Movies like Detective Dee and the Road to Hell (2018)
The best movies like Detective Dee and the Road to Hell (2018) are Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings (2018), The Sorcerer and the White Snake (2011) and Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back (2017). If Detective Dee and the Road to Hell hooked you with its action and fantasy, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedHero (2002)7.5/10 from 2,644 votes
- NewestA Knight's War (2025)Released 2025
- In ChineseDetective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings (2018)Also in Chinese
Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings (2018)
Dee, the detective serving Chinese empress Wu Zetian, is called upon to investigate a series of strange events in Loyang, including the appearance of mysterious warriors wearing Chiyou ghost masks, foxes that speak human language and the pillar sculptures in the palace coming alive.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Sorcerer and the White Snake (2011)
The Sorcerer and the White Snake is an ancient Chinese fable about a woman demon who falls in love with a mortal is brought to life through the latest advances in CGI and action techniques.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJourney to the West: The Demons Strike Back (2017)
Tang Monk brings three disciples on a journey to the West. On the outside, everything seems harmonious. However, tension is present beneath the surface, and their hearts and minds are not in agreement. After a series of demon-capturing events, the monk and his disciples gain mutual understanding of each others' hardships and unease. Finally, they resolve their inner conflict and work together to become an all-conquering, demon-exorcising team.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Thousand Faces of Dunjia (2017)
The world is on the brink of catastrophe in a chaotic age where evil demons roam. In order to keep evil at bay, a mysterious organisation from the pugilist world emerges. A new constable and a young girl with a mysterious past are also drawn into this group, and the group embarks on an incredible adventure.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Banquet (2006)
Crown Prince Wu Luan is in love with Little Wan but left heartbroken when she marries his father, the emperor. The emperor's brother, Li, kills him and Wu Luan tries to avenge his father's death.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisYoung Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon (2013)
Young Dee Renjie arrives in the empire's capital to join the Supreme Court as police judge of his region. He wants to become a prosecutor. Empress Wu, who is at the beginning of her reign, has commissioned the fierce detective Yuchi to investigate a sea monster that stalks the city at night and makes it unsafe.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & fantasy
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 fantasy & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMythica: The Godslayer (2016)
As the Lich King's zombie legions ravage the world, a cursed young sorceress embarks on a quest to obtain a weapon from the gods. But when she joins her sworn enemy in a desperate attempt to save the world, she must recover the good in herself before her friends are all dead, and defeat the Lich King before the gods are destroyed and the world forever enslaved.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & action
SnoozefestMovies like thisA Legend (2024)
An archeologist noticed that the texture of the relics discovered during the excavation of a glacier closely resembled a jade pendant seen in one of his dreams. He and his team then embark on an expedition into the depths of the glacier.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Writer's Odyssey (2021)
Lu Kongwen is the author of a fantasy novel series following a heroic teenager, also named Kongwen, on a quest to end the tyrannical rule of Lord Redmane, under the guidance of a Black Armor. But through a strange twist of fate, the fantasy world of the novel begins to impact life in the real world, leading Guan Ning to accept a mission from Tu Ling to kill the author.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Storm Riders (1998)
Heeding a prophecy, a warlord trains two orphans after killing their parents. But the skills he teaches could lead to his downfall.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Four 2 (2013)
The four constables Emotionless, Iron Hands , Life Snatcher and ColdBlood are specially skilled in their own individual super powers. When the four constables of the Divine Constabulary investigate a murder in the suburbs, they unexpectedly stumble on clues to the murder of Emotionless's family 15 years ago.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Knight's War (2025)
A fearless knight braves a deadly realm to save the Chosen One’s soul. Facing witches, demons, and brutal foes, he discovers her return could ignite chaos and doom humanity.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMythica: A Quest for Heroes (2014)
Stuck in a life of indentured servitude, Marek dreams of becoming a wizard. When she meets the beautiful priestess Teela in need of help, she offers her assistance and provides a motley troupe. Together they go in search of Teela's sister, who was kidnapped by a wild ogre.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & fantasy
SnoozefestMovies like thisMojin: The Worm Valley (2018)
Legendary tomb explorer Hu Bayi is on a dangerous mission as he seeks out the Tomb of Emperor Xian, located on an island of monstrous creatures in this mystical action-adventure.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & fantasy
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
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTill We Meet Again (2021)
Ah Lun, who has a choice to make in the underworld, decides to be a god of love in Chinese mythology. As he advances with his tasks on Earth, his biggest challenge is to tie a red string with the woman he loves the most.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRaining 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
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGolden Swallow (1968)
Golden Swallow revolves around the further adventures of its title character. This time around, she is forced into violence when a figure from her mysterious past goes on a killing rampage while leaving evidence that holds her responsible. Golden Swallow also makes room for a love triangle involving a mad, but righteous, swordsman named Silver Roc and a gentle warrior named Golden Whip. The three team up to conquer the evil forces of the martial world, but their joint venture only lasts so long, due to the two men's egos. Ultimately, a duel to the death is planned between them, leaving Golden Swallow caught between two men, both of whom she admires.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSecrets of the Heavenly Book (1983)
Yuangong, the deacon, opened the shrine and exposed the holy book to the human world. He is now punished to guard the book for life by the jade emperor for breaking heaven’s law. In order to pass this holy book to human beings, he would have to get by the antagonist fox.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Story of Yuan Tiangang (2024)
Three hundred years ago, the elegant and spirited young man Yuan Tiangang, born with a doomed fate, unintentionally caused the death of his loved ones from a young age. As a result, he decided to gamble with fate and mastered the skill of "Chenggu Bone Divination," using it to target those whose lives were not supposed to end prematurely. At that time, it happened to be the end of the Sui Dynasty, with widespread chaos in the world. How will Yuan Tiangang change his destiny and become a notorious but respected leader amidst the turmoil of the late Sui Dynasty?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & fantasy
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 fantasy & 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 & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDeadful Melody (1994)
A young security man must prove himself worthy by defending the one object wanted by all the masters of the Martial Arts world - the Magic Lyre!
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy & action
The Bride with White Hair (1993)
The sensitive swordsman Cho Yi-Hang is tired of his life. He is the unwilling successor to the Wu-Tang clan throne and the unsure commander of the clan's forces in a war against foreign tribes and an evil cult. One day, he meets the beautiful Lien, a killer for the evil cult who is equally unsatisfied with her situation, but their love angers both the Wu-Tang clan and the evil cult.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Storm Warriors (2009)
Wind and Cloud find themselves up against a ruthless Japanese warlord intent on invading China.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Web of Death (1976)
Lo Lieh is the ringleader of the Snake Sect, intent on reviving a deadly faction known as the "Five Poison Web." In order to do so, he has an affair with the sexy ringleader of the Scorpion Sect, Angela Yu Chien. However, there is also the Centipede Sect to contend with, as well as other assorted martial artists, among them played by Shaw Brothers talents Yueh Hua, Ching Li, and Lily Li.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & fantasy
Hero (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 action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Black Panther (1969)
A Wuxia mystery adventure from Cathay films.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
The Unique Lama (1978)
The Unique Lama is a 1978 Wuxia film from Taiwan
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Detective Dee and the Road to Hell?
The closest matches to Detective Dee and the Road to Hell are Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings (2018), The Sorcerer and the White Snake (2011) and Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back (2017). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Detective Dee and the Road to Hell?
Start with Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings (2018), the closest match to Detective Dee and the Road to Hell.
What is the highest-rated movie like Detective Dee and the Road to Hell?
Hero (2002), rated 7.5/10 by 2,644 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Detective Dee and the Road to Hell?
A Knight's War (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Chinese movies like Detective Dee and the Road to Hell?
Yes: Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings (2018), The Sorcerer and the White Snake (2011) and Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back (2017).
How are movies similar to Detective Dee and the Road to Hell chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Detective Dee and the Road to Hell, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.