Movies Like Heat Wave

Ranked by shared directors, cast, themes, genre, and era — not just generic recommendations.

Death Shadows

1986·1h 55m·★ 6.1·Hideo Gosha

2 shared crewBoth star Takuzō Kawatani & Naoto TakenakaDir. Hideo Gosha

The Oil-Hell Murder

1992·1h 55m·★ 6.5·Hideo Gosha

2 shared crewBoth star Kanako Higuchi & Tsuyoshi UjikiDir. Hideo Gosha

Onimasa: A Japanese Godfather

1982·2h 26m·★ 6.9·Hideo Gosha

2 shared crewDir. Hideo GoshaDP: Fujio Morita

Yakuza Ladies

1986·2h·★ 6.3·Hideo Gosha

2 shared crewDir. Hideo GoshaDP: Fujio Morita

Tenchu!

1969·2h 20m·★ 7.4·Hideo Gosha

2 shared crewDir. Hideo GoshaDP: Fujio Morita

Gate of Flesh

1988·1h 59m·★ 6.2·Hideo Gosha

2 shared crewDir. Hideo GoshaDP: Fujio Morita

The Geisha

1983·2h 24m·★ 6.9·Hideo Gosha

2 shared crewDir. Hideo GoshaDP: Fujio Morita

Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Final Episode

1974·1h 40m·★ 7.3·Kinji Fukasaku

Themes: shōwa era (1926-89), mafia, yakuzaFans also likedDrama & Crime

Outrage

2010·1h 49m·★ 6.8·Takeshi Kitano

Themes: tattoo, restaurant, yakuzaFans also likedCrime & Drama

Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Proxy War

1973·1h 42m·★ 7.3·Kinji Fukasaku

Themes: shōwa era (1926-89), yakuza, gangsterFans also likedDrama & Crime

Fireworks

1997·1h 43m·★ 7.7·Takeshi Kitano

Themes: gambling, yakuzaFans also likedStarring Hakuryu

A Bronx Tale

1993·2h 1m·★ 7.8·Robert De Niro

Themes: gambling, mafia, gangsterDrama & Crime

Bandits vs. Samurai Squadron

1978·2h 43m·★ 6.6·Hideo Gosha

Both star Tatsuya Nakadai & Takuzō KawataniDir. Hideo Gosha

Dead or Alive

1999·1h 45m·★ 6.7·Takashi Miike

TMDB recommendsThemes: yakuza, gangster

Crows Zero

2007·2h 10m·★ 7.0·Takashi Miike

Themes: mafia, yakuzaFans also liked

Casino

1995·2h 59m·★ 8.2·Martin Scorsese

Themes: gambling, mafiaCrime & Drama

Pale Flower

1964·1h 36m·★ 7.7·Masahiro Shinoda

Themes: yakuza, gangsterFans also liked

The Godfather

1972·2h 55m·★ 9.2·Francis Ford Coppola

Themes: mafia, gangsterDrama & Crime

The Godfather Part II

1974·3h 22m·★ 9.0·Francis Ford Coppola

Themes: mafia, gangsterDrama & Crime

GoodFellas

1990·2h 25m·★ 8.7·Martin Scorsese

Themes: mafia, gangsterDrama & Crime

How Good Is Heat Wave?

Ratings across IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic, and TMDB, plus our verdict.

Where to Watch Heat Wave

Streaming, rental, and purchase options across 40+ countries.

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United States

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Criterion Channel

Available in 3 countries