Best movies like Dirty Harry
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
When a madman dubbed 'Scorpio' terrorizes San Francisco, hard-nosed cop, Harry Callahan – famous for his take-no-prisoners approach to law enforcement – is tasked with hunting down the psychopath. Harry eventually collars Scorpio in the process of rescuing a kidnap victim, only to see him walk on technicalities. Now, the maverick detective is determined to nail the maniac himself.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 166000
Genere: Action, Crime, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: serious, captivating, suspense, tense, bleak, suspenseful, cult classic, neo noir, grindhouse, harsh
Best tv shows and movies like Dirty Harry (1971):
Similar in 83%
Coogan's Bluff (1968)
Plot Summary:
Coogan (Clint Eastwood) an Arizona deputy sheriff goes to New York to pick up a prisoner. While escorting the prisoner to the airport he escapes and Coogan heads into the City to recapture him.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 18000
Genere: Action, Comedy, Crime, Thriller, Western
Country: USA
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: light, black comedy, exciting, cult classic, entertaining, retro, psychedelic, rough, serious, realistic
Similar in 78%
Magnum Force (1973)
Plot Summary:
"Dirty" Harry Callahan is a San Francisco Police Inspector on the trail of a group of rogue cops who have taken justice into their own hands. When shady characters are murdered one after another in grisly fashion, only Dirty Harry can stop them.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 66000
Genere: Action, Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 124 min
Plot tags: suspenseful, tense, harsh, intense, rough, serious, disturbing, realistic, detective, grindhouse
Similar in 80%
The Dead Pool (1988)
Plot Summary:
Dirty Harry Callahan returns for his final film adventure. Together with his partner Al Quan, he must investigate the systematic murder of actors and musicians. By the time Harry learns that the murders are a part of a sick game to predict the deaths of celebrities before they happen, it may be too late.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 48000
Genere: Action, Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: suspense, psychological, serious, neo noir, detective, suspenseful, exciting, action thriller, perverse, cult classic
Similar in 86%
Death Warrant (1990)
Plot Summary:
The Canadian policeman Louis Burke is assigned in a jail to investigate in some murders of prisoners and jailors. When in jail, Lois, using his outstandings martial arts is able to save his life and make himself respected in that violent world. At least, helped by two another prisoners, he succeded in finding the truth about the dreadful crimes.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 20000
Genere: Action, Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: detective, exciting, rough, suspenseful, suspense, action packed, tense, captivating, perverse, cult classic
Similar in 83%
Sudden Impact (1983)
Plot Summary:
When a young rape victim takes justice into her own hands and becomes a serial killer, it's up to Dirty Harry Callahan, on suspension from the SFPD, to bring her to justice.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 48000
Genere: Action, Crime, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 117 min
Plot tags: neo noir, exciting, intense, tense, serious, suspenseful, cult classic, detective, retro, crime drama
Similar in 77%
Nighthawks (1981)
Plot Summary:
An international terrorist has New York in a grip of panic and it's up to Det. Sgt. Deke DaSilva to take him down.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 21000
Genere: Action, Crime, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: exciting, suspenseful, suspense, harsh, intense, realistic, rough, serious, cult classic, retro
Similar in 77%
Shaft (1971)
Plot Summary:
Cool black private eye John Shaft is hired by a crime lord to find and retrieve his kidnapped daughter.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 21000
Genere: Action, Crime, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: grindhouse, stylized, tense, harsh, neo noir, serious, suspenseful, hood, realistic, cult classic
Similar in 78%
Hard Target (1993)
Plot Summary:
When a woman's father goes missing, she enlist a local to aid in her search. The pair soon discover that her father has died at the hands of a wealthy sportsman who hunts homeless men as a form of recreation.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 55000
Genere: Action, Crime, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: exciting, suspense, entertaining, intense, rough, realistic, suspenseful, serious, bloody, stylized
Similar in 78%
Cobra (1986)
Plot Summary:
A tough-on-crime street cop must protect the only surviving witness to a strange murderous cult with far reaching plans.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 78000
Genere: Action, Crime, Thriller
Country: USA, Israel
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: slasher, suspense, intense, grindhouse, cult classic, melancholic, rough, serious, suspenseful, exciting
Similar in 81%
Bullitt (1968)
Plot Summary:
Senator Walter Chalmers is aiming to take down mob boss Pete Ross with the help of testimony from the criminal's hothead brother Johnny, who is in protective custody in San Francisco under the watch of police lieutenant Frank Bullitt. When a pair of mob hitmen enter the scene, Bullitt follows their trail through a maze of complications and double-crosses. This thriller includes one of the most famous car chases ever filmed.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 74000
Genere: Action, Crime, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 114 min
Plot tags: suspense, exciting, suspenseful, detective, tense, intense, cynical, serious, realistic, stylized
Similar in 88%
Raw Deal (1986)
Plot Summary:
Mark Kaminsky is kicked out of the FBI for his rough treatment of a suspect. He winds up as the sheriff of a small town in North Carolina. FBI Chief Harry Shannon, whose son has been killed by a mobster named Patrovina, enlists Kaminsky in a personal vendetta with a promise of reinstatement into the FBI if Patrovina is taken down. To accomplish this, he must go undercover and join Patrovina's gang.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 37000
Genere: Action, Crime, Thriller
Country: USA, Netherlands
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: intense, rough, realistic, exciting, serious, suspenseful, action packed, cult classic, hood, perverse
Similar in 81%
Coffy (1973)
Plot Summary:
After her younger sister gets involved in drugs and is severely injured by contaminated heroin, a nurse sets out on a mission of vengeance and vigilante justice, killing drug dealers, pimps, and mobsters who cross her path.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Action, Crime, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: grindhouse, cult classic, hood, sexy, neo noir, erotic, slasher, psychotronic, period piece, sexual
Similar in 82%
The Enforcer (1976)
Plot Summary:
Dirty Harry Callahan returns again, this time saddled with a rookie female partner. Together, they must stop a terrorist group consisting of angry Vietnam veterans.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 48000
Genere: Action, Crime, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: neo noir, suspenseful, detective, retro, sexy, grindhouse, crime drama, perverse, action thriller, mind blowing
Similar in 86%
Tightrope (1984)
Plot Summary:
Wes Block is a detective who's put on the case of a serial killer. His victims are young and pretty women, which he rapes and murders. The murders are getting personal when the killer chooses victims who are acquaintances of Block. Even his daughters are threatened.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 19000
Genere: Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 114 min
Plot tags: psychological, tense, suspenseful, detective, sexual, intense, neo noir, suspense, sexy, tricky
Similar in 87%
The Rookie (1990)
Plot Summary:
Veteran cop Nick Pulovski is used to playing musical partners; many of the partners he's had in the past have died on the job, and often as a result of Nick's risky tactics. But the rookie who's been assigned to help Nick bust a carjacking ring is almost as hotheaded as he is … and when Nick gets kidnapped, his newbie partner is his only hope.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 29000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: suspense, entertaining, intense, semi serious, neo noir, exciting, retro, action thriller, black comedy, rough
Similar in 89%
Out for Justice (1991)
Plot Summary:
Gino Felino (Steven Seagal) is an NYPD detective from Brooklyn who knows everyone and everything in his neighborhood. Killing his Partner was someone's mistake, because he's now Out For Justice.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 25000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: suspense, bloody, detective, cult classic, suspenseful, grindhouse, hood, perverse, action thriller, exciting
Similar in 77%
Exit Wounds (2001)
Plot Summary:
Maverick cop Orin Boyd always brings down the domestic terrorists he tracks, but he ruffles feathers with his unorthodox techniques -- and soon finds himself reassigned to the toughest district in Detroit. When he discovers a group of detectives secretly operating a drug ring, Boyd joins forces with an unlikely ally -- gangster Latrell Walker -- to bring down the rotten cops.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 37000
Genere: Action, Crime, Thriller
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: stylized, suspense, detective, black comedy, exciting, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, fast paced
Similar in 88%
An Eye for an Eye (1981)
Plot Summary:
Sean Kane is forced to resign from the San Francisco Police Department's Narcotics Division when he goes berserk after his partner is murdered. He decides to fight alone and follows a trail of drug traffickers into unexpected high places.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Crime, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: suspense, serious, exciting, cult classic, tense, neo noir, independent film, rough, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 90%
Hard to Kill (1990)
Plot Summary:
Mason Storm, a 'go it alone' cop, is gunned down at home. The intruders kill his wife, and think they've killed both Mason and his son too. Mason is secretly taken to a hospital where he spends several years in a coma. His son meanwhile is growing up thinking his father is dead. When Mason wakes up, everyone is in danger - himself, his son, his best friend, his nurse - but most of all those who arranged for his death.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 32000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: suspense, exciting, serious, suspenseful, perverse, cult classic, action adventure, rough, realistic, fast
Similar in 82%
Deep Cover (1992)
Plot Summary:
The black policeman Russell Stevens applies for a special anti-drug squad which targets the highest boss of cocaine delivery to LA: the Colombian foreign minister's nephew. Russell works his way up from the bottom undercover, until he reaches the boss. The first step is to get the lawyer and hobby dealer David Jason to trust him.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 14000
Genere: Action, Crime, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: neo noir, suspenseful, tense, enigmatic, suspense, hood, cult classic, exciting, rough, serious
Similar in 84%
Marked for Death (1990)
Plot Summary:
Just retired from the Drug Enforcement Agency, John Hatcher returns to his hometown and quickly discovers that drugs have infiltrated his old neighborhood. Determined to drive the dealers out, Hatcher crosses paths with a ferocious Jamaican drug lord who vows that Hatcher and his family are now marked for death.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 24000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: suspense, exciting, serious, suspenseful, rough, realistic, grindhouse, intense, hood, cult classic
Similar in 75%
Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
Plot Summary:
Tough-talking Detroit cop Axel Foley heads to the rarified world of Beverly Hills in his beat-up Chevy Nova to investigate a friend's murder. But soon, he realizes he's stumbled onto something much more complicated. Bungling rookie detective Billy Rosewood joins the fish-out-of-water Axel and shows him the West Los Angeles ropes.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 197000
Genere: Action, Comedy, Crime, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: buddy comedy, humorous, funny, exciting, action comedy, witty, entertaining, cult classic, detective, hilarious
Similar in 90%
Blood Work (2002)
Plot Summary:
Still recovering from a heart transplant, a retired FBI profiler returns to service when his own blood analysis offers clues to the identity of a serial killer.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 47000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: suspenseful, suspense, tense, rough, serious, detective, touching, surprise ending, neo noir, dark
Similar in 86%
Death Wish (1974)
Plot Summary:
After his wife is murdered by street punks, a pacifistic New York City architect becomes a one-man vigilante squad, prowling the streets for would-be muggers after dark.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 43000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA, UK, Italy
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: controversial, disturbing, tense, grindhouse, intense, cult classic, rough, serious, suspenseful, neo noir
Similar in 83%
New Jack City (1991)
Plot Summary:
A gangster, Nino, is in the Cash Money Brothers, making a million dollars every week selling crack. A cop, Scotty, discovers that the only way to infiltrate the gang is to become a dealer himself.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 38000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: hood, stylized, suspense, harsh, intense, serious, tense, captivating, neo noir, cult classic
Similar in 87%
Death Wish (2018)
Plot Summary:
A mild-mannered father is transformed into a killing machine after his family is torn apart by a violent act.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 75000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: suspense, detective, exciting, suspenseful, controversial, bloody, entertaining, sad, hood, meta
Similar in 86%
RoboCop (1987)
Plot Summary:
In a violent, near-apocalyptic Detroit, evil corporation Omni Consumer Products wins a contract from the city government to privatize the police force. To test their crime-eradicating cyborgs, the company leads street cop Alex Murphy into an armed confrontation with crime lord Boddicker so they can use his body to support their untested RoboCop prototype. But when RoboCop learns of the company's nefarious plans, he turns on his masters.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 277000
Genere: Action, Crime, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: futuristic, entertaining, black comedy, cyber, bloody, intense, humorous, dark comedy, brutal, satirical
Similar in 82%
Sin City (2005)
Plot Summary:
Welcome to Sin City. This town beckons to the tough, the corrupt, the brokenhearted. Some call it dark… Hard-boiled. Then there are those who call it home — Crooked cops, sexy dames, desperate vigilantes. Some are seeking revenge, others lust after redemption, and then there are those hoping for a little of both. A universe of unlikely and reluctant heroes still trying to do the right thing in a city that refuses to care.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 788000
Genere: Crime, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 124 min
Plot tags: neo noir, atmospheric, surreal, dark, bleak, anthology, visual, bloody, visually stunning, brutal
Similar in 83%
Collateral (2004)
Plot Summary:
Cab driver Max picks up a man who offers him $600 to drive him around. But the promise of easy money sours when Max realizes his fare is an assassin.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 426000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: neo noir, clever, tense, suspense, suspenseful, atmospheric, psychological, breathtaking, dark, action packed
Similar in 86%
Heat (1995)
Plot Summary:
Obsessive master thief, Neil McCauley leads a top-notch crew on various daring heists throughout Los Angeles while determined detective, Vincent Hanna pursues him without rest. Each man recognizes and respects the ability and the dedication of the other even though they are aware their cat-and-mouse game may end in violence.
IMDB Rating: 8.3
IMDB Votes: 702000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 170 min
Plot tags: neo noir, tense, detective, suspense, suspenseful, intense, exciting, bleak, atmospheric, clever