Movies like Shanghai 13 (1984)
The best movies like Shanghai 13 (1984) are Man with No Past (2025), Bureau 749 (2024) and The Commuter (2018). If Shanghai 13 hooked you with its action, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedProtector (2026)8.4/10 from 648 votes
- NewestProtector (2026)Released 2026
- In ChineseBureau 749 (2024)Also in Chinese
Man with No Past (2025)
Waking up in an unfamiliar city, a man with no memory must confront the mysteries of his own identity. However, his desperate search to uncover the past pits him against a powerful enemy, leading to a showdown that ultimately reveals the truth.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBureau 749 (2024)
A traumatized young man with physical abnormalities is forced to join a mysterious bureau to confront a disaster spreading across the earth caused by an unknown creature. He embarks on an adventure uncovering mysteries about his life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Commuter (2018)
A businessman, on his daily commute home, gets unwittingly caught up in a criminal conspiracy that threatens not only his life but the lives of those around him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRising Sun (1993)
When a prostitute is found dead in a Los Angeles skyscraper occupied by a large Japanese corporation, detectives John Connor and Web Smith are called in to investigate. Although Connor has previous experience working in Japan, cultural differences make their progress difficult until a security disc showing the murder turns up. Close scrutiny proves the disc has been doctored, and the detectives realize they're dealing with a cover-up as well.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCode 8 Part II (2024)
In a world where superpowered people are heavily policed by robots, an ex-con teams up with a drug lord he despises to protect a teen from a corrupt cop.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisV for Vendetta (2006)
In a world in which Great Britain has become a fascist state, a masked vigilante known only as “V” conducts guerrilla warfare against the oppressive British government. When V rescues a young woman from the secret police, he finds in her an ally with whom he can continue his fight to free the people of Britain.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisRelay (2025)
A broker of lucrative payoffs between corrupt corporations and the individuals who threaten them breaks his own rules when a new client seeks his protection to stay alive.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisNinja III: The Domination (1984)
An aerobics instructor becomes a ruthless assassin after being possessed by a slain ninja's spirit, leading to a showdown with a martial arts expert.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Marine 5: Battleground (2017)
While working as an EMT back stateside Jake Carter after responding to a distress call, finds himself caught up protecting a person of interest from a biker gang ruthlessly hunting them down.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDirt (2018)
In search of a lifeline for his struggling off road racing team, a man takes on a young car thief looking for a second chance, but as their worlds collide, they must struggle to forge a successful alliance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Devil's Double (2011)
A chilling vision of the House of Saddam Hussein comes to life through the eyes of the man who was forced to become the double of Hussein's sadistic son.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMcQ (1974)
Police Lieutenant Lon McQ investigates the killing of his best friend and uncovers corrupt elements of the police department dealing in confiscated drugs.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNever Back Down: Revolt (2021)
An amateur fighter is lured by a trafficking syndicate specializing in elite underground fighting where her brutal captor forces her to fight or face certain death.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisProtector (2026)
Nikki's life is shattered when her daughter is kidnapped. Thrust into the criminal underworld while hunted by cops and military, she must fight to rescue her child.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisSafe (2012)
After a former elite agent rescues a 12-year-old Chinese girl who's been abducted, they find themselves in the middle of a standoff between Triads, the Russian Mafia and high-level corrupt New York City politicians and police.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisExit Wounds (2001)
Maverick cop Orin Boyd always brings down the domestic terrorists he tracks, but he ruffles feathers with his unorthodox techniques -- and soon finds himself reassigned to the toughest district in Detroit. When he discovers a group of detectives secretly operating a drug ring, Boyd joins forces with an unlikely ally -- gangster Latrell Walker -- to bring down the rotten cops.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
SnoozefestMovies like thisRev (2020)
A young thief with a history of grand theft auto becomes an informant and helps police bring down a criminal enterprise involved in the smuggling of hundreds of exotic super cars.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Shipment (2021)
A former U.S. Navy Seal is forced to become the international criminal he once fought against when a powerful and violent drug cartel kidnaps his wife and daughter.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChief of Station (2024)
After learning that the death of his wife was not an accident, a former CIA Station Chief is forced back into the espionage underworld, teaming up with an adversary to unravel a conspiracy that challenges everything he thought he knew.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisStowaway (2022)
A tenacious party girl fights to survive after three thieves commandeer her luxury yacht. Unable to escape and trapped on the yacht at high seas, the prey becomes the hunter as she turns the tables on the intruders and takes matters into her own hands.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNene Raju Nene Mantri (2017)
Nene Raju Nene Mantri is the story of Radha Jogendra and the love of his life, Radha. His whole world revolves around her and he can go to any lengths to make her happy. But what happens when such profound love takes the shape of cavernous ambition?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
Khakee (2004)
DCP Anant and his team get tasked with escorting an alleged terrorist to Mumbai. However, a rogue ex-police officer makes their task difficult as he tries to stop them from reaching their destination.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLegion (2010)
When God loses faith in humankind, he sends his legion of angels to bring on the Apocalypse. Humanity's only hope for survival lies in a group of strangers trapped in an out-of-the-way, desert diner with the Archangel Michael.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
SnoozefestMovies like thisSivaji: The Boss (2007)
A wealthy engineer arrives in India with the mission of serving the nation and investing in the country's welfare but is met with strong opposition from corrupt officials and politicians. After being faced with insurmountable hardships, he decides to take drastic measures.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBose (2004)
Former army commando Bose gets fired after he stops a rapist's attack on a student. The young woman and Bose fall in love, but then his family is kidnapped, and he discovers that the rapist has connections to terrorists.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
Rambo (2008)
In Thailand, ex-Green Beret John James Rambo joins a group of mercenaries to venture into war-torn neighboring Myanmar to rescue a group of Christian aid workers who have been kidnapped by a ruthless local infantry unit.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFeast (2005)
When a motley crew of strangers find themselves trapped in an isolated tavern, they must band together in a battle for survival against a family of flesh-hungry creatures.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Crazies (1973)
The military attempts to contain a manmade virus causing death and permanent insanity in those infected, as it overtakes a small Pennsylvania town.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTidal Wave (2009)
On Haeundae Beach, a guilt-ridden fisherman takes care of a woman whose father accidentally got killed. A scientist reunites with his ex-wife and a daughter who doesn't even remember his face. And a poor rescue worker falls in love with a rich city girl. When they all find out a gigantic tsunami will hit the beach, they realize they only have 10 minutes to escape.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRSVP (2024)
An aspiring author is forced to rely on her street smarts and martial arts skills to escape a deadly dinner party after discovering the host has vengeful motives.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
Like Shanghai 13 and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Shanghai 13?
The closest matches to Shanghai 13 are Man with No Past (2025), Bureau 749 (2024) and The Commuter (2018). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Shanghai 13?
Start with Man with No Past (2025), the closest match to Shanghai 13.
What is the highest-rated movie like Shanghai 13?
Protector (2026), rated 8.4/10 by 648 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Shanghai 13?
Protector (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Chinese movies like Shanghai 13?
Yes: Bureau 749 (2024).
How are movies similar to Shanghai 13 chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Shanghai 13, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.