20 best movies like Shogun's Shadow (1989)

List of the best movies like Shogun's Shadow (1989): The Fall of Ako Castle, Goemon, 47 Ronin, Samurai Assassin, Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale - Part 1: The Sun Flag, ICHI, Sekigahara, Ip Man: The Final Fight, Fighter In The Wind, 47 Ronin.

Tags: movies similar to Shogun's Shadow (1989) - full list

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: 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: 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: 7.4
Genreaction, drama, adventure, history
CountryJapan

Japan, 1860. The men of the Mito clan, victims of the Ansei purge, anxiously prowl around the Sakurada Gate of Edo Castle with the intention of assassinating Naosuke Ii of Hikone, tairō of the Tokugawa shogunate and responsible for their misfortune.

Markimdb: 7.4
Genreaction, drama, history
CountryTaiwan
Duration04:36

Mouna Rudo was born and raised among the Seediq people, an indigenous tribe in Taiwan, and as he grew to be a man he became a member of the Seediq Bale, a courageous band of native warriors. However, Rudo's way of life is threatened under the yoke of occupying forces from Japan, who took over the nation in 1895. As Rudo sees the traditions and honor of his people stripped away, he realizes the time has come to fight back, and in 1930 he brings together a group of former Seediq Bale soldiers, many of whom have been reduced to infighting, and molds them into a revolutionary army. Rudo and his comrades make their stand when they confront Japanese occupation troops at a youth athletic event, leading to a violent confrontation between the Seediq forces and their oppressors. Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale - Part 1: The Sun Flag is Part one of the two-part, four-hour Taiwanese edition of the film Warriors of the Rainbow.

Markimdb: 6.5
Genreaction, thriller, drama, crime
CountryJapan
Duration02:00

Ichi is a blind entertainer that travels the countryside with her traditional Japanese guitar and walking stick. She’s in search for the kind man that brought her up as a child, but because of her beauty she encounters problems every step of the way. Fortunately for Ichi, she is also a gifted swordswoman and carries a lethal blade within her walking stick.

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: 6.2
Genreaction, drama, biography, history, sport
CountryHong Kong
Duration01:40

    In postwar Hong Kong, legendary Wing Chun grandmaster Ip Man is reluctantly called into action once more, when what begin as simple challenges from rival kung fu styles soon draw him into the dark and dangerous underworld of the Triads. Now, to defend life and honor, he has no choice but to fight one last time...

    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: 7.6
    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: 7.6
    Genreaction, drama, adventure
    CountryJapan

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

    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: 5.8
    Genreaction, drama, history
    CountryThailand

    Based on a true historic figure, Yamada Nagamasa, a Japanese adventurer who went to Ayothaya in the 16th century and became a soldier in King Naresuan's army. After the war in Burma it's restless in Ayothaya, because of a mysterious group of men that terrorizes and plunders the city. Yamada goes after them and discovers that the men are rebelious Japanese samurai. Now he has to fight his own countrymen.

    Markimdb: 8.6
    Genreaction, drama, history
    CountryJapan
    Duration02:13

    An unusual request for ritual suicide on a feudal lord's property leads to the unwinding of a greater mystery that challenges the clan's integrity.

    Markimdb: 5.7
    Genreaction, drama, history
    CountryChina
    Duration02:00

    The story of two warring generals fighting for control of China at the end of the Qin Dynasty.

    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: 6.3
    Genreaction, drama, history
    CountrySouth Korea
    Duration01:53

    While in medieval Korea, a young girl sets out to revenge the betrayal and the death of her mother. But therefore she must face one of the most powerful men and warriors of the Goryo Dynasty.

    Markimdb: 7.2
    Genredrama, history
    CountryJapan
    Duration01:26

    A samurai performs a heroic act by rescuing the lovely Kesa during a violent uprising. The warrior falls in love with her, but becomes distraught when he finds out that she is already married.

    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: 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: 6.5
    Genreaction, melodrama, drama, military, biography
    CountryHong Kong, China
    Duration02:03

    Ip Man's peaceful life in Foshan changes after Gong Yutian seeks an heir for his family in Southern China. Ip Man then meets Gong Er who challenges him for the sake of regaining her family's honor. After the Second Sino-Japanese War, Ip Man moves to Hong Kong and struggles to provide for his family. In the mean time, Gong Er chooses the path of vengeance after her father was killed by Ma San.

    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: 7.5
    Genreaction, drama, military, history
    CountryJapan, USA
    Duration02:24

    In the summer of 1941, the United States and Japan seem on the brink of war after constant embargos and failed diplomacy come to no end. "Tora! Tora! Tora!", named after the code words use by the lead Japanese pilot to indicate they had surprised the Americans, covers the days leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor, which plunged America into the Second World War.

    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, drama, adventure, military, biography, history
    CountryNetherlands
    Duration02:25

    When the young republic of The Netherlands is attacked by England, France and Germany and faces its own civil war no less, only one man, Michael de Ruyter, can lead the county's strongest weapon, the Dutch fleet.

    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
    Genreaction, melodrama, drama, history
    CountryChina, Hong Kong
    Duration01:54

    During China's Tang dynasty the emperor has taken the princess of a neighboring province as wife. She has borne him two sons and raised his eldest. Now his control over his dominion is complete, including the royal family itself.

    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: 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: 7.4
    Genreaction, drama, military, biography, history
    CountryIndia

    10 years before the sepoy mutiny, Syeraa Uyyalawada Narasimha Reddy, the unsung hero of Kurnool, Rayalaseema was the first Indian freedom fighter to start a rebellion against the British East India Company in the year 1846.

    Markimdb: 7.2
    Genreaction, thriller, drama, crime
    CountryJapan, USA

    Harry Kilmer returns to Japan after several years in order to rescue his friend George's kidnapped daughter - and ends up on the wrong side of the Yakuza, the notorious Japanese mafia...

    Markimdb: 6.9
    Genreaction, drama, history
    CountryIndia

    The life of Kayamkulam Kochunni, a famed highwayman who robbed from the rich and gave to the poor during the British Raj in the early 19th century Central Travancore.

    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: 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: 6.8
    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: 7.5
    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: 6.1
    Genreaction, drama, history
    CountryChina
    Duration02:15

    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.

    Markimdb: 6.3
    Genreaction, thriller, history
    CountryHong Kong, China, Singapore
    Duration01:54

    Trained in clandestine combat from childhood, the Jinyiwei were masters of the 14 Blades; eight being for torture, five for killing, and the last blade reserved for suicide when a mission failed. An elite force of secret agents with a license to kill, the Jinyiwei devoted their lives and lethal prowess to the service of the Emperor alone. When the Imperial Court is taken over by evil eunuch Jia (Law Kar Ying), the best of the Jinyiwei, Qinglong (Donnie Yen) is assigned to steal a list identifying those still loyal to the Emperor. However unbeknownst to Qinglong, the Jinyiwei have fallen under the control of Jia, and during the mission Qinglong is betrayed and barely escapes with his life. Now as the most wanted man in the land, Qinglong must seek out and rally the loyalists to rise against Jia and restore the Emperor to power. In his way are the deadliest assassins in the land, his former brethren, the Jinyiwei.

    Markimdb: 6.7
    Genreaction, fantasy, drama
    CountryJapan, United Kingdom, South Korea
    Duration01:33

    Manji, a highly skilled samurai, becomes cursed with immortality after a legendary battle. Haunted by the brutal murder of his sister, Manji knows that only fighting evil will regain his soul. He promises to help a young girl named Rin avenge her parents, who were killed by a group of master swordsmen led by ruthless warrior Anotsu. The mission will change Manji in ways he could never imagine.

    Markimdb: 7.1
    Genreaction, drama, military, history
    CountrySouth Korea
    Duration01:55

    During the Japanese colonial era, roughly 400 Korean people, who were forced onto Battleship Island (‘Hashima Island’) to mine for coal, attempt to escape.

    Markimdb: 7.8
    Genredrama, biography, history, sport
    CountryTaiwan

    A Taiwanese high school baseball team travels to Japan in 1931 to compete in a national tournament.

    Markimdb: 5.6
    Genreaction, drama, biography
    CountryUSA, China, Canada

    Set against the backdrop of San Francisco’s Chinatown, this cross-cultural biopic chronicles Bruce Lee’s emergence as a martial-arts superstar after his legendary secret showdown with fellow martial artist Wong Jack Man.

    Markimdb: 6.3
    Genreaction, thriller, drama
    CountryIndonesia
    Duration02:21

    A young man washes ashore, his memory gone - but his past comes back to haunt him after he is nursed back to health and his killing ability is needed when he takes on a powerful drug lord.

    Markimdb: 5.6
    Genreaction, thriller, drama
    CountryUSA

    An unexpected inspector drops by a lavish party of a notable family in order to investigate the suicide of a pregnant girl. This breaks the joy and peace of the party which is meant to celebrate a couple's engagement. Every one claims that he does not know the girl. However, the inspector does find something suspicious there with the help of a diary book and a photo. Astonishing truth is gradually revealed - six of the noble family members are closely related to the girl’s death.

    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: 5.7
    Genreaction, thriller, drama, crime
    CountryUSA
    Duration01:32

    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....

    Markimdb: 6.4
    Genreaction, drama, military, biography, history
    CountryThailand
    Duration02:04

    During the 16th century, as Thailand contends with both a civil war and Burmese invasion, a beautiful princess rises up to help protect the glory of the Kingdom of Ayothaya. Based on the life of Queen Suriyothai.

    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: 5.9
    Genreaction, drama, military, biography, history
    CountryUSA

    Spend time on both sides of World War I, partly with German flying ace Baron Manfred Von Richthofen (John Phillip Law), aka "The Red Baron," and his colorful "flying circus" of Fokker fighter planes, during the time from his arrival at the war front to his death in combat. On the other side is Roy Brown of the Royal Air Force, sometimes credited with shooting Richthofen down.

    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.




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