Skip to content

Movies like The First Stab of Tang Dynasty (2018)

The best movies like The First Stab of Tang Dynasty (2018) are The Assassin (2015), An Empress and the Warriors (2008) and Saving General Yang (2013). If The First Stab of Tang Dynasty 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

  1. The Assassin (2015)

    9th century China. Ten year old general’s daughter Nie Yinniang is abducted by a nun who initiates her into the martial arts, transforming her into an exceptional assassin charged with eliminating cruel and corrupt local governors. One day, having failed in a task, she is sent back by her mistress to the land of her birth, with orders to kill the man to whom she was promised – a cousin who now leads the largest military region in North China. After 13 years of exile, the young woman must confront her parents, her memories and her long-repressed feelings.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & adventure

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  2. An Empress and the Warriors (2008)

    After the death of her father, a woman is forced to take over as empress and fight to save her kingdom.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & adventure

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  3. Saving General Yang (2013)

    When a rival nation sends troops to invade the Song Dynasty, the emperor sends general Yang Ye (Adam Cheng) to defend the nation. However, Yang's place in the court is shaky due to a feud with Pan Renmei caused by the accidental death of his son at the hands of one of Yang's sons. At the battle, Yang is abandoned by Pan's troops, leaving him trapped in the face of an attack by Yeli Yuan (Shao Bing), an enemy general who wants to kill Yang to avenge his father. After learning about their father's predicament, Yang Ye's seven sons set out to rescue their father at any cost.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & adventure

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  4. Dragon Blade (2015)

    Huo An, the commander of the Protection Squad of the Western Regions, was framed by evil forces and becomes enslaved. On the other hand, a Roman general escapes to China after rescuing the Prince. The heroic duo meet in the Western Desert and a thrilling story unfolds.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & history

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  5. 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: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & action

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  6. The Monkey King 2 (2016)

    Taking place 500 years after the Havoc in Heaven, the Tang Priest is appointed by Buddha to go to the West to fetch the sacred scriptures, only to accidentally free the Monkey King. With Lady White aiming to break up the team assembled to defeat her, the Monkey King must fight in order to save his world!

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & adventure

  7. The Forbidden Kingdom (2008)

    An American teenager who is obsessed with Hong Kong cinema and kung-fu classics makes an extraordinary discovery in a Chinatown pawnshop: the legendary stick weapon of the Chinese sage and warrior, the Monkey King. With the lost relic in hand, the teenager unexpectedly finds himself travelling back to ancient China to join a crew of warriors from martial arts lore on a dangerous quest to free the imprisoned Monkey King.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & adventure

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  8. House of Flying Daggers (2004)

    In 9th century China, a corrupt government wages war against a rebel army called the Flying Daggers. A romantic warrior breaks a beautiful rebel out of prison to help her rejoin her fellows, but things are not what they seem.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & action

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  9. Reign 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 this
  10. Return 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 this
  11. Red Cliff (2008)

    In 208 A.D., in the final days of the Han Dynasty, shrewd Prime Minster Cao convinced the fickle Emperor Han the only way to unite all of China was to declare war on the kingdoms of Xu in the west and East Wu in the south. Thus began a military campaign of unprecedented scale. Left with no other hope for survival, the kingdoms of Xu and East Wu formed an unlikely alliance.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history & action

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  12. Street 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 adventure & action

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  13. Double World (2020)

    Keen to bring honor to his clan, young villager Dong Yilong embarks on a perilous journey to compete in a tournament that selects warriors for battle.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & adventure

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  14. Dynasty Warriors (2021)

    In the turbulent late Eastern Han Dynasty, ambitious Dong Zhuo controls the court and the commonalty, and heroes from all over the country begin to rise.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & adventure

  15. Last Knights (2015)

    When an evil emperor executes their leader, his band of knights – bound by duty and honour – embarks on a journey of vengeance that will not come to an end until they've destroyed their mortal foe.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & adventure

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  16. Crouching 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 this
  17. Detective 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 this
  18. Journey 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 adventure & action

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  19. DragonHeart (1996)

    In an ancient time when majestic fire-breathers soared through the skies, a knight named Bowen comes face to face and heart to heart with the last dragon on Earth, Draco. Taking up arms to suppress a tyrant king, Bowen soon realizes his task will be harder than he'd imagined: If he kills the king, Draco will die as well.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & adventure

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  20. The Lost Bladesman (2011)

    During the warring period of the three kingdoms, ancient China is in turmoil. To unify the country, general Cao Cao, the real power behind the Emperor, enlists the aid of the greatest warrior in the land, Guan Yu. However, Guan Yu is a loyal friend of Cao Cao's enemy Liu Bei so to persuade the peerless warrior to fight, Cao Cao takes his beloved Qi Lan hostage. After leading Cao Cao's forces to victory Guan Yu sets out with Qi Lan to rejoin Liu Bei. Now Cao Cao has deemed him too great a threat to live, and on the journey he must face all the forces at the Emperor's command sent to destroy him.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history & action

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  21. The Magical Flying Swordsman (1951)

    Jin Tieyi has been learning martial arts from his master Zhang Tianxi since he was a child, and has practiced martial arts with Tianxi's children Wenlan and Daxiong. One day, Tieyi followed his master's order to travel around the world. On the way, he was attacked by corpses in a strange temple. Fortunately, he was saved by the Taoist Leng Tianhun. Tianhun and Tianxi were enemies, so he pretended to accept Tieyi as his apprentice and use him.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure & action

  22. Police Story 4: First Strike (1996)

    Hong Kong cop Chan Ka-Kui returns, working with Interpol to track down and arrest an illegal weapons dealer. Chan later realises that things are not as simple as they appear and soon finds himself to be a pawn of an organisation posing as Russian intelligence.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & adventure

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  23. Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003)

    The Angels are charged with finding a pair of missing rings that are encoded with the personal information of members of the Witness Protection Program. As informants are killed, the ladies target a rogue agent who might be responsible.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & adventure

  24. Sword of Swords (1965)

    Sword of Swords is a Hong Kong Martial Arts movie starring Sammo Hung in a child role

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & adventure

  25. Paragon of Sword and Knife (1967)

    Paragon of Sword and Knife is a Hong Kong Martial Arts movie starring Sammo Hung

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & adventure

  26. Kickboxer (1989)

    If your enemy refuses to be humbled... Destroy him. Accompanied by his brother Kurt, American kickboxing champion Eric Sloane, arrives in Thailand to defeat the Eastern warriors at their own sport. His opponent: ruthless fighter and Thai champion, Tong Po. Tong not only defeats Eric, he paralyzes him for life. Crazed with anger, Kurt vows revenge.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  27. Half Past Dead (2002)

    A man goes undercover in a hi-tech prison to find out information to help prosecute those who killed his wife. While there, he stumbles onto a plot involving a death-row inmate and his $200 million stash of gold.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action

  28. The Medallion (2003)

    A Hong Kong detective suffers a fatal accident involving a mysterious medallion and is transformed into an immortal warrior with superhuman powers.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action

  29. Once Upon a Time in China (1991)

    In late 19th-century Canton, legendary hero Wong Fei-Hung battles foreign forces' (English, French and American) plundering of China. When Aunt Yee returns from America totally westernised, Wong assumes the role of protector. This proves difficult when his martial arts school and local militia become involved in fierce battles with foreign and local governments. As violence escalates, even Aunt Yee has to question her new western ideals, but is it possible to fight guns with Kung Fu?

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  30. Once Upon a Time in China II (1992)

    Wong Fei-Hung faces the White Lotus Society, a fanatical cult seeking to drive the Europeans out of China through violence, even attacking Chinese who follow Western ways. Wong must also defend revolutionary Dr. Sun Yat Sen from the military.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action

    Worth the HypeMovies like this

Like The First Stab of Tang Dynasty and something else?

Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best movies like The First Stab of Tang Dynasty?

The closest matches to The First Stab of Tang Dynasty are The Assassin (2015), An Empress and the Warriors (2008) and Saving General Yang (2013). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.

What should I watch after The First Stab of Tang Dynasty?

Start with The Assassin (2015), the closest match to The First Stab of Tang Dynasty.

What is the highest-rated movie like The First Stab of Tang Dynasty?

Hero (2002), rated 7.5/10 by 2,644 TMDB users.

What is the newest movie like The First Stab of Tang Dynasty?

Dynasty Warriors (2021) is the most recent release on this list.

Are there Chinese movies like The First Stab of Tang Dynasty?

Yes: The Assassin (2015), An Empress and the Warriors (2008) and Saving General Yang (2013).

How are movies similar to The First Stab of Tang Dynasty chosen?

First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The First Stab of Tang Dynasty, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.

↑ ↓ to move · Enter to open · Full search page