Best movies like The Shaolin Temple
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
The Tang emperor is betrayed by one of his generals, who installs himself as emperor in the East Capital. The son of one of his slave workers escapes to the Shaolin Temple, learns kung fu, and sets out to kill the traitor who killed his father. Based on a true story from Shaolin folklore, but highly fictionalized.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Action, Comedy, Drama
Country: China, Hong Kong
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, stylized, captivating, tense, touching, cult classic, cult film
Best tv shows and movies like The Shaolin Temple (1982):
Similar in 76%
Dragon Tiger Gate (2006)
Plot Summary:
Dragon Tiger Gate is a 2006 Hong Kong martial arts-action film directed by Wilson Yip and featuring fight choreography by Donnie Yen, who also stars in the film. The film is based on the popular Hong Kong manhua, Oriental Heroes, which bears the same Chinese name as the movie.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Action, Fantasy, Thriller
Country: Hong Kong, China
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: serious, suspenseful, tense, captivating, scenic, fast
Similar in 78%
Come Drink with Me (1966)
Plot Summary:
Cheng Pei-pei plays Golden Swallow, a fighter-for-hire who has been contracted by the local government to retrieve the governor's kidnapped son. Holding him is a group of rebels who are demanding that their leader be released from prison in return for the captured son. After a brief encounter with the gang at a local restaurant, Golden Swallow is joined by an inebriated wanderer Drunken Cat (Yueh Hua) who aids her in her mission.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Action, Crime
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: grindhouse, exciting, serious, stylized, spaghetti western
Similar in 87%
Shaolin Temple 2: Kids from Shaolin (1984)
Plot Summary:
Two rivaling families live on opposite sides of a river. One of them practices Shaolin kung fu and has only sons, while the other has only daughters and practices the Wu-Tang sword. The father of the Wu-Tang family is so paranoid about the Shaolin kids stealing his sword style (besides, he wants a son to teach it to, and the closest thing he has is a lesbian daughter) that he is taken off guard when some real bad guys come along to kill his family, but the Shaolin family helps them out. All the while, everyone is desperately trying to get the lesbian girl to marry Jet Li.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Comedy
Country: Hong Kong, China
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: cult classic, humorous, realistic, stylized, semi serious, fast, cult film
Similar in 83%
Last Hero in China (1993)
Plot Summary:
Jet Li stars in this comic spectacle as a Chinese "Robin Hood" who stumbles upon a kidnapping scheme after unwittingly opening a martial arts school next to a brothel!.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Action, Comedy, History
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 111 min
Plot tags: romantic, scenic, cult classic, humorous, epic, semi serious, cult film
Similar in 88%
The Master (1992)
Plot Summary:
Uncle Tak is famous for using Chinese herbal medicines to cure diseases. A martial arts expert, he also teaches the young how to defend themselves. One of his students, Johnny, dreams of monopolizing the teaching of kung fu throughout the United States. To accomplish this, he tries to kill Uncle Tak. Chuck, Uncle Tak's best student from Hong Kong, comes to Los Angeles to find his master. Chuck is willing to let Johnny have his way, and tries to take Uncle Tak back to Hong Kong. But Johnny and his men will not leave Chuck alone. Chuck, on his way back to Hong Kong, returns for the showdown.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Action, Comedy, Crime
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: romantic, scenic, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, fast, cult film
Similar in 85%
The Legend (1993)
Plot Summary:
This Hong Kong martial-arts extravaganza tells of evil emperors and true love. The secret Red Lotus Flower Society is committed to the overthrow of the evil Manchu Emperor and his minions. One of his Governors is sent on a mission to retrieve a list of members of that secret society. Meanwhile, Canton kung fu practitioner Fong Sai-Yuk falls in love with the beautiful daughter of a rich merchant.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Action, Comedy, History
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: cult classic, humorous, stylized, exciting, realistic, semi serious, funny, sexy, breathtaking, entertaining
Similar in 81%
The Evil Cult (1993)
Plot Summary:
A wild and rollicking martial arts fantasy extravaganza that features prized swords and swordsmen, a crazy monk attached to a rolling boulder, serious clan and cult rivalries, and lots of magic and flying.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Action, Fantasy, History
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: serious, surreal, scenic, atmospheric, cult film
Similar in 86%
Martial Arts of Shaolin (1986)
Plot Summary:
Jet Li weasels out of the north Shaolin temple to assassinate a despotic ruler at the ruler's extravagant public birthday celebration. Two other men from the south Shaolin temple also set out to assassinate the ruler, but all three fail and are chased all over by soldiers. Meanwhile, one of the southerners turns out to be a cross-dressed woman, who is also discovered to wear a footbell to match Jet Li's, meaning they are somehow slated for an arranged marriage.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Action, Comedy, Drama
Country: Hong Kong, China
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, suspenseful, exciting, cult classic, cult film
Similar in 88%
Tai-Chi Master (1993)
Plot Summary:
Falsely accused for cheating in a martial arts competition, two boyhood friends are banished from their Shaolin Temple and go their separate ways. As adults, they join opposing sides in a civil war. When one betrays the other, they settle their differences mano-a-mano.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Action, Comedy, Drama, Thriller
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: cult classic, exciting, serious, stylized, fast
Similar in 77%
Wing Chun (1994)
Plot Summary:
Martial arts expert Wing Chun battles bandits in this magical film that provides as many laughs as it does wallops. Besides horse thieves, Wing Chun must deal with the men around her who simply can't handle a strong, independent woman. Ultimately, she must dish out "lessons" again and again and again until the respect for her remarkable skills is finally won.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Action, Comedy, Drama
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: cult classic, exciting, humorous, stylized, semi serious, campy, cult film
Similar in 81%
Once Upon a Time in China V (1994)
Plot Summary:
Epic adventure set during a tumultuous time in China, when left without a leader, the cavalry is attacked by the powerful allies and pirate bands. A martial arts master, Wong Fei-Hong and Aunt Yee return to do battle against these evil forces.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Action, Drama
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: brutal, suspense, intense, cult film
Similar in 89%
Swordsman II (1992)
Plot Summary:
Jet Li plays Ling, a student from the Blue Mountain school of martial arts, who, along with fellow students and Kiddo, find themselves embroiled in a country-wide political/clan war with the Highlander clan in the forefront of the battle.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Action, Fantasy
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 112 min
Plot tags: surreal, cult classic, exciting, serious, captivating, suspenseful, stylized, cult film
Similar in 77%
5 Masters of Death (1974)
Plot Summary:
Hu Te et al. escape the burning Shaolin temple after the Qing soldiers destroyed it in Shaolin Temple. The group of 5 decide to develop secret codes to identify fellow patriots, enlist those patriots and eventually meet up again to escape to the south away from the Qings, and also identify the traitor who sold out Shaolin temple. Ma Fu Yi (the traitor, played by Wang Lung Wei), joins the Qing top fighters to eliminate the rebels but is exposed by Ma Chao-Tsing who gets captured by Ma Fu Yi. Hu meets up with a group of Shaolin men secretly posing as bandits to rescue Ma as their leader is killed in the process, thus the bandits join the rest of the Shaolin patriots.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Action, Drama
Country: Hong Kong, Taiwan
Duration: 109 min
Plot tags: exciting, tense, rough, serious, realistic
Similar in 80%
The Invincible Armour (1977)
Plot Summary:
Hwang Jang Lee is a corrupt Ming guard who frames John Liu for murder. A wanted fugitive, John hides out with a teen who is an expert in the infamous Iron Armor technique, a technique that means the expert can withstand anything. However, Hwang is an expert in it as well as the Eagle Claw's. Can John stop Hwang before it's too late?.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Action, Drama
Country: Hong Kong, Taiwan
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: exciting, rough, serious, realistic
Similar in 76%
Fury of the Shaolin Master (1978)
Plot Summary:
A government law officer is dispatched to bring his brother's killers to justice. On his bloody mission, untold assassins are thrown at him, but to no avail. One by one they are done away with in a most militant style.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 152
Genere: Action, Drama
Country: Taiwan, Hong Kong
Duration: 86 min
Plot tags: exciting, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, stylized
Similar in 80%
In Eagle Dragon Fist (1979)
Plot Summary:
A dishonored student of the Dragon Fist Sect seeks revenge for the death of his teacher.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Action, Drama
Country: Hong Kong, Taiwan
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: cult classic, action adventure, exciting, serious, realistic, stylized, fast
Similar in 79%
New Fists of Fury (1976)
Plot Summary:
A brother and sister escape from Japanese-occupied Shanghai to Japanese-occupied Taiwan, to stay with their grandfather who runs a Kung-Fu school there. However, the master of a Japanese Kung-Fu school in Taiwan has designs on bringing all other schools on the island under his domination, and part of his plan involves the murder of the siblings' grandfather.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Drama
Country: Hong Kong, Taiwan
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: cult classic, action adventure, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, fast, cult film
Similar in 77%
True Legend (2010)
Plot Summary:
Su Qi-Er, a wealthy man living during the Qing Dynasty who loses his fortune and reputation as a result of a conspiracy against him. After being forced out onto the streets, Su dedicates his life to martial arts and reemerges as a patriotic hero known as the "King of Beggars.".
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Action, Drama, History
Country: China
Duration: 115 min
Plot tags: exciting, suspenseful, stylized, serious, epic, fast
Similar in 84%
The Legend of Drunken Master (1994)
Plot Summary:
Returning home with his father after a shopping expedition, Wong Fei-Hong is unwittingly caught up in the battle between foreigners who wish to export ancient Chinese artifacts and loyalists who don't want the pieces to leave the country. Fei-Hong must fight against the foreigners using his Drunken Boxing style, and overcome his father's antagonism as well.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 48000
Genere: Action, Comedy
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: humorous, entertaining, semi serious, cult classic, slapstick, action comedy, funny, slapstick comedy, anamorphic, relaxing
Similar in 83%
Snake in the Eagle's Shadow (1978)
Plot Summary:
Everyone abuses and humiliates a downtrodden orphan (Chan) until he befriends an old man, who turns out to be the last master of the "snake fist" fighting style. Jackie becomes the old man's student and finds himself in battle with the master of the "eagle's claw" style, who has vowed to destroy the snake fist clan.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Action, Comedy
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: humorous, semi serious, grindhouse, fast paced, cult classic, exciting, realistic, fast, slapstick comedy, funny
Similar in 83%
Once Upon a Time in China III (1992)
Plot Summary:
Master Wong and his disciples enroll in the 'Dancing Lion Competition' to stop an assassination plot and to battle an arrogant, deceitful opponent.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Biography, Drama, History
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 125 min
Plot tags: stylized, serious, cult classic, harsh, anamorphic, exciting, epic, silent, light, thought provoking
Similar in 79%
Executioners from Shaolin (1977)
Plot Summary:
A couple unite - she is fluent in the crane style of kung fu, he in tiger style. They have a son, but the boy's father is killed by the evil eunuch Pai Mei. Disguised as a girl, his mom trains him in crane style while he secretly learns tiger style from his father's training manual.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Drama
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: exciting, tense, rough, serious, realistic, grindhouse
Similar in 82%
The New Legend of Shaolin (1994)
Plot Summary:
A young father and his infant son are beset by forces of evil and corruption. They wander China, upholding their sense of honor and protecting the weak. When they are forced into combat, spectacular and hilarious fast-motion kung fu sequences follow. In the end, they must call on all of their abilities in a battle royale, to attempt to vanquish a supernatural man-monster or die trying.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, History, Romance
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: serious, stylized, tense, suspense, suspenseful, cult classic, fast, cult film
Similar in 78%
The Legend II (1993)
Plot Summary:
The hero Fong Sai Yuk becomes involved in the secret brotherhood "The Red Flower", who are trying to overthrow the Manchurian emperor and re-establishing the Ming dynasty. The social upheaval is combined with Sai Yuk's personal moral conflict about how to conform to the rigid regime of the brotherhood and on top of that sort out his difficult love life, saddled with two presumptive wives.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Comedy, History
Country: China, Hong Kong
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: cult classic, humorous, stylized, semi serious, cult film
Similar in 80%
Fist of Legend (1994)
Plot Summary:
Chen Zhen, a Chinese engineering student in Kyoto, who braves the insults and abuse of his Japanse fellow students for his local love Mitsuko Yamada, daughter of the director, returns in 1937 to his native Shangai, under Japanse protectorate -in fact military occupation- after reading about the death of his kung-fu master Hou Ting-An in a fight against the Japanese champion Ryuichi Akutagawa.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 25000
Genere: Action, Drama
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: harsh, intense, tense, rough, realistic, suspenseful, exciting, serious, cult classic, brutal
Similar in 76%
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 79%
Fearless (2006)
Plot Summary:
Huo Yuan Jia became the most famous martial arts fighter in all of China at the turn of the 20th Century. Huo faced personal tragedy but ultimately fought his way out of darkness, defining the true spirit of martial arts and also inspiring his nation. The son of a great fighter who didn't wish for his child to follow in his footsteps, Huo resolves to teach himself how to fight - and win.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 78000
Genere: Action, Biography, Drama
Country: China, Hong Kong, USA
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: inspirational, epic, intense, exciting, captivating, serious, cult classic, stylized, harsh, motivational
Similar in 83%
The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978)
Plot Summary:
The anti-Ching patriots, under the guidance of Ho Kuang-han, have secretly set up their base in Canton, disguised as school masters. During a brutal Manchu attack, Lui manages to escape, and devotes himself to learning the martial arts in order to seek revenge.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 18000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 116 min
Plot tags: grindhouse, stylized, inspirational, fast paced, exciting, rough, serious, suspenseful, tense, light
Similar in 79%
Once Upon a Time in China II (1992)
Plot Summary:
In the sequel to the Tsui Hark classic, Wong Fei-Hung faces The White Lotus society, a fanatical cult seeking to drive the Europeans out of China through violence, even attacking Chinese who follow Western ways. Wong must also defend Dr. Sun Yat Sen, a revolutionary, from the military.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Biography, History, Romance
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 113 min
Plot tags: stylized, enigmatic, cult classic, epic, exciting, serious, realistic, tense, light, road movie
Similar in 75%
Hero (2002)
Plot Summary:
One man defeated three assassins who sought to murder the most powerful warlord in pre-unified China.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 186000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama
Country: Hong Kong, China
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: breathtaking, atmospheric, visually stunning, philosophical, epic, serious, visual, stylized, exciting, colorful