Film

Ninja: Shadow of a Tear

A revenge thriller that treats martial arts with genuine respect. Scott Adkins plays a man methodically hunting his wife's killer across Asia, and the film lets action sequences breathe—long takes, minimal cuts, the kind of choreography that rewards attention. It's for people who want their action films earned rather than edited into abstraction.

TMDb rating3.4

If you liked this

John Wick2014

The same DNA: a quiet man pushed into violence, then pursuing a vendetta with professional precision. Keanu Reeves' measured performance and the film's refusal to oversell its own spectacle will feel immediately familiar.

But It's become somewhat canonised as a turning point in action cinema, so the experience might feel less fresh than it was. The dog-motivator premise divides people.

John Wick poster

The Night Comes For Us2018

Indonesian action cinema at its peak. Joe Taslim and Iko Uwais deliver visceral, inventive fight choreography with real stakes. If you love what Ninja does with its action, this takes that commitment even further.

But The plot is deliberately thin and serves only as scaffolding for set pieces. Some will find that exhausting rather than liberating.

The Night Comes For Us poster

Commando1985

Arnold Schwarzenegger as a retired soldier hunting the men who took his daughter. The template for this entire subgenre—and it still moves with purpose. The action is inventive and the film never pretends to be anything but functional.

But The eighties aesthetic will either charm you or put you at arm's length. It's not concerned with realism in the way modern action thrillers are.

Commando poster

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Ninja: Shadow of a Tear

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Undisputed II: Last Man Standing2006

Same lead, same commitment to long-take martial arts sequences, same refusal to hide the choreography. Seeing Adkins in a lesser-known film proves the Ninja films weren't accidents—he chooses directors who respect what he can do.

Scott Adkins himself, in a prison-set action thriller that's lean, efficient, and genuinely inventive. Bojan Minic directs with real style, and the fight choreography is some of the best DTV action ever made. It's the film that proved Adkins could carry a movie.

But It's a direct-to-video release, and the production values show it in places. The script is minimal. Some will assume lower budget means lower quality.

Undisputed II: Last Man Standing poster
More like this (7)

Harakiri1962

The gold standard for martial arts filmmaking: composed, deliberate, visually stunning. Masaki Kobayashi's masterpiece about honour and death will deepen your appreciation for what disciplined action cinema can do.

But It's a tragedy, not a thriller. The pace is meditative. Anyone wanting modern momentum will find it slow.

Harakiri poster

Man on Fire2004

Tony Scott's revenge film with Denzel Washington. Raw and propulsive, it captures the psychological toll of vengeance rather than just the action beats. Scott's kinetic direction makes every scene feel charged.

But The editing is deliberately disorienting—jump cuts, negative stock, temporal disruption. If you want clarity, this will frustrate you.

Man on Fire poster

The Raid 22014

Gareth Evans' sequel deepens the first film's commitment to raw choreography while adding genuine narrative weight. The kitchen fight alone justifies the runtime. Pure action cinema that trusts its audience.

But It's much longer and more plot-heavy than the first film, which some see as dilution. The story won't surprise anyone who's seen a crime thriller before.

The Raid 2 poster

SPL: Kill Zone2005

A Hong Kong action masterpiece featuring Donnie Yen and Simon Yam. Brilliantly shot fight scenes, real tension, and a moral complexity that elevates it beyond pure spectacle. Essential viewing for action aficionados.

But The subtitles are non-negotiable. Some of the plot mechanics feel dated by modern standards.

SPL: Kill Zone poster

Hard Target1993

John Woo's American debut with Jean-Claude Van Damme. Stylish, violent, and full of Woo's signature gunplay. It's trashy fun executed with real craft and visual flair.

But The plot—men hunting men for sport—is pure exploitation. The dialogue doesn't justify itself. It's unapologetically a B-movie premise.

Hard Target poster

Triple Frontier2019

A heist thriller with Oscar Isaac, Charlie Hunnam, and Ben Affleck. Solid direction by J.C. Chandor, good ensemble chemistry, and some genuinely tense sequences. Professional filmmaking about professionals at work.

But It plays it very safe—Netflix's version of an action film, competent but cautious. Nothing here surprises or pushes you.

Triple Frontier poster

The Blade1995

Both films are utterly committed to their action sequences as the main event, but where Ninja is grounded and geographic, The Blade is atmospheric and surreal. It shows what happens when you prioritise action choreography while abandoning realism entirely—a useful mirror for understanding what Ninja does by staying grounded.

A Hong Kong fantasy-action film from Tsui Hark's era, mixing martial arts with gothic atmosphere. It's visually strange, operates by dream logic rather than plot logic, and the action sequences exist in their own dreamlike space. Utterly unlike what you'd expect from a revenge thriller.

But It's deliberately difficult and alienating—not interested in making sense to Western audiences or even in conventional narrative. You're watching mood and visual obsession more than story.

The Blade poster

People

Cast

Directing

Writing

Production

Recommended by