Best movies like Sword of the Beast
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
Legendary swordplay filmmaker Hideo Gosha’s Sword of the Beast chronicles the flight of the low-level swordsman Gennosuke, who kills one of his ministers as part of a reform plot. His former comrades then turn on him, and this betrayal so shakes his sense of honor that he decides to live in the wild, like an animal. There he joins up with a motley group who are illegally mining the shogun’s gold, and, with the aid of another swordsman, gets a chance not just at survival but to recover his name and honor.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Action, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 85 min
Plot tags: exciting, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, stylized
Best tv shows and movies like Sword of the Beast (1965):
Similar in 78%
Three Outlaw Samurai (1964)
Plot Summary:
Shiba, a wandering ronin, encounters a band of peasants who have kidnapped the daughter of their dictatorial magistrate, in hopes of coercing from him a reduction in taxes. Shiba takes up their fight, joined by two renegades from the magistrate's guard, Sakura and Kikyo. The three outlaws find themselves in a battle to the death.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Action, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: black and white, cynical, period piece, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, jidai geki
Similar in 88%
Bandit vs. Samurai Squad (1978)
Plot Summary:
Kumokiri Nizaemon, a former samurai warrior, has abandoned his class to become the leader of a gang of thieves. He leads his outlaws in an attempt to rob the castle of his former clan.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 421
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 163 min
Plot tags: exciting, rough, bleak, serious, realistic, suspenseful, jidai geki
Similar in 89%
Kill! (1968)
Plot Summary:
In this pitch-black action comedy by Kihachi Okamoto, a pair of down-on-their-luck swordsmen arrive in a dusty, windblown town, where they become involved in a local clan dispute. One, previously a farmer, longs to become a noble samurai. The other, a former samurai haunted by his past, prefers living anonymously with gangsters. But when both men discover the wrongdoings of the nefarious clan leader, they side with a band of rebels who are under siege at a remote mountain cabin. Based on the same source novel as Akira Kurosawa’s Sanjuro, Kill! playfully tweaks samurai film convention, borrowing elements from established chanbara classics and seasoning them with a little Italian western.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Action, Comedy, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 115 min
Plot tags: dark comedy, serious, realistic, jidai geki, spoof, black comedy, parody
Similar in 89%
Zatoichi's Conspiracy (1973)
Plot Summary:
Zatoichi, the famed blind swordsman, returns to his home village for the first time in many years. He is befriended by Omiyo, who had the same wet-nurse as Zatoichi. He also encounters a boyhood friend, Shinbei, who now is wealthy and appears not to remember Zatoichi. Shinbei seems to be interested in repaying the villagers' debts, but is in reality manipulating the ownership of a now-valuable rock quarry. Zatoichi learns of the subterfuge and confronts his old friend, who has a score of yakuza swordsmen backing his play.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Action, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: cult classic, exciting, rough, serious, captivating, realistic, suspenseful, stylized, cult film
Similar in 78%
Harakiri (1962)
Plot Summary:
Peace in 17th-century Japan causes the Shogunate's breakup of warrior clans, throwing thousands of samurai out of work and into poverty. An honorable end to such fate under the samurai code is ritual suicide, or hara-kiri.
IMDB Rating: 8.6
IMDB Votes: 66000
Genere: Action, Drama, Mystery
Country: Japan
Duration: 133 min
Plot tags: tense, disturbing, bleak, black and white, enigmatic, melancholic, captivating, suspenseful, breathtaking, cerebral
Similar in 77%
The Sword of Doom (1966)
Plot Summary:
Through his unconscionable actions against others, a sociopathic samurai builds a trail of vendettas that follow him closely.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Action, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: black and white, cerebral, visual, tense, bleak, stylized, jidai geki, rough, epic, serious
Similar in 89%
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 88%
Sleepy Eyes of Death: Sword of Fire (1965)
Plot Summary:
Fifth film in the series. When Kyoshiro, in a moment of weakness, saves the life of a woman being attacked on the road, he quickly finds himself entangled in a conspiracy involving a corrupt chamberlain, a wily merchant, the survivors of a pirate gang, and a missing treasure trove.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 182
Genere: Action, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 83 min
Plot tags: exciting, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, period drama
Similar in 82%
Samurai Rebellion (1967)
Plot Summary:
The mother of a feudal lord's only heir is kidnapped away from her husband by the lord. The husband and his samurai father must decide whether to accept the unjust decision, or risk death to get her back.
IMDB Rating: 8.3
IMDB Votes: 14000
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 128 min
Plot tags: tense, emotional, stylized, black and white, sincere, atmospheric, jidai geki, serious, captivating, suspenseful
Similar in 88%
Goyokin (1969)
Plot Summary:
A guilt-haunted samurai warrior attempts to stop a massacre taking place.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 124 min
Plot tags: tense, serious, captivating, realistic, jidai geki, rough, bleak, stylized
Similar in 80%
Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman's Pilgrimage (1966)
Plot Summary:
Our hero Zatoichi sails to one of the distant islands to begin a pilgrimage to a total of 88 Shinto shrines.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 82 min
Plot tags: cult classic, exciting, rough, serious, captivating, realistic, suspenseful, stylized, cult film
Similar in 90%
Samurai Spy (1965)
Plot Summary:
Years of warfare end in a Japan unified under the Tokugawa shogunate, and samurai spy Sasuke Sarutobi, tired of conflict, longs for peace. When a high-ranking spy named Tatewaki Koriyama defects from the shogun to a rival clan, however, the world of swordsmen is thrown into turmoil. After Sasuke is unwittingly drawn into the conflict, he tracks Tatewaki, while a mysterious, white-hooded figure seems to hunt them both. By tale’s end, no one is who they seemed to be, and the truth is far more personal than anyone suspected. Director Masahiro Shinoda’s Samurai Spy, filled with clan intrigue, ninja spies, and multiple double crosses, marks a bold stylistic departure from swordplay film convention.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, realistic, suspenseful, stylized
Similar in 89%
Incident at Blood Island (1970)
Plot Summary:
In the Edo period, a nameless ronin accepts an assignment to go to a mountain pass and wait. Near the pass he stops at an inn where a collection of characters gather, including a gang set on stealing shogunate gold that's soon to come over the pass. When the Ronin's assignment becomes clear, to help the gang, he's ordered to kill the inn's residents, including a woman he's rescued from an abusive husband. He's reluctant to murder innocent people; then he learns that the gold shipment is a trap and he's part of a double cross. How he sorts through these divided loyalties tests of his samurai honor, and perhaps of his love for a woman.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 889
Genere: Action, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 117 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, jidai geki
Similar in 77%
The Tale of Zatoichi (1962)
Plot Summary:
The adventures of a blind, gambling masseur and master swordsman. Zatoichi targets a yakuza-controlled village, because war with a neighbouring town's smaller gang is brewing.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: art house, grindhouse, cult classic, atmospheric, serious, captivating, realistic, vintage, period drama, cult film
Similar in 82%
Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo (1970)
Plot Summary:
With a price on his head, Ichi seeks tranquillity in a favorite village. Since his last visit, it has fallen prey to Boss Masagoro, the son of a merchant rumored to have stolen gold from the shogunate. The boss has hired Yojimbo as his hard-drinking enforcer, but Yojimbo is both a spy for the shogunate, trying to find the gold, and in love with the merchant's unwilling mistress, Umeno. Ichi hires on as the merchant's masseur and buys Umeno's freedom with his employer's own money. This embarrasses Yojimbo who withdraws from a pact with Ichi to stir up trouble between father and son and their gangs. As the two sides fight, Ichi finds the gold and sets up a final set of confrontations.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 115 min
Plot tags: cult classic, realistic, stylized, semi serious, cult film
Similar in 81%
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 83%
Zatoichi the Fugitive (1963)
Plot Summary:
After arriving in the town of Shimonita, Ichi finds that a price has been put on his head by a local yakuza boss. He's drawn into a trap, but after hearing of the slaying of a former love, Ichi furiously fights his way through the entire clan to face the killer, a hired ronin.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Adventure, Action
Country: Japan
Duration: 86 min
Plot tags: cult classic, exciting, rough, serious, captivating, realistic, suspenseful, stylized, cult film
Similar in 90%
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 77%
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 78%
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 82%
Zatoichi and the Doomed Man (1965)
Plot Summary:
Blind swordsman Zatoichi, jailed briefly, is implored by another prisoner to aid him in proving his innocence of a crime for which he is sentenced to death. Zatoichi is reluctant to get involved, because he knows how often such involvement has led to trouble in the past. But events conspire to thrust him repeatedly into involvement, and gradually he comes to believe in the man's innocence and determines to free him.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: cult classic, exciting, rough, serious, captivating, realistic, suspenseful, stylized, cult film
Similar in 83%
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 79%
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 75%
Zatoichi: The Last (2010)
Plot Summary:
A blind master swordsman attempts to lead a quiet life with his wife but he is provoked back into battle.
IMDB Rating: 5.2
IMDB Votes: 393
Genere: Action, Drama
Country: Japan, France
Duration: 132 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, exciting, captivating, tense, rough, bleak, suspenseful, stylized, gloomy
Similar in 83%
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 82%
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 86%
Goemon (2009)
Plot Summary:
Follow the infamous ninja bandit named Ishikawa Goemon (Yosuke Eguchi) in an epic story. One night while looting treasure from Nanban (Southern Barbarians), Goemon finds a mysterious box hidden inside a secret grave. A forgotten relic from the past containing untold powers.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Action, Drama, History
Country: Japan
Duration: 128 min
Plot tags: exciting, epic, captivating, anime, tense, suspense, action thriller, visually stunning, serious, stylized
Similar in 89%
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 78%
Yojimbo (1961)
Plot Summary:
A nameless ronin, or samurai with no master, enters a small village in feudal Japan where two rival businessmen are struggling for control of the local gambling trade. Taking the name Sanjuro Kuwabatake, the ronin convinces both silk merchant Tazaemon and sake merchant Tokuemon to hire him as a personal bodyguard, then artfully sets in motion a full-scale gang war between the two ambitious and unscrupulous men.
IMDB Rating: 8.2
IMDB Votes: 129000
Genere: Action, Drama, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: black and white, visual, visually stunning, black comedy, cynical, art house, exciting, atmospheric, bleak, realistic
Similar in 89%
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