Best movies like Sword in the Moon
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
A series of high-ranking officials are being systematically eliminated by a sleek assassin and his female assistant, and arrogant master swordsman General Choi (Jo Jae-Hyeon) is charged with putting an end to the carnage. During a previous time of political upheaval, the Clear Wind, Shining Moon martial arts school was caught in the middle and its members ruthlessly slaughtered. Top student Choi swore allegiance to the usurpers and was spared; now, his former friend, Yun (Choi Min-Soo) is exacting vengeance on behalf of the victims.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Action, Drama, Adventure
Country: South Korea
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, suspenseful, bleak, realistic
Best tv shows and movies like Sword in the Moon (2003):
Similar in 90%
Zatoichi's Cane-sword (1967)
Plot Summary:
Zatoichi comes upon the town of Tonda, overrun by gangsters. Using one of his favorite techniques, Zatoichi proceeds to win 8 ryo in a rigged gambling game. Of course, the local gangsters attempt to kill him, and the adventure begins. It turns out a blacksmith named Senzo examines Zatoichi's cane sword, and discovers it to be forged by his old mentor. Senzo discovers the sword is at the end of its usefulness and will break when it is used next.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: cult classic, exciting, rough, serious, captivating, realistic, suspenseful, stylized, cult film
Similar in 76%
New Tale of Zatoichi (1963)
Plot Summary:
Wishing to find peace, Zatoichi travels to his old village but only finds trouble when he ends up in a love triangle and finds old scores have followed him home.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: cult classic, exciting, rough, serious, captivating, realistic, suspenseful, stylized, period drama, cult film
Similar in 85%
The Shogun's Samurai (1978)
Plot Summary:
Following the death of the second Tokugawa shogun, it is revealed that he was poisoned by retainers of his son Iemitsu in hopes of gaining him the shogunate despite the stammer and birthmark which undermine his respect. Iemitsu and his brother Tadanaga become bitter rivals for the shogunate, and the land is split into factions, eventually erupting into warfare. Iemitsu's mentor, his fencing instructor Yagyu, is fixated upon securing Iemitsu the shogunate and ends up betraying everyone, even his own family, in pursuit of the goal.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 130 min
Plot tags: perverse, epic, exciting, rough, bleak, serious, captivating, realistic, stylized
Similar in 87%
Kundo: Age of the Rampant (2014)
Plot Summary:
Set in the 19th century, when lowly butcher Dol Moo-Chi refuses to carry out an assignment, his failure causes tragedy to unfold upon his family and himself. As Dol Moo-Chi is about to be executed, a group of righteous thieves known as Kundo arrive.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Action, Drama
Country: South Korea
Duration: 137 min
Plot tags: captivating, serious, realistic, stylized, suspense, epic, crying, period drama
Similar in 89%
Ninja, a Band of Assassins (1962)
Plot Summary:
[Period covered: 1575-1681] Fist film in the Shinobi series starring Raizo Ichikawa. Warlord Oda Nobunaga seeks to unite a fractured Japan, a young man trained in the arts of ninjitsu is manipulated by a ninja master into attempting to assassinate the warlord before he completes his task.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 928
Genere: Action, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: exciting, rough, serious, suspenseful, jidai geki, period drama
Similar in 84%
Hunter in the Dark (1979)
Plot Summary:
Yataro Tanigawa, a one-eyed hired assassin, impresses yakuza boss Gomyo Kiyoemon with his skill. Gomyo hires Tanigawa as his bodyguard, or yojimbo, to protect him during an inter-clan conflict. Tanigawa quickly rises in stature in the clan, but finds his boss's enemies almost overwhelming.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 559
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 137 min
Plot tags: exciting, rough, bleak, serious, captivating, realistic, suspenseful, stylized, jidai geki
Similar in 77%
Zatoichi's Vengeance (1966)
Plot Summary:
Zatoichi comes upon a dying man who asks him to give a bag of money to "Taichi". Zatoichi has no idea who this is but when he comes upon a small town harassed by gangsters, he finds that "Taichi" was the man's young son. Along his travels he also met a blind monk who makes Zatoichi question his murderous lifestyle. In trying to help the town, Zatoichi kills some gangsters and becomes a hero to the boy. He must make a choice of whether to use non-violence and set a good example, or violence and set the boy on the wrong path in life.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 83 min
Plot tags: grindhouse, cult classic, exciting, rough, serious, captivating, realistic, suspenseful, stylized, cult film
Similar in 77%
The Blind Swordsman Samaritan (1968)
Plot Summary:
Zatoichi is forced to kill a young man who owes a debt to a yakuza boss. Moments later, his sister Osode arrives with the money she earned (prostituting herself) to pay his debts. The bosses true motives are revealed and he attempts to steal Osode even though the debt is paid. Zatoichi realizes his grievous error and protects the girl from the gang. Osode and Zatoichi are caught in a dilemma as she must rely on her brother's killer for protection and Zatoichi wrestles with the injustice he has caused.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Action, Adventure
Country: Japan
Duration: 84 min
Plot tags: cult classic, exciting, rough, serious, captivating, realistic, suspenseful, stylized
Similar in 77%
Zatoichi's Revenge (1965)
Plot Summary:
Itinerant masseur and master swordsman, the blind Zatoichi, is near the village of his teacher, Hikonoichi, so he decides to visit. He learns of Hikonoichi's recent robbery and murder and the imprisonment of his virginal daughter, Osayo, in a brothel. Through friendship with Denroku, a local dice thrower and devoted father, Ichi uncovers an unholy alliance between the governor and the area strongman: among their scams is falsifying tax records to put farmers in debt, then forcing their daughters into prostitution at the boss's brothel. With help from Denroku's daughter, Otsuru, Ichi comforts Osayo until he can provoke showdowns with the villains and their henchmen.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 84 min
Plot tags: cult classic, exciting, rough, serious, captivating, realistic, suspenseful, disturbing, stylized, cult film
Similar in 76%
Zatoichi and the Fugitives (1968)
Plot Summary:
Zatoichi runs afoul of some evil fugitives, working for a corrupt law official.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Action, Adventure
Country: Japan
Duration: 82 min
Plot tags: cult classic, exciting, rough, serious, captivating, realistic, suspenseful, stylized, cult film
Similar in 79%
Iris: The Movie (2010)
Plot Summary:
Hyunjun and Sawoo, close friends and rivals from the South Korean special forces, are recruited by the secret agency NSS. They both fall for Seunghee, the beautiful but lethal profiling specialist at NSS. When they are faced against each other in a nuclear terrorist attack, they are forced to make their final decision and Seunghee's formidable secret is revealed.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama
Country: South Korea
Duration: 125 min
Plot tags: exciting, suspenseful, tense, captivating, rough, serious, realistic
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 90%
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 79%
Shogun's Ninja (1980)
Plot Summary:
In the middle of the 16th century, Hideyoshi, a power hungry warlord sets out to destroy the Momochi clan. He sends his war commander in search of the clan's hidden gold only to find that two daggers are the key to the hiding place of the treasured gold. Spanning decades, the quest for the missing daggers takes Shiranui through war and ancient tradition.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 759
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 117 min
Plot tags: jidai geki, exciting, serious, realistic, suspenseful, stylized
Similar in 79%
Blades of Blood (2010)
Plot Summary:
In the 16th century in Chosun dynasty, HWANG Jung-hak and LEE Mong-hak create the “Grand Alliance” with the united dream of a better world. While the new leader LEE dreams of eradicating this world of all its corruption and becoming king himself, the legendary blind swordsman HWANG who had once been his comrade goes after him with the loss of his good friend at the hands of LEE. Just as the king abandoned his kingdom from Japanese invasion, the two come face-to-face inside the empty palace and begin their last battle they were destined to fight.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 834
Genere: Action, Drama
Country: South Korea
Duration: 111 min
Plot tags: exciting, captivating, serious, tense, epic, realistic, stylized
Similar in 88%
Shadowless Sword (2005)
Plot Summary:
A Wuxia adventure out of South Korea, The Legend of the Shadowless Sword is a handsome martial arts epic by Kim Yung-jun (Flying Warriors). The film's simple story allows for exceptionally creative action sequences about every three to four minutes, while simultaneously building a noble tale full of faith, love, and sacrifice.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Action, Adventure, History
Country: South Korea, USA
Duration: 117 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, suspenseful, historical drama, fast, epic
Similar in 81%
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 78%
U.S. Seals II: The Ultimate Force (2001)
Plot Summary:
At a secret Russian nuclear missile base, an ex-U.S. SEAL member is planning to launch a missile strike on the United States, and the only way to stop him is with the best of the best. Because of a natural gas refinery leak, the newly formed team must infiltrate without conventional weapons and use a mixture of martial arts skills, swords, crossbows and unconventional arms in their top secret attack.
IMDB Rating: 4.5
IMDB Votes: 902
Genere: Action, Adventure
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, realistic, rough, suspenseful, action packed, independent film, fast
Similar in 77%
Valley of the Wolves: Palestine (2011)
Plot Summary:
After the Freedom Flotilla attempts to bring humanitarian assistance to Gaza refuses to turn back, it is attacked by the Israeli military. In a dramatic battle scene, activists resist and are killed by the Israeli soldiers. A Turkish commando team led by Polat Alemdar (Necati Şaşmaz) travels to West Bank in Palestine, where they launch a campaign against Israeli military personnel in an attempt to track down and eliminate an Israeli general, leader Moşe Ben Eliyezer (Erdal Beşikçioğlu), who is the responsible for the flotilla raid.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, War
Country: Turkey
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: bleak, serious, exciting, rough, realistic, suspenseful, fast
Similar in 79%
Zatoichi and the Chess Expert (1965)
Plot Summary:
Zatoichi makes friends with a dangerous chess player, while fending off angry yakuza and bloodthirsty relatives out for revenge, and trying to save a sick child. Meanwhile, his luck with dice is turning.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: cult classic, exciting, rough, serious, captivating, realistic, suspenseful, stylized, cult film
Similar in 86%
White Vengeance (2011)
Plot Summary:
White Vengeance tells the story of two brothers contending for supremacy during the fall of the Qin Dynasty, which ruled Imperial China from 221 to 206 BC. As rebels rose, the nation fell into chaos. Liu Bang and Xiang Yu, became leaders of the rebellious army, and also became sworn brothers in battle.Xiang Yu and Liu Bang are close friends who both serve King Huai of Chu. King Huai uses a plot, saying that whoever can subvert the Qin kingdom in Guanzhong would be the Lord Qin, in order to benefit from the competition between Xiang Yu and Liu Bang. Xiang Yu is over-confident. He fights against the main force of Qin army, and entrusts Liu Bang with Yu Ji, the woman he loves.Liu Bang expresses his love to Yu Ji and takes the chance to invade Guanzhong first when most of Qin army is outside fighting against Xiang Yu’s army.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Drama, History
Country: China
Duration: 135 min
Plot tags: exciting, suspenseful, rough, serious, realistic, epic
Similar in 75%
The Emperor and the Assassin (1998)
Plot Summary:
In pre-unified China, the King of Qin sends his concubine to a rival kingdom to produce an assassin for a political plot, but as the king's cruelty mounts she finds her loyalty faltering.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Drama, History, Romance
Country: China, France, Japan
Duration: 162 min
Plot tags: epic, thought provoking, heroic, serious, captivating, realistic, philosophical, atmospheric, sexy, clever
Similar in 81%
The Warlords (2007)
Plot Summary:
A heroic tale of three blood brothers and their struggle in the midst of war and political upheaval. It is based on "The Assassination of Ma," a Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) story about the killing of general Ma Xinyi.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 28000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, History, Romance, War
Country: Hong Kong, China
Duration: 126 min
Plot tags: sincere, suspenseful, epic, rough, serious, cult classic, exciting, realistic
Similar in 89%
Azumi 2: Death or Love (2005)
Plot Summary:
Young assassins Azumi and Nagara continue their mission to prevent a civil war. In their hunt for Masayuki Sanada, who is protected by both an army and a dangerous clan, they meet Ginkaku, a person who shows a remarking resemblance with former friend Nachi.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: serious, suspenseful, stylized, perverse, exciting, rough
Similar in 76%
Sword of Vengeance (2015)
Plot Summary:
Returning to his homeland after years of slavery, a Norman prince seeks revenge on his father's murderer – his ruthless uncle, Earl Durant. Gaining the trust of a band of exiled farmers, he leads them into battle against Durant, exploiting them in his inexorable quest for vengeance. As one by one they are slaughtered in the brutal battle, will the prince sacrifice everything an everyone to fulfil his quest for blood?.
IMDB Rating: 4.4
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, History, War
Country: UK
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: tense, serious, bleak, realistic, rough, action adventure, twisted, suspenseful
Similar in 89%
War of the Arrows (2011)
Plot Summary:
13 years after the King Injo Revolt, the Chosun Dynasty is attacked by the Chung Dynasty of China. A young man named Na-mi leaves his demolished village to find his young sister, Ja-in, and her finance Su-koon, who were to wed on the very day of the attack. While on his mission to rescue her, he is being traced by Jushinta, a fierce Chung Warrior, and his band of malicious men who are out to stop him. Na-mi has but a day to rescue his sister before she is taken away to be a slave. When Na-mi finally finds his sister, Jushinta comes between them and a fierce battle between two of the finest warriors unfolds.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Action, Adventure
Country: South Korea
Duration: 122 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, realistic, captivating, stylized, suspense, scenic, historical drama, twisted, epic
Similar in 81%
The Divine Weapon (2008)
Plot Summary:
During the reign of King Sejong in the 15th century, the Joseon Dynasty was the embodiment of the perfect state. To the Ming China, the aspiring imperial power, Joseon presented an obstacle to territorial expansion. To protect themselves from war, King Sejong develops a secret weapon to defend their territory and take back their land and supremacy.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 845
Genere: Adventure, Drama
Country: South Korea
Duration: 134 min
Plot tags: epic, captivating, tense, suspense, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 90%
Kamui (2009)
Plot Summary:
KAMUI is a Ninja on the run from the world of Ninja bound by rules in search of true freedom. However, he is burdened with the fate, where it is not allowed to take the secret of their powers outside of the tribe -- if you are born as Ninja, you must die as Ninja. This brings him to constantly fight for his life against other Ninjas who trie to kill him and hide the secrets within. He does not trust, and he does not love. Showing weakness leads to immediate death. An incident brings him to an old fisherman's village, where he finally starts to feel trust and affection towards other people. However, his pursuers where just minutes away from setting up a huge trap on Kamui.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: exciting, rough, epic, stylized, anime, serious, realistic, fast, action adventure
Similar in 88%
Warriors of Heaven and Earth (2003)
Plot Summary:
A Chinese emissary is sent to the Gobi desert to execute a renegade soldier. When a caravan transporting a Buddhist monk and a valuable treasure is threatened by thieves, however, the two warriors might unite to protect the travelers.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama
Country: China, Hong Kong
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: epic, breathtaking, exciting, serious, lyrical, historical drama, atmospheric, realistic, contemplative, road movie
Similar in 76%
The Dead Lands (2014)
Plot Summary:
Hongi, a Maori chieftain’s teenage son, must avenge his father’s murder in order to bring peace and honour to the souls of his loved ones after his tribe is slaughtered through an act of treachery. Vastly outnumbered by a band of villains led by Wirepa, Hongi’s only hope is to pass through the feared and forbidden “Dead Lands” and forge an uneasy alliance with a mysterious warrior, a ruthless fighter who has ruled the area for years.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Action, Adventure
Country: New Zealand, UK
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: suspenseful, exciting, rough, serious, realistic