Movies Like Diary of a Shinjuku Thief

If you liked Diary of a Shinjuku Thief (1969), a drama and comedy movie directed by Nagisa Ōshima, here are 20 movies with a similar feel, based on TMDB's recommendations. Each one links to its cast, trailer and where it's streaming.

1
Vengeance Is Mine (1979)
★ 7.5/10Also drama
A thief, a murderer, and a charming lady-killer, Iwao Enokizu is on the run from the police.
2
City Hunter: Shinjuku Private Eyes (2019)
★ 6.4/10Also comedy
When gorgeous model Ai Shindo finds herself stalked by mysterious men, she comes to Ryo and his crew for protection. While he tries to hunt down the potential assassins (and maybe score a little nookie in the process)…
3
Shoplifters (2018)
★ 7.8/10Also drama
In the outskirts of Tokyo, a poor but close-knit group living on the fringes of society survives through shoplifting and odd jobs. When Osamu and his son take in a neglected young girl, their already fragile existence…
4
Kabukicho Love Hotel (2014)
★ 6.4/10Also comedy and drama
This erotically charged drama traces the intersecting stories of a group of employees and visitors at a notorious "love hotel" in Tokyo's red-light district.
5
The Eel (1997)
★ 6.9/10Also drama
A businessman kills his adulterous wife and is sent to prison. After his release, he opens a barbershop and meets new people, talking to almost no one except for an eel he befriended while in prison.
6
Blood and Bones (2004)
★ 6.6/10Also drama
In 1923, teenager Kim Shun-Pei moves from Cheju Island, in South Korea, to Osaka, in Japan. Along the years, he becomes a cruel, greedy and violent man and builds a factory of kamaboko, processed seafood products, in…
7
Angel Guts: Red Classroom (1979)
★ 6.4/10Also drama
A porn magazine editor stumbles upon an amateur gang rape film and, struck by the girl's acting, decides to find her.
8
The Yakuza (1974)
★ 7.1/10Also drama
When George Tanner does business with high-ranking Yakuza Tono, Tono kidnaps his daughter, and George summons his old friend, private eye Harry Kilmer, to Japan to investigate.
9
House of Bamboo (1955)
★ 6.2/10Also drama
Eddie Kenner is given a special assignment by the Army to get the inside story on Sandy Dawson, a former GI who has formed a gang of fellow servicemen and Japanese locals.
10
Tokyo Decadence (1992)
★ 6/10Also drama
A submissive hooker goes about her trade, suffering abuse at the hands of Japanese salarymen and Yakuza types. She's unhappy about her work, and is apparently trying to find some sort of appeasement for the fact that…
11
Female Yakuza Tale (1973)
★ 6.1/10Also drama
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…
12
Sakuran (2006)
★ 6.5/10Also drama
Kiyoha rises from the lowly courtesan ranks to the high class position of Oiran in the steamy red-light district of Yoshiwara. She is determined to stand on her own two feet and live life as she pleased.
13
Intentions of Murder (1964)
★ 7/10Also drama
The neglected common-law wife of a Japanese librarian is repeatedly harassed by a young man with a heart condition who seduces her with the prospect of a better life.
14
The United States of Leland (2003)
★ 6.5/10Also drama
A withdrawn young man, Leland Fitzgerald is imprisoned for the murder of a mentally disabled boy, who also happened to be the brother of his girlfriend, Becky. As the community struggles to deal with the killing, Pearl…
15
Kidnapping Mr. Heineken (2015)
★ 6/10Also drama
The true story of the kidnapping of Freddy Heineken, the grandson of the founder of the Heineken brewery, and his driver. They were released after a ransom of 35 million Dutch guilders was paid.
16
Ladies in Black (2018)
★ 6.7/10Also comedy and drama
Adapted from the bestselling novel by Madeleine St John, Ladies in Black is an alluring and tender-hearted comedy drama about the lives of a group of department store employees in 1959 Sydney.
17
Samurai Rebellion (1967)
★ 8.2/10Also drama
The mother of a feudal lord's only heir is kidnapped by the lord. Her husband and his samurai father must decide whether to accept the unjust decision, or risk death to rescue her.
18
I Love Boosters (2026)
★ 6.3/10Also comedy
A group of shoplifters take aim at a cutthroat fashion maven by stealing from her stores and reselling them at a lower price — what they call 'fashion-forward philanthropy'.
19
Gonin (1995)
★ 6.6/10Also drama
Five men plot to steal a large sum of money from the local yakuza, but everything does not go as planned and the men find themselves hunted down by contract killers.
20
Taboo (1999)
★ 6.6/10Also drama
Set during Japan's Shogun era, this film looks at life in a samurai compound where young warriors are trained in swordfighting. A number of interpersonal conflicts are brewing in the training room, all centering on a…