Movies like The Hoodlum Priest (1967)
The best movies like The Hoodlum Priest (1967) are Tokyo Drifter (1966), Dead or Alive (1999) and Fudoh: The New Generation (1996). If The Hoodlum Priest hooked you with its action and crime, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.

Quick picks
- Highest ratedKill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair (2011)8.1/10 from 1,479 votes
- NewestHell Dogs (2022)Released 2022
- 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 crime & action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDead or Alive (1999)
Ryūichi and his small gang of Triad vie for control of the Japanese underworld in a crime-ridden Shinjuku quarter while Detective Jojima tries to bring it down.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFudoh: The New Generation (1996)
In order to settle a business dispute, a mob leader murders one of his own teenage sons. The surviving son vows to avenge his brother's death, and organizes his own gang of teenage killers to destroy his father's organization.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGraveyard of Honor (1975)
A self-destructive man becomes a powerful member of the yakuza but quickly loses his self-control. Based on the true story of Rikio Ishikawa.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Return of Sister Street Fighter (1975)
When Koryu's childhood friend Shurei is abducted by gangsters, the desperate young woman recruits a female martial artist and a tough-as-nails stranger to join her for a dangerous rescue mission.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBranded to Kill (1967)
After botching his latest assignment, a third-ranked Japanese hit man becomes the target of another assassin.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBattles Without Honor and Humanity: Deadly Fight in Hiroshima (1973)
Repeatedly beat to a pulp by gamblers, cops, and gangsters, lone wolf Shoji Yamanaka finally finds a home as a Muraoka family hitman and falls in love with boss Muraoka's niece. Meanwhile, the ambitions of mad dog Katsutoshi Otomo draws our series' hero, Shozo Hirono, and the other yakuza into a new round of bloodshed.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisStreet Mobster (1972)
After serving time, a defiant street thug is incensed to find his town overrun by two yakuza factions. He gathers his crew and takes them on.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisYouth of the Beast (1963)
When a mysterious stranger muscles into two rival yakuza gangs, Tokyo's underworld explodes with violence.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRainy Dog (1997)
A Japanese assassin stranded in Taiwan must take work from a local crime boss to make ends meet when suddenly a woman from his past delivers a son to him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBad City (2022)
Kensuke Sonomura directs the legendary Hitoshi Ozawa in this ultimate V-Cinema actioner. Kaiko City is plagued with poverty and crime. When a corrupt businessman decides to run for mayor and starts eliminating opponents from the rival mafia, a former police captain serving time for murder is secretly released and put in charge of a special task force to arrest him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHell Dogs (2022)
Bent on revenge, a traumatized ex-police officer must infiltrate a yakuza organization by befriending one of the group's most unhinged members.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisKill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair (2011)
A former assassin, known simply as The Bride, wakes from a coma four years after her jealous ex-lover Bill attempts to murder her on her wedding day. Fueled by an insatiable desire for revenge, she vows to get even with every person who contributed to the loss of her unborn child, her entire wedding party, and four years of her life. After devising a hit list, The Bride sets off on her quest, enduring unspeakable injury and unscrupulous enemies.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisFemale Yakuza Tale (1973)
Ocho is accidentally captured by a drug trafficking cartel who use Chinese women to smuggle drugs into Japan by hiding it in their vaginas. She is tortured, and manages to escape, fighting both the male yakuzas and a gang of female thieves.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBattles Without Honor and Humanity (1973)
In the teeming black markets of postwar Japan, Shozo Hirono and his buddies find themselves in a new war between factious and ambitious yakuza.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Mole Song: Undercover Agent Reiji (2013)
Reiji Kikukawa, who has a strong sense of justice, graduated from the police academy with the lowest score ever. He becomes a police constable, but is suddenly fired by the Police Chief due to "disciplinary" issues. In actuality, the firing is part of a carefully orchestrated plan to set him up as an undercover cop in the Yakuza.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSympathy for the Underdog (1971)
A yakuza gang gets driven out of Yokohama by a big gang from Tokyo. They relocate to Okinawa to violently start over.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGraveyard of Honor (2002)
A barkeeper saves a yakuza boss' life and thus makes his way up in the organization. However, his fear of nothing soon causes problems.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisICHI (2008)
Ichi is a blind entertainer that travels the countryside with her traditional Japanese guitar and walking stick. She’s in search for the kind man that brought her up as a child, but because of her beauty she encounters problems every step of the way. Fortunately for Ichi, she is also a gifted swordswoman and carries a lethal blade within her walking stick.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & history
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 action & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBreaking News (2004)
After a disastrous failure to stop a robber gang, the police attempt to redeem themselves through a series of publicity stunts and shootouts.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGen-X Cops (1999)
Four young officers of the Hong Kong Police are joined together to fight against organised crime using all possible means, even if this would lead them to break the law… Their first assignment is to eliminate a gang of criminals who have stolen a shipload of explosives.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & crime
SnoozefestMovies like thisRoughneck From Asama (1958)
When Boss Juzo's Shinmachi Yakuza family struck fear into the hearts of his adversaries, Boss Shohei's Okabe Yakuza family with a merciless gang of raiders, Itaro of Asama was missing. With the courage of a lion he had gone off to face the enemy and settle the score all by himself. As a result he had to take the blame in place of Boss Shohei, and went off to adventures on his own.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & crime
Stiletto (2008)
The seemingly random killings of an assassin puzzle her former lover, a wealthy Greek crime boss whose organization is jeopardized by his love for her, and the detective following her rising body count
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & crime
SnoozefestMovies like thisChocolate (2008)
Zen, an autistic teenage girl with powerful martial arts skills, gets money to pay for her sick mother Zin's treatment by seeking out all the people who owe Zin money and making them pay.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisViolent Island: Dirty Money Hijack (1992)
In the scorching heat of Okinawa, former lovers meet. Now, he is a gangster on a mission, she is a window trying to protect what is hers. Together, they get caught in the crossfire.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & crime
Tales of a Gunman: The Man Without Tomorrow (1960)
The fourth film in the Tales of a Gunman series. When Ryuji throws his pistol into the sea, he is attacked by a man who calls himself Sabu and says that he is the younger brother of Colt Jo's killer. When Ryuji escaped difficulties with one blow knocking out the enemy's weapon, Sabu reveals that Colt Jo is in the hospital in Gifu. Ryuji decides to visit his old enemy. However, he does not know that this is a trap.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & crime
Kill! (1968)
A pair of down-on-their-luck swordsmen arrive in a dusty, windblown town, where they become involved in a local clan dispute. One, previously a farmer, longs to become a noble samurai. The other, a former samurai haunted by his past, prefers living anonymously with gangsters. But when both men discover the wrongdoings of the nefarious clan leader, they side with a band of rebels who are under siege at a remote mountain cabin.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisKamen Rider Den-O & Kiva: Climax Deka (2008)
With Kai’s defeat, Ryotaro and the rest of the DenLiner crew resume their time-traveling adventures by founding a detective agency to keep any other surviving Imagin in check. But when a rogue Imagin swipes Owner’s spare Den-O Pass, it’s up to the DenLiner Police and rookie detective Kazuya, along with a little help from another Rider, to stop the evil Imagin and save the past, present, and future!
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
The Private Police (1969)
After the war, Kijima (Bunta Sugawara) returns to Tokyo where he meets Ôba (Noboru Andô), an Ex-Kamikaze pilot, and the two ruffians gather hooligans to join their group. In Ginza, the Togawa gang have taken over Sakurada's territory. After several fights Kijima and Ôba gain control of the territory by chasing out the notorious Togawa Group in the name of Sakurada. But Kijima is arrested for assaulting an American soldier. A few years pass. Kijima has served his prison term and the sears of war have been erased from Ginza. Ôba is now president of a company specializing in collection of bad debts, cheque frauds and everything that means money. People call their organization the “Private Police,” and Kijima begins to work for Ôba. Now the Takegami gang waits a chance to seize the Ginza territory.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime
Like The Hoodlum Priest and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Hoodlum Priest?
The closest matches to The Hoodlum Priest are Tokyo Drifter (1966), Dead or Alive (1999) and Fudoh: The New Generation (1996). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Hoodlum Priest?
Start with Tokyo Drifter (1966), the closest match to The Hoodlum Priest.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Hoodlum Priest?
Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair (2011), rated 8.1/10 by 1,479 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Hoodlum Priest?
Hell Dogs (2022) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Japanese movies like The Hoodlum Priest?
Yes: Tokyo Drifter (1966), Dead or Alive (1999) and Fudoh: The New Generation (1996).
How are movies similar to The Hoodlum Priest chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Hoodlum Priest, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.





























