Movies like Serpent's Path (1998)
The best movies like Serpent's Path (1998) are Tokyo Drifter (1966), The Crimes That Bind (2018) and Detective Conan: The Raven Chaser (2009). If Serpent's Path hooked you with its crime and thriller, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedHigh and Low (1963)8.4/10 from 1,234 votes
- NewestSuzuki=Bakudan (2025)Released 2025
- In JapaneseTokyo Drifter (1966)Also in Japanese
Tokyo Drifter (1966)
After yakuza boss Kurata dissolves his own criminal empire, a rival kingpin offers a position to Kurata's top operative, Tetsuya "Phoenix Tetsu" Hondo. When the fiercely loyal Tetsu declines, Otsuka taps unstoppable Tatsuzo the "Viper", a ruthless gun-for-hire, to assassinate him. As the Viper trails his target through the countryside, the agile Phoenix Tetsu grows concerned that one of his former associates has betrayed him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Crimes That Bind (2018)
Michiko Oshitani, who lived in Shiga Prefecture, is found dead at an apartment in Tokyo. She was strangled to death. Mutsuo Koshikawa is the owner of the apartment and he goes missing. Detectives including Yuhei Matsumiya who is a cousin of Detective Kyoichiro Kaga , have difficulties in solving the case. They can't find a connection between Michiko Oshitani and Mutsuo Koshikawa. They soon learn that Michiko Oshitani came to Tokyo to visit Hiromi Asai . They graduated from the same school, but there isn't a connection between Hiromi Asai and Mutsuo Koshikawa. Detective Yuhei Matsumiya finds something near Michiko Oshitani's body. That something has the names of 12 bridges surrounding the Nihonbashi area of Tokyo. Detective Kyoichiro Kaga learns of the clue and becomes agitated. There's a connection with his late mother
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDetective Conan: The Raven Chaser (2009)
A new member from the Black Organization that shrunk Shinichi's body manages to find out about Shinichi's transformation into Conan. This discovery starts to put those around him in danger as Gin and the other Black Organization members start to take action.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Woman in the Window (1944)
A seductive woman gets an innocent professor mixed up in murder.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCharacter (2021)
A kind man aspires to become a manga writer, but villains and evil deeds do not come easily to him, for he has little experience or natural inclination for them. Things take a surprise turn when he comes across a family who were described as idealized that are no more. He uses the real-life situation for his work.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHigh and Low (1963)
A Yokohama shoe executive faces a wrenching choice when kidnappers mistakenly seize his chauffeur’s son but demand the ransom anyway.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & thriller
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisAurora Teagarden Mysteries: A Very Foul Play (2019)
At a gathering of mystery and true crime fans, Aurora Teagarden’s nephew, Phillip, is accused of murder when an unplanned onstage blackout during the play in which he is performing ends, revealing Phillip holding the bloody knife that has just killed one of the other performers. 12th installment in Aurora Teagarden Mysteries
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSuzuki=Bakudan (2025)
An unemployed man named Suzuki is taken in by police after breaking a booze vending machine. When he predicts the explosions of two bombs and claims there are more, the police start to investigate him as a terrorist. However, Suzuki first claims to know about the bombs through psychic clairvoyance, and then claims he was hypnotized to forget. He gives hints about the bombs with riddles while riling up his interrogators, especially senior detective Kiyomiya and his junior Ruike. Things seem to be connected to a disgraced cop named Hasebe, who committed suicide after a scandal some years ago. But is Suzuki actually the perpetrator behind the bombs or not?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisKids Return (1996)
Shinji and Masaru spend most of their school days harassing fellow classmates and playing pranks. They drop out and Shinji becomes a small-time boxer, while Masaru joins up with a local yakuza gang. However, the world is a tough place.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCrows Zero (2007)
The students of Suzuran High compete for the King of School title. An ex-graduate yakuza is sent to kill the son of a criminal group, but he can't make himself do it as he reminds him of his youth.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCruel Story of Youth (1960)
A harsh young man seduces a freeloading young woman and eventually takes advantage of her knack for hitchhiking to rob middle-class men.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAurora Teagarden Mysteries: Reunited and It Feels So Deadly (2020)
Aurora's high school reunion turns deadly when a body is found in the hotel pool. Aurora and her Real Murders Club help investigate which classmate was most likely to kill.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Castle of Sand (1974)
Two detectives are tasked to investigate the murder of an old man, found bludgeoned to death in a Tokyo rail yard.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAurora Teagarden Mysteries: Heist and Seek (2020)
When a priceless crown is stolen during a benefit gala held by the Lawrenceton library, Aurora and the Real Murders Club must investigate who would kill to get their hands on it.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAurora Teagarden Mysteries: An Inheritance to Die For (2019)
A matriarch is poisoned during a family wedding reception and Aurora Teagarden vows to get to the bottom of the crime, especially when her mother, a friend of the dead woman, stands to inherit the bulk of the massive estate. 11th installment in Aurora Teagarden Mysteries.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDetective Conan: Sunflowers of Inferno (2015)
Conan tries to track down Kaito Kid, who supposedly steals a replica of one of Van Gogh's Sunflowers paintings during an auction.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisObsession (1976)
A wealthy New Orleans businessman becomes obsessed with a young woman who resembles his late wife.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDetective Conan: Captured in Her Eyes (2000)
Police officers around Tokyo are being murdered by an unknown assailant. When Ran witnesses an attempt on the life of one of her friends in the police, she loses her memory. Now, Conan and Inspector Megure must find the murderer while Ran attempts to regain her lost memories.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisNaruto Shippuden the Movie: Blood Prison (2011)
After his capture for attempted assassination of the Raikage, leader of Kumogakure, as well as killing Jōnin from Kirigakure and Iwagakure, Naruto is imprisoned in Hōzukijou: A criminal containment facility known as the Blood Prison. Mui, the castle master, uses the ultimate imprisonment technique to steal power from the prisoners, which is when Naruto notices his life has been targeted. Thus begins the battle to uncover the truth behind the mysterious murders and prove Naruto's innocence.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDetective Conan: The Time Bombed Skyscraper (1997)
Once brilliant teenage detective Shinichi Kudo was given a poison that reverted him to a 4-year-old. He's adopted the pseudonym Conan Edogawa so no one (save for an eccentric inventor) will know. Now he's got to solve a series of bombings before his loved ones become victims. Who is this madman and why is he doing this? Only the young genius can save the day but will even he be up to the task?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRollin' with the Nines (2006)
Too Fine and his friends Finny, Pushy and Rage hope to set up a successful urban underground garage...
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime & thriller
Tattoo (2002)
Marc Schrader, a rookie cop caught red-handed with drugs in a police raid of an illegal rave, joins a homicide investigation conducted by Chief Inspector Minks. The victim is a naked young woman with the skin stripped off her back, killed as she staggered into traffic. As Schrader and Minks investigate the murder, the case is complicated by a finger found in the stomach of the victim. Forensic examination proves the finger belongs to Nobert Günzel, who was previously convicted of rape and assault. The police raid Günzel’s residence, and discover a blood-stained table with restraints and bits of human flesh in his basement. They also find video equipment and preserved, tattooed skin from the victim’s back. Soon, they found dead bodies buried in the garden. Günzel then goes missing.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChamku (2008)
A traumatized child becomes a political activist but agrees to become an assassin upon being captured.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime & thriller
House of Strangers (1949)
Ruthless Italian-American banker Gino Monetti is engaged in a number of criminal activities. Three of his four grown sons refuse to help their father stay out of prison after he's arrested for his questionable business practices. Three of them take over the business but kick their father out. Max, a lawyer, is the only son that remains loyal.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Principal (1987)
Burglary. Drugs. Assault. Rape. The students at Brandel High are more than new Principal Rick Latimer bargained for. Gangs fight to control the school using knives - even guns - when they have to. When Latimer and the head of security try to clean up the school and stop the narcotics trade, they run up against a teenage mafia. A violent confrontation on the campus leads to a deadly showdown with the drug dealer's gang, and one last chance for Latimer to save his career... and his life.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAttack Force (2006)
Marshall Lawson is the commander of an elite military unit. Marshall Lawson loses his strike-team in a cold-blooded and seemingly random attack, and he takes it upon himself to investigate the attack, with the help of his girlfriend Tia and his friend Dwayne.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisRoad House (1989)
The Double Deuce is the meanest, loudest and rowdiest bar south of the Mason-Dixon Line, and Dalton has been hired to clean it up. He might not look like much, but the Ph.D.-educated bouncer proves he's more than capable – busting the heads of troublemakers and turning the roadhouse into a jumping hot spot. But Dalton's romance with the gorgeous Dr. Clay puts him on the bad side of cutthroat local big shot Brad Wesley.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPadre (2015)
A very graphic and violent confession.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Antisocial Behaviour (2007)
Jakob Kelser is a lonely man living in a run-down house on the edge of a council estate. After enduring weeks of aggrevation and torment from local youths , Jacob, in a last-ditch attempt to once again lead a normal life, plots his revenge on his unsuspecting tormentors. One by one, they're be taught a lesson. One by one, they meet their deaths.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
BLOODY DATE (2023)
"BLOODY DATE" is a short film that delves into the life of Javier, a blue-collar worker with a secret life. By day, he's a mechanic dealing with the dirty grind of work, but by night, he's entangled in the world of drugs and danger. As financial troubles loom over his best friend, he finds himself owing a lot of money to some very wrong people. With a heart of gold and a tough exterior, Javier navigates a complex web of loyalty and betrayal. This thrilling narrative unfolds as Javier's past collides with his present. The film explores themes of friendship, sacrifice, and the consequences of choices made in the shadows.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime
Like Serpent's Path and something else?
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Serpent's Path?
The closest matches to Serpent's Path are Tokyo Drifter (1966), The Crimes That Bind (2018) and Detective Conan: The Raven Chaser (2009). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Serpent's Path?
Start with Tokyo Drifter (1966), the closest match to Serpent's Path.
What is the highest-rated movie like Serpent's Path?
High and Low (1963), rated 8.4/10 by 1,234 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Serpent's Path?
Suzuki=Bakudan (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Japanese movies like Serpent's Path?
Yes: Tokyo Drifter (1966), The Crimes That Bind (2018) and Detective Conan: The Raven Chaser (2009).
How are movies similar to Serpent's Path chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Serpent's Path, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.