Best tv shows like The Master
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
The Master is a ninja-themed action-adventure TV series created by Michael Sloan which aired on NBC. The show focuses on the adventures of John Peter McAllister, an aging ninja master, and his young pupil, Max Keller. Most episodes focus on the mismatched pair driving around in a custom van, helping people in need along the way, similar to its more well-known contemporary, The A-Team. The Master lasted only 13 episodes before cancellation. The series was edited into seven movies that were released on video in 1984 and 1985.
IMDB Rating: 4.4
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: grindhouse, exciting, serious, realistic, suspenseful, cult film
Best tv shows and movies like The Master (1984):
Similar in 90%
Ninja Vengeance (1993)
Plot Summary:
Traveling from California to Houston, a martial arts expert suffers a motorcycle breakdown in a small Texas town. But his bad luck proves to be a blessing in disguise for the local townspeople when he discovers the corrupt sheriff and his KKK cronies beating a young black student to death. Following the code of the ninja, the mysterious warrior embarks on a one-man crusade to clean up the streets. But his quest is complicated by a strong-willed young woman who insists on helping him.
IMDB Rating: 2.5
IMDB Votes: 340
Genere: Action, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: independent film, exciting, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 83%
Five Deadly Venoms (1978)
Plot Summary:
A kung-fu student is instructed by his dying teacher to track down five of the teacher's ex-students. Each of the five is equipped with a lethal martial arts skill, and the teacher fears this might be used for evil purposes. However, not only does the teacher not know the identity of the students (who all wore masks under his training), but some of the students also don't know each other!.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Action, Drama, Mystery
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: grindhouse, educational, fast paced, cult classic, exciting, serious, suspenseful, stylized, weird, cult film
Similar in 83%
Adventures of Zatoichi (1964)
Plot Summary:
Blind swordsman/masseuse Zatoichi befriends a young woman looking for her father, a village leader who has disappeared. As he helps her investigate the disappearance, Zatoichi also becomes involved with another young woman who is trying to help her brother, who has murdered someone at about the same time and place as the missing man was last seen.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 86 min
Plot tags: grindhouse, cult classic, exciting, rough, serious, captivating, realistic, suspenseful, stylized, cult film
Similar in 89%
Raven (1992)
Plot Summary:
Raven is an American TV series.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 390
Genere: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 46 min
Plot tags: detective, exciting, humorous, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 79%
Pray for Death (1985)
Plot Summary:
Akira Saito, a Japanese businessman lives in Tokyo with his Japanese-American wife Aiko and their children, Takeshi and Tomoya. When the family has a chance to move to the United States so that Aiko can teach the children about their American heritage, they pack up and head for Houston, Texas and run a restaurant. This is where the trouble begins.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: retro, manga, cult classic, independent film, psychotronic, exciting, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 76%
Kung Fu: The Legend Continues (1993)
Plot Summary:
Kung Fu: The Legend Continues is a spin-off of the 1972–1975 television series Kung Fu. David Carradine and Chris Potter starred as a father and son trained in kung fu - Carradine playing a Shaolin monk, Potter a police detective. This series aired in syndication for four seasons, from January 27, 1993 to January 1, 1997, and was broadcast in over 70 countries. Filming took place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Reruns of the show have been aired on TNT. The show was canceled when its producer, Prime Time Entertainment Network, ceased operations and no other network opted to continue the series.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Fantasy
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 78%
Shaolin Mantis (1978)
Plot Summary:
Skilled martial arts director Lau Ka Leung offers you another Kung Fu treat! this Asian classic introduces viewers to the Shaolin Mantis way of fighting! The tale takes you back to the Qing dynasty & Wei Feng, the son of a Qing official who tries to unveil facts about a revolt. The grand daughter of the farmer community where his investigation takes him, sacrifices her life to save him in the end. Managing to escape unscathed, he promises to hunt down the girl's killer and therefore creates the effective technique of Shaolin Mantis.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 726
Genere: Action, Drama
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: grindhouse, exciting, tense, touching, serious, realistic, surprise ending, cult film
Similar in 79%
The Executioner (1974)
Plot Summary:
Three street toughs are hired to take down a Tokyo drug dealer in this hard-hitting Toei karate action film.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 646
Genere: Action
Country: Japan
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: exciting, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 77%
Ninja Terminator (1986)
Plot Summary:
Three martial-arts students search for the Golden Ninja Warrior, a statue reputed to have magic powers. Ninja mayhem by Godfrey Ho intercut with multiple scenes from Stafferyui Bulcheonggaek.
IMDB Rating: 4.4
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Action, Adventure
Country: Hong Kong, Canada, UK
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: funny, serious, fast
Similar in 75%
The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter (1984)
Plot Summary:
The Yangs are betrayed by a government official conspiring with the Mongols. All of the Yang family males except the 4th, 5th, and 6th brothers are killed. Fu Sheng loses his mind after the death of his family, while the other brother, takes refuge in a temple. Liu's superb martial arts skill, impress the temple's senior monks. He learns that his sister has been captured by the conspirators.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Action, Drama
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: grindhouse, perverse, exciting, rough, serious, realistic, stylized
Similar in 79%
Zatoichi Goes to the Fire Festival (1970)
Plot Summary:
Zatoichi is mentored by the blind leader of a secret organization as he contends with both the Yakuza and a jealous husband.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Adventure, Action
Country: Japan
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: cult classic, exciting, atmospheric, serious, suspenseful, cult film
Similar in 78%
American Ninja 3: Blood Hunt (1989)
Plot Summary:
Jackson is back, and now he has a new partner, karate champion Sean, as they must face a deadly terrorist known as "The Cobra", who has infected Sean with a virus. Sean and Jackson have no choice but to fight the Cobra and his bands of ninjas.
IMDB Rating: 3.7
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Action, Drama
Country: USA, Canada, South Africa
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: serious, cult classic, captivating, grindhouse, independent film, exciting, rough, realistic, suspenseful, fast
Similar in 75%
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 83%
Zatoichi Meets the One-Armed Swordsman (1971)
Plot Summary:
Zatoichi is a blind massage therapist and swordsman who finds out that something troubling is taking place on the outskirts of town. After discovering who the guilty parties are -- an accomplished Chinese martial artist named Wang Kang and his youthful attendant -- Zatoichi finds them and discovers that the pair's mixed up with a dangerous bunch of terrorist samurai who murdered the boy's parents. Now, Zatoichi must step in to save the day.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama
Country: Japan, Hong Kong
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: grindhouse, cult classic, serious, cult film
Similar in 80%
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 81%
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 78%
Patrol Horse (1982)
Plot Summary:
Four heroes embark on a secret mission for Dr Sun Yat Sen's Nationalist Guard. Relentlessly pursued by the warriors of notorious Warlord Yue Sai Hoi, they have seven days to reach the Lo Yang Pass with their secret cargo.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 656
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: tense, serious, realistic
Similar in 78%
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 82%
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 81%
Rage of Honor (1987)
Plot Summary:
A Japanese cop, Shiro, and his partner Ray are after a bunch of drug dealers. But they are betrayed by an insider and Ray is killed. Shiro follows the murderer, a sadistic drug lord, up to Singapore.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 930
Genere: Action, Drama
Country: Argentina, USA
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: retro, independent film, exciting, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, cult film
Similar in 78%
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 81%
Street Fighter: Assassin's Fist (2014)
Plot Summary:
The most successful and most loved fighting video game of all time, Street Fighter', is finally being given the epic, and faithful treatment it deserves. Street Fighter: Assassins Fist takes us back to the formative years of the iconic characters, Ryu and Ken, as they live a traditional warriors life in the secluded, mountain wilderness of Japan. Training under their master, Goken, the boys are the last practitioners of the ancient fighting style known as Ansatsuken (Assassin's Fist). Originally developed as a killing art, masters of this style are able to manipulate their Chi/Ki energy into devastating special techniques of potentially fatal power. As Ryu and Ken learn about the mysterious past of their Master Goken and the tragic and dark legacy of the Ansatsuken style will the two best friends become bitter rivals as their training intensifies and reaches a climax?.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 152 min
Plot tags: exciting, suspenseful, serious, suspense, tense, disturbing, non-linear, awful
Similar in 77%
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 89%
Clan of the White Lotus (1980)
Plot Summary:
Shaolin practitioners and brothers Wu and Hung kill the merciless Pai Mei. However, Pai Mei's even more merciless brother White Lotus takes revenge; killing most of the Shaolin disciples, including Wu and Hung's girlfriend, leaving only Wu's pregnant wife and Hung as the only remaining practitioners of Shaolin left to avenge the deaths. But Hung's kung-fu will not be powerful enough so he must learn feminine kung-fu techniques to help him try and defeat White Lotus.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Drama
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: grindhouse, stylized, perverse, exciting, offbeat, serious, realistic, suspenseful, fast, cult film
Similar in 81%
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 84%
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 89%
American Ninja 2: The Confrontation (1987)
Plot Summary:
On a remote Caribbean island, Army Ranger Joe Armstrong saves an old friend from the clutches of "The Lion", an evil super-criminal who has kidnapped a local scientist and mass-produced an army of mutant Ninja warriors.
IMDB Rating: 4.9
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Action, Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: intense, serious, grindhouse, light, cult classic, light hearted, independent film, exciting, rough, realistic
Similar in 89%
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 87%
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 75%
Into the Badlands (2015)
Plot Summary:
In a land controlled by feudal barons, a great warrior and a young boy embark on a journey across a dangerous land to find enlightenment. A genre-bending martial arts series very loosely based on the classic Chinese tale Journey to the West.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 49000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 42 min
Plot tags: exciting, captivating, tense, stylized, suspenseful, apocalyptic, scenic, action packed, action adventure, mind blowing