Best movies like Shamo
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
Based on the Japanese Manga about Ryo Narushima, a talented, college-bound student who murders both of his parents in cold blood. He is sent to a reformatory where he trains in karate under Kenji Kurokawa, a man imprisoned after trying to assassinate the Japanese Prime Minister. Two years after his conviction, Ryo is released and begins a new life as an ultra-violent professional fighter.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 695
Genere: Action
Country: Hong Kong, Japan
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, suspenseful, psychological, exciting, bleak, realistic
Best tv shows and movies like Shamo (2007):
Similar in 84%
The Avenging Quartet (1993)
Plot Summary:
A female Chinese cop teams up with a lady kung-fu master to stop two female Japanese gangsters from stealing a valuable painting.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 137
Genere: Action
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: crime drama, exciting, tense, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, fast
Similar in 80%
Love Battlefield (2004)
Plot Summary:
The story of a couple (Niki Chow and Eason Chan) who break up one morning and proceed to find their love tested in unexpected and violent ways.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 485
Genere: Action, Romance
Country: Hong Kong, China
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: serious, suspenseful, exciting, rough, realistic, neo noir
Similar in 89%
Max Havoc: Curse of the Dragon (2004)
Plot Summary:
Ex-kickboxing champion turned sports photographer Max Havoc again finds himself in Guam on a publicity photo shoot. Max's helpful ways land him in the lives of the vacationing sisters Jane and Christy Goody who have acquired a rare jade dragon, which belongs to the ruthless Japanese Yakuza who will stop at nothing to get it back. It's up to Max to stop the Yakuza, save the sisters and restore order to the peaceful island.
IMDB Rating: 3.4
IMDB Votes: 968
Genere: Action
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: exciting, rough, realistic, serious, independent film, fast
Similar in 84%
City of Fear (2000)
Plot Summary:
When reporter Steve Roberts acts on a call from his good friend, Charlie, urging him to report on a hot scientific story in Bulgaria, he ends up in a world of disappearance, death and deception.
IMDB Rating: 3.7
IMDB Votes: 260
Genere: Action
Country: Canada, UK, Bulgaria, USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, action packed, independent film, exciting
Similar in 75%
Hawk's Vengeance (1996)
Plot Summary:
Eric Hawke a British Marine, attends the funeral of his policeman brother who he discovers has been attempting to investigate the mysterious kidnappings and murders of a local Asian street gang. The clues seem to point to a rival Nazi white supremacist gang as the culprits, but Lizzie (Hawke's brother's partner in the police force) is not so sure: she suspects a larger conspiracy which involves one of the city's most powerful crime bosses, a man by the name of Garr. As the body count rises, Eric, Lizzie and young Asian gang member Lipo Chung race to uncover the truth behind the murders, before more missing gang members wash up on the beach with missing organs.
IMDB Rating: 5.0
IMDB Votes: 235
Genere: Action
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: independent film, exciting, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 83%
Force (2011)
Plot Summary:
Following a series of unsolved robberies, the authorities decide to give carte blanche to commander Clara Damico to neutralize a particularly organized gang. Manual Makarov, a well-known figure in organized crime, is currently serving a sentence of twelve years in prison. Commander Damico promises him freedom in exchange for his cooperation. He refuses. There is no other solution, she is obliged to compel him by force.
IMDB Rating: 4.3
IMDB Votes: 243
Genere: Action
Country: France, Belgium
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: exciting, rough, bleak, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 79%
Angel Terminators (1992)
Plot Summary:
Two Hong Kong policewomen (Ida and Hon) take on a Japanese boss who has returned from a seven-year exile to retake his old turf.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 173
Genere: Action
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: exciting, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 82%
Sticks of Death (1986)
Plot Summary:
A man masters the ancient art of arnis with the help of his grandfather to get revenge on a group of crooks who attempted to beat him to death.
IMDB Rating: 4.5
IMDB Votes: 70
Genere: Action
Country: Philippines
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: independent film, exciting, rough, bleak, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 76%
Shootfighter: Fight to the Death (1993)
Plot Summary:
Nick and Ruben are hoodwinked into a "shootfighter" (no-holds-barred, to the death) martial arts match by the evil Mr. Lee, who has a grudge against world shootfighter champ(and teacher of Nick and Ruben) Shingo.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Action
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: bloody, suspense, independent film, exciting, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, stylized
Similar in 86%
Angry Tiger (1973)
Plot Summary:
Chang Chen-Wai, a martial arts expert who runs a jade-importing business, follows his missing brother to Thailand and learns he has been murdered. Chang vows revenge.
IMDB Rating: 4.2
IMDB Votes: 98
Genere: Action
Country: Hong Kong, Thailand
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: independent film, exciting, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, cult film
Similar in 84%
Star Runner (2003)
Plot Summary:
Preparing for the hand-to-hand battle of his life and the title of Champion Star Runner, a headstrong fighter creates a deadly hybrid mix of Thai kickboxing and Chinese kung fu. Get ready for the ultimate Pan-Asian mixed martial arts competition, where anything goes and lives are bought and sold.
IMDB Rating: 5.1
IMDB Votes: 329
Genere: Action, Drama, Romance
Country: Hong Kong, South Korea
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, exciting
Similar in 90%
Forced to Fight (2011)
Plot Summary:
Once a legend in the brutal world of illicit underground fighting, Shane Slavin (Daniels) decides to turn his life around, promising his wife and young son he's fought his last battle. But when his younger brother betrays a ruthless crime boss (Weller), Shane is forced back into the arena to pay his brother's debts and to protect his family.
IMDB Rating: 4.3
IMDB Votes: 817
Genere: Action
Country: Canada
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: exciting, rough, realistic, tense, suspense, serious
Similar in 81%
To Be the Best (1993)
Plot Summary:
Eric Kulhane, a member of the U.S. Kickboxing Team, lets his quick temper and obsessive love for beautiful Cheryl make him the perfect target for blackmail. In order to stop ruthless gambler from rigging the World Championship and killing Cheryl, Eric and his father, his American teammates and their most feared Chinese opponents join for an explosive climax which rocks the Las Vegas Strip.
IMDB Rating: 4.4
IMDB Votes: 338
Genere: Action
Country: USA
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: independent film, exciting, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, stylized, fast
Similar in 80%
Shootfighter II (1996)
Plot Summary:
In this martial-arts actioner, Miami mobsters find themselves in mortal danger after an angry police chief hires the world's most vicious fighters and uses them to launch a city-wide vendetta.
IMDB Rating: 4.8
IMDB Votes: 775
Genere: Action
Country: USA
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: independent film, exciting, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 85%
Born to Defense (1988)
Plot Summary:
Jet, a young soldier at the end of the second world war must overcome some abusive Americans who are bullying him as well as the Chinese people.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, War
Country: Hong Kong, China
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: exciting, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, disturbing, cult classic, bleak, fast, cult film
Similar in 84%
Dragonwolf (2013)
Plot Summary:
The Devil's Cauldron, a city where depravity and violence has forged a society in which only the lethal and callous can survive, two young men who possess the intellect and ferocity to flourish, carve a name for themselves as the most efficient and unstoppable hit men. Side by side, these two brothers are the deadliest killers, feared by even the most evil criminals. But when a woman of rare beauty mysteriously enters the brother's lives she blinds them with her sweet promises and turns them against each other, resulting in an epic battle that threatens to bring the Devil's Cauldron to the brink of destruction.
IMDB Rating: 3.0
IMDB Votes: 545
Genere: Action
Country: Thailand
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: exciting, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, psychotronic, action adventure, fast
Similar in 75%
The Dragon from Russia (1990)
Plot Summary:
A former member of a band of criminals known as the 'Eight-Hundred Dragons' is living in fear in Manchuria as the clan does not allow people to leave alive. However, he is eventually tracked down, and kidnapped along with a young Manchurian, Yao - whose memory is erased so that he can be trained in martial arts. Yao's work as an assassin becomes more complicated, however, when he sees his old lover again and his real memories come flooding back.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 461
Genere: Action
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: serious, suspenseful, stylized, fast, anime
Similar in 80%
Yakuza-Busting Girls: Duel in Hell (2010)
Plot Summary:
Asami returns exhausted after three years of intense training to become a yakuza hunter. She decides to visit her old master, Inokuma, who runs a bar. However, she finds his place in ruins and nothing is as it was when she left. As it turns out, the local yakuza had turned it into a gambling house and laid claim to the entire area with the help of a cold-blooded killer named Akira. Akira is relentless, and utilizes cruel tactics when anyone dares get in her way.
IMDB Rating: 4.5
IMDB Votes: 118
Genere: Action
Country: Japan
Duration: 73 min
Plot tags: exciting, stylized, tense, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, splatter
Similar in 75%
Pit Fighter (2005)
Plot Summary:
Jack Severino has no memory, all he knows is the brutal sport of Pit Fighting. When his past catches him up, he realizes he is not who he thought he was. For some men must fight for redemption.
IMDB Rating: 4.3
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Action
Country: USA
Duration: 83 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, realistic, tense
Similar in 77%
Max Havoc - Ring of Fire (2006)
Plot Summary:
Max, having forsaken his life as a former world kick-boxing champion to redefine himself as a world class photographer, is on his way to photograph top tennis star and athlete Suzy Blaine. While on assignment, Max uncovers a crime ring and relies on his skills as a martial artist to set the situation straight.
IMDB Rating: 3.4
IMDB Votes: 314
Genere: Action
Country: USA, Canada, Germany
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, tense, suspense, independent film, rough, realistic, suspenseful, fast
Similar in 87%
The Shadow Boxer (1974)
Plot Summary:
Chen Wo-Fu plays construction worker Ku Ting, whose skill at "tai chi" (shadow boxing) is as great as his pacifism. But when his girlfriend is raped by vicious gangsters, he shows everyone the true power and beauty of tai chi.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 124
Genere: Action
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 86 min
Plot tags: exciting, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 83%
Fists of Legend (2013)
Plot Summary:
On a television show billed as “the greatest fight show on Earth,” eager amateurs with lots to prove boldly step into the ring and expect to leave bloody but victorious. The ratings hungry producers seek out “legendary” but largely forgotten streetfighters and mine their desperation for recaptured glory and redemption into ratings gold.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Action
Country: South Korea
Duration: 154 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, realistic, suspenseful, captivating, rough
Similar in 86%
The Expert (1995)
Plot Summary:
It was a brutal murder that sent deranged psychopath Martin Kagan to prison. It was a naive deputy warden that granted him a stay of execution. Now, the police department's tactical defence instructor, John Lomax, wants revenge for his beloved sister's death.
IMDB Rating: 4.6
IMDB Votes: 720
Genere: Action
Country: USA, France
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: independent film, exciting, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, cult film
Similar in 86%
The Purifiers (2004)
Plot Summary:
The story of martial arts clubs who have created their own city infrastructure after tiring of government initiatives. Responding to the greed and corruption creeping into the other clubs, headed by capitalist-wannabe Moses, The Purifiers battle to maintain the successful system which has rid the city of crime and violence.
IMDB Rating: 3.3
IMDB Votes: 772
Genere: Action
Country: UK
Duration: 85 min
Plot tags: exciting, captivating, tense, suspense, grindhouse, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, stylized
Similar in 88%
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 77%
Vigilante (2008)
Plot Summary:
When Luke is viciously attacked and his fiancée is raped and murdered, he pledges to train himself in deadly hand to hand combat and use it against any wrong doers who dare to cross his path.
IMDB Rating: 2.6
IMDB Votes: 522
Genere: Action
Country: Australia
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: exciting, rough, serious, suspenseful, realistic
Similar in 84%
Female Convict Scorpion (2008)
Plot Summary:
When a band of assassins invade the home of their target Hei Tai they find only his lovely, innocent, bride-to-be, Nami and force upon her a cruel dilemma: either she kills her fiancee’s sister or they kill her fiancee. Trapped, and unable to confide in the person she loves most, Nami kills her fiancee’s sister and is sent to prison where she survives only by becoming as ruthless as those around her. Trained to fight by a fellow inmate, Nami develops the skills and strength to escape and sets out on a quest for revenge. After killing two of the assassins she’s reunited with Hei Tai who’s still unaware she killed his sister. As their love is rekindled Nami decides to abandon her crusade of vengeance when the remaining assassin finds them and tells Hei Tai what Nami did. Nami realizes she can never rest until she finds and defeats the assassins’ employer, but now her beloved’s torn between helping her and his own personal desire for revenge.
IMDB Rating: 4.9
IMDB Votes: 404
Genere: Action
Country: Japan, Hong Kong
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: exciting, rough, serious, suspenseful, retro, naughty, bleak, realistic
Similar in 90%
Doing Hard Time (2004)
Plot Summary:
A father's eight year old son is murdered in a gangland shooting. The father (Boris Kodjoe) gets himself thrown into prison to avenge his son's death.
IMDB Rating: 4.8
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, hood, crime drama
Similar in 81%
Urban Fighter (2012)
Plot Summary:
The "Bloods" are the most intimidating and violent gang in the city. A lawless city... where gangs rule the streets... The vicious and blood thirsty murderer Slater is their leader. The city is his domain... he rules! There are those who are not members of gangs such as Mikey and his friends. Mikey lives on the edge, he is daring and always in trouble and fights. His brother Mathis and his friends try to avoid trouble at any cost. Revenge becomes the motive to Mikey when his brother Mathis goes missing and is killed..... Written by Generation X Group GmbH.
IMDB Rating: 3.2
IMDB Votes: 456
Genere: Action
Country: Germany
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: exciting, tense, captivating, suspense, rough, bleak, serious, realistic, suspenseful, fast
Similar in 84%
Underground (2007)
Plot Summary:
In the UK suburbs, an underground tournament is set to challenge twelve fighters from different backgrounds to compete for the price of £500,000. They have been handpicked for a no-holds barred competition that will push each fighter to their limit. Each fighter has their own reason for competing, and each will give everything they've got to take the prize...but there can be only one winner.
IMDB Rating: 4.2
IMDB Votes: 590
Genere: Action
Country: UK
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: rough, exciting, serious, suspenseful, realistic