Movies like Sanjuro

If you like "Sanjuro" you are looking for black and white, atmospheric and tense movies about / with samurai, sword fight, corruption, one against many, betrayal, drifter and rescue themes of Action, Drama and Thriller genre shot in 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.
Sanjuro (1962)
 8.0
 41K
Sanjuro (1962)
Original name: 椿三十郎
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 young warriors weed out their clan's evil influences, and in the process turns their image of a proper samurai on its ear.
Style: black and white, atmospheric, tense, witty, stylized, exciting, serious, realistic, touching, epic ...
Plot: samurai, sword fight, corruption, one against many, betrayal, drifter, rescue, martial arts, police investigation, medieval, transformation, culture clash, visceral, small town, danger, dishonesty, naivete, violence, yakuza, duel, japanese history, fighting the system, unlikely friendships, brutality, ronin ...
Time: 19th century, year 1962, future, 1800s
Place: japan, asia, india, tokyo
Keyword: oldies, reboot, gangsters, retrospective

Movie in categories

Most similar movies to Sanjuro

The list contains related movies ordered by similarity. Recommendation engine sorted out realistic, serious, stylized and suspenseful films with plots about samurai, martial arts, sword fight, heroes, medieval, swordplay and rivalry mostly in Drama, Action and Adventure genres. Some movies like Sanjuro: Yojimbo (1961), Ran (1985), Zatoichi (2003), The Sword of Doom (1966), Kill! (1968). The matching attributes are highlighted in bold.
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 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 ⇓
100%
 8.2
 135K
Ran (1985)
Genre: Action, Drama, War
Country: Japan, France
Duration: 160 min.
Story: In Medieval Japan, an elderly warlord retires, handing over his empire to his three sons. However, he vastly underestimates how their new-found power will corrupt them.
Style: visual, visually stunning, visually appealing, atmospheric, breathtaking ...
Audience: adult
Plot: samurai, feudal japan, medieval, shakespeare, greed, vengeance, castle, betrayal, nihilism, insanity, great ending, sword fight ...
Time: 16th century, medieval times, 20th century, year 1985, middle ages
Place: japan, bolivia, east asia, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
100%
Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in the Land of Demons (1973)
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 90 min.
Story: In the fifth film of the Lone Wolf and Cub series, Ogami Itto is challenged by five warriors, each has one fifth of Ogami's assassin fee and one fifth of the information he needs to complete his assassination.
Style: visual, rough, epic, stylized, suspenseful ...
Audience: boys' night
Plot: samurai, martial arts, assassin, kung fu, warrior, ninja, fight, superhero, ancient, swordplay, weapons, drifter ...
Place: japan, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
100%
 7.5
 51K
Zatoichi (2003)
Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 116 min.
Story: Zatôichi is a 19th century blind nomad who makes his living as a gambler and masseur. However, behind this humble facade, he is a master swordsman gifted with a lightning-fast draw and breathtaking precision. While wandering, Zatôichi discovers a ...
Style: atmospheric, humorous, exciting, harsh, stylized ...
Plot: samurai, martial arts, sword fight, master warrior, fencing, zatoichi, violence, gang, good versus evil, protector, blind character, swordsman ...
Time: 19th century, year 2003, 1800s, 2000s
Place: japan, east asia, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
100%
Movie in collections
drifter movies
722
rescue movies
6063
tense movies
16020
The Sword of Doom (1966)
Genre: Action, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 120 min.
Story: Through his unconscionable actions against others, a sociopathic samurai builds a trail of vendettas that follow him closely.
Style: black and white, visual, cerebral, tense, stylized ...
Plot: samurai, martial arts, ninja, medieval, violent, swordplay, vengeance, fencing, japanese history, kung fu, master warrior, sword fight ...
Time: 19th century, 1800s, year 1966
Place: japan, east asia, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
41%
 7.4
 3K
Kill! (1968)
Genre: Action, Comedy, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 115 min.
Story: In this pitch-black action comedy by Kihachi Okamoto, a pair of down-on-their-luck swordsmen arrive in a dusty, windblown town, where they become involved in a local clan dispute. One, previously a farmer, longs to become a noble samurai. The other, ...
Style: dark comedy, serious, realistic, jidai geki, spoof ...
Audience: boys' night
Plot: samurai, martial arts, medieval, exploitation, swordplay, clan, ancient, ronin, betrayal, yakuza, dark humor, righting the wronged ...
Time: year 1968, 19th century, 60s, 1830s
Place: japan
⇓ similarity ⇓
37%
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 ⇓
37%
Samurai Rebellion (1967)
Genre: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 128 min.
Story: The mother of a feudal lord's only heir is kidnapped away from her husband by the lord. The husband and his samurai father must decide whether to accept the unjust decision, or risk death to get her back.
Style: tense, emotional, stylized, black and white, sincere ...
Plot: samurai, father son relationship, rebellion, revenge, medieval, martial arts, violence, vengeance, kidnapping, family relations, injustice, master warrior ...
Time: 18th century, year 1967
Place: japan, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
36%
Movie in collections
Samurai Assassin (1965)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, History
Country: Japan
Duration: 122 min.
Story: February 17 to March 3, 1860, inside Edo castle. A group of assassins wait by Sakurada Gate to kill the lord of the House of Ii, a powerful man in the Tokugawa government, which has ruled Japan for 300 years. They suspect a traitor in their midst, ...
Style: captivating, realistic, serious, bleak, rough ...
Plot: samurai, ronin, medieval, martial arts, father, sword fight, politics, fight, asian history, ancient, badass, american civil war ...
Time: 19th century, 1860s
Place: japan, tokyo, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
36%
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 ⇓
35%
Shinsengumi: Assassins of Honor (1969)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, History
Country: Japan
Duration: 122 min.
Story: Near the end of the nineteenth century, as the balance of power shifts from Shogunate towards the Emperor, Japan restlessly awaits the dawning of a new age. But not all are content...The Shinsengumi, a small army of samurai, farmers and peasants, ...
Style: jidai geki
Plot: samurai, japanese history, medieval, martial arts, tokugawa shogunate, edo period, swordplay, ancient, katana, samurai era, sword fight, warrior
Time: 19th century, 1860s
Place: japan, kyoto japan
⇓ similarity ⇓
35%
 8.4
 52K
High and Low (1963)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 143 min.
Story: An executive of a shoe company becomes a victim of extortion when his chauffeur's son is kidnapped and held for ransom.
Style: suspense, captivating, bleak, black and white, atmospheric ...
Plot: police, ransom, samurai, secrets, tragedy, visceral, character study, psychopath, mistaken identity, chauffeur, rescue, missing person ...
Time: 20th century, year 1963, 60s, post world war two
Place: japan
⇓ similarity ⇓
35%
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 ⇓
35%
 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 ⇓
35%
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 ⇓
35%
 7.9
 38K
Kagemusha (1980)
Genre: Drama, History, War
Country: Japan, USA
Duration: 180 min.
Story: When a warlord dies, a peasant thief is called upon to impersonate him, in order to protect his clan from appearing weak and vulnerable. But he finds himself haunted by the warlord’s spirit as well as his own ambitions.
Style: captivating, enigmatic, bleak, costume drama, epic ...
Audience: boys' night
Plot: samurai, battles, martial arts, japanese history, war, warlord, medieval, doppelganger, emperor, death, feudal japan, culture clash ...
Time: 16th century, medieval times, year 1980
Place: japan, east asia, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
34%
Sword of the Beast (1965)
Genre: Action, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 85 min.
Story: Legendary swordplay filmmaker Hideo Gosha’s Sword of the Beast chronicles the flight of the low-level swordsman Gennosuke, who kills one of his ministers as part of a reform plot. His former comrades then turn on him, and this betrayal so shakes ...
Style: serious, realistic, exciting, suspenseful, stylized ...
Plot: samurai, martial arts, medieval, japanese history, clan, ronin, swordplay, ancient, fight, imperialism, ninja, tokugawa shogunate ...
Time: 19th century, year 1965, 60s
Place: japan
⇓ similarity ⇓
34%
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 ⇓
33%
Movie in collections
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 ⇓
33%
 7.6
 3K
Goyokin (1969)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 124 min.
Story: A guilt-haunted samurai warrior attempts to stop a massacre taking place.
Style: captivating, tense, serious, realistic, jidai geki ...
Plot: martial arts, medieval, asian history, japanese history, tokugawa shogunate, ninja, winter, fight, snow, revenge, clan, edo period ...
Time: year 1969, 19th century, 17th century
Place: japan, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
33%
Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in Peril (1972)
Genre: Action, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 81 min.
Story: In the fourth film of the Lone Wolf and Cub series, Ogami Itto is hired to kill a tattooed female assassin and battles Retsudo, head of the Yagyu clan, and his son Gunbei.
Style: visual, grindhouse, stylized, manga, realistic ...
Audience: boys' night
Plot: samurai, martial arts, assassin, kung fu, weapons, hitman, blood, violence, sword fight, sex, ancient, fight ...
Place: japan, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
33%
 6.5
 4K
Ichi (2008)
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 120 min.
Story: 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 ...
Style: exciting, suspenseful, epic, rough, period piece ...
Audience: boys' night
Plot: martial arts, ninja, blind woman, sword fight, sword, female protagonist, rivalry, escapades, vengeance, heroes, danger, japanese woman ...
Time: 19th century
Place: japan, asia, ancient china
⇓ similarity ⇓
33%
 6.7
 15K
Azumi (2003)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 128 min.
Story: In war-torn Japan, the Tokugawa Shogun, desperate to restore peace to his people, orders the assassination of the hostile warlords. A beautiful young woman is raised from birth with nine other orphans, to become an assassin. Her name is Azumi, the ...
Style: intense, breathtaking, realistic, epic, serious ...
Audience: boys' night
Plot: martial arts, samurai, ninja, brutality, gory, good versus evil, vengeance, storytelling, kung fu, sword, heroes, medieval ...
Time: 17th century
Place: japan, ancient china, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
33%
Movie in collections
dishonesty movies
8151
exciting movies
14059
realistic movies
29790
 7.0
 2K
Samurai Spy (1965)
Genre: Action, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 100 min.
Story: Years of warfare end in a Japan unified under the Tokugawa shogunate, and samurai spy Sasuke Sarutobi, tired of conflict, longs for peace. When a high-ranking spy named Tatewaki Koriyama defects from the shogun to a rival clan, however, the world of ...
Style: suspenseful, stylized, serious, realistic, exciting
Plot: samurai, ninja, japanese history, medieval, clan, swordplay, martial arts, spy, espionage, heroic mission, hitman, gang ...
Time: 17th century
Place: japan
⇓ similarity ⇓
33%
Hunter in the Dark (1979)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 137 min.
Story: Yataro Tanigawa, a one-eyed hired assassin, impresses yakuza boss Gomyo Kiyoemon with his skill. Gomyo hires Tanigawa as his bodyguard, or yojimbo, to protect him during an inter-clan conflict. Tanigawa quickly rises in stature in the clan, but ...
Style: realistic, serious, exciting, captivating, rough ...
Plot: martial arts, medieval, ninja, samurai, edo period, heist, rivalry, master warrior, fighting crime, betrayal, dishonesty, society ...
Time: 18th century, 17th century
Place: japan
⇓ similarity ⇓
33%
 8.3
 21K
Red Beard (1965)
Genre: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 185 min.
Story: Aspiring to an easy job as personal physician to a wealthy family, Noboru Yasumoto is disappointed when his first post after medical school takes him to a small country clinic under the gruff doctor Red Beard. Yasumoto rebels in numerous ways, but ...
Style: black and white, cerebral, realistic, emotional, touching ...
Plot: samurai, doctor, poverty, medical profession, medical, medieval, intern, medicine, asian, japanese history, knight, time travel ...
Time: 19th century, year 1965, 1800s
Place: japan, asia, tokyo
⇓ similarity ⇓
32%
Zatoichi: The Last (2010)
Genre: Action, Drama
Country: Japan, France
Duration: 132 min.
Story: A blind master swordsman attempts to lead a quiet life with his wife but he is provoked back into battle.
Style: serious, realistic, exciting, captivating, tense ...
Plot: samurai, zatoichi, martial arts, homecoming, medieval, forced into action, village, blind man, save the day, protector, murder, danger ...
Time: 19th century
Place: japan, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
32%
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 ⇓
32%
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 ...
Style: offbeat, crime drama, cult classic, realistic, serious ...
Audience: boys' night
Plot: sword fight, samurai sword, martial arts, samurai, yakuza, ancient, exploitation, hidden treasure, martial artist, sword, buried alive, showdown ...
Time: 1940s, year 1982
Place: japan, usa, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
32%
Rurouni Kenshin Part II: Kyoto Inferno (2014)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
Country: Japan
Duration: 138 min.
Story: Kenshin has settled into his new life with Kaoru and his other friends when he is approached with a request from the Meiji government. Makoto Shishio, a former assassin like Kenshin, was betrayed, set on fire and left for dead. He survived, and is ...
Style: stylized, anime, intense, suspense, exciting ...
Audience: boys' night
Plot: samurai, katana, martial arts, sword fight, survival, medieval, redemption, assassin, good versus evil, ambition, rivalry, political unrest ...
Time: 19th century, 1870s
Place: japan, asia, kyoto japan
⇓ similarity ⇓
32%
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