Best movies like Born to Be King
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
Triad member Chicken is designated by Taiwan's San Luen Gang to marry Nanako, the daughter of the fifth generation leader of the Yamada Gang in Japan. Later, the leader of the triad group gets murdered. Actually, all the San Luen Gang members suspect Chicken attacked their leader Liu, in order to make a chance for him to rule the Gang and thus have adopted an extremely hostile attitude towards him.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 769
Genere: Crime, Thriller
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 118 min
Plot tags: exciting, rough, serious, suspenseful, crime drama, realistic
Best tv shows and movies like Born to Be King (2000):
Similar in 77%
Golgo 13 (1977)
Plot Summary:
Duke Togo (codename: Golgo 13) is a ruthless assassin who's accepted a tricky assignment from an American drug syndicate. His mission is to "rub out" Hong Kong's underworld kingpin. His main obstacle is the relentless Detective 'Smitty' Smith, determined to stop Togo no matter the cost. The result is an explosive adventure through the seamy, violent streets of Hong Kong.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 567
Genere: Action, Crime, Thriller
Country: Japan, Hong Kong
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: crime drama, exciting, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, stylized, fast, detective, manga
Similar in 86%
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 87%
Once a Gangster (2010)
Plot Summary:
Roast Pork joins the triad as a young man and ends up becoming a trusted lieutenant of boss Kerosene. However, his true passion is in his successful chain of restaurants, his loving wife, and his two children. So when Kerosene wants to promote his trusted right hand man to the top of the organization as a way to take on his financial debts, it's understandable why Roast Pork would want to refuse. Roast Pork comes up with an intricate scheme with his men that would take himself out of the running, but Kerosene's intervention causes it to fail. When all hopes appears to be lost, lifelong gangster Sparrow is released from jail after serving a 20-year sentence for committing a gang-related murder that earned him a guarantee for the leader spot. However, Sparrow has made his own plans to stay out of the gang, setting off a battle of wits between the two men.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 540
Genere: Action, Comedy, Crime
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: rough, humorous, exciting, realistic, suspenseful, semi serious
Similar in 89%
Once a Thief (1996)
Plot Summary:
Set in Hong Kong and Vancouver, the story follows Mac Ramsey and Li Ann Tsei, lovers and professional thieves who are separated while fleeing the powerful Hong Kong underworld crime lord who raised and trained them. After being imprisoned in Hong Kong, Mac is forcefully recruited into a clandestine international crime-fighting unit by a hard-nosed, menacing Director. He is teamed in Vancouver with Li Ann, who thought Mac was dead, and her new fiancé Victor Mansfield, an ex-cop who is attracted to the unorthodox methods of the agency. Conflict flares between Mac and Victor as the trio take on their assignment. They soon learn that their principal target is their foster brother Michael Tang, who had been given Li Ann as his future wife and who has vowed to hunt down the pair for their disloyalty to the "family".
IMDB Rating: 5.2
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Crime, Thriller
Country: Canada
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: suspense, exciting, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, stylized
Similar in 88%
Young and Dangerous (1996)
Plot Summary:
Nam opens a bar in Wanchai and continues his rise in Hong Kong's Hung Hing gang. His best friend, Chicken, needs to lie low, so he's sent to Taiwan to work for Lui, leader of the San Luen gang; there, he falls for the aging Lui's mistress, Ting Yiu. When Chicken returns to Hong Kong, he finds Nam in a struggle with long time rival, Fai Fat. Then, Lui shows up, demanding that Hung Hing sell him a half interest in their new Macau casino. When Chiang, the Hung Hing boss, wants to think about it, Lui threatens war, Chicken must choose sides, and Ting Yui sets up a meeting. Chicken's affections, Fai and Nam's rivalry, Lui's greed, and Ting's intentions are on a collision course.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Crime, Thriller
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: neo noir, heroic, crime drama, exciting, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 86%
Double Tap (2000)
Plot Summary:
Leslie Cheung plays Rick Pang, an IPSC champion who is also a gun expert who modifies his pistols to perfect his technique known as 'double tap', placing two shots in the same exact spot. In the 1996 IPSC Hong Kong shooting competition, he goes up against another experienced shooter named Miu. Unfortunately, the competition was marred by a depressed stock trader, a friend of Miu, who lost much in the stock market and threatened the safety of the contest, wounding the IPSC supervisor, again one of Miu's friend. Rick was forced to kill him with his trademark double tap. Rick's experience from this encounter was strangely exciting to him and he discovers his lust for murdering others in cold blood.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Action, Crime, Thriller
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, realistic, suspenseful, crime drama, heroic, cult film
Similar in 89%
Turning Point (2009)
Plot Summary:
Laughing (MICHAEL TSE) is formally a police undercover. However due to a drug trafficking case, Inspector Pan (FELIX WONG) is hot on his trails. Before Laughing becomes a police undercover, he works under triad leader Yi (ANTHONY WONG). Yi treats Laughing as his own brother, however to protect his territory and illegal businesses, Yi instructed Laughing to join the police force and act as his undercover. Laughing is a high-flyer in the police academy. However he never got a chance to join the force because he is specially picked by Inspector Xian (YUEN BIAO) to be an undercover in the underworld syndicate. Hence Laughing becomes a “double-undercover”. Yi is happy that Laughing is allocated to the triad of his rival (FRANCIS NG). To make his situation worse, Laughing falls in love with the triad leader’s sister, Karen. Justice, brotherhood and love, what will Laughing decide on? His decision will be a turning point in his life.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 441
Genere: Crime, Thriller
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, exciting
Similar in 75%
Legendary Assassin (2008)
Plot Summary:
An assassin who is fresh from his latest kill becomes stranded in an island, when he inadvertently befriends a female police officer. As the night progresses, the unspoken truth honored by the two sides of the law is broken. After the remains of a body that belonged to a drug lord and syndicate crime leader are found, chaos ensues and criminals ravage the once peaceful streets in a race against time to find the mysterious murderer that's loose and out for blood.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Crime, Thriller
Country: Hong Kong, China
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: exciting, rough, serious, suspenseful, realistic, fast
Similar in 75%
The Hard Easy (2006)
Plot Summary:
Two separate teams of jewel thieves, one low-rent and one upscale, both desperate, converge on the same score at the exact same time, and a simple job turns out very complicated and very bloody.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 851
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: exciting, rough, serious, suspenseful, realistic
Similar in 86%
Family (2001)
Plot Summary:
When the mobster Iwaida Nishikawi is executed by the hit man Takeshi, his family chases the killer. Takeshi's brothers Takashi and Hideshi Miwa try to find Takeshi, who is hidden with the nurse Rie Ishibashi, to protect him and Hideshi discovers that Takeshi was secretly sent by their Yakuza boss to eliminate Iwaida. Meanwhile, the mobster Kenmoshi abducts Takashi's wife Mariko and rapes her, trying to force Takashi to deliver his brother to him.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 296
Genere: Action, Crime
Country: Japan
Duration: 111 min
Plot tags: exciting, rough, serious, suspenseful, bloody, crime drama, realistic
Similar in 76%
The City of Lost Souls (2000)
Plot Summary:
Brazilian-Japanese gangster Mario rescues his Chinese girlfriend Kei as she's about to be deported from Japan. Desperate to escape, he hides in Tokyo's booming Japanese-Portuguese community and seeks passage from the country from a Russian mobster. To meet his price, they hold up a bigtime drug deal between the Chinese Mafia and the local Yakuza.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: disturbing, atmospheric, harsh, exciting, rough, suspenseful, realistic, stylized, crime drama, serious
Similar in 85%
Cop on a Mission (2001)
Plot Summary:
Mike, a cop who is becoming increasingly frustrated with his tiresome job with little benefits, whilst the criminals live a life of luxury. He is offered a undercover job to infiltrate a Triad gang led by Boss Tin. Mike slowly becomes engrossed in this world and in Tin's wife.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 299
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: exciting, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, crime drama
Similar in 75%
Young and Dangerous: Portland Street Blues (1998)
Plot Summary:
This spin-off movie provides a different contrast to the familiar Young and Dangerous films with greater character development. This time, the story's focus is on a female character - Sister 13 (Sandra Ng) of the "Hung Hing" triad. In a triad underworld dominated by men, the film tells the story of how she faces trials and tribulations of rising to become the branch leader of Portland Street. The story shows the reasons she became a lesbian. The film also gives more details about the "Tung Sing" triad, and how the relationship between Sister 13 and Ben Hon develops.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 568
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 114 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 80%
Tactical Unit - Comrades in Arms (2009)
Plot Summary:
Two tactical unit leaders are forced to put aside their differences to help catch a group of robbers.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 429
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: exciting, rough, serious, suspenseful, realistic
Similar in 90%
Firestorm (2013)
Plot Summary:
A crew of seasoned criminals led by the notorious Nam, armed with high-powered weapons, pulls off another smooth and violent armored car heist in broad daylight in a crowded street. Whoever tries to get in their way, they will show no mercy. This puts the police force to shame and humiliation. A hardboiled senior police inspector Lui, hot on the trails of Nam and his tight crew, determines to put an end to this madness that causes the lives of innocent people. But he soon comes face to face with the cruel reality that the usual police tactics are too futile to send these armed thieves behind bars. Extreme crime requires extreme justice, even if it means crossing his moral line. Tou, an ex-con desperate to leave his criminal past behind, volunteers to be Lui’s snitch in exchange for a fresh start with her girlfriend Bing. But little does he know what hellish situation he’s getting himself into.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Action, Crime, Thriller
Country: Hong Kong, China
Duration: 118 min
Plot tags: exciting, rough, serious, suspenseful, tense, hood, crime drama, realistic
Similar in 80%
Full Alert (1997)
Plot Summary:
Police Inspector Pao is trying to catch Mak Kwan, a gang member who is first arrested, but then escapes from the prison. By chance, Pao realizes that the target of Kwan's gang is the H.K. Jockey Club.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Action, Crime, Thriller
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: neo noir, heroic, crime drama, exciting, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 81%
Big Bullet (1996)
Plot Summary:
Hotheaded cop Bill Zhu (Lau Ching-wan) gets relegated to the Emergency Unit after a dustup with his inept boss. When the mob kills Zhu's pal and ex-colleague (Francis Ng) during a turf-war hit, he rounds up his motley department cohorts and embarks on a mission of revenge against the gangsters. The pursuit of the baddies culminates in a hair-raising showdown atop a hijacked transport plane in this action thriller.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 998
Genere: Action, Crime, Thriller
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: neo noir, bloody, heroic, crime drama, exciting, tense, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 88%
Return to a Better Tomorrow (1994)
Plot Summary:
An adventure that delves into the dark caverns of the underworld and tells the tale of three chivalrous gangsters who attempt to escape the powerful clutch of their gang leader.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 331
Genere: Action, Crime, Thriller
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: heroic, crime drama, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, stylized
Similar in 77%
The Arrangement (1999)
Plot Summary:
A drug deal hijacked by a third party, they leave the drugs and take the money. A stripper witnesses a murder and now the Mafia's after but there is nowhere safe to hide.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 202
Genere: Crime, Thriller
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: independent film, exciting, tense, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 79%
The Last Tycoon (2012)
Plot Summary:
Set in Shanghais Gangster era of the early 1900s, THE LAST TYCOON tells the tale of CHENG (Chow Yun-Fat), a young man who is set up by the chief of police (Sammo Hung) and must leave the life he knows and QIU (Monica Mok), the woman he loves, to start again. After escaping prison CHENG quickly and violently moves his way up the ladder of Shanghais criminal underworld to become on the most powerful mob bosses in Shanghais history. But fame and notoriety take their toll when CHENG finds himself stuck between the looming Japanese army and the scheming local secret service. Matters are only made worse when he bumps into the love of his life QIU, along with her writer husband. Will love re-kindle in the dusk of an era?.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Crime, Drama
Country: Hong Kong, China
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: tense, serious, suspenseful, exciting, captivating, retro, heroic, crime drama, rough, realistic
Similar in 76%
Rebellion (2009)
Plot Summary:
In a district within Hong Kong five gangs have an uneasy truce as they all work within the area. Chaos then ensues when triad leader Jimmy is shot. Jimmy's wife Cheung Wah then appoints his bodyguard Po as the temporary leader of the gang over Jimmy's #2 man Blackie. Po must now find the assassin, control the seething Blackie, and keep their rival gangs at bay before all hell breaks loose.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 319
Genere: Action, Crime, Thriller
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, tense, captivating, psychological, rough, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 83%
Ready 2 Die (2014)
Plot Summary:
After a violent bank robbery, the trio of hoods make their way across East L.A. carrying a blood-soaked bag of money. When word gets out, they must fend off gangs and crooked cops alike as they strive to keep the loot and stay alive.
IMDB Rating: 4.1
IMDB Votes: 851
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 80 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, suspenseful, exciting, realistic, crime drama, independent film
Similar in 81%
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 90%
Prison on Fire II (1991)
Plot Summary:
Ching is a prisoner in a Honk Kong jail that has a large population of Mainland Chinese prisoners. Ching escapes to see his young son, who he has been put in an orphanage. He surrenders himself to authorities, but the vengeful chief of security, Zau, arranges for Ching to be set up in the eyes of the Mainland gang, led by the affable Dragon. Dragon and Ching both then escape separately, and while fugitives, hook up together and bond. Ching is recaptured and instigates a riot to save his own hide from the Mainlanders. In the chaos Ching gets revenge on Skull (who, working with Zau, set him up) and Zau.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 109 min
Plot tags: exciting, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 87%
Long Arm of the Law (1984)
Plot Summary:
An ultra-violent and ultra-gritty tale of desperate Chinese would-be jewel thieves hoping to make a quick, effortless score in Hong Kong. Naturally, things go afoul, and the gang must hide out until the heat dies down, besmirched with the blood of an undercover cop. A progenitor of sorts of both "City on Fire" and "Reservoir Dogs," but lacking the romantic melodrama of the former and the hipster staginess of the latter. Winner of Hong Kong Film Awards for both Best Film and Best Director. Spawned a franchise with three sequels.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 859
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: heroic, crime drama, exciting, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, poliziottesco, cult film
Similar in 86%
Black Ransom (2010)
Plot Summary:
A powerful triad boss has been kidnapped, and the new police superintendent Koo (Fala Chen) decides to recruit the help of Mann (Simon Yam), a former supercop who has since been relegated to back-up duty. Mann has his work cut out for him when he realizes his opponent is Sam (Michael Miu), a former cop with plenty of grudges. When Sam takes the fight to Mann’s family, Mann is more than determined to bring down the dangerous kidnapper and his gang.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 541
Genere: Action, Crime, Thriller
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: suspenseful, serious, tense, captivating, psychological, suspense, heroic, exciting, rough, emotional
Similar in 89%
Wo Hu (2006)
Plot Summary:
The Hong Kong Police placed 1000 undercover officers in the various Triad groups in their efforts to bring down the criminal organization in Hong Kong. After one undercover officer's identity is discovered and he is killed, the pressure is put on one gang, suspicious of each other and everyone around them. Betrayal, deceit and murder bring this group of 'brothers' into a collision with the law, and each other.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 356
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: tense, captivating, suspense, psychological, heroic, crime drama, exciting, rough, serious, realistic
Similar in 90%
Shanghai Grand (1996)
Plot Summary:
Gangsters abound in this lively, romantic crime drama that is set in Shanghai during WW II. The tale of Taiwanese patriot Hsu Wen-Chiang begins as he is washed up on a beach near Shanghai. He is taken in by Ting Lik, a kindly beggar who is desperately in love with Feng Ching-Ching, the daughter of a prominent gangster. It isn't long before Ting Lik successfully rises through the underworld ranks to become one of the city's most powerful gangsters. Hsu is beside him all the way and uses his own power to get revenge against those who tried to have him killed much earlier. The film's later focus is on the exploits of Feng who long ago had a relationship with Hsu when he was on the lam in northern China. Back in the present, Hsu and Feng meet again by chance and they resume their affair until Hsu learns that Feng's father is one of his enemies and kills him. Poor Feng goes mad with grief. Ting finds out and swears revenge upon Hsu.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 874
Genere: Action, Crime, Thriller
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: heroic, crime drama, tense, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, stylized, gloomy
Similar in 89%
Colour of the Truth (2003)
Plot Summary:
A man becomes a cop in order to take down the police superintendent who may have killed his father, and that of a vengeful Triad boss.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 678
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: exciting, captivating, suspense, tense, crime drama, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 86%
Caught in the Crossfire (2010)
Plot Summary:
Two detectives investigating a gang-related find themselves targeted by both gang members and crooked cops.
IMDB Rating: 4.4
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 85 min
Plot tags: suspenseful, exciting, serious, hood, tense, captivating, rough, realistic, independent film, non-linear