Movies like The Opium War
If you like "The Opium War" you are looking for epic, thought provoking and serious movies about / with qing dynasty, british empire, battles, chinese emperor, chinese history, fortress and colonialism themes of Action, Drama and History genre shot in China.
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 Opium War (1997)
631
Original name: 鸦片战争
Genre: Action, Drama, History, War
Country: China
Duration: 153 min.
Story:
The story of the Opium War between China, in the waning days of the Qing Dynasty, and the British Empire, in the 1830s, and the subsequent takeover of Hong Kong by Britain; through the eyes of the key figures, fiercely nationalistic Lin Zexu, and opportunistic British naval diplomat Charles Elliot.
Style:
epic, thought provoking, serious, captivating, realistic
Plot:
qing dynasty, british empire, battles, chinese emperor, chinese history, fortress, colonialism, last stand, fort, diplomacy, opium, historical epic, war, military, politics, rebellion, revolution, leadership, society, political intrigue, wartime life, state affairs, international crisis, prison, combat ...
Time:
19th century, 1830s, 1840s, victorian era
Place:
asia, china, hong kong, england, east asia, united kingdom
Movie in categories
Most similar movies to The Opium War
The list contains related movies ordered by similarity. Recommendation engine sorted out serious, realistic, epic and exciting films with plots about military, battles, war, state affairs, soldier, sword and heroes mostly in Drama, History and War genres. Some movies like The Opium War: Zulu Dawn (1979), 1911 (2011), 55 Days at Peking (1963), Khartoum (1966), Bodyguards and Assassins (2009). The matching attributes are highlighted in bold.
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, History, War
Country: Netherlands, USA
Duration: 98 min.
Story:
In 1879, the British suffer a great loss at the Battle of Isandlwana due to incompetent leadership. Cy Endfield co-wrote the epic prequel Zulu Dawn 15 years after his enormously popular Zulu. Set in 1879, this film depicts the catastrophic Battle of ...
Style:
action adventure, historical drama, cult classic, serious, realistic ...
Plot:
imperialism, battles, british empire, zulu, medieval, colonialism, revolution, hand to hand combat, massacre, war hero, last stand, british army ...
Time:
19th century, victorian era, year 1979, turn of the century, 1870s
Place:
africa, south africa
Similarity:
100%
7K
Genre: Action, Drama, History, War
Country: China, Hong Kong, Taiwan
Duration: 99 min.
Story:
At the beginning of the 20th century, China is in a state of crisis. The country is split into warring factions, the citizens are starving, and recent political reforms have made matters worse, not better. The ruling Qing Dynasty, led by a ...
Style:
epic, exciting, cute, cult classic, serious ...
Plot:
combat, qing dynasty, soldier, battles, rebellion, leadership, political unrest, danger, chinese history, martial arts, sword, military ...
Time:
1910s, 20th century
Place:
china, asia
Similarity:
62%
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, History, War
Country: USA
Duration: 154 min.
Story:
Diplomats, soldiers and other representatives of a dozen nations fend off the siege of the International Compound in Peking during the 1900 Boxer Rebellion. The disparate interests unite for survival despite competing factions, overwhelming odds, ...
Style:
serious, exciting, realistic, epic, suspense ...
Plot:
battles, imperialism, politics, british empire, colonialism, revolution, military, political unrest, rivalry, state affairs, against the odds, culture clash ...
Time:
1900s, 19th century, turn of the century, year 1900, year 1963 ...
Place:
china, england, france, beijing china, europe ...
Similarity:
56%
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, History, War
Country: UK
Duration: 128 min.
Story:
English General Charles George Gordon, a devout Christian, 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 ...
Style:
epic, realistic, factual, talky, suspenseful ...
Plot:
islam, imperialism, military, culture clash, politics, british empire, colonialism, siege, pyramid, wartime, war, idealism ...
Time:
19th century, victorian era, 1880s, year 1966, turn of the century ...
Place:
africa, sudan, england, cairo egypt, belgium ...
Similarity:
43%
Movie in collections
Genre: Action, Drama, History
Country: China, Hong Kong
Duration: 139 min.
Story:
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.
Style:
captivating, serious, realistic, exciting, stylized ...
Plot:
martial arts, chinese history, kung fu, qing dynasty, medieval, asian history, politics, empress, fight, sword fight, revolution, patriotism ...
Time:
1900s, 20th century
Place:
hong kong, china, ancient china, east asia, asia
Similarity:
41%
Genre: Drama, History, War
Country: UK
Duration: 139 min.
Story:
A chronicle of events that led to the British involvement in the Crimean War against Russia and which led to the siege of Sevastopol and the fierce Battle of Balaclava on October 25, 1854 which climaxed with the heroic, but near-disastrous calvary ...
Style:
epic, factual, harsh, serious, exciting ...
Plot:
british history, british army, politics, cavalry charge, visceral, military, british soldier, last stand, anti war, battles, tragic hero, justice ...
Time:
19th century, 1850s, victorian era, turn of the century, 60s ...
Place:
england, crimea, europe, turkey, istanbul turkey ...
Similarity:
38%
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, History, Romance, War
Country: Hong Kong, China
Duration: 126 min.
Story:
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.
Style:
sincere, suspenseful, epic, serious, rough ...
Plot:
medieval, martial arts, fight, wuxia, asian history, soldier, civil war, kung fu, pow, battles, political unrest, treason ...
Time:
19th century, medieval times, 1860s, 1800s, year 2007 ...
Place:
china, east asia, ancient china, asia, beijing china
Similarity:
34%
46K
Genre: Drama, History, War
Country: UK
Duration: 138 min.
Story:
In 1879, during the Zulu wars, man of the people Lt. John Chard (Stanley Baker) and snooty Lt Gonville Bromhead (Michael Caine) were in charge of defending the isolated Natal outpost of Rorke's Drift from tribal hordes, holding out during an ...
Style:
realistic, epic, period piece, factual, suspense ...
Plot:
war, british colonialism, military, british empire, siege, british army, zulu, human spirit, historical event, battles, colonialism, epic battle ...
Time:
19th century, victorian era, ancient times, 1800s, 1870s ...
Place:
africa, south africa, britain, united kingdom, england
Similarity:
33%
Genre: Action, Drama, History, War
Country: South Korea, China
Duration: 158 min.
Story:
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 ...
Style:
exciting, rough, suspenseful, stylized, captivating ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
martial arts, medieval, master warrior, war, survival, kung fu, wuxia, samurai, battles, exile, fight, betrayal ...
Time:
medieval times, year 2001, middle ages, 14th century
Place:
china, hong kong, korea, mongolia, asia ...
Similarity:
32%
14K
Genre: Action, Biography, Drama, History, War
Country: Italy, Soviet Union
Duration: 123 min.
Story:
After defeating France and imprisoning Napoleon on Elba, ending two decades of war, Europe is shocked to find Napoleon has escaped and has caused the French Army to defect from the King back to him. The best of the British generals, the Duke of ...
Style:
epic, serious, exciting, emotional, stylized ...
Plot:
napoleonic wars, napoleon bonaparte, battles, british army, war, military, medieval, state affairs, politics, military life, tragic hero, betrayal ...
Time:
19th century, victorian era, 1800s, 18th century, 1810s ...
Place:
europe, belgium, britain, soviet union, france ...
Similarity:
32%
Genre: Action, Drama, History, War
Country: China, South Korea, Hong Kong
Duration: 102 min.
Story:
The aging Zhao embarks on his final and greatest campaign, a road to adventure that will crown his name in glory for all time.
Style:
exciting, realistic, atmospheric, serious, stylized ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
female warrior, medieval, war, battles, military, asian history, soldier, uninhibited rivalry, political unrest, rise to the top, state affairs, hopes ...
Time:
medieval times, ancient times
Place:
china, ancient china, east asia, asia
Similarity:
31%
Genre: Action, Drama, History, Romance, War, Western
Country: Mexico, Spain, USA
Duration: 121 min.
Story:
One Man's Hero tells the little-known story of the "St. Patrick's Battalion" or "San Patricios," a group of mostly Irish and other immigrants of the Catholic faith who deserted to Mexico after encountering religious and ...
Style:
epic, tense, captivating, exciting, suspenseful ...
Plot:
military, soldier, immigrant, army, heroes, foe turned friend, culture clash, society, tragic hero, propaganda, medieval, anger ...
Time:
19th century, 1840s, year 1999
Place:
mexico, latin america, ireland
Similarity:
31%
Genre: Drama, War, Action
Country: USA
Duration: 93 min.
Story:
The true story of Iroquois warrior Thayendanegea participating in the French and Indian War and the American Revolutionary War.
Style:
realistic, serious, captivating, factual, epic ...
Plot:
colonial america, battles, fort, society, friendship, military, american revolution, historical event, brothers, rise and fall, french army, 007 ...
Time:
18th century, 1770s, 90s, 1780s
Place:
america, canada, new york
Similarity:
31%
Genre: Action, Drama, History, War
Country: Thailand
Duration: 71 min.
Story:
Set right before the fall of Thailand's old capital, Ayuttaya, Bang Rajan draws on the legend of a village of fighters who bravely fended off the Burmese armies. With no support from the Royal army, the villagers drives the invading Burmese ...
Style:
exciting, serious, realistic, rough, captivating ...
Plot:
battles, massacre, battlefield, warrior, resistance, army, sword fight, rebelliousness, military, rivalry, danger, gory ...
Time:
18th century
Place:
burma, massachusetts, asia, thailand
Similarity:
31%
Genre: Biography, Drama, History, War
Country: India, UK, USA
Duration: 150 min.
Story:
The film begins in 1857, when India was ruled by the British East India Company. Mangal Pandey is a sepoy, a soldier of Indian origin, in the army of the East India Company. Pandey is fighting in the Anglo-Afghan Wars and saves the life of his ...
Style:
epic, captivating, emotional, serious, realistic ...
Plot:
rebellion, independence, british empire, revolution, betrayal, military life, rebelliousness, leadership, battles, political unrest, culture clash, rivalry ...
Time:
19th century, victorian era, turn of the century, 1850s, 1800s
Place:
india, britain, asia, afghanistan
Similarity:
30%
Genre: Action, Adventure, Biography, Drama, History, War, Western
Country: USA
Duration: 140 min.
Story:
Against orders and with no help of relief Texas patriots led by William Travis, Jim Bowie, and Davy Crockett defend the Alamo against overwhelming Mexican forces.
Style:
rough, serious, exciting, realistic, tense ...
Plot:
last stand, battles, heroic mission, isolation, tough heroes, state affairs, revolution, patriotism, mexican army, heroism, fortress, siege ...
Place:
texas, mexico, latin america, austin texas, usa ...
Similarity:
29%
Genre: Action, Adventure, History, War
Country: Russia
Duration: 131 min.
Story:
Europe, 1709. Russia and Sweden are at war. Two French duelists are exiled by King Louis XIV of France: one to the side of Czar Peter the Great of Russia, the other to the side of King Charles XII of Sweden. Although separated by war and allegiance, ...
Style:
captivating, serious, realistic, stylized, baroque ...
Plot:
state affairs, danger, soldier, military, rivalry, battles, conquering, love interest, courage, resistance, horseman, royalty ...
Time:
18th century
Place:
europe, russia, poland, ukraine, versailles
Similarity:
29%
Genre: Drama, History, War
Country: Brazil
Duration: 170 min.
Story:
The film adaptation of Nobel Prize winning author, Mario Vargas Llosa's epic, The War At The End Of the World (La guerra del fin del mundo).
Style:
political, captivating, serious, realistic, epic ...
Plot:
prostitution, military, reflection, battles, american civil war, family relations, politics, religions or cults, society, unfulfillment, danger, life is a bitch ...
Time:
19th century, turn of the century
Place:
brazil, latin america
Similarity:
29%
Movie in collections
Genre: Drama, History, War
Country: China, USA, Hong Kong
Duration: 138 min.
Story:
The Founding of a Republic is a Chinese historical film commissioned by China's film regulator and made by the state-owned China Film Group (CFG) to mark the 60th anniversary of the People's Republic of China. The film retells the tale of ...
Style:
serious, captivating, realistic, rough, disturbing ...
Plot:
politics, political unrest, chinese history, communist party, assassination, state affairs, military, revolution, ambition, heroes, battles, historical event ...
Time:
year 1947, year 1948, year 1945, year 1949
Place:
china, taiwan, shanghai, beijing china
Similarity:
29%
Genre: Action, Drama, War
Country: Indonesia
Duration: 108 min.
Story:
The movie starts with the tough lives of the aforementioned characters in a military school, showing friendship and even competition among them. But the lives of the young cadets changes when Dutch soldiers suddenly attack their camp, tearing them ...
Style:
exciting, serious, realistic, rough, captivating ...
Plot:
military, soldier, rebellion, social differences, rivalry, battles, heroes, politics, society, state affairs, revolution, vengeance ...
Time:
1940s, 20th century, year 1947
Place:
indonesia, southeast asia, asia
Similarity:
28%
Genre: Drama, History, War
Country: USA
Duration: 254 min.
Story:
Summer 1863. The Confederacy pushes north into Pennsylvania. Union divisions converge to face them. The two great armies clash at Gettysburg, site of a theology school. For three days, through such legendary actions as Little Round Top and ...
Style:
epic, captivating, breathtaking, factual, intense ...
Audience:
family outing
Plot:
american civil war, military, war, battles, slavery, civil war, civil rights, independence, usa history, soldier, infantry, epic battle ...
Time:
19th century, 1800s, 1860s
Place:
usa, pennsylvania, maryland
Similarity:
28%
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, History, War
Country: China, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, USA
Duration: 142 min.
Story:
The battle of Red Cliff continues and the alliance between Xu and East Wu is fracturing. With Cao Cao's massive forces on their doorstep, will the kingdoms of Xu and East Wu survive?
Style:
epic, stylized, saga, scenic, visual ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
master warrior, martial arts, soldier, chinese history, medieval, battles, wuxia, horse, historical event, ancient history, asian history, ancient ...
Time:
ancient times, medieval times, year 2009, year 2008
Place:
china, ancient china, east asia, asia, england ...
Similarity:
28%
Genre: Action, Drama, War
Country: China, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Netherlands
Duration: 133 min.
Story:
In 370 B.C, China was separated as seven nations and several other small tribes, one of these being the city state of Liang. The nation of Zhao is led by the terrifying Xiang Yangzhong who orders his troops to conquer the small city. Leaping to the ...
Style:
exciting, rough, stylized, realistic, serious ...
Plot:
medieval, strategy, siege, military, battles, heroes, conquering, warrior, fight, leadership, heroic mission, against the odds ...
Time:
medieval times, ancient times
Place:
ancient china, east asia, asia, china, mongolia
Similarity:
28%
Movie in collections
Genre: Action, Drama, History, War
Country: China
Duration: 133 min.
Story:
The Founding of an Army is a Chinese historical film. Produced by Han Sanping and directed by Andrew Lau, it is the third installment of the trilogy called Founding of New China after The Founding of a Republic (2009) and The Founding of a Party ...
Style:
political, thrilling, captivating, psychological, patriotic ...
Plot:
chinese history, chinese civil war, military, revolution, chinese army, murder, soldier, problem, social problems, sacrifice, propaganda, civil unrest ...
Time:
20th century, 1920s
Place:
china
Similarity:
28%
Genre: Drama, History
Country: China, USA, Hong Kong
Duration: 124 min.
Story:
A chronicle of the events that led to the founding of the Chinese Communist Party.
Style:
captivating, realistic, serious, factual, banned
Plot:
politics, chinese history, revolution, society, state affairs, head of state, social differences, rebellion, communist party, chinese civil war, patriotism, rivalry ...
Time:
20th century, 1920s, 1910s
Place:
china, asia
Similarity:
27%
Genre: Drama, History, War
Country: UK
Duration: 69 min.
Story:
Culloden is a 1964 docudrama written and directed by Peter Watkins for BBC TV. It portrays the 1746 Battle of Culloden that resulted in the British Army's destruction of the Scottish Jacobite uprising and, in the words of the narrator, ...
Style:
philosophical, political, cerebral, thought provoking, captivating ...
Plot:
war, battles, socialist, social commentary, time machine, historical event, love letter, british army, rebellion, soldier, power relations, society ...
Time:
18th century, georgian era
Place:
scotland, scottish highlands, europe, england
Similarity:
27%
Genre: Biography, Drama, History, War, Western
Country: USA
Duration: 144 min.
Story:
Sam Elliot stars as Sam Houston, the visionary who nearly single-handedly forged the state of Texas into a powerful entity in its own right. Refusing to forget the Alamo (as if anyone could), Houston led the military in Texas' rebellion against ...
Style:
exciting, captivating, realistic, serious, epic ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
war, biopic, battles, political unrest, heroes, leadership, military, rise to the top, state affairs, folk hero, head of state, cannon ...
Time:
19th century
Place:
texas, mexico, austin texas
Similarity:
27%
50K
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, History, War
Country: China, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, USA
Duration: 148 min.
Story:
In 208 A.D., in the final days of the Han Dynasty, shrewd Prime Minster Cao convinced the fickle Emperor Han the only way to unite all of China was to declare war on the kingdoms of Xu in the west and East Wu in the south. Thus began a military ...
Style:
epic, breathtaking, realistic, brutal, visual ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
war, martial arts, battles, historical event, strategy, chinese emperor, kung fu, medieval, violent, wuxia, horse, ancient history ...
Time:
medieval times, ancient times, year 2008
Place:
china, ancient china, east asia, tibet, greece ...
Similarity:
27%
Genre: Action, Drama, History
Country: China
Duration: 135 min.
Story:
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 ...
Style:
exciting, suspenseful, realistic, serious, rough ...
Plot:
martial arts, medieval, kung fu, military, asian history, state affairs, battles, betrayal, fight for supremacy, family relations, rivalry, dishonesty ...
Time:
ancient times
Place:
china, seattle, asia, ancient china
Similarity:
27%
Genre: Biography, Drama, History, Thriller, War
Country: China
Duration: 140 min.
Story:
The film is set in 1949, as the members of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China prepare to establish a new Chinese state, the People's Republic of China.
Style:
political, historical drama, period piece, disturbing, captivating ...
Plot:
revolution, communist party, chinese history, military, military officer, society, historical event, political unrest, politics, republican era china, political intrigue, biopic ...
Time:
1940s, year 1949
Place:
china, east asia, beijing china, asia
Similarity:
27%
Related movie lists
