Movies like Japanese Godfather (1989)
The best movies like Japanese Godfather (1989) are Gladiator Underground (2025), Beckman (2020) and The Show Must Go On (2007). If Japanese Godfather hooked you with its action, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedKill Shot (2023)8.0/10 from 228 votes
- NewestGladiator Underground (2025)Released 2025
- In KoreanThe Show Must Go On (2007)Also in Korean
Gladiator Underground (2025)
Two brothers compete in the world's deadliest underground fighting tournament, where they must decide whether to play by the rules or to cast their honor aside and team up to bring down the dark syndicate running the tournament.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBeckman (2020)
A contract killer, becomes the reverend of a LA church, until a cult leader and his minions kidnap his daughter. Blinded by vengeance, he cuts a bloody path across the city. The only thing that can stop him is his newfound faith.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Show Must Go On (2007)
A middle-aged gangster's lifetime of mistakes catch up with him as his personal and professional life is destroyed.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHostile Takeover (2025)
Follows Pete, a professional hitman, as he faces a group of assassins after the boss of a crime syndicate suspects disloyalty due to his attendance at Workaholics Anonymous meetings.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAnother Public Enemy (2005)
A criminal psychopath from a wealthy family is confronted with Chul-jung Kang, a former classmate who no longer likes his activities.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Art of Fighting (2006)
Byung-tae is the kid who is always on the receiving end of beatings from the school bullies—that is, until he meets Pan-su, a martial arts expert who takes him under his wing.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKiller Bean Forever (2008)
When things go bad in Beantown, top assassin Killer Bean is called to clean-up the mess. Detective Cromwell finds himself in the middle between Killer Bean and mob boss Cappuccino.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Bad Guys: Reign of Chaos (2019)
A respectable village head decides to keep his son away from the violent politics of rural life. However, fate intervenes, forcing the young man to not only return home, but also take up the sickle.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGoing by the Book (2007)
The chief of Sampo City Police Office, Seung-u, organizes a simulation of a bank robbery, but a by-the-book cop gets too caught up in the role playing in which the simulation doesn't go the way he had anticipated.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHero at Large (1980)
An idealistic but struggling actor finds his life unexpectedly complicated when he stops a robbery while wearing the costume of Captain Avenger, a superhero character of a film he is hired to promote. He decides to dabble at being a superhero only to find that it is more difficult and dangerous than he ever imagined.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
SnoozefestMovies like thisStreet Fighter: Assassin's Fist The Movie (2014)
If one man changes his path, will he be able to change his destiny...or will he only delay the inevitable? Ryu and Ken are two traditional warriors who find themselves isolated in some corner of Japan to carry out their training as fighters, trying to master an ancient style of fighting, known as "Ansatsuken" (The Killing Fist). There they will begin to learn about the mysterious past of their trainer, Goken, and the tragic and dark legacy that the Ansatsuken style hides. Will they be able to choose their destiny or will history repeat itself once again?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Paper Tigers (2020)
Three middle aged men polish their martial arts skills to avenge their fallen master.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHow to Rob a Bank (2007)
Caught in the middle of a bank robbery, a slacker and a bank employee become the ones who arbitrate the intense situation.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Con Artists (2014)
A wily safecracker is forced to help a mob boss pull off a $150 million heist, but smells a double-cross in the works.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIndemnity (2022)
An ex-fireman with PTSD goes on the run when accused of a crime he doesn't even remember committing, leading him down a rabbit hole of conspiracy to the highest degree.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDouble Threat (2022)
With ruthless mobsters on her tail, a young woman with a split personality becomes entangled with a man on a pilgrimage across the country to scatter his brother's ashes.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKill Shot (2023)
Posing as hunters, a group of terrorists are in search of $100 million that was stolen and lost in a plane crash en route from Afghanistan.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisBorn to Race: Fast Track (2014)
Danny Krueger is a twenty-year old drag racer who plays by his own rules. After winning a scholarship to the prestigious Fast Lane Racing Academy, Danny finds himself competing against some of the fiercest young drivers in the world. Tension soars on and off the track, and a terrible incident leaves Danny without a racing partner. Facing dismissal from the academy, Danny is forced to team up with an old rival. The pair must learn to set aside their differences as they vie for rookie spots on a professional racing team.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSuicide Squad (2016)
From DC Comics comes the Suicide Squad, an antihero team of incarcerated supervillains who act as deniable assets for the United States government, undertaking high-risk black ops missions in exchange for commuted prison sentences.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
SnoozefestMovies like thisBirth of the Dragon (2017)
Set against the backdrop of San Francisco’s Chinatown, this cross-cultural biopic chronicles Bruce Lee’s emergence as a martial-arts superstar after his legendary secret showdown with fellow martial artist Wong Jack Man.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
SnoozefestMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Japanese Godfather?
The closest matches to Japanese Godfather are Gladiator Underground (2025), Beckman (2020) and The Show Must Go On (2007). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Japanese Godfather?
Start with Gladiator Underground (2025), the closest match to Japanese Godfather.
What is the highest-rated movie like Japanese Godfather?
Kill Shot (2023), rated 8.0/10 by 228 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Japanese Godfather?
Gladiator Underground (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Korean movies like Japanese Godfather?
Yes: The Show Must Go On (2007), Another Public Enemy (2005) and The Art of Fighting (2006).
How are movies similar to Japanese Godfather chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Japanese Godfather, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.