano believes Zack is responsible for his only sons death in the same operation and kidnaps Zacks son to hold as bait. The action gets wild when airline stewardess Mary is taken hostage to add what seems an another insurmountable problem for Zack. There appears to be No Way Out.
IMDB Rating: 5.1
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: exciting, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, fast
Similar in 79%
Moscow Heat (2004)
Plot Summary:
After a U.S. policeman is killed by black market weapons dealers, his partner, Rudy (Robert Madrid), and the murdered cop's father, ex-British Intelligence agent Roger Chambers (Michael York), head to Moscow to find the killers. The two begin to track down their targets, but their plan falters when Rudy's injured and Chambers is arrested. Enter Vlad (Alexander Nevsky), a Russian officer who's willing to help the men complete their mission.
IMDB Rating: 2.5
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Drama
Country: Russia
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: serious, suspenseful, rough, bleak, realistic, fast
Similar in 90%
Breach of Trust (1995)
Plot Summary:
For opposite reasons, an undercover federal agent and a small time hood join forces to take on a union of drug lords and dirty cops.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 486
Genere: Action, Drama, Thriller
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: independent film, serious, realistic, suspenseful, neo noir, detective
Similar in 90%
Walking Tall: Lone Justice (2007)
Plot Summary:
In Dallas, witnesses against a drug-lord are murdered in a safe-house.The testimony of FBI agents becomes the only chance to keep him in prison. They are lodged in another safe-house, but the place is invaded and the agents are executed. However, Kate is only wounded, and her boyfriend Nick believes there is a traitor in the agency and takes her to his ranch to protect her life.
IMDB Rating: 4.8
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, suspenseful, realistic, neo western
Similar in 84%
Back to Back (1996)
Plot Summary:
An ex-cop finds himself caught up in a battle between Japanese mobsters and local gangland thugs and discovers that he was framed for wrong-doings by a corrupt cop.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 841
Genere: Action, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 86 min
Plot tags: crime drama, exciting, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, fast
Similar in 78%
Martial Outlaw (1993)
Plot Summary:
A DEA agent and his brother, a Los Angeles cop, battle the Russian mafia.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 504
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 86 min
Plot tags: independent film, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 84%
The Substitute 3: Winner Takes All (1999)
Plot Summary:
At a college visit to a war buddy's professor daughter, mercenary Treat Williams finds her brutally beaten. He then poses as a teacher to teach a lesson to the football jocks responsible.
IMDB Rating: 4.7
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Crime, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: christian film, serious, realistic, suspenseful, fast
Similar in 89%
My Father is a Hero (1995)
Plot Summary:
An undercover cop struggling to provide for his son and ailing wife, must infiltrate a ruthless gang. But things turn sour when another cop blows his cover and he quickly finds himself battling for his life and the lives of his family.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: scenic, cult classic, exciting, serious, realistic, suspenseful, fast
Similar in 88%
American Dragons (1998)
Plot Summary:
Murders in Seoul, Korea and in America pair two cops from each of the countries together to solve the crimes. The investigation leads to a gang war between the Mafia and the Yakuza, but one that may not be of either of their making. A shadowy assassin is killing the leaders and an Italian assassin may have his own agenda.
IMDB Rating: 4.9
IMDB Votes: 893
Genere: Action, Crime
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: crime drama, independent film, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, neo noir
Similar in 81%
Double Tap (1997)
Plot Summary:
A drug-lord targets an undercover FBI agent and the hit man she falls in love with while tracking.
IMDB Rating: 5.1
IMDB Votes: 647
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: independent film, exciting, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 85%
Best of the Best II (1993)
Plot Summary:
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 partner, Tommy Lee, vow to avenge their friend's death by defeating Brakus and shutting down the fight club.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: serious, suspense, independent film, rough, realistic, suspenseful, fast, clever, brutal, unusual plot structure
Similar in 79%
Black Moon Rising (1986)
Plot Summary:
An FBI free-lancer stashes a stolen Las Vegas-crime tape in a high-tech car stolen by someone else.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Action, Crime, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: exciting, rough, serious, suspenseful, cult classic, retro, harsh, atmospheric, independent film, realistic
Similar in 90%
High Voltage (1998)
Plot Summary:
After unknowingly robbing a money laundering operation the heist crew must avoid mobsters.
IMDB Rating: 4.5
IMDB Votes: 700
Genere: Action, Crime, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: exciting, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, suspense, crime drama, independent film
Similar in 84%
The Hitman (1991)
Plot Summary:
After surviving an attempt on his life by his former partner, officer Cliff Garrett (Norris) exacts revenge on those who wronged him by going undercover as a hit man. He works to gain the reputation and trust needed in order to be accepted by the burgeoning Seattle-area criminal underworld, but it is all done in order to take it down from within.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Action, Crime, Thriller
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: exciting, rough, realistic, serious, suspenseful, suspense, grindhouse, cult classic, independent film, fast
Similar in 88%
Showdown in Little Tokyo (1991)
Plot Summary:
An American with a Japanese upbringing, Chris Kenner is a police officer assigned to the Little Tokyo section of Los Angeles. Kenner is partnered with Johnny Murata, a Japanese-American who isn't in touch with his roots. Despite their differences, both men excel at martial arts, and utilize their formidable skills when they go up against Yoshida, a vicious yakuza drug dealer with ties to Kenner's past.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 20000
Genere: Action, Comedy, Crime, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 79 min
Plot tags: serious, exciting, rough, realistic, grindhouse, cult classic, action comedy, crime drama, mind blowing, detective
Similar in 81%
Moving Target (1996)
Plot Summary:
A bounty hunter with a pregnant wife who is urging him to get a regular job gets framed for murder and trapped in a war between Russian gangsters.
IMDB Rating: 4.2
IMDB Votes: 468
Genere: Action, Drama, Thriller
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: suspenseful, serious, intense, independent film, realistic, exciting
Similar in 87%
Death Train (2003)
Plot Summary:
A man is supposed to guard a shipment of diamonds being sent by rail. But a man robs the train and kills the men guarding the diamonds. The robbers derail the train and hope to get away with their crime. The robbers get caught in Mexico and are sent to prison by rail. The robbers take over the prison train they are on. Will these robbers get away with their crime or will the bodyguard kill all of the robbers and reclaim the train?.
IMDB Rating: 3.2
IMDB Votes: 399
Genere: Action, Crime, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: exciting, rough, suspenseful, suspense, serious, realistic, fast, cult film
Similar in 86%
Silent Trigger (1996)
Plot Summary:
Waxman is a former Special Forces soldier who is now working as a heavily armed assassin for a top secret government agency. When a covert mission goes terribly wrong, Waxman and fellow assassin Clegg become that agency's prime targets.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Action, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: bloody, suspense, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, fast, surprise ending, independent film
Similar in 78%
Lethal (2005)
Plot Summary:
A sexy and lethal female mercenary takes on an international syndicate of weapons smugglers run by the Russian Mafia.
IMDB Rating: 2.7
IMDB Votes: 417
Genere: Action, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: realistic, suspenseful, captivating, exciting, tense, serious
Similar in 83%
The Substitute: Failure Is Not an Option (2001)
Plot Summary:
A former mercenary joins a military academy as a teacher. He soon discovers a neo-Nazi group, code-named Werewolves, formed among the cadets. He also quickly finds that they have military leadership among the officers at the Academy.
IMDB Rating: 4.7
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Action, Crime, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: exciting, rough, suspenseful, serious, realistic, fast
Similar in 83%
The Yakuza (1974)
Plot Summary:
Harry Kilmer returns to Japan after several years in order to rescue his friend George's kidnapped daughter - and ends up on the wrong side of the Yakuza, the notorious Japanese mafia.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Japan, USA
Duration: 112 min
Plot tags: neo noir, tense, intense, harsh, serious, realistic, retro, spiritual, fast paced, crime drama
Similar in 78%
Rapid Fire (1992)
Plot Summary:
College student Jake Lo is pursued by smugglers, mobsters and crooked federal agents after he witnesses a murder by a Mafia kingpin.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: exciting, intense, serious, suspenseful, cult classic, suspense, crime drama, rough, realistic, fast
Similar in 88%
Raw Deal (1986)
Plot Summary:
Mark Kaminsky is kicked out of the FBI for his rough treatment of a suspect. He winds up as the sheriff of a small town in North Carolina. FBI Chief Harry Shannon, whose son has been killed by a mobster named Patrovina, enlists Kaminsky in a personal vendetta with a promise of reinstatement into the FBI if Patrovina is taken down. To accomplish this, he must go undercover and join Patrovina's gang.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 37000
Genere: Action, Crime, Thriller
Country: USA, Netherlands
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: intense, rough, realistic, exciting, serious, suspenseful, action packed, cult classic, hood, perverse
Similar in 77%
The Tracker (2001)
Plot Summary:
Spears, a private detective working in L.A. receives word from an old friend that the friend's sister (and Spears' ex-girlfriend), Kim, has been kidnapped by a criminal gang. At first, Spears doesn't want to get involved, especially when he finds out that his friend's family is mixed up with the Chinese Mafia, but the feelings he still has for Kim lead him to return to New York and try to rescue her. When he arrives, he learns that Kim is caught in the middle of a war with the Russian Mafia, and that her life now depends on him.
IMDB Rating: 4.7
IMDB Votes: 295
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: serious, suspenseful, realistic, tense, exciting, disturbing, crime drama, surprise ending
Similar in 85%
Knock Off (1998)
Plot Summary:
Marcus Ray (Jean-Claude Van Damme), a sales representative for "V SIX" jeans, and his partner, Tommy Hendricks (Rob Schneider), are about to be busted for selling "knock off" jeans. Their American contact, Karan Leigh, who by the way is not only their employer but a CIA agent sent to find the mole in their operation, is threatening them with a jail term if they do not prove their innocence.
IMDB Rating: 4.8
IMDB Votes: 16000
Genere: Action, Crime, Thriller
Country: Aruba, Hong Kong, USA
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: suspense, stylized, cult classic, serious, realistic, suspenseful, fast, buddy comedy, feel good, unusual plot structure
Similar in 75%
Best of the Best 4: Without Warning (1998)
Plot Summary:
A group of Russian mobsters have stolen a huge supply of paper for printing U.S. currency, and are now flooding the market with conterfeit bills. When one of the mobsters decides to give herself in and hand over a data CD to the DA, she is shot and killed, but not before handing the disc to an unsuspecting Tommy Lee. Despite working with the police as a martial arts instructor, Lee doesn't go to the cops with the disc, but instead goes on the run, giving the mafia time to kidnap his daughter and hold as a hostage in exchange for return of the disc. Will Tommy ever see his daughter again?.
IMDB Rating: 4.8
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: exciting, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, fast
Similar in 83%
Black Rain (1989)
Plot Summary:
Two New York cops get involved in a gang war between members of the Yakuza, the Japanese Mafia. They arrest one of their killers and are ordered to escort him back to Japan. In Japan, however, he manages to escape. As they try to track him down, they get deeper and deeper into the Japanese Mafia scene and they have to learn that they can only win by playing the game the Japanese way.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 59000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA, Japan
Duration: 125 min
Plot tags: suspense, neo noir, detective, exciting, tense, serious, stylized, cult classic, hood, postmodern
Similar in 88%
Marked for Death (1990)
Plot Summary:
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 with a ferocious Jamaican drug lord who vows that Hatcher and his family are now marked for death.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 24000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: suspense, exciting, serious, suspenseful, rough, realistic, grindhouse, intense, hood, cult classic