Best movies & TV Shows like Sparrow

A unique, carefully handpicked, selection of the best movies like Sparrow Starring Li Yifeng, Zhou Dongyu, Zhang Luyi, Zhang Ruoyun, and more. If you liked Sparrow then you may also like: The Knot, Back to 1942, The Crossing, Farewell My Concubine, Lust, Caution and many more popular movies featured on this list. You can further filter the list even more or get a random selection from the list of similar movies, to make your selection even easier.

TV show

This drama is set during the revolutionary time in Shanghai, based on a novel of the same name of Hai Fei. During the republican revolution, Chen Shen is a secret agent under Special Operations Executive Director Bi Zhongliang, among the agents called “sparrow” (similar to the program “zero” in Japan)

selected filters: Sort: Default

You may filter the list of movies on this page for a more refined, personalized selection of movies.

Still not sure what to watch click the recommend buttun below to get a movie recommendation selected from all the movies on this list

Know any good movies to watch like Sparrow 2016. With a similar plot or stoyline. Suggest it.

The Knot

They fell in love; Chen Qiushui was 20. Wang Biyun was 18. When Qiushui fled Taiwan after the 228 Massacre, Biyun gave him a gold engagement ring and they promised to meet again. Qiushui served as an army doctor during the Korean War, where he met Wang Jindi, a nurse from Shanghai who fell in love with him instantly. Years had gone by, Qiushui married Jindi and settled in Tibet. While in Taiwan, Biyun buried Qiushui's mother and continued to pray for his return. Flashback to modern time, Biyun is living in New York. Her niece played by Isabella Leong, a writer, has travelled to Tibet to find out what happened to Qiushui. Through the pictures she sends back via internet, Biyun finally gets to see the familiar face once again.

Back to 1942

In 1942, Henan Province was devastated by the most tragic famine in modern Chinese history, resulting in the deaths of at least three million men, women and children. Although the primary cause of the famine was a severe drought, it was exacerbated by locusts, windstorms, earthquakes, epidemic disease and the corruption of the ruling Kuomintang government.

The Crossing

At the end of the World War II and the middle of the Chinese Revolution, three couples from different backgrounds with different nationalities flee from China to the island of Taiwan.

Farewell My Concubine

Abandoned by his prostitute mother in 1920, Douzi was raised by a theater troupe. There he meets Shitou and over the following years the two develop an act entitled "Farewell My Concubine" that brings them fame and fortune. When Shitou marries Juxian, Douzi becomes jealous, the beginnings of the acting duo's explosive breakup and tragic fall take root.

Lust, Caution

During World War II, a secret agent must seduce then assassinate an official who works for the Japanese puppet government in Shanghai. Her mission becomes clouded when she finds herself falling in love with the man she is assigned to kill.

Don't Cry, Nanking

In December 1937, during the Second Japanese-Sino War, a Chinese doctor, his Japanese pregnant wife, their teenage daughter and their young son travel from Shanghai to Nanjing seeking shelter in the Capital during the Japanese invasion. The family faces the Rape of Nanking by the Imperial Japanese Army, with rapes, mass murder of prisoners of war and civilians including women, children and elders, and disrespect of international conventions.

I Wish I Knew

Focuses on the people, their stories and architecture spanning from the mid-1800s, when Shanghai was opened as a trading port, to the present day.

The Message

After a series of assassinations in Nanking, a Japanese spy master gathers a group of suspects in a mansion, then a tense cat-and-mouse game erupts as the Chinese agent tries to keep his or her identity a secret.

Purple Butterfly

Ding Hui is a member of Purple Butterfly, a powerful resistance group in Japanese occupied Shanghai. An unexpected encounter reunites her with Itami, an ex-lover and officer with a secret police unit tasked with dismantling Purple Butterfly.

Traces of a Dragon: Jackie Chan & His Lost Family

A surprising look at the past of movie star Jackie Chan and the difficulties of Chinese families during the Culture Revolution.

Code Name: Emerald

In preparation for Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of Nazi occupied territory, the 'overlords' were the few Allied agents who knew the details of the operation. When one them is captured by the Germans, a double agent must infiltrate occupied Paris, with the help of a high level German officer and the French resistance.

Eternal Wave

Eternal Wave 密战 is a Chinese film set during the anti-Japanese occupation era starring Aaron Kwok, Zhao Li Ying and Zhang Han. It follows the main protagonist Lin Xiang who is a spy working underground to reestablish what was destroyed ruing the Battle of Shanghai. He meets a simple yet patriotic young lady who becomes his partner as they infiltrate the enemy as a couple. Apart from that, they cross paths with Liang Dong, a man whose motives are unclear.

East Wind Rain

Year 1941, a roll of film is delivered to Shanghai and a Chinese spy named Gong An Ming (Liu Yun Long) must decide what he should do with the film, which turns out containing a great secret that could shock the whole world. He discovers the plan code named 'East Wind Rain' and passes the information to the American that their territory will soon be invaded by the Japanese. The code is aired during the weather report from Radio Tokyo on Dec 4, 1941. While in Shanghai An Ming meets with a singer cum pianist, Huan Yan (Fan Bing Bing) and falls in love with her, not realizing that she is also one of the spies. Soon An Ming realizes that his effort found no success and have been ignored due to some reason. And now by risking his own life he must also decide whether to make Huan Yan his lover or his enemy? Will the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor in the end? Which country is Huan Yan working as a spy for? Will An Ming get caught by his enemy?

The Shanghai Story

Shanghai, China. The last expatriate Westerners still living in the city are imprisoned in a hotel by the communist authorities in order to find the spy hiding among them.

Shanghai

An American man returns to a corrupt, Japanese-occupied Shanghai four months before Pearl Harbor and discovers his friend has been killed. While he unravels the mysteries of the death, he falls in love and discovers a much larger secret that his own government is hiding.

The Eight Hundred

In 1937, eight hundred Chinese soldiers fight under siege from a warehouse in the middle of the Shanghai battlefield, completely surrounded by the Japanese army.

Air Strike

An American pilot is sent to a Chinese province to teach a crew of would-be pilots how to fly war planes against the Japanese during World War II.

Shanghai Knight

The Chinese Chamber of Commerce established a Jockey Club during the Republic of China, patriot Jin Guangrong signed the "Seven Wharfs" gambling contract with the Japanese Chamber of Commerce in order to protect the control of the wharf. Ma Yunfei, a hero with superb riding skills became entangled with Jin Guangrong due to someone's framing, and became a murderer overnight. A gamble, a wave of conspiracies, and a fierce and thrilling horse race have made the already unstable Shanghai bund even more turbulent...

The Soong Sisters

The Soong family was a political dynasty in China that reached the highest levels of power. This film follows the lives of the three Soong daughters, who were educated in America and returned to China. Ai-ling married a wealthy and powerful businessman. Ching-ling married Sun Yat-sen, the revolutionary founder of modern China. Mei-ling married Chiang Kai-shek, China's leader during World War II. The sisters captured the world's fascination for their brilliant marriages and their strong influence on their nation.

Shadows Over Shanghai

A pilot carrying a valuable amulet is shot down over China by a ruthless Russian agent, who also wants the amulet.

X Company

An emotionally-driven character drama, set in the thrilling and dangerous world of WWII espionage and covert operations. It follows the stories of five highly skilled young recruits - Canadian, American and British - torn from their ordinary lives to train as agents in an ultra-secret facility on the shores of Lake Ontario. These agents parachute behind enemy lines, where they're fair game for torture and execution. From elegant hotels to hellholes in the field, it's one risky operation after another, masterminded by the brains of Camp X.

Reilly: Ace of Spies

Reilly, Ace of Spies is a 1983 television miniseries dramatizing the life of Sidney Reilly, a Russian Jew who became one of the greatest spies ever to work for the British. Among his exploits, in the early 20th century, were the infiltration of the German General Staff in 1917 and a near-overthrow of the Bolsheviks in 1918. His reputation with women was as legendary as his genius for espionage.

The Qin Empire

The Qin Empire is a 2009 Chinese television series based on Sun Haohui's novel of the same Chinese title. The 51 episodes long series chronicles the rise of the Qin state in the Warring States period during the reign of Duke Xiao of Qin. It was produced in 2006 and first aired on television channels in China in December 2009.

Empresses in the Palace

Zhen Huan, a 17-year-old innocent introduced into the imperial court as the latest concubine of Emperor Yong Zheng. Her dreams of a new life of love and prosperity are swiftly dashed as she enters a dog-eat-dog world of treachery and corruption.

Destined to Love You

Set in Shanghai in the late 1910s, Qian Bao Bao is a cunning young woman who assumes the stolen identity of a female instructor at an all-male military academy in order to earn enough money to help her sick mother. During her stay at the academy, Bao Bao finds herself entangled in a complicated love triangle with the flirtatious Xiang Hao and the intelligent Shen Wen Tao, who are both instructors at the academy.

The Disguiser

Set in the Japanese occupation era, the rich yet naive young master Ming Tai is trained to become an agent, and is later sent to become an underground spy for the Communists. Together with his brother and double agent Ming Lou, they try and bring down Wang Wei's Kuomintang Secret Service Headquarters.

Once Upon a Time in Qingdao

The series follows the lives of three brothers as they struggle through the turbulent political period before the war. They become part of the first-generation immigrant entrepreneurial path in Qingdao. The story began in 1904 when the Jinan Railway opened and ends with the outbreak of war in 1937.

The Mystic Nine

The drama is a prequel to The Lost Tomb in which the story focuses on the exploits of the nine grave robbing families in the 1940s. With the help of his friends Fortune Teller Qi Tie Zue and Opera Singer Er Yue Hong, General Zhang Qi Shan entered into a strange mine to discover a mysterious ancient tomb. After many untold dangers, he uncovered a Japanese plot to kill the residents of Changsha city. The men banded together to stop the Japanese's plot, thereby saving their city.

Rookie Agent Rouge

Can a young woman prove her loyalty to her country and her family? Lan Yan Zhi is a privileged banker’s daughter in Shanghai and a student activist who mistakenly comes into possession of a letter from the Japanese Army in 1937. She gets misunderstood for a spy by her crush, Zhou Yu Hao, an upstanding officer in the Chinese Army. To prove her innocence, Yan Zhi agrees to infiltrate the home of her best friend, Feng Man Na, and help Yu Hao track down a mysterious “Mister Traitor.” But what will Yan Zhi do when the search leads to a member of her own family?

Nothing Gold Can Stay

Zhou Ying is sold to the powerful Shen family by her foster father, yet successfully escapes by sneaking into merchant Wu Ping’s palanquin. The Wu family agreed to take her in after witnessing her remarkable business acumen, and she ends up marrying Wu Ping. The drama will chronicle the life of the Qing Dynasty's richest female merchant, and her struggles to keep the Wu family business afloat during the last years of the Qing Dynasty. Shen Xingyi is a happy-go-lucky young sir who has never known hardship in his life. After meeting Zhou Ying, he eventually decides to change his ways and becomes a mature noble who is willing to protect his country and family from disaster. He has a seemingly unrequited love for Zhou Ying.

Tientsin Mystic

Frequent flooding and drowning were common occurrences in Tianjin (Tientsin) in the early 1900s. But when a local shipping magnate was found drowned to death chained to a statue on the bottom of riverbed, police department's underwater recovery team captain Guo De You was their primary suspect, since he was the only one in the city who could stay underwater long enough to complete the deed. The businessman son's Ding Mao tried to prove Guo's guilt, but his own forensic discovery and another bizarre drowning in the same vicinity challenged his initial impression. Together with spirit medium Gu Ying and news reporter Xiao Lan Lan, they peeled away the mystery and found the clues pointed to an incident occurred over 20 years ago when an evil cult was ravaging the city. Now, the cult was once again causing havoc. To stop their resurgence, the team must investigate the unexplained, mind-bending cases that plagued their city.

Secret Agent Selection: WW2

The training programme of one of World War Two's most covert organisations, the Special Operations Executive or SEO, is resurrected.

Lost in 1949

On New Year’s Day in 1949, female accountant Huang Li Wen returns to her hometown Shanghai in order to commemorate her husband and comrade’s death. As a Communist agent, she is ordered to obtain valuable information for the Communist Party and aid them in their quest for liberation. During her mission, Li Wen is reunited with her family members and becomes acquainted with the streetwise Qiao Zhi Cai and his younger twinbrother Qiao Li Jie, who turns out to be a key player in Huang Li Wen’s mission.

Candle In The Tomb: The Wrath Of Time

A group of tomb raiders team up together to explore an ancient tomb of Yuan dynasty which is located in the Ping Shan mountain in West Hunan province.

Detective L

Shanghai in 30s: An intriguing crime case emerges amidst the bustling city. A beautiful new graduate of police academy, Qin Xiaoman, joins the investigation unit. The famous detective Luo Fei becomes her colleague and neighbour.

Awakening of Insects

Set during the Japanese occupation of Shanghai in 1941, the drama follows Chen Shan who was forced to be a Japanese spy to save his younger sister who was held in captive; and his journey to become a patriotic fighter.

Hot Blooded Youth

A legendary story about a young man who overcomes many hardships to become a formidable force in the Shanghai Bund. Xiong Tian grew up in the streets. With nothing to his name, he works a thankless job just to make a living. Nonetheless, he is quick-witted, talented and exceptionally gifted in steam-powered machinery. By chance, he gets pulled into a complicated fight and works his way to become a champion.

Odds To Win

In the year 1941, Nazi Germany declares war against the Soviet Union. Given that Manchukuo's loyalties lie with Cheng Tian, the Russians are caught in a situation where they face threats on all sides. Their intelligence agency devises a long-term plan in secret. Communist spy Tang Fei (Liu Yunlong) receives a mission to infiltrate the enemy by pretending to be one of their own. At the Security Bureau, he crosses paths with Cai Meng (Han Chae Young), a woman determined to fight against the Japanese regime. They gain each other's trust as they try to outsmart the enemy within their own territory.

Fearless Whispers

A story revolving around a fresh graduate who holds an idealistic view of what's right and wrong, yet realizes that the very institution he chose to serve falls heavily onto a gray area caught in the struggles during chaotic times. It takes place after the war has been won. Gu Yao Dong who grew up in Shanghai graduates from university. Hoping to fulfill his dreams of upholding the law and protecting the people, he succeeds in becoming a policeman. However, Gu Yao Dong is disheartened from the constant bullying by his peers and even gets caught deep in the political warfare between the Communists and the Nationalist. With the help of Xia Ji Cheng and Shen Qing He, he starts on a road to a revolution.

Awakening Age

During a turbulent time from 1915 to 1921, Chen Du Xiu and Li Da Zhao, along with other like-minded individuals, founded the Magazine La Jeunesse that started the New Culture Movement. The magazine promoted science and democracy and revolutionized the thinking of the masses and encouraged them to fight against imperialism that has been ingrained in everyone. The series follows a colorful cast with various well-known authors, politicians, and revolutionists as they all try in their own way to save their country.

The Rebel

After ten years of knowledge and choice, after the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japan, Lin Nansheng has grown into a true Communist Party member. And at the critical moment of the War of Liberation, he made outstanding contributions to the party and the country.

Love In Han Yuan

A story about a socialite in Shanghai whose family falls to ruin and starts on a journey to become a spy. Lu Han Zhi's fate is intertwined between two men from opposing sides of a war. Gao Chen who appears to be a traitor to his country is actually a Communist spy. Han Shou Min who appears to be a patriot and used to be a top spy of the Kuomindang is treading on a path of no return after being betrayed by his own comrades. Caught in a dangerous and increasingly complication situation, Lu Han Zhi grows from a mere socialite to an impassioned revolutionary.

More custom members lists

Sort results by:

X close
Default
Clear filters
...