Best movies like Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
An exiled detective is recruited to solve a series of mysterious deaths that threaten to delay the inauguration of Empress Wu.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Mystery, Thriller
Country: China, Hong Kong
Duration: 123 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, suspenseful, captivating, stylized, detective, twisted, epic
Best tv shows and movies like Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame (2010):
Similar in 86%
The Bullet Vanishes (2012)
Plot Summary:
One rainy night in an arms factory near Shanghai, a young female worker accused of stealing a box of bullets from the ruthless Boss Ding (Liu Kai Chi) is violently killed in a game of Russian roulette. Half a month later, a series of inexplicable deaths takes place in the factory, where the victims are shot but no bullets are found. Rumors of a deadly curse begin to spread in the factory, terrorizing the workers there. So, eccentric police inspector Song Donglu (Lau Ching Wan) and his hot-blooded, gunslinging partner Guo Zhui (Nicholas Tse) are sent in to investigate the mystery of the phantom bullets.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: China, Hong Kong
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: tense, rough, serious, suspenseful, stylized, realistic, detective
Similar in 80%
Double Vision (2002)
Plot Summary:
An FBI Agent pairs with a troubled Taiwan cop to hunt for a serial killer who's embedding a mysterious fungus in the brains of victims.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Fantasy, Horror, Mystery
Country: Taiwan, Hong Kong
Duration: 113 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, serious, suspenseful, stylized, suspense, detective, action thriller, twisted, scary, mind bending
Similar in 83%
The Deadly Duo (1971)
Plot Summary:
The plot involves patriots during the Sung Dynasty and their attempts to rescue a kidnapped prince from Ching troops who have invaded the north of China. The patriots are led by Ti Lung who recruits a mysterious but seemingly superhuman fighter played by David Chiang to find a way to cross a perilous bridge to enter an impregnable fortress to locate and rescue the imprisoned prince. The big confrontation at the end involves trickery on the part of the heroes and the self-sacrifice of one of their number as David, who is not known to the enemy, brings in Ti as his `prisoner' to turn over to the Chings, as a way of gaining entrance. Then he cuts Ti's bonds and all hell breaks loose.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 586
Genere: Action, Drama
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, realistic, suspenseful, stylized, fast, cult film
Similar in 84%
The Brave Archer (1977)
Plot Summary:
Guo Jing and Yang Kang are the sons of two rebels. The rebels are killed by imperial soldiers and the boys are rescued by six pugilists later. The pugilists agree to separate the two boys, tutor them separately in martial arts, and let them meet again when they have grown up, to determine whose abilities are better. Guo becomes the student of the "Seven Freaks of Jiangnan" while Yang Kang becomes the foster son of a Jurchen prince inadvertently.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 492
Genere: Action, Drama, Fantasy
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 127 min
Plot tags: exciting, epic, serious, realistic, cult film
Similar in 80%
Legend of the Demon Cat (2017)
Plot Summary:
During the Late Tang Dynasty, a manor is invaded by a demon cat and a sense of unrest befalls the capital of Changan. A poet is charged with investigating the case and meets up with a monk. The two work together and pull apart the thread of clues to reveal a history of truths leading to the events.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Family, Fantasy
Country: China, Japan, Hong Kong
Duration: 129 min
Plot tags: enigmatic, captivating, suspense, tense, surreal, psychotronic, mystical
Similar in 81%
Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings (2018)
Plot Summary:
Dee, the detective serving Chinese empress Wu Zetian, is called upon to investigate a series of strange events in Loyang, including the appearance of mysterious warriors wearing Chiyou ghost masks, foxes that speak human language and the pillar sculptures in the palace coming alive.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
Country: China, Hong Kong
Duration: 132 min
Plot tags: exciting, captivating, stylized, serious, detective
Similar in 75%
The Storm Warriors (2009)
Plot Summary:
Wind and Cloud find themselves up against a ruthless Japanese warlord intent on invading China.
IMDB Rating: 5.2
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 111 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, stylized, visually stunning, action adventure, epic
Similar in 75%
The Guillotines (2012)
Plot Summary:
During the Manchurian-ruled Qing Dynasty, Emperor Yong Zheng established a secret assassination squad known as the Guillotines to eliminate all who opposed him. Once heavily favored by the Emperor, the Guillotines are deemed expendable once Emperor Qian Long ascends to the throne and adopts Western ideas and technology. To consolidate his power under a new regime, the Emperor continues to use the Guillotines to persecute the conquered Han Chinese in a reign of terror and oppression. Written by Anynomous.
IMDB Rating: 4.8
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Action, Drama
Country: China, Haiti, Hong Kong
Duration: 112 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, realistic, suspenseful, captivating
Similar in 78%
The Fatal Encounter (2014)
Plot Summary:
In 1777, one year since he had taken reign, King Jeong-jo bears a perilous palace life with his dedicated court servant, Gap-soo, amidst opposition and threats from those around with political ambitions. Meanwhile, Eul-soo, a member of a secret assassin group, receives orders to kill Jeong-jo. Gap-soo, who had also been in the same secret assassin ring as Eul-soo, later confesses to Jeong-jo about his dark past and his motive for coming into the palace. To Gap-soo's surprise, Jeong-jo asks Gap-soo when he had given up being an assassin, then orders him to just leave the palace. However, Gap-soo finds out that there is another assassin besides him and frantically returns to the court, only to discover Eul-soo in combat with Jeong-jo. (c).
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Action, Drama
Country: South Korea
Duration: 135 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, captivating, epic, suspenseful, inspirational, political, realistic, stylized, period drama
Similar in 87%
Brotherhood of Blades II: The Infernal Battlefield (2017)
Plot Summary:
An imperial guard searches for the truth behind a conspiracy that framed him and his partners. The proof of his innocence lies with a wanted woman named Bei Zhai... but will she reveal what she knows? In this intense prequel to BROTHERHOOD OF BLADES, the only thing he can truly trust is his sword.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, History, Thriller
Country: China
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: psychological, exciting, tense, captivating, suspenseful, disturbing, stylized
Similar in 80%
The Swordsman (1990)
Plot Summary:
When a scroll containing valuable martial arts secrets is stolen from the Emperor, an army detachment is sent to recover it. It is based on the novel The Smiling, Proud Wanderer by Jinyong.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Action, History
Country: Hong Kong, Taiwan
Duration: 118 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, captivating, suspenseful, stylized
Similar in 84%
Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon (2013)
Plot Summary:
A prequel to "Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame".
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
Country: China
Duration: 134 min
Plot tags: suspenseful, exciting, stylized, captivating, scenic, epic, serious, detective
Similar in 82%
Tai Chi Hero (2012)
Plot Summary:
Chinese steampunk martial arts blockbuster about the early years of Tai chi master Yang Luchan, the man who founded in the 19th century what has now become the most popular Tai Chi style in the world. The second instalment of the "Tai Chi" trilogy continues the journey of Yang Luchan, a gifted child with a fleshy growth on his forehead who helped save a village from a frightening army of steampunk soldiers bearing strange machines with the knowledge of Tai Chi that they entrusted him with.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Country: China
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: exciting, stylized, serious, tense, offbeat
Similar in 79%
7 Assassins (2013)
Plot Summary:
When social unrest plagues a Kingdom in ancient China, the Imperial Court collects stockpiles of gold from local governments to expand the royal army. However, the gold is robbed while in transport. In a desperate move to retrieve the stolen treasure, elite royal guards are sent on a mission to go after the gold but soon find out they are not the only ones in pursuit of it.
IMDB Rating: 5.1
IMDB Votes: 393
Genere: Action, Adventure
Country: Hong Kong, China
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: exciting, captivating, tense, suspense, intense, serious, realistic
Similar in 77%
Dragon Inn (1992)
Plot Summary:
During the Ming Dynasty, Tsao Sui Yan, the power-hungry and ruthless eunuch leader of East Chamber, craves his own kingdom. He intends on destroying the rebelling clans by using a traitorous secretary's children as bait. Ultimately, the two warring factions - the rebels led by Chow Wai-on and Mo-yan Yau, the East Chamber led by Tsao - end up in the rundown Dragon Inn right in the middle of the desert. Jade King, the beautiful owner and proprietor of Dragon Inn, hopes to cash in on the incident. But problems arise when Wai-on, desperate for the quickest route of escape, attempts to marry Jade in hopes of prying her for information; and the two clans go head-to-head in a no-holds barred finale battle.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Action, Thriller
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, realistic, stylized, epic, cult classic
Similar in 84%
Flying Swords of Dragon Gate (2011)
Plot Summary:
Flying Swords of Dragon Gate picks up three years after the infamous Dragon Inn was burnt down in the desert when its innkeeper Jade vanished. A new gang of marauders had taken over - innkeepers by day and treasure hunters by night. The inn is the rumoured location of a lost city buried under the desert, and its hidden treasure would only be revealed by a gigantic storm every 60 years. The gang used the inn as a front to locate the lost treasure.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Action, Adventure
Country: China
Duration: 122 min
Plot tags: exciting, stylized, captivating, tense, suspense, epic, serious, fast
Similar in 76%
Shadow (2018)
Plot Summary:
About a king who attempts to lead his displaced people out of exile, and those who play a role in his mysterious plans.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 18000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, History, War
Country: China, Hong Kong
Duration: 116 min
Plot tags: exciting, tense, captivating, suspense, suspenseful, costume drama, visual, visually stunning
Similar in 86%
Painted Skin (2008)
Plot Summary:
Painted Skin is based on one of Pu Songling's classic short stories in Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio. Zhou Xun stars as Xiao Wei, a fox spirit that feasts on human hearts in order to maintain her lovely, youthful appearance. When General Wang Sheng (Chen Kun) 'rescues' her from a band of bandits and brings her home, trouble brews as the demon falls in love with the general.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Action, Drama, Fantasy, Thriller
Country: China, Hong Kong, Singapore
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: exciting, atmospheric, rough, serious, stylized, epic, psychotronic
Similar in 78%
Kung Fu Jungle (2014)
Plot Summary:
A martial arts instructor working at a police academy gets imprisoned after killing a man by accident. But when a vicious killer starts targeting martial arts masters, the instructor offers to help the police in return for his freedom.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Action, Crime, Thriller
Country: China, Hong Kong
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: exciting, stylized, rough, suspenseful, scenic, crime drama, perverse, cult classic, serious, realistic
Similar in 82%
Reign of Assassins (2010)
Plot Summary:
Set in ancient China, Zeng Jing is a skilled assassin who finds herself in possession of a mystical Buddhist monk's remains. She begins a quest to return the remains to its rightful resting place, and thus places herself in mortal danger because a team of assassins is in a deadly pursuit to possess the remains which holds an ancient power-wielding secret.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Action, Adventure
Country: China, Taiwan, Hong Kong
Duration: 117 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, suspenseful, exciting, serious, captivating, stylized, fast
Similar in 90%
The Banquet (2006)
Plot Summary:
907 AD, the Tang Dynasty in China. The movie is set in an empire in chaos. The Emperor, the Empress, the Crown Prince, the Minister and the General all have their own enemies.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Action, Drama, Fantasy, Romance
Country: China
Duration: 131 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, captivating, stylized, costume drama, serious, surprise ending, epic
Similar in 85%
Shaolin (2011)
Plot Summary:
China is plunged into strife as feuding warlords try to expand their power by warring over neighboring lands. Fuelled by his success on the battlefield, young and arrogant Hao Jie sneers at Shaolin's masters when he beats one of them in a duel. But the pride comes before a fall. When his own family is wiped out by a rival warlord, Hao is forced to take refuge with the monks. As the civil unrest spreads and the people suffer, Hao and the Shaolin masters are forced to take a fiery stand against the evil warlords. They launch a daring plan or rescue and escape.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 20000
Genere: Action, Drama
Country: Hong Kong, China
Duration: 131 min
Plot tags: serious, stylized, exciting, bleak, captivating, realistic, epic, heroic, cult classic, action thriller
Similar in 76%
Tai Chi Zero (2012)
Plot Summary:
In legendary Chen Village, everyone is a martial arts master, using their powerful Chen Style Tai Chi in all aspects of their lives. Lu Chan has arrived to train, but the villagers are forbidden to teach Chen Style to outsiders, and do their best to discourage him by challenging him to a series of fights. Everyone, from strong men to young children, defeats him using their Tai Chi moves. But when a man from the village's past returns with a frightening steampowered machine and plans to build a railroad through the village at any costs, the villagers realize they may have no choice but to put their faith in Lu Chan... who has a secret power of his own.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
Country: China
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: serious, stylized, offbeat, exciting
Similar in 79%
Bodyguards and Assassins (2009)
Plot Summary:
In 1905, revolutionist Sun Yat-Sen visits Hong Kong to discuss plans with Tongmenghui members to overthrow the Qing dynasty. But when they find out that assassins have been sent to kill him, they assemble a group of protectors to prevent any attacks.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Action, Drama, History
Country: China, Hong Kong
Duration: 139 min
Plot tags: captivating, exciting, serious, emotional, realistic, suspenseful, stylized, epic, crime drama, cult classic
Similar in 75%
Dragon (2011)
Plot Summary:
A sinful martial arts expert wants to start a new tranquil life, only to be hunted by a determined detective and his former master.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 16000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Hong Kong, China
Duration: 115 min
Plot tags: stylized, enigmatic, melancholic, atmospheric, surreal, serious, suspense, cult classic, thought provoking, detective
Similar in 84%
Red Cliff II (2009)
Plot Summary:
The battle of Red Cliff continues and the alliance between Xu and East Wu is fracturing. With Cao Cao's massive forces on their doorstep, will the kingdoms of Xu and East Wu survive?.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 25000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, History, War
Country: China, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, USA
Duration: 142 min
Plot tags: epic, saga, stylized, scenic, visual, tense, brutal, enigmatic, suspense, exciting
Similar in 87%
The Untamed (2019)
Plot Summary:
In a land dominated by the mighty Wen clan, a young man named Wei Wuxian strikes up an unconventional friendship with justice-loving Lan Wangji. When the duo unexpectedly stumbles across evidence implicating the Wen clan’s chief in a plot to bring mayhem to the inhabitants of their land, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji decide to intervene. However, the pair’s attempts to foil the Wen clan boss’s wicked plans go wrong. In the confusion that follows, Wei Wuxian disappears – with many fearing the worst for him. Sixteen years later, Wei Wuxian returns out of the blue. He is soon reunited with Lan Wangji, just as a spate of mysterious murders has broken out. The duo joins forces once more to investigate, determined not to fail this time… Can the pair get to the bottom of the intrigue? Will they solve the murder cases? And just who is the dastardly secret figure pulling the strings behind the evildoings now blighting the land?.
IMDB Rating: 8.8
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Romance
Country: China
Duration: 50 min
Plot tags: yaoi, xianxia, captivating, unusual plot structure, suspense, dorama, visually appealing, queer cinema
Similar in 89%
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny (2016)
Plot Summary:
A story of lost love, young love, a legendary sword and one last opportunity at redemption.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 21000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
Country: China, USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: stylized, light, exciting, atmospheric, serious, captivating, emotional, cult classic, saga, scenic
Similar in 77%
Marco Polo (2014)
Plot Summary:
An epic adventure that follows the early years of the famous explorer as he travels the exotic Silk Road to the great Kublai Khan’s court. But Marco soon finds that navigating the Khan’s world of greed, betrayal, sexual intrigue and rivalry will be his greatest challenge yet, even as he becomes a trusted companion to the Khan in his violent quest to become the Emperor of the World.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 77000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, History
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: exciting, captivating, epic, atmospheric, serious, historical drama, costume drama, tense, erotic, sexy
Similar in 87%
Mulan (2020)
Plot Summary:
A young Chinese maiden disguises herself as a male warrior in order to save her father.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 157000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
Country: USA, China
Duration: 115 min
Plot tags: exciting, fairy tale, sincere, captivating, stylized, costume drama, action adventure, visually appealing, controversial, epic