Movies like The Challenge 1982

If you like "The Challenge" you are looking for offbeat, crime drama and cult classic movies about / with sword fight, samurai sword, martial arts, samurai, yakuza, ancient and martial artist themes of Action and Drama genre shot in USA or Japan.
Find your next favorite and similar movies in two steps: 1. Identify all themes of interest from this film (block below). 2. Look for them in the presented list.
The Challenge (1982)
 6.2
 3K
The Challenge (1982)
Genre: Action, Drama
Country: USA, Japan
Duration: 113 min.
Story: 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.
Style: offbeat, crime drama, cult classic, serious, realistic, suspenseful, independent film
Audience: boys' night
Plot: sword fight, samurai sword, martial arts, samurai, yakuza, ancient, martial artist, exploitation, hidden treasure, sword, boxer, buried alive, showdown, heist, heroes, gang, battles, master warrior, supernatural ability, adventurer, chases and races, vigilantism, vengeance, rivalry, danger ...
Time: 1940s, year 1982, 40s
Place: japan, usa, asia
Keyword: gangsters, american

Movie in categories

samurai movies
803
japan movies
3136
1940s movies
1894
yakuza movies
432
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5429

Most similar movies to The Challenge

The list contains related movies ordered by similarity. Recommendation engine sorted out serious, realistic, suspenseful and cult classic films with plots about heroes, martial arts, rivalry, master warrior, sword fight, katana and escapades mostly in Action, Drama and Adventure genres. Some movies like The Challenge: Two Champions of Shaolin (1980), The Bushido Blade (1981), Incident at Blood Island (1970), Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman (1989), Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo (1970). The matching attributes are highlighted in bold.
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Two Champions of Shaolin (1980)
Genre: Action, Drama
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 101 min.
Story: Shaolin warrior Tung Chien-chen is injured in battle against the hated Wu Tang clan, and nursed back to health by a knife-throwing master. As he recovers, Tung learns this deadly art, and also falls in love with his teacher's daughter. But when ...
Style: serious, realistic, suspenseful
Audience: boys' night
Plot: martial arts, kung fu, shaolin, fight, master warrior, secret agent, heroes, dealing with death, vigilantism, gang, rivalry, vengeance ...
Time: 70s
⇓ similarity ⇓
100%
The Bushido Blade (1981)
Genre: Action, Drama, History
Country: UK, USA, Japan
Duration: 104 min.
Story: A steel samurai blade that was to be given to the American ambassador by the Emperor of Japan is stolen. American sailors and Japanese samurai are sent to find it.
Style: action adventure, independent film, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Audience: boys' night
Plot: martial arts, ninja, imperialism, tokugawa shogunate, edo period, woman with a gun, samurai, battles, destiny, military life, political unrest, heist ...
Time: 19th century, 1850s, year 1981
Place: japan, asia, usa
⇓ similarity ⇓
100%
Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart to Hades (1972)
Genre: Action, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 89 min.
Story: In the third film of the Lone Wolf and Cub series, Ogami Itto volunteers to be tortured by Yakuza to save a prostitute and is hired by their leader to kill an evil chamberlain.
Style: bloody, stylized, talky, manga, clever ...
Audience: boys' night
Plot: martial arts, kung fu, assassin, samurai, ninja, father son relationship, weapons, drifter, gory, master warrior, fight, warrior ...
Place: japan, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
32%
Incident at Blood Island (1970)
Genre: Action, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 117 min.
Story: 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 ...
Style: serious, realistic, jidai geki
Plot: samurai, medieval, martial arts, ronin, zatoichi, edo period, betrayal, inn, katana, bandit, ambush, samurai sword ...
Place: japan, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
31%
Movie in collections
Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman (1989)
Genre: Action, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 116 min.
Story: 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.
Style: cult classic, tense, captivating, exciting, serious ...
Plot: samurai, martial arts, zatoichi, swordsman, ninja, medieval, yakuza, female nudity, ronin, swordplay, clan, handicapped ...
Time: 19th century
Place: japan, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
31%
Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo (1970)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 115 min.
Story: 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 ...
Style: cult classic, stylized, semi serious, realistic
Plot: samurai, zatoichi, martial arts, ninja, spy, gold, sword fight, handicapped, drifter, kung fu, ancient, clan ...
Place: japan, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
31%
Zatoichi on the Road (1963)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 85 min.
Story: Zatoichi is sworn to protect the life of a young girl and without any real allies finds himself in the middle of a bloody turf war.
Style: cult classic, serious, saga
Plot: zatoichi, martial arts, ninja, ronin, swordplay, ancient, handicapped, sword, gang war, murder, danger, escapades ...
Place: japan, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
28%
 7.6
 2K
47 Samurai (1962)
Genre: Action, Drama, History
Country: Japan
Duration: 207 min.
Story: 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 ...
Style: epic, harsh, bleak, atmospheric, serious ...
Plot: samurai, vengeance, medieval, seppuku, brutality, justice, battles, martial arts, courage, society, redemption, human nature ...
Time: 18th century, middle ages, medieval times
Place: japan, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
28%
Movie in collections
The Return of Masseur Ichi (1962)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 72 min.
Story: Returning to the village where a year before he had killed Hirate, a much-admired opponent, Zatoichi encounters another swordsman and former rival in love: his own brother. He must face in combat not only the pursuing retainers but his own ...
Style: cult classic, realistic, serious, captivating, exciting ...
Plot: samurai, zatoichi, martial arts, handicapped, adventurer, ancient, swordplay, sword fight, one man army, yakuza, criminal, violent content ...
Time: 19th century
Place: japan, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
26%
American Ninja 3: Blood Hunt (1989)
Genre: Action, Drama
Country: USA, Canada, South Africa
Duration: 89 min.
Story: 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 ...
Style: serious, cult classic, captivating, grindhouse, independent film ...
Audience: boys' night
Plot: ninja, martial arts, tough heroes, fight scenes, good versus evil, terrorism, heroes, master warrior, one man army, mortal combat, vengeance, island ...
Time: 80s, 20th century
Place: japan, asia, usa, caribbean
⇓ similarity ⇓
26%
 5.0
 748
Bounty Tracker (1993)
Genre: Action, Drama
Country: Germany, USA
Duration: 86 min.
Story: Almost the whole staff of a tax consultant office is slayed by a team of professional killers, only Paul Damone can escape. He didn't know that his partner used to wash gangster Louis Sarazin's money and had to testify as chief witness ...
Style: suspense, independent film, serious, realistic, exciting ...
Audience: boys' night
Plot: martial arts, police protection, revenge, one man army, vigilante, gangster, murder, master warrior, heroes, bounty hunter, cop, killer ...
Time: 90s
Place: boston, usa
⇓ similarity ⇓
25%
 6.8
 11K
Red Sun (1971)
Genre: Action, Drama, Western
Country: France, Italy, Spain
Duration: 112 min.
Story: An ancient Japanese sword is robbed by gangsters from the Japanese ambassador while he is traveling through west America. The embassador's bodyguard, a samurai, goes after them with the help of one of the gang leaders who was betrayed by his ...
Style: spaghetti western, epic, independent film, suspenseful, serious ...
Audience: boys' night
Plot: katana, train robbery, cowboy, samurai, native american, wild west, heist, samurai sword, martial arts, female nudity, train, desert ...
Time: 19th century, year 1971, 1870s
Place: arizona, usa, new mexico
⇓ similarity ⇓
25%
Confessions of a Pit Fighter (2005)
Genre: Action, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min.
Story: "From the day I was born I had to fight to survive. I fought everyone and everything that came in front of me. On the streets, confessions are made in Blood. They say that when you confess your sins, only then can you be redeemed. This is my ...
Style: suspenseful, realistic, rough, serious
Audience: boys' night
Plot: martial arts, prison, underground fighting, vigilantism, vengeance, starting over, rivalry, redemption, gangster, ambition, hopes, criminal heroes ...
Time: 21st century
⇓ similarity ⇓
25%
 8.2
 130K
Yojimbo (1961)
Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 110 min.
Story: 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 ...
Style: black and white, visually stunning, visual, black comedy, cynical ...
Audience: boys' night
Plot: samurai, sword fight, small town, ronin, martial arts, gangster, one against many, swordsman, gang war, mercenary, medieval, gang ...
Time: 19th century, year 1961, 1800s, future, 1860s
Place: japan, persia, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
25%
 5.2
 560
The Bodyguard (1973)
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 87 min.
Story: Karate master and anti-drug vigilante Chiba returns to his home in Japan, where he holds a press conference announcing his intention to wipe out the nation's drug industry. He also offers his services as a bodyguard to anyone who is willing to ...
Style: grindhouse, fast, serious, realistic, exciting ...
Audience: boys' night
Plot: medieval, martial arts, yakuza, kung fu, shootout, abduction, showdown, karate, gangster, heroes, one man army, violent content ...
Time: 70s
Place: japan, usa, new york, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
24%
Duel to Death (1983)
Genre: Action, Drama
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 86 min.
Story: One of the last of the Old School Hong Kong martial arts flicks, this one deals with a legendary competition in swordplay and fighting that ends up being fought between two great warriors, a Chinese man and a Japanese man, who, over the course of ...
Style: manga, cult classic, perverse, serious, realistic ...
Plot: ninja, martial arts, kung fu, wuxia, medieval, samurai, kung fu classic, cannon, weapons, fight, swordplay, swordsman ...
Time: middle ages
Place: china, hong kong, japan, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
24%
Zatoichi the Fugitive (1963)
Genre: Drama, Adventure, Action
Country: Japan
Duration: 86 min.
Story: 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 ...
Style: cult classic, realistic, serious, captivating, exciting ...
Plot: samurai, zatoichi, martial arts, ninja, swordplay, handicapped, ancient, ronin, katana, sword, violent content, gangster ...
Time: 19th century
Place: japan, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
24%
New Tale of Zatoichi (1963)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 91 min.
Story: 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.
Style: cult classic, captivating, exciting, serious, realistic ...
Plot: samurai, zatoichi, martial arts, medieval, ninja, ancient, handicapped, ronin, swordplay, murder, village, kidnapping ...
Time: 19th century
Place: japan, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
24%
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The Tale of Zatoichi (1962)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 96 min.
Story: 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.
Style: cult classic, art house, grindhouse, captivating, serious ...
Plot: samurai, zatoichi, martial arts, medieval, yakuza, sword fight, ninja, badass, swordplay, international relations, handicapped, kung fu ...
Time: 19th century
Place: japan, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
24%
Zatoichi and the Chess Expert (1965)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 87 min.
Story: 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.
Style: cult classic, realistic, serious, captivating, exciting ...
Plot: zatoichi, chess, martial arts, ninja, handicapped, ancient, swordplay, sword, samurai, violent content, escapades, hopes ...
Time: 19th century
Place: japan, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
24%
 6.0
 2K
Shao Lin men (1976)
Genre: Action, Drama
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 95 min.
Story: A survivor of an attack on a rebel group opposing the Manchu invasion of China creates the Goose Fist fighting technique and tries for revenge on a traitor.
Style: cult classic, fast, serious, psychotronic
Audience: boys' night
Plot: martial arts, medieval, exploitation, fight, master warrior, samurai sword, wing chun, secret agent, daring rescue, undercover, vengeance, rivalry ...
Time: middle ages
Place: china, hong kong, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
24%
New Fists of Fury (1976)
Genre: Action, Drama
Country: Hong Kong, Taiwan
Duration: 120 min.
Story: 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 ...
Style: action adventure, cult classic, fast, realistic, serious ...
Audience: boys' night
Plot: martial arts, kung fu, medieval, fight, heroes, master warrior, wartime life, school, murder, heroic mission, against the odds, tough heroes ...
Place: taiwan, asia, hong kong
⇓ similarity ⇓
24%
American Yakuza (1993)
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min.
Story: When Nick Davis leaves prison after one year in solitaire, he is hired to operate forklift in a warehouse in the harbor owned by the Japanese Yakuza patriarch Isshin Tendo. The place is assaulted by the Italian Mafia leaded by Dino Campanela and ...
Style: independent film, realistic, serious, cynical, exciting ...
Audience: boys' night
Plot: yakuza, martial arts, mafia, organized crime, tough heroes, undercover agent, japanese mafia, heroes, samurai sword, murder, showdown, hitman ...
Time: 90s
Place: japan, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
24%
Movie in collections
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 4.5
 227
Fist of Honor (1993)
Genre: Action, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min.
Story: As two rival Godfathers view to take control of the city, a hot-tempered family member kills two relatives of the opposing family, breaking the "Truce of Honor". Now the war begins! As a young boxer seeks revenge for his fiancée's ...
Style: realistic, serious, exciting, rough, suspenseful ...
Audience: boys' night
Plot: martial arts, bad father, heroes, gangster, murder, kung fu, bare breasts, gang, investigation, chases and races, betrayal, vengeance ...
Time: 70s
⇓ similarity ⇓
24%
Zatoichi Meets the One-Armed Swordsman (1971)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama
Country: Japan, Hong Kong
Duration: 94 min.
Story: 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 ...
Style: cult classic, grindhouse, serious
Plot: samurai, zatoichi, martial arts, ninja, kung fu, yakuza, katana, exploitation, ancient, wuxia, swordplay, drifter ...
Place: japan, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
23%
Zatoichi in Desperation (1972)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 95 min.
Story: Zatoichi tries to save a maiden in distress in this sequel to the popular series about a blind samurai swordsman who moonlights as a masseur. Always fighting for the underdog, noble Zatoichi sets out to keep a girl from becoming a prostitute. But he ...
Style: cult classic, grindhouse, saga, semi serious, atmospheric ...
Plot: zatoichi, samurai, katana, handicapped, yakuza, animal abuse, ancient, swordplay, martial arts, righting the wronged, prostitute, escapades ...
Place: japan, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
23%
 6.8
 996
Hapkido (1972)
Genre: Action, Drama
Country: Hong Kong, South Korea
Duration: 97 min.
Story: Korea, 1934. During the Japanese occupation, there is open warfare between rival martial arts schools. There is a fight in the marketplace, and three Chinese students can't stand the unfair way of students that side up with the invasors, when ...
Style: cult classic, stylized, serious, realistic
Audience: boys' night
Plot: martial arts, kung fu, fight, kung fu classic, dojo, female fight, rivalry, heroes, master warrior, murder, society, hopes ...
Time: 1930s
Place: china, korea, hong kong, asia, japan
⇓ similarity ⇓
22%
Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx (1972)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 82 min.
Story: 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.
Style: bloody, grindhouse, atmospheric, stylized, splatter ...
Audience: boys' night
Plot: samurai, martial arts, master warrior, sword fight, ninja, father son relationship, weapons, ronin, kung fu, fight, gory, martial artist ...
Time: year 1972
Place: japan, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
22%
 6.1
 761
Shogun's Ninja (1980)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 117 min.
Story: 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 ...
Style: jidai geki, serious, realistic, exciting, suspenseful ...
Audience: boys' night
Plot: ninja, martial arts, shogun, ancient, clan, kung fu, karate, master warrior, ninja master, revenge, warlord, violent content ...
Time: 16th century
Place: japan, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
22%
 8.0
 41K
Sanjuro (1962)
Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 96 min.
Story: 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 ...
Style: black and white, atmospheric, witty, tense, stylized ...
Plot: samurai, sword fight, corruption, one against many, betrayal, drifter, rescue, martial arts, police investigation, medieval, visceral, culture clash ...
Time: 19th century, year 1962, future, 1800s
Place: japan, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
22%
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