20 best movies like Samurai Assassin (1965)

List of the best movies like Samurai Assassin (1965): The Fall of Ako Castle, Throne of Blood, Goyokin, Kingdom of Heaven, In the Heart of the Sea, The Warlords, Unforgiven, Alexander, The Star, 47 Ronin.

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Markimdb: 7.1
Genreaction, drama, adventure, history
CountryJapan

This is the story of "The Forty-Seven Ronin." Based on historical events in 1701-2, the movie tells the tale of the Asano clan's downfall and the revenge of its former samurai on the perpetrator of the catastrophe. Lord Asano was goaded, or tricked, into drawing his sword inside the Shogun's palace -- a crime which carried the death penalty. The newly installed Shogun was furious at Asano and ordered all his clan's assets seized, meaning some 20,000 samurai and commoners were unemployed and landless at a stroke. Forty-seven of these ronin (masterless samurai) banded together to take attempt revenge on Lord Kira, who had goaded Asano into drawing his sword.

Markimdb: 8.1
Genredrama, history
CountryJapan
Duration01:50

Returning to their lord's castle, samurai warriors Washizu and Miki are waylaid by a spirit who predicts their futures. When the first part of the spirit's prophecy comes true, Washizu's scheming wife, Asaji, presses him to speed up the rest of the spirit's prophecy by murdering his lord and usurping his place. Director Akira Kurosawa's resetting of William Shakespeare's "Macbeth" in feudal Japan is one of his most acclaimed films.

Markimdb: 7.6
Genreaction, drama, adventure
CountryJapan

A guilt-haunted samurai warrior attempts to stop a massacre taking place.

Markimdb: 7.2
Genreaction, drama, adventure, military, history
CountryUSA, Spain
Duration02:25

    After his wife dies, a blacksmith named Balian is thrust into royalty, political intrigue and bloody holy wars during the Crusades.

    Markimdb: 6.9
    Genreaction, thriller, drama, adventure, biography, history
    CountryUSA, Australia, Spain
    Duration02:10

    In the winter of 1820, the New England whaling ship Essex was assaulted by something no one could believe: a whale of mammoth size and will, and an almost human sense of vengeance. The real-life maritime disaster would inspire Herman Melville’s Moby Dick.  But that told only half the story.  “Heart of the Sea” reveals the encounter’s harrowing aftermath, as the ship’s surviving crew is pushed to their limits and forced to do the unthinkable to stay alive.  Braving storms, starvation, panic and despair, the men will call into question their deepest beliefs, from the value of their lives to the morality of their trade, as their captain searches for direction on the open sea and his first mate still seeks to bring the great whale down.

    Markimdb: 7
    Genreaction, melodrama, drama, adventure, military, history
    CountryHong Kong, China
    Duration02:06

    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.

    Markimdb: 7
    Genreaction, thriller, drama, crime, history
    CountryJapan
    Duration02:15

    Set in Hokkaido, Japan in the 1880s. Jubei Kamata (Ken Watanabe), who is on the side of the Edo shogunate government, kills many people. His name is infamous in Kyoto. When the battle at Goryoukaku is about to be finished, Jubei disappears. 10 years later, Jubei lives with his kid in relative peace. He is barely able to make a living. Protecting his dead wife's grave, Jubei has decided to never pick up a sword again, but due to poverty he has no choice but to pick the sword again. Jubei becomes a bounty hunter.

    Markimdb: 5.6
    Genreaction, melodrama, drama, adventure, military, biography, history
    CountryUSA, United Kingdom, Germany, Netherlands, France, Italy, Morocco, Thailand
    Duration02:55

      Alexander, the King of Macedonia, leads his legions against the giant Persian Empire. After defeating the Persians, he leads his army across the then known world, venturing farther than any westerner had ever gone, all the way to India.

      Markimdb: 7.1
      Genreaction, drama, adventure, military, history
      CountryRussia
      Duration01:37

      The film is based on the eponymous book by Emmanuil Kazakevich. In the summer of 1944 the Nazi Armies prepare a massive Tank Division named 'Viking" for the offensive on occupied Russian land. The Russian Army's special group of seven snipers named "Zvezda" is sent for a reconnaissance operation behind the enemy lines in the back of the Nazi Tank Division. Two previous Russian groups never came back. The seven Russians know that they are going to an almost certain Death for the sake of Victory.

      Markimdb: 7.6
      Genreaction, drama, history
      CountryJapan
      Duration03:24

      The story tells of a group of samurai who were left leaderless (becoming ronin) after their daimyo (feudal lord) was forced to commit seppuku (ritual suicide) for assaulting a court official named Kira Yoshinaka, whose title was Kōzuke no suke. The ronin avenged their master's honor after patiently waiting and planning for over a year to kill Kira. In turn, the ronin were themselves forced to commit seppuku for committing the crime of murder.

      Markimdb: 6.2
      Genreaction, drama, adventure, history
      CountryUSA
      Duration01:55

      In Camelot, kingdom of Arthur and Merlin, Lancelot is well known for his courage and honor. But one day he must quit Camelot and the Queen Guinevere's love, leaving the Round Table without protection.

      Markimdb: 5.9
      Genreaction, drama, adventure, military, history
      CountryNew Zealand, United Kingdom
      Duration01:54

      An intimate story set during the 1860s in which a young Irish woman Sarah and her family find themselves on both sides of the turbulent wars between British and Maori during the British colonization of New Zealand.

      Markimdb: 6.6
      Genreaction, drama, history
      CountryJapan
      Duration02:08

      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.

      Markimdb: 7.1
      Genreaction, drama, adventure, military, history
      CountryUSA, Japan
      Duration02:15

      There were five Marines and one Navy Corpsman photographed raising the U.S. flag on Mt. Suribachi by Joe Rosenthal on February 23, 1945. This is the story of three of the six surviving servicemen – John 'Doc' Bradley, Pvt. Rene Gagnon and Pvt. Ira Hayes, who fought in the battle to take Iwo Jima from the Japanese.

      Markimdb: 6.3
      Genreaction, fantasy, drama
      CountryUSA, United Kingdom, Japan, Hungary
      Duration01:59

      Based on the original 1941 movie from Japan, and from ancient Japan’s most enduring tale, the epic 3D fantasy-adventure 47 Ronin is born. Keanu Reeves leads the cast as Kai, an outcast who joins Oishi (Hiroyuki Sanada), the leader of the 47 outcast samurai. Together they seek vengeance upon the treacherous overlord who killed their master and banished their kind. To restore honor to their homeland, the warriors embark upon a quest that challenges them with a series of trials that would destroy ordinary warriors.

      Markimdb: 6.4
      Genreaction, melodrama, adventure, western, crime, biography, history
      CountryAustralia, United Kingdom, USA, France
      Duration01:50

      After getting threatened by Kelly's friends and family, Constable Fitzpatrick places the blame on Ned Kelly and exaggerates what happened. With the biggest ever award available, Kelly and his gang set into the wild, to remain hidden from everyone who seeks them. Even if it means having his family arrested, the Kelly Gang stay hidden and plan a way to get their names cleared.

      Markimdb: 6.8
      Genreaction, drama, history
      CountryChina, Hong Kong
      Duration02:19

      In 1905, revolutionist Sun Yat-Sen visits Hong Kong to discuss plans with Tongmenghui members to overthrow the Qing dynasty. But when they find out that assassins have been sent to kill him, they assemble a group of protectors to prevent any attacks.

      Markimdb: 6.2
      Genreaction, drama
      CountryUSA, Japan
      Duration01:48

      Rick, a down-and-out American boxer, is hired to transport a sword to Japan, unaware that the whole thing is a set up in a bitter blood-feud between two brothers, one who follows the traditional path of the samurai and the other a businessman. At the behest of the businessman, Rick undertakes samurai training from the other brother, but joins his cause. He also becomes romantically involved with the samurai's daughter.

      Markimdb: 6.8
      Genreaction, drama, history
      CountrySouth Korea

      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.

      Markimdb: 7.9
      Genredrama, military, history
      CountryJapan, USA
      Duration03:00

      Akira Kurosawa's lauded feudal epic presents the tale of a petty thief who is recruited to impersonate Shingen, an aging warlord, in order to avoid attacks by competing clans. When Shingen dies, his generals reluctantly agree to have the impostor take over as the powerful ruler. He soon begins to appreciate life as Shingen, but his commitment to the role is tested when he must lead his troops into battle against the forces of a rival warlord.

      Markimdb: 6.8
      Genreaction, thriller, comedy, melodrama, drama
      CountryJapan

      A detective probes the brutal murder of a woman in a red light district while a housewife hides her double life as a prostitute from her husband.

      Markimdb: 7.3
      Genreaction, melodrama, drama, detective, military, history
      CountryJapan
      Duration02:24

      A young man Kentaro Saeki (Haruma Miura) keeps failing his bar test and does not know what to do any more. His older sister Keiko is a freelance writer. Kentaro and Keiko begin to search for information on their grandfather Kyuzo Miyabe (Junichi Okada) who dead in the special forces during World War II. Their grandfather Kyuzo Miyabe was terrified of death and obsessed with life. Why did he join the special forces? According to his fellow navy soldiers, Kyuzo Miyabe was a genius and also a coward. Kentaro and Keiko then discovers the shocking truth which has been sealed for 60 years.

      Markimdb: 6
      Genrehorror, fantastic, action, thriller, fantasy, drama, military
      CountryJapan

      Izo is an assassin in the service of a Tosa lord and Imperial supporter. After killing dozens of the Shogun's men, Izo is captured and crucified. Instead of being extinguished, his rage propels him through the space-time continuum to present-day Tokyo. Here Izo transforms himself into a new, improved killing machine.

      Markimdb: 7
      Genreaction, drama, history
      CountryJapan

      Iemitsu, Tokugawa Shogun III, hates his eldest son Takechiyo; all his love is given to his younger son Tokumatsu. One day, he orders Takechiyo to an initiation rite in Yedo (today's Tokio). Takechiyo lives far away under the surveillance of Hotta Masamori, head of the Skura clan, where he was also raised. Hotta does suspect some kind of treachery, but he can not ignore the direct command of the Shogun. Therefore, he starts on his travel with Takechiyo and seven accompanying samurais. A large army under the command of Iba Shoemon, a vassal of the Shogun, attacks their night camp in the vicinity of a copper mine. Hotta dies in this first battle, but Takechiyo and the samurai manage to escape. They are chased by the army, and several skirmishes between the small force and the larger army follow.

      Markimdb: 6.9
      Genreaction, drama, biography, history
      CountrySouth Korea
      Duration02:00

      An account of karate competitor Choi Yeung-Eui who went to Japan after World War II to become a fighter pilot but found a very different path instead. He changed his name to Masutatsu Oyama and went across the country, defeating martial artists one after another. This film concentrates on the period when he is still young, and developing his famous karate style, Kyokushin.

      Markimdb: 7.2
      Genredrama, adventure, history
      CountryGermany
      Duration02:30

      The story of Rob Cole, a boy who is left a penniless orphan in an 11th-century English mining town when his mother dies of a mysterious illness. Vowing to become a physician and vanquish Death itself, he travels to Isfahan in Persia to study medicine under the great Ibn Sina. Through countless ordeals and challenges, and making many sacrifices along the way, he struggles on unwaveringly. His unflagging quest for knowledge leads to the blossoming of friendship and true love.

      Markimdb: 6.1
      Genreaction, thriller, melodrama, drama, adventure, military, history
      CountrySpain
      Duration02:25

      In 17th century Spain Diego Alatriste, a brave and heroic soldier, is fighting in his King's army in the Flandes region. His best mate, Balboa, falls in a trap and, near to death, asks Diego to look after his son and teach him to be a soldier.

      Markimdb: 7.4
      Genredrama
      CountryJapan
      Duration02:23

      Kanichiro Yoshimura is a Samurai and Family man who can no longer support his wife and children on the the low pay he receives from his small town clan, he is forced by the love for his family to leave for the city in search of higher pay to support them.

      Markimdb: 4.6
      Genreaction, thriller, drama, crime
      CountryJapan, USA

      A hit man looks to protect the daughter of one of his victims against CIA assassins.

      Markimdb: 6.3
      Genreaction, drama, military, history
      CountryJapan

      The background to and depiction of a watershed battle in Japanese history, at Sekigahara in 1600, when Tokugawa Ieyasu's Army of the East defeated the Army of the West of Ishida Mitsunari. The story includes the intrigues and shifting loyalties of the various retainers, family members, and samurai.

      Markimdb: 3.9
      Genreaction, adventure, history
      CountryUnited Kingdom

      A young Viking called Vitharr arrives in Britain with dreams of conquest and adventure, but when his family and clan are ambushed and killed, he must survive alone in this strange,dangerous new land as he searches for his Uncle's settlement.

      Markimdb: 7.6
      Genreaction, drama
      CountryJapan

      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.

      Markimdb: 5.6
      Genreaction, drama, adventure, history
      CountryIndia

      Village lad Sarman is drawn to big, bad Mohenjo Daro - and its mascot Chaani. But Chaani must wed Munja, son of Mohenjo Daro's ruler, Maham. Will Sarman find love - and more - in Mohenjo Daro?

      Markimdb: 5.7
      Genreaction, drama, adventure, history
      CountryUSA
      Duration02:34

      A falsely accused nobleman survives years of slavery to take vengeance on his best friend who betrayed him.

      Markimdb: 6.3
      Genreaction, thriller, drama, adventure, military, history
      CountryUnited Kingdom, France, USA
      Duration01:37

      Britain, A.D. 117. Quintus Dias, the sole survivor of a Pictish raid on a Roman frontier fort, marches north with General Virilus' legendary Ninth Legion, under orders to wipe the Picts from the face of the Earth and destroy their leader, Gorlacon.

      Markimdb: 6.9
      Genreaction, drama, adventure
      CountryUnited Kingdom
      Duration01:53

      For ten years, engineer Bill Markham has searched tirelessly for his son Tommy who disappeared from the edge of the Brazilian rainforest. Miraculously, he finds the boy living among the reclusive Amazon tribe who adopted him. And that's when Bill's adventure truly begins. For his son is now a grown tribesman who moves skillfully through this beautiful-but-dangerous terrain, fearful only of those who would exploit it. And as Bill attempts to "rescue" him from the savagery of the untamed jungle, Tommy challenges Bill's idea of true civilization and his notions about who needs rescuing.

      Markimdb: 6.8
      Genreaction, drama, adventure, military, history
      CountryUnited Kingdom
      Duration02:08

      English General Charles George Gordon is appointed military governor of Anglo-Egyptian Sudan by the Prime Minister. Ordered to evacuate Egyptians from the Sudan, Gordon stays on to protect the people of Khartoum, who are under threat of being conquered by a Muslim army.

      Markimdb: 7.5
      Genreaction, drama, history
      CountryJapan

      A ronin desperately seeks a way out of financial straits; he allies with the Tosa clan under the ruthless leader Takechi, who quickly takes advantage.

      Markimdb: 7.1
      Genredrama, history
      CountryUSA, United Kingdom, Taiwan, Japan, Mexico, Italy
      Duration02:19

      Two Jesuit priests travel to seventeenth century Japan which has, under the Tokugawa shogunate, banned Catholicism and almost all foreign contact.

      Markimdb: 8
      Genreaction, drama, adventure
      CountryUSA
      Duration03:09

      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.

      Markimdb: 6.1
      Genreaction, drama
      CountryUnited Kingdom, USA

      Cal is a dedicated cop who also serves as a sergeant in the Marine Corps Reserve. When his reckless half brother lands in jail for accidentally killing a man, Cal and his buddies hatch a plan to break him out of prison -- no matter what the cost.

      Markimdb: 7.5
      Genreaction, thriller, comedy, melodrama, drama, crime
      CountryJapan
      Duration01:34

      Kitano plays Murakawa, a Tokyo yakuza tiring of gangster life. Along with a few of his henchmen, he is sent by his boss to Okinawa to help end a gang war, supposedly to mediate between two warring clans. He finds that the dispute between the clans is insignificant and whilst wondering why he was sent to Okinawa at all, Murakawa's headquarters are bombed and he and his gang are ambushed in a bar.

      Markimdb: 6.5
      Genredrama, military, history
      CountryJapan, USA
      Duration01:45

      As the Japanese surrender at the end of WWII, Gen. Fellers is tasked with deciding if Emperor Hirohito will be hanged as a war criminal. Influencing his ruling is his quest to find Aya, an exchange student he met years earlier in the U.S.

      Markimdb: 6.3
      Genreaction, drama, adventure, military
      CountryUSA

      An American soldier who escapes the execution of his comrades by Japanese soldiers in Borneo during WWII becomes the leader of a personal empire among the headhunters in this war story told in the style of Joseph Conrad and Rudyard Kipling. The American is reluctant to rejoin the fight against the Japanese on the urging of a British commando team but conducts a war of vengeance when the Japanese attack his adopted people.

      Markimdb: 7.7
      Genremelodrama, drama, history
      CountryJapan
      Duration02:01

      A look at the relationship between a young blind samurai (Kimura) and his wife, who will make a sacrifice in order to defend her husband's honor.

      Markimdb: 7.3
      Genreaction, drama, adventure, military, history
      CountryUnited Kingdom
      Duration01:57

      A naval adventure, based on the novels by C.S. Forester, about the heroic, 19th-century British seafarer. The story sails with his ship, the Lydia, through battles with Spain and then France won with wit rather than might.

      Markimdb: 7.3
      Genreaction, drama, military, history
      CountrySouth Korea
      Duration02:00

      A civil war broke out in the 1950s between North and South Korea which changed the country forever. 71: Into the Fire centers on the struggles of 71 student soldiers who fought through the Korean War. Using real people and events based on the opening moves of the Battle of P'ohang-dong, the film exposes the personal and physical conflicts that these students faced when finding themselves on the last line of defense at P'ohang-dong Girl's Middle School against the NKPA's advancement, needing to hold out until back up from other Korean troops and the Allies arrived.

      Markimdb: 7.3
      Genreaction, drama, crime
      CountryJapan, USA
      Duration01:25

      A Shogun who grew paranoid as he became senile sent his ninjas to kill his samurai. They failed but did kill the samurai’s wife. The samurai swore to avenge the death of his wife and roams the countryside with his toddler son in search of vengeance.

      Markimdb: 7.2
      Genreaction, drama, military, history
      CountrySouth Korea, China
      Duration02:13

      In 1375, China was in chaos between Yuan Dynasty and Ming Dynasty. Coryo (an ancient kingdom of Korea then) sent a delegation of many diplomats, soldiers and a silent slave to make peace with the new Chinese government. However, this delegation got charged as spies and sent in exile to a remote desert.

      Markimdb: 7.3
      Genreaction, drama, crime
      CountrySouth Korea
      Duration02:20

      Byung-du is a 29-year-old career criminal, working for the middle-rank enforcer Sang-chul. Burdened with a terminally ill mother and taking care of younger siblings, Byung-du is feeling financial pressure as a substitute patriarch. When the big boss President Hwang is cornered by a corrupt prosecutor, Byung-du volunteers for a whack job and wins the big man's trust.




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