Movies like American Yakuza
If you like "American Yakuza" you are looking for independent film, exciting and rough movies about / with yakuza, mafia, martial arts, organized crime, tough heroes, murder and samurai sword themes of Action, Crime 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.
American Yakuza (1993)
3K
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA, Japan
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 Nick rescues and saves the life of Shuji Sawamoto, who is the representative of Yakuza interests in America. Shuji hires Nick to work for Yakuza and becomes his godfather in the family after his oath to join Yakuza. However, Nick is a lonely FBI undercover agent assigned to penetrate in the criminal organization. When the FBI discovers that Campanela is organizing a massive attack to destroy the Yakuza, Nick's boss Littman calls off the operation to leave the dirty work to the Italian Mafia. But the connection of Nick with Shuji and his goddaughter Yuko forces him to help his Japanese family.
Style:
independent film, exciting, rough, bleak, serious, realistic, suspenseful, cynical, crime drama
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
yakuza, mafia, martial arts, organized crime, tough heroes, murder, samurai sword, showdown, undercover agent, japanese mafia, crime family, heroes, gang, hitman, undercover, espionage, master criminal, chases and races, rivalry, danger, working undercover, law enforcement, police corruption, moral dilemma, one man army ...
Time:
90s
Place:
japan, asia, american
Movie in categories
Most similar movies to American Yakuza
The list contains related movies ordered by similarity. Recommendation engine sorted out serious, realistic, suspenseful and rough films with plots about rivalry, chases and races, martial arts, law enforcement, danger, fistfight and heroes mostly in Action, Thriller and Crime genres. Some movies like American Yakuza: Showdown in Little Tokyo (1991), The Russian Specialist (2005), Rapid Fire (1992), Silent Trigger (1996), Lethal (2005). The matching attributes are highlighted in bold.
Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 79 min.
Story:
An American with a Japanese upbringing, Chris Kenner is a police officer assigned to the Little Tokyo section of Los Angeles. Kenner is partnered with Johnny Murata, a Japanese-American who isn't in touch with his roots. Despite their ...
Style:
serious, realistic, exciting, rough, grindhouse ...
Audience:
boys' night, teens
Plot:
yakuza, martial arts, samurai, buddy cop, violent, organized crime, one man army, rescue, machismo, dark hero, lone hero, redemption ...
Time:
year 1991, 90s, 80s
Place:
los angeles, tokyo, asia, usa, japan ...
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller
Country: Germany, USA
Duration: 94 min.
Story:
A Russian ex-hit man is called back to Russia for one last job. This time against his former employees, the Russian mob.
Style:
serious, realistic, suspenseful, rough, perverse ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
vengeance, heroes, gangster, one man army, tough heroes, danger, gang, death, vigilante, payback, kidnapping, prostitute ...
Time:
year 2005, 21st century
Place:
los angeles
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min.
Story:
College student Jake Lo is pursued by smugglers, mobsters and crooked federal agents after he witnesses a murder by a Mafia kingpin.
Style:
exciting, cult classic, intense, serious, suspenseful ...
Audience:
boys' night, manly, teens
Plot:
martial arts, gangster, police investigation, violent, police corruption, justice, gunfight, danger, fighting crime, tough law enforcer, fight scenes, murder ...
Time:
year 1992, 90s
Place:
chicago, los angeles, usa, beijing china, bangkok thailand ...
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 93 min.
Story:
Waxman is a former Special Forces soldier who is now working as a heavily armed assassin for a top secret government agency. When a covert mission goes terribly wrong, Waxman and fellow assassin Clegg become that agency's prime targets.
Style:
suspense, bloody, fast, realistic, serious ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
hitman, professional killer, killer, assassin, professional, soldier, terrorism, showdown, violence, kickboxing, firing squad, karate ...
Time:
90s
Similarity:
100%
Movie in collections
432
Genre: Action, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min.
Story:
A sexy and lethal female mercenary takes on an international syndicate of weapons smugglers run by the Russian Mafia.
Style:
realistic, suspenseful, captivating, exciting, tense ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
female martial artist, female gunfighter, save the day, rescue, one man army, danger, government agency, espionage, dishonesty, law enforcement, confined, undercover ...
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 88 min.
Story:
A bounty hunter with a pregnant wife who is urging him to get a regular job gets framed for murder and trapped in a war between Russian gangsters.
Style:
suspenseful, serious, intense, independent film, realistic ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
martial artist, hand to hand combat, chase, heroes, murder, gangster, chases and races, on the run, dishonesty, fugitives, criminal's revenge, master warrior ...
Time:
90s
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Action, Adventure, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min.
Story:
A group of Russian mobsters have stolen a huge supply of paper for printing U.S. currency, and are now flooding the market with conterfeit bills. When one of the mobsters decides to give herself in and hand over a data CD to the DA, she is shot and ...
Style:
fast, exciting, realistic, serious, rough ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
martial arts, dojo, martial artist, home invasion, die hard, gangster, hostage, master warrior, heroes, heroic mission, danger, forgery ...
Time:
90s
Similarity:
100%
41K
Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller
Country: USA, Netherlands
Duration: 106 min.
Story:
Mark Kaminsky is kicked out of the FBI for his rough treatment of a suspect. He winds up as the sheriff of a small town in North Carolina. FBI Chief Harry Shannon, whose son has been killed by a mobster named Patrovina, enlists Kaminsky in a ...
Style:
intense, rough, realistic, exciting, suspenseful ...
Audience:
boys' night, manly, adult
Plot:
vigilante, fbi, one man army, mafia, small town, vengeance, gangster, tough heroes, revenge, heroes, law enforcement, criminal's revenge ...
Time:
80s, 20th century, year 1985, year 1986
Place:
chicago, usa, north carolina
Similarity:
100%
Movie in collections
179
Genre: Action, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 88 min.
Story:
American Police officer Jack Hazard heads for South America after being ordered to take time off by his boss after a raid goes bad. Once there, however, he finds himself caught up with a stranger wanted by the government, and soon ends up in prison. ...
Style:
independent film, exciting, realistic, serious, suspenseful ...
Plot:
jungle, martial arts, heroes, on the run, violent content, profanity, psychopath, undercover, chases and races, law enforcement, stalking, survival ...
Time:
90s
Place:
latin america, south america
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 102 min.
Story:
Brazilian-Japanese gangster Mario rescues his Chinese girlfriend Kei as she's about to be deported from Japan. Desperate to escape, he hides in Tokyo's booming Japanese-Portuguese community and seeks passage from the country from a Russian ...
Style:
disturbing, harsh, atmospheric, exciting, rough ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
gangster, criminal's revenge, organized crime, lovers on the run, love triangle, gang, chase, rivalry, drug dealing, master criminal, danger, hitman ...
Time:
90s
Place:
japan, asia, tokyo, brazil
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Action, Thriller
Country: Canada
Duration: 88 min.
Story:
Trained KGB assassin, EDWARD GENN (code name ICARUS), worked years ago as a sleeper agent in America. But when the Soviet Union collapsed, he quickly found himself in a foreign country with no one to trust. Determined to escape his muddled ...
Style:
exciting, serious, suspenseful, realistic, rough ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
one man army, secret identity, tough heroes, confined, danger, special agent, professional killer, murder, tough guy, hitman, female nudity, chinese mafia ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
canada, vancouver, british columbia, hong kong
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 90 min.
Story:
Spears, a private detective working in L.A. receives word from an old friend that the friend's sister (and Spears' ex-girlfriend), Kim, has been kidnapped by a criminal gang. At first, Spears doesn't want to get involved, especially ...
Style:
serious, suspenseful, realistic, tense, disturbing ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
martial arts, tough heroes, russian mafia, gunfight, hand to hand combat, gangster, danger, criminal's revenge, rivalry, law enforcement, gang, private detective ...
Time:
90s
Place:
usa, new york
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 88 min.
Story:
After surviving a sneak attack on himself and fellow agents Jimmy and Gene as they were transporting drug kingpin Raymond Manta out of a Mexican jail, FBI agent Jeff Douglas becomes an uwitting pawn of the White Hand drug cartel. Mistakenly told ...
Style:
suspense, independent film, fast, serious, realistic ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
die hard, vigilantism, murder, drug abuse, hostage, law enforcement, rivalry, vengeance, fighting crime, master criminal, heroes, confined ...
Time:
20th century, 90s
Place:
las vegas, usa, nevada, mexico
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Japan, USA
Duration: 112 min.
Story:
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...
Style:
neo noir, intense, harsh, realistic, serious ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
yakuza, kidnapping, private detective, gangster, rescue, friendship, culture clash, organized crime, tragic romance, unrequited love, sword fight, haunted by the past ...
Time:
70s, 20th century, post world war two, 80s
Place:
japan, kyoto japan, asia, los angeles, tokyo ...
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min.
Story:
A man is supposed to guard a shipment of diamonds being sent by rail. But a man robs the train and kills the men guarding the diamonds. The robbers derail the train and hope to get away with their crime. The robbers get caught in Mexico and are sent ...
Style:
suspenseful, rough, exciting, suspense, fast ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
terrorism, one man army, tough heroes, save the day, on the run, hostage, undercover, danger, train, one against many, gunfight, die hard ...
Time:
2000s, 21st century
Place:
mexico
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama
Country: USA, Germany
Duration: 86 min.
Story:
A DEA agent and his brother, a Los Angeles cop, battle the Russian mafia.
Style:
independent film, realistic, serious, rough, suspenseful
Plot:
martial arts, karate, two man army, maverick cop, police shootout, police detective, kgb, siblings relations, rivalry, fighting crime, law enforcement, chases and races ...
Time:
90s
Place:
usa, los angeles
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA, Japan
Duration: 91 min.
Story:
When F.B.I. Agent Zack Grant's partner is killed during a blown-up operation, he attempts to find the person responsible. Mafiaso Frank Serlano believes Zack is responsible for his only sons death in the same operation and kidnaps Zacks son to ...
Style:
fast, serious, realistic, exciting, suspenseful ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
undercover, fbi agent, hitman, hostage, yakuza, white supremacist, single father, crime boss, shootout, revenge, flight attendant, airplane ...
Time:
90s
Place:
arizona
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 101 min.
Story:
In an underground fight club, blackbelt Travis Brickley is killed after losing to the evil martial arts master Brakus. Travis' death is witnessed by Walter Grady, the son of his best friend Alex Grady. Alex and his partner, Tommy Lee, vow to ...
Style:
serious, suspense, independent film, fast, realistic ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
martial arts, master warrior, vengeance, karate, friends, rivalry, contests and competitions, violence, kung fu, revenge, death, bare chested male ...
Time:
90s, year 1993, 20th century, 80s
Place:
las vegas, usa
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime, Thriller
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 104 min.
Story:
As a crime wave sweeps through Hong Kong, the police call Jessica Yang (Yeoh), a rising star in the ranks, to help stop a notorious gang of thieves! What Jessica doesn't realize is that her boyfriend - recently discharged from the force - is ...
Style:
slapstick, cult classic, fast, serious, realistic ...
Audience:
boys' night, teens
Plot:
martial arts, female martial artist, kung fu, police, fight scenes, wuxia, police investigation, gunfight, violence, hot chick, strong female lead, buddy cop ...
Time:
90s
Place:
hong kong, asia, china, new jersey
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller
Country: Japan, USA
Duration: 88 min.
Story:
Gena is a sweet and dedicated mother to her little son. One day, whilst shopping with him for a halloween mask, her son is accidently shot through the chest by a Japanese Gunman, trying to kill an opposing gang of bus operators. Gena notices that ...
Style:
independent film, exciting, realistic, serious, rough ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
yakuza, gang, tattooed woman, mafia, revenge, death of son, gangster, strong female presence, martial arts, hitman, chases and races, vigilantism ...
Time:
20th century, 90s
Place:
usa, japan
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 104 min.
Story:
An undercover cop struggling to provide for his son and ailing wife, must infiltrate a ruthless gang. But things turn sour when another cop blows his cover and he quickly finds himself battling for his life and the lives of his family.
Style:
crying, scenic, cult classic, fast, exciting ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
martial arts, kung fu, undercover, fight, hand to hand combat, gangster, father son relationship, tough cop, tough guy, one against many, fistfight, one man army ...
Time:
90s
Place:
hong kong, beijing china, asia
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 95 min.
Story:
After surviving an attempt on his life by his former partner, officer Cliff Garrett (Norris) exacts revenge on those who wronged him by going undercover as a hit man. He works to gain the reputation and trust needed in order to be accepted by the ...
Style:
exciting, realistic, rough, serious, suspenseful ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
hitman, undercover, mafia, fighting crime, martial arts, assassin, revenge, working undercover, gang, special agent, frame up, law enforcement ...
Time:
90s, year 1991
Place:
usa, seattle, vancouver
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Action, Drama
Country: Russia
Duration: 90 min.
Story:
After a U.S. policeman is killed by black market weapons dealers, his partner, Rudy (Robert Madrid), and the murdered cop's father, ex-British Intelligence agent Roger Chambers (Michael York), head to Moscow to find the killers. The two begin ...
Style:
suspenseful, serious, bleak, rough, realistic ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
reluctant partners, tough heroes, partner, danger, investigation, undercover, vengeance, odd couple, secret agent, law enforcement, partners against crime, race against time ...
Place:
russia, moscow russia
Similarity:
100%
Movie in collections
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA, Japan
Duration: 125 min.
Story:
Two New York cops get involved in a gang war between members of the Yakuza, the Japanese Mafia. They arrest one of their killers and are ordered to escort him back to Japan. In Japan, however, he manages to escape. As they try to track him down, ...
Style:
exciting, neo noir, suspense, tense, serious ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
organized crime, yakuza, police, culture clash, violence, gang war, motorcycle, chase, gunfight, gangster, fish out of water, japanese mafia ...
Time:
80s, year 1989, 20th century
Place:
japan, new york, asia, osaka japan, los angeles ...
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Action, Crime
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 95 min.
Story:
Murders in Seoul, Korea and in America pair two cops from each of the countries together to solve the crimes. The investigation leads to a gang war between the Mafia and the Yakuza, but one that may not be of either of their making. A shadowy ...
Style:
independent film, serious, realistic, suspenseful, rough ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
yakuza, reluctant partners, professional killer, buddy cop, killer, die hard, police investigation, cop, profanity, partner, special agent, violent content ...
Time:
90s, 20th century
Place:
new york, seoul, usa
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 91 min.
Story:
A drug-lord targets an undercover FBI agent and the hit man she falls in love with while tracking.
Style:
independent film, suspenseful, exciting, realistic, serious ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
killer, hired killer, contract killer, assassin, professional killer, professional, mad love, hitman, terrorism, drug abuse, female nudity, outlaw ...
Time:
20th century, 90s
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 96 min.
Story:
For opposite reasons, an undercover federal agent and a small time hood join forces to take on a union of drug lords and dirty cops.
Style:
independent film, realistic, serious, suspenseful, neo noir ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
cartel, rogue agent, computer, gunfight, car chase, dishonesty, chases and races, betrayal, undercover, police investigation, rivalry, partners against crime ...
Time:
90s
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 92 min.
Story:
An FBI agent goes undercover in a women's prison to find evidence hidden by a drug dealer's ex-girlfriend. After she is taken off the case, she finds that the drug dealer has kidnapped her daughter. She enlists the help of one of her ...
Style:
exciting, realistic, serious, suspenseful, rough ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
women in prison, prison, lesbian rape, female nudity, lesbianism, women's prison, erotica, prison guard, kidnapping, nudity, prison fight, sexual attraction ...
Time:
90s
Similarity:
100%
314
Genre: Action, Crime
Country: Japan
Duration: 111 min.
Story:
When the mobster Iwaida Nishikawi is executed by the hit man Takeshi, his family chases the killer. Takeshi's brothers Takashi and Hideshi Miwa try to find Takeshi, who is hidden with the nurse Rie Ishibashi, to protect him and Hideshi ...
Style:
suspenseful, serious, exciting, rough, crime drama ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
yakuza, gang, rivalry, master criminal, betrayal, gangster, dishonesty, crime family, organized crime, mafia, assassin, rape ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
japan, asia
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 93 min.
Story:
Mikey and Rose are professional assassins. They are also lovers, and once upon a time Rose also knew Mikey's father. During an elaborate hit job for a malicious gangster, Rose fails to kill the main target, the gangster's pregnant ...
Style:
serious, suspenseful, realistic, bleak, neo noir ...
Plot:
killer, female killer, hitman, female assassin, pregnancy, older woman younger man sex, professional killer, assassin, family relations, life is a bitch, parents and children, partner ...
Time:
year 2005, 21st century
Place:
philadelphia, cuba
Similarity:
100%
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