Movies Like Showdown at Lightning Pass

If you liked Showdown at Lightning Pass (1962), a movie directed by Nobuo Nakagawa, 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
Samurai Rebellion (1967)
★ 8.2/10
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.
2
Bushido (2024)
★ 7.4/10
Kakunoshin, renowned for his skills with a sword and in the game of go, embodies the samurai code. Falsely accused of a theft, he is forced to become a lowly ronin. Years later, when a case of missing gold pulls him…
3
Chûshingura (1962)
★ 7.1/10
After their lord is tricked into committing ritual suicide, forty-seven samurai warriors await the chance to avenge their master and reclaim their honor.
4
Love and Honor (2006)
★ 7.4/10
A look at the relationship between a young blind samurai and his wife, who will make a sacrifice in order to defend her husband's honor.
5
Double Suicide (1969)
★ 7/10
Successful and married with children, paper-mill owner Jihei knows better than to contradict the strict social and moral codes of 18th-century Japan. But when he meets the lovely courtesan Koharu, he becomes a man…
6
The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail (1952)
★ 6.7/10
A fugitive lord and his six retainers disguise themselves as monks to bluff their way through a hostile checkpoint.
7
The Tale of Zatoichi (1962)
★ 7.3/10
The adventures of a blind, gambling masseur and master swordsman. Zatoichi targets a yakuza-controlled village, because war with a neighbouring town's smaller gang is brewing.
8
Rurouni Kenshin: The Final (2021)
★ 7.7/10
In 1879, Kenshin and his allies face their strongest enemy yet: his former brother-in-law Enishi Yukishiro and his minions, who've vowed their revenge.
9
Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance (1972)
★ 7.4/10
Official Shogunate executioner Ogami Itto has been framed for disloyalty to the Shogunate by the Yagyu clan, against whom he now is waging a one-man war, along with his infant son, Daigoro.
10
The Twilight Samurai (2002)
★ 7.8/10
Seibei Iguchi leads a difficult life as a low ranking samurai at the turn of the nineteenth century. A widower with a meager income, Seibei struggles to take care of his two daughters and senile mother. New prospects…
11
Kamui (2009)
★ 6.1/10
A rebellious ninja in 17th century Japan takes refuge with a fisherman and his family.
12
Rurouni Kenshin Part III: The Legend Ends (2014)
★ 7.7/10
Shishio sets sail in his ironclad ship to bring down the government. In order to stop him, Kenshin trains with his old master to learn his final technique.
13
The Sword of Doom (1966)
★ 7.8/10
Ryunosuke, a gifted swordsman plying his trade during the turbulent final days of Shogunate rule, has no moral code and kills without remorse. It’s a way of life that leads to madness.
14
Gojoe: Spirit War Chronicle (2001)
★ 6.8/10
Benkei, a master fighter and killer, vows never to take another life after his conversion to Buddhism. His faith in pacifism, however, is shaken and ultimately broken by the attacks from a trio of fighters known only…
15
Ran (1985)
★ 8/10
Shakespeare's King Lear is reimagined as a singular historical epic set in sixteenth-century Japan where an aging warlord divides his kingdom between his three sons.
16
New Tale of Zatoichi (1963)
★ 7/10
Wishing to find peace, Zatoichi travels to his old village but only finds trouble when he ends up in a love triangle and finds old scores have followed him home.
17
Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning (2021)
★ 7.7/10
Before he was a protector, Kenshin was a fearsome assassin known as Battosai. But when he meets gentle Tomoe Yukishiro, a beautiful young woman who carries a huge burden in her heart, his life will change forever.
18
Lone Wolf and Cub: White Heaven in Hell (1974)
★ 7.1/10
With most of his family already dead at Ogami Itto's hands, Retsudo launches one final plot to destroy him, and when that fails, unleashes the fury of every remaining member of the Yagyu clan.
19
Taboo (1999)
★ 6.6/10
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…
20
Throne of Blood (1957)
★ 7.9/10
Returning to their lord's castle, samurai warriors Washizu and Miki are waylaid by a spirit who predicts their futures. When the first part of the spirit's prophecy comes true, Washizu's scheming wife, Asaji, presses…