Movies like The Living Sword (1971)
The best movies like The Living Sword (1971) are Raining in the Mountain (1979), Cloudy Mountain (2021) and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny (2016). If The Living Sword hooked you with its action and adventure, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedBeast (2026)7.5/10 from 227 votes
- NewestBeast (2026)Released 2026
- In ChineseRaining in the Mountain (1979)Also in Chinese
Raining in the Mountain (1979)
In Ming Dynasty China, the retiring abbot of a Buddhist monastery invites two dignitaries to help him choose a successor, not suspecting that both of them have hired help to steal a priceless parchment kept in the temple.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & adventure
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCloudy Mountain (2021)
The opening of the new tunnel, which took ten years to build, coincided with a series of serious cataclysms. The lives of 160,000 people depend on the actions of two people, a father and a son.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & adventure
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCrouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny (2016)
A story of lost love, young love, a legendary sword and one last opportunity at redemption.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBaywatch: Hawaiian Wedding (2003)
Mitch Buchannon, believed to have died in a boating accident survived and only has amnesia, he has been recovering in a Los Angeles hospital. His new fiancée, Allison Ford, resembles his old lover, Lt. Stephanie Holden who died years ago.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFlying Swords of Dragon Gate (2011)
Three years after the infamous Dragon Inn was burnt down in the desert when its innkeeper Jade vanished. A new gang of marauders had taken over - innkeepers by day and treasure hunters by night. The inn is the rumoured location of a lost city buried under the desert, and its hidden treasure would only be revealed by a gigantic storm every 60 years. The gang used the inn as a front to locate the lost treasure.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDetective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame (2010)
When the future empress Wu Zetian's two courtiers die in a mysterious fire, she gets Di Renjie, a former detective and rebel, released from prison to solve the mystery of the fire.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPainted Skin (2008)
Painted Skin is based on one of Pu Songling's classic short stories in Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio. Zhou Xun stars as Xiao Wei, a fox spirit that feasts on human hearts in order to maintain her lovely, youthful appearance. When General Wang Sheng (Chen Kun) 'rescues' her from a band of bandits and brings her home, trouble brews as the demon falls in love with the general.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEye for an Eye 2 (2024)
The blind swordsman, skilled in martial arts, named Cheng Xiazi (Xie Miao), accidentally saves Zhang Xiaoyu (Yang Enyou), who has suffered from the destruction of his family. Under the persuasion of the orphan Xiaoyu, Cheng reluctantly keeps him by his side and teaches him skills. Xiaoyu also waits for the opportunity to seek revenge.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like this14 Blades (2010)
Commander Qinglong is the loyal leader of the assassin group that serves the emperor. But when his allies plan a rebellion against the ruler, he finds himself in danger.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBlood Brothers (1973)
Set in the waning years of the Ching Dyansty, this dramatic, tragic, romantic, blood-soaked martial arts tale of betrayal and revenge explores one of the most sensational scandals in Chinese history and marked the true ascension of its director and actors to superstar status. In fact, Ti Lung won Taiwan's Golden Horse Award for Outstanding Performance as the challenging role of a jealous provincial governor who kills his friend in order to steal the man's wife.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHunting Season (2025)
When a reclusive survivalist and his daughter rescue a mysterious, wounded woman from a river, they become entangled in a deadly web of violence and revenge, forcing them to confront a brutal criminal to survive.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPolice Story: Lockdown (2013)
A man looking for the release of a long-time prisoner takes a police officer, his daughter, and a group of strangers hostage.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe 355 (2022)
A group of top female agents from American, British, Chinese, Colombian, and German government agencies are drawn together to try and stop an organization from acquiring a deadly weapon to send the world into chaos.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBeast (2026)
MMA legend Patton James, now a commercial fisherman, is pulled back into the cage when his brother is in danger. Reuniting with his old coach Sammy, he commits to one final fight in one championship against the brutal champion Xavier Grau.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisKid with the Golden Arm (1979)
Jin bei tong opens with a group of escort guards preparing to move a shipment of gold from the local government to an area stricken by famine... one of the very few Venom films where all six Venom actors are present within a single film.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisReturn of the One-Armed Swordsman (1969)
After the events of The One-Armed Swordsman (1967), a retired Fang Gang is drawn back into the jianghu to protect various young apprentices whose swordsmanship schools have been terrorized by 8 evil swordsmen seeking to rule the jianghu.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Final Master (2015)
Determined to pass down his art, the Final Master of Wing Chun is caught in a power struggle with malicious local officials and ultimately must choose between personal honor and his master’s dying wish.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisReign of Assassins (2010)
Set in ancient China, Zeng Jing is a skilled assassin who finds herself in possession of a mystical Buddhist monk's remains. She begins a quest to return the remains to its rightful resting place, and thus places herself in mortal danger because a team of assassins is in a deadly pursuit to possess the remains which holds an ancient power-wielding secret.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTai Chi Zero (2012)
In legendary Chen Village, everyone is a martial arts master, using their powerful Chen Style Tai Chi in all aspects of their lives. Lu Chan has arrived to train, but the villagers are forbidden to teach Chen Style to outsiders, and do their best to discourage him by challenging him to a series of fights. Everyone, from strong men to young children, defeats him using their Tai Chi moves. But when a man from the village's past returns with a frightening steampowered machine and plans to build a railroad through the village at any costs, the villagers realize they may have no choice but to put their faith in Lu Chan... who has a secret power of his own.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDragon (2011)
A sinful martial arts expert wants to start a new tranquil life, only to be hunted by a determined detective and his former master.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHero (2002)
During China's Warring States period, a district prefect arrives at the palace of Qin Shi Huang, claiming to have killed the three assassins who had made an attempt on the king's life three years ago.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & adventure
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Black Panther (1969)
A Wuxia mystery adventure from Cathay films.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & adventure
The Ace of Swordsman (1969)
Tien Yua, most well known for being the bad guy in Wang Yu films, especially the One Armed Boxer is the good guy here. Frankie Wei is in it as his rival. This is a rare film.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & action
The Violet Mansion (1969)
Another Cathay Wu Xia flick featuring Melinda Chen Manling.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & action
Lotus Camp (1969)
Melinda Chen Man-Ling stars in another Cathay wuxia flick.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & action
Jade Dragon (1968)
Old school weepy sword fighting epic with Melinda Chen Man Ling, Cathay's answer to Cheng Pei Pei.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & action
The Unique Lama (1978)
The Unique Lama is a 1978 Wuxia film from Taiwan
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & action
The Imperial Swordsman (2019)
In the last years of the Shang Dynasty, King Zhou Wen cited the eastern "horns, kang, kang, fang, heart, tail, and kang" in the seven-star array. The seven dragons gathered and sealed the goddess of gods in the ancient artifact Kyushu tripod. The turn of the knights, the Kyushu tripod came to the Qin state at the end of the Warring States Period, and there are rumors that the black dragon scroll of the Qin state secret can unlock the Kyushu tripod. After unblocking, you can start Canglong Qisu to gain the power of the magic soldiers to rule the world! As a result, the forces of all parties began to compete for this secret treasure.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure & action
The Legend of the Swordsman (1992)
Ling Wu Chung decides to hide from the chaotic world. Before leaving, he visits his friends, a tribe of snake-wielding women warriors. However, he finds that the tribe have been attacked, and their leader Yam Ying Ying has been abducted.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSwordsman (1990)
A kung-fu manual known as the Sacred Scroll is stolen from the Emperor's library. An army detachment is sent to recover it. Meanwhile, a young swordsman and his fellow disciple are accidentally drawn into the chaos.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & adventure
Worth the HypeMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Living Sword?
The closest matches to The Living Sword are Raining in the Mountain (1979), Cloudy Mountain (2021) and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny (2016). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Living Sword?
Start with Raining in the Mountain (1979), the closest match to The Living Sword.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Living Sword?
Beast (2026), rated 7.5/10 by 227 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Living Sword?
Beast (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Chinese movies like The Living Sword?
Yes: Raining in the Mountain (1979), Cloudy Mountain (2021) and Flying Swords of Dragon Gate (2011).
How are movies similar to The Living Sword chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Living Sword, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.