Best movies like Izo
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
Izo is an assassin in the service of a Tosa lord and Imperial supporter. After killing dozens of the Shogun's men, Izo is captured and crucified. Instead of being extinguished, his rage propels him through the space-time continuum to present-day Tokyo. Here Izo transforms himself into a new, improved killing machine.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Action, Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller, War
Country: Japan
Duration: 128 min
Plot tags: rough, disturbing, mindfuck, serious, stylized, surreal, mind blowing, psychological thriller, mind bending, psychedelic
Best tv shows and movies like Izo (2004):
Similar in 81%
Organ (1996)
Plot Summary:
Two police detectives Numata and Tosaka infiltrate a group of underground black market human organ dealers. Things go haywire during a raid on the group's surgical headquarters. Numata barely escapes, while a wounded Tosaka gets left behind. Through a series of surreal and gory events, the identities of the organ dealers are revealed as Numata plans his revenge.
IMDB Rating: 5.2
IMDB Votes: 599
Genere: Action, Drama, Horror, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: disturbing, controversial, scary, exciting, atmospheric, rough, serious, suspenseful, surreal, stylized
Similar in 85%
Dead or Alive 2 (2000)
Plot Summary:
Two contract killers cross paths in the middle of the same job and realize they are childhood friends. Together they take a break from killing and visit the small island they once called home. After reflecting on their past lives they decided to team up and use their talents in killing for good... much to the upset of the crime syndicates.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Action, Comedy, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: serious, captivating, rough, realistic, mind bending, psychedelic, heroic, surreal, dark comedy, crime drama
Similar in 77%
Sanjuro (1962)
Plot Summary:
Toshiro Mifune swaggers and snarls to brilliant comic effect in Kurosawa's tightly paced, beautifully composed "Sanjuro." In this companion piece and sequel to "Yojimbo," jaded samurai Sanjuro helps an idealistic group of young warriors weed out their clan's evil influences, and in the process turns their image of a proper samurai on its ear.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 40000
Genere: Action, Drama, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: black and white, atmospheric, tense, witty, stylized, exciting, serious, realistic, touching, epic
Similar in 83%
Sex and Fury (1973)
Plot Summary:
Sex & Fury chronicles Ocho's exploits as she searches for her father's killers, each identified by unique tattoos on their backs (a deer, a boar, and a butterfly). Along the way, she also crosses paths with Shonusuke, a radical set on murdering prominent politician Kurokawa and Christina, an American spy posing as a gambler.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: grindhouse, erotic, sensual, bloody, disturbing, controversial, crime drama, cult classic, action thriller, exciting
Similar in 85%
Samurai Reincarnation (1981)
Plot Summary:
After surviving the slaughter of many Christians 350 years ago, a samurai denounces God for ignoring the pleas of believers. He sells his soul to Satan and receives the power to resurrect the dead to join him in a murderous rampage.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Action, Fantasy, Horror
Country: Japan
Duration: 122 min
Plot tags: perverse, exciting, atmospheric, bleak, serious, suspenseful, stylized
Similar in 88%
Alien vs. Ninja (2010)
Plot Summary:
A band of ninja warriors, led by an Iga Ninja named Yamata, witness a giant ball of fire drop from the sky and crash into the forest. When the warriors find and attempt to identify the object, they discover aliens that attack and feast on them. Yamata and the survivors swear vengeance, but in challenging the aliens, they learn that their weapons have no effect.
IMDB Rating: 4.4
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Comedy, Fantasy, Horror, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan
Duration: 80 min
Plot tags: suspenseful, rough, humorous, captivating, splatter, exciting, offbeat, stylized, not serious, neo noir
Similar in 90%
Ichi (2008)
Plot Summary:
Ichi is a blind entertainer that travels the countryside with her traditional Japanese guitar and walking stick. She’s in search for the kind man that brought her up as a child, but because of her beauty she encounters problems every step of the way. Fortunately for Ichi, she is also a gifted swordswoman and carries a lethal blade within her walking stick.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: exciting, rough, epic, suspenseful, scenic, period piece, cult classic, atmospheric, serious, realistic
Similar in 87%
Onmyoji: The Yin Yang Master (2001)
Plot Summary:
During a dark time in the Heian period, when evil forces threaten the kingdom, the emperor relies on the Onmyoji to keep the supernatural forces in line. But as political events become highly charged, friction within the order leads to betrayal. Now, Seimei (Mansai Nomura), a talented member of the clan, must face down his master, Doson (Hiroyuki Sanada), in the hopes of restoring peace to the kingdom.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Country: Japan
Duration: 112 min
Plot tags: exciting, atmospheric, suspenseful, epic, offbeat, serious, stylized, psychotronic
Similar in 85%
Aragami (2003)
Plot Summary:
Two seriously wounded samurai find refuge from a storm at an isolated temple, the home of a swordsman and a mysterious young woman. One samurai awakes to find that not only has his comrade died, but that his wounds have miraculously healed. He discovers that he has been given the power of immortality by the swordsman, a man once known as the legendary Miyamoto Musashi, who now lives an endless existence as Aragami, a "god of battle".
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Fantasy, Horror
Country: Japan
Duration: 78 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, serious, suspenseful, exciting, minimal cast, scary
Similar in 82%
Legend of Eight Samurai (1983)
Plot Summary:
The evil Hikita clan rises from the dead to fulfill a curse on the Satomi clan by restoring the face of their warlord by using the skin of Princess Shizu. In the process of trying to capture her, the clan murders her entire family, but Princess Shizu escapes their clutches. She enlists the aid of eight samurai warriors, possessors of powerful magic crystal, led by Dosetsu (Sonny Chiba!) to help rescue the remaining members of her court and revenge her family. Along the way, they must fight undead warriors, evil spirits, poisonous beauties and a giant centipede.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Romance
Country: Japan
Duration: 133 min
Plot tags: serious, dark fantasy, cult film
Similar in 84%
Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in Peril (1972)
Plot Summary:
In the fourth film of the Lone Wolf and Cub series, Ogami Itto is hired to kill a tattooed female assassin and battles Retsudo, head of the Yagyu clan, and his son Gunbei.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Action, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 81 min
Plot tags: grindhouse, visual, stylized, manga, exciting, rough, serious, captivating, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 79%
Lone Wolf and Cub: White Heaven in Hell (1974)
Plot Summary:
In the sixth and final film of the Lone Wolf and Cub series, the final conflict between Ogami Itto and the Yagyu clan is carried out.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, History
Country: Japan
Duration: 83 min
Plot tags: visual, exciting, rough, serious, suspenseful, stylized, splatter, psychotronic
Similar in 88%
Zatoichi (2003)
Plot Summary:
Zatôichi is a 19th century blind nomad who makes his living as a gambler and masseur. However, behind this humble facade, he is a master swordsman gifted with a lightning-fast draw and breathtaking precision. While wandering, Zatôichi discovers a remote mountain village at the mercy of Ginzo, a ruthless gang-leader. Ginzo disposes of anyone who gets in his way, especially after hiring the mighty samurai ronin, Hattori, as a bodyguard. After a raucous night of gambling in town, Zatôichi encounters a pair of geishas--as dangerous as they are beautiful--who've come to avenge their parents' murder. As the paths of these and other colorful characters intertwine, Ginzo's henchmen are soon after Zatôichi. With his legendary cane sword at his side, the stage is set for a riveting showdown.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 51000
Genere: Action, Comedy, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 116 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, humorous, exciting, harsh, stylized, entertaining, retro, spiritual, epic, suspense
Similar in 76%
Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in the Land of Demons (1973)
Plot Summary:
In the fifth film of the Lone Wolf and Cub series, Ogami Itto is challenged by five warriors, each has one fifth of Ogami's assassin fee and one fifth of the information he needs to complete his assassination.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: visual, exciting, atmospheric, rough, epic, serious, captivating, realistic, suspenseful, stylized
Similar in 77%
Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman (1989)
Plot Summary:
This 26th film installment of the Zatoichi series sees Shintaro Katsu return to this classic role after a 10 year hiatus. The blind masseur Ichi gets caught between rival Yakuza clans.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 116 min
Plot tags: cult classic, exciting, tense, atmospheric, rough, serious, captivating, realistic, suspenseful, stylized
Similar in 76%
Versus (2000)
Plot Summary:
Set in the present where a group of ruthless gangsters, an unknown woman and an escaped convict have met, unwittingly, in The Forest of Resurrection, the 444th portal to the other side. Their troubles start when those once killed and buried in the forest come back from the dead, with the assistance of the evil Sprit that has also come back, come back from ages past, to claim his prize. The final standoff between Light and Dark has never been so cunning, so brutal and so deadly. This is where old Japanese Samurai mysticism meets the new world of the gangster and the gun. Gruesome, bloody and positively bold.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 14000
Genere: Action, Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 119 min
Plot tags: suspense, scary, exciting, rough, suspenseful, stylized, bloody, serious, psychotronic, splatter
Similar in 76%
Ninja III: The Domination (1984)
Plot Summary:
A female aerobic instructor is possessed by an evil spirit of a fallen ninja when coming to his aid. The spirit seeks revenge on those who killed him and uses the female instructor's body to carry out his mission. The only way the spirit will leave aerobic instructor's body is with the help of another ninja.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Action, Fantasy, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: independent film, light, grindhouse, scary, exciting, rough, serious, suspenseful, fast, psychotronic
Similar in 81%
Nightmare Detective (2006)
Plot Summary:
Three people in Tokyo take a surreal voyage of self-discovery through memory and nightmares. "O" intends suicide while talking on a cell-phone with a stranger he meets on line who plans a simultaneous suicide. Events take a horrifying turn. Keiko Kirishima is a cool, seemingly emotionless police detective, brilliant but off-putting. She's faced with two mutilated corpses who appear to have killed themselves, but she's not sure. A cell-phone number links the deaths. She calls on Akumu Tantei, a poor and suicidal young man who has the ability to enter people's dreams. He's reluctant to help. His past haunts him. A subconscious duel of terror and blood awaits the three.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Action, Crime, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: psychological, atmospheric, rough, suspenseful, slasher, psychological thriller, inspirational, suspense, disturbing, dark fantasy
Similar in 82%
Devil Woman (1964)
Plot Summary:
In medieval times, on a remote plain, a widow and her mother-in-law kill wandering samurai, put their bodies in a hole in the ground and sell their armour and valuables, until the daughter-in-law falls in love with one of their intended victims.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 21000
Genere: Drama, Horror, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, black and white, scary, surreal, art house, psychological, disturbing, sexual, creepy, psychotronic
Similar in 82%
Shinobi: Heart Under Blade (2005)
Plot Summary:
Even though Gennosuke and Oboro are from rival ninja villages, they are secretly in love. At an annual conference with the Lord, it is dictated that a competition--a fight to the death--will take place between the five best shinobi from each village. Gennosuke and Oboro's love is made even more impossible when they each got picked as the leader of the five to represent their respective villages.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Action, Drama, Fantasy, Romance
Country: Japan
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: exciting, captivating, stylized, serious, anime, inspirational, sincere, surreal, visual, visually stunning
Similar in 84%
Deadly Outlaw: Rekka (2002)
Plot Summary:
After Kunisada's Yakuza leader and father figure is brutally murdered, he and his best friend go on a two-man mission to avenge his death, killing other Yakuza leaders leading to a final confrontation by the old man's killers.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, suspenseful, stylized, crime drama, realistic, fast
Similar in 86%
Lady Snowblood (1973)
Plot Summary:
Yuki's family is nearly wiped out before she is born due to the machinations of a band of criminals. These criminals kidnap and brutalize her mother but leave her alive. Later her mother ends up in prison with only revenge to keep her alive. She creates an instrument for this revenge by purposefully getting pregnant. Yuki never knows the love of a family but only killing and revenge.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 16000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: grindhouse, suspenseful, bloody, exciting, melancholic, rough, visual, cult classic, stylized, slasher
Similar in 87%
Ichi the Killer (2001)
Plot Summary:
As sadomasochistic yakuza enforcer Kakihara searches for his missing boss he comes across Ichi, a repressed and psychotic killer who may be able to inflict levels of pain that Kakihara has only dreamed of.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 59000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 129 min
Plot tags: disturbing, controversial, bloody, dark comedy, splatter, surreal, extreme horror, rough, psychological, cult classic
Similar in 89%
13 Assassins (2010)
Plot Summary:
A bravado period action film set at the end of Japan's feudal era in which a group of unemployed samurai are enlisted to bring down a sadistic lord and prevent him from ascending to the throne and plunging the country into a war-torn future.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 68000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama
Country: Japan, UK
Duration: 141 min
Plot tags: suspense, intense, tense, harsh, visually appealing, serious, suspenseful, disturbing, grindhouse, spectacular
Similar in 89%
Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart to Hades (1972)
Plot Summary:
In the third film of the Lone Wolf and Cub series, Ogami Itto volunteers to be tortured by Yakuza to save a prostitute and is hired by their leader to kill an evil chamberlain.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Action, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: bloody, talky, stylized, manga, exciting, rough, clever, serious, captivating, realistic
Similar in 81%
Azumi (2003)
Plot Summary:
In war-torn Japan, the Tokugawa Shogun, desperate to restore peace to his people, orders the assassination of the hostile warlords. A beautiful young woman is raised from birth with nine other orphans, to become an assassin. Her name is Azumi, the ultimate assassin.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 15000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 128 min
Plot tags: intense, breathtaking, realistic, rough, serious, fast paced, epic, stylized, manga, perverse
Similar in 82%
47 Ronin (2013)
Plot Summary:
Based on the original 1941 movie from Japan, and from ancient Japan’s most enduring tale, the epic 3D fantasy-adventure 47 Ronin is born. Keanu Reeves leads the cast as Kai, an outcast who joins Oishi (Hiroyuki Sanada), the leader of the 47 outcast samurai. Together they seek vengeance upon the treacherous overlord who killed their master and banished their kind. To restore honor to their homeland, the warriors embark upon a quest that challenges them with a series of trials that would destroy ordinary warriors.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 169000
Genere: Action, Drama, Fantasy
Country: USA, UK, Japan, Hungary
Duration: 128 min
Plot tags: stylized, epic, exciting, fairy tale, rough, suspenseful, tense, mind bending, psychedelic, breathtaking
Similar in 79%
Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx (1972)
Plot Summary:
In the second film of the Lone Wolf and Cub series, Ogami Itto battles a group of female ninja in the employ of the Yagyu clan and must assassinate a traitor who plans to sell his clan's secrets to the Shogunate.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 82 min
Plot tags: bloody, grindhouse, atmospheric, stylized, splatter, manga, perverse, exciting, rough, serious
Similar in 76%
The Warrior's Way (2010)
Plot Summary:
An Asian assassin (Dong-gun Jang) is forced to hide in a small town in the American Badlands. Also starring Kate Bosworth, Danny Huston, Tony Cox and Academy Award winner Geoffrey Rush.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 27000
Genere: Action, Drama, Fantasy, Western
Country: New Zealand, South Korea
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: stylized, cult classic, absurd, exciting, serious, surreal, visually stunning, epic, light, emotional
Similar in 76%
The Hunted (1995)
Plot Summary:
A businessman on a trip to Tokyo ends up in the middle of a centuries old feud between a criminal Ninja cult and a Samurai when he witnesses a assassination performed by the Ninja-cult leader.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Action, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 111 min
Plot tags: exciting, suspense, intense, rough, serious, suspenseful, bloody, stylized, brutal, fast