Best movies like Dragnet
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
Sgt. Joe Friday is called back from vacation to work with his partner, Off. Bill Gannon, on a missing persons case. Two amateur female models and a young war widow have vanished, having been last seen with one J. Johnson. In the course of tracking down Johnson and the young ladies, the detectives wind up with two different descriptions of the suspect, one of which closely resembles a dead body found in a vacant lot. But the dead man, later identified as Charles LeBorg of France, proves not to be J. Johnson, when a third young model disappears. - Written by Michael J. Hayde.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 595
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: neo noir, detective
Best tv shows and movies like Dragnet (1969):
Similar in 90%
Mad Dog (1980)
Plot Summary:
No overview found.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 99
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Poland
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: detective
Similar in 89%
Angel's Flight (1965)
Plot Summary:
A series of murders involving a stripper (Indus Arthur) are investigated by a hard-drinking reporter (William Thourlby) in this late-entry film-noir.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 126
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 77 min
Plot tags: neo noir, slasher, independent film, noir
Similar in 86%
Red Herring (2015)
Plot Summary:
A Las Vegas homicide detective investigating his best friend uncovers a professional assassin.
IMDB Rating: 2.7
IMDB Votes: 299
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: neo noir, detective
Similar in 77%
One Police Plaza (1986)
Plot Summary:
A veteran New York City Police Lieutenant's investigation of a woman's murder uncovers corruption in high places.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 74
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: tension, suspense
Similar in 83%
The Blue Knight (1973)
Plot Summary:
Bumper Morgan is a veteran Los Angeles Police Department street cop. He is due to retire after 20 years on the job, but is not letting up on the criminal element on his beat.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 633
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 240 min
Plot tags: action adventure
Similar in 82%
The Split (1968)
Plot Summary:
A group of thieves attempt a daring robbery of a football stadium.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: neo noir, retro, suspense, detective
Similar in 75%
Intrusive Behavior (2013)
Plot Summary:
Years after the institutionalizing and abandoning of their mentally unstable daughter, the Kilpatrick family becomes victim to mental instabilities of their own as their past comes back to haunt them.
IMDB Rating: 4.3
IMDB Votes: 29
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 80 min
Plot tags: twisted, independent film, detective
Similar in 89%
True Confessions (1981)
Plot Summary:
A cop clashes with his priest brother while investigating the brutal murder of a young prostitute.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: neo noir, detective, intelligent, psychological, suspenseful, talky, crime drama, cult classic, rough, bleak
Similar in 83%
The Preppie Murder (1989)
Plot Summary:
This is the story of a young woman who was found dead. Now the police investigate, and evidence points to a man she was seen leaving a party with. Now when questioned, he claims that her death was accidental, as a result of rough sex. Now her family doesn't believe this, so they press the district attorney's office to try him for murder, but he has a good lawyer who plays his defense right down to putting the dead girl on trial.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 481
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 88%
Police Story (1973)
Plot Summary:
Police Story is an anthology television crime drama. The show was the brainchild of author and former policeman Joseph Wambaugh and represented a major step forward in the realistic depiction of police work and violence on network TV. Although it was an anthology, there were certain things that all episodes had in common; for instance, the main character in each episode was a police officer. The setting was always Los Angeles and the characters always worked for some branch of the LAPD. Notwithstanding the anthology format, there were recurring characters. Scott Brady appeared in more than a dozen episodes as "Vinnie," a former cop who, upon retirement, had opened a bar catering to police officers, and who acted as a sort of Greek chorus during the run of the series, commenting on the characters and plots.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: anthology, detective, vintage
Similar in 87%
No Man's Land (1987)
Plot Summary:
A rookie cop goes undercover to infiltrate a gang of car thieves led by smooth and charming Ted. The rookie becomes too involved and starts to enjoy the thrill and lifestyle of the game, and becomes romanticly involved with the leaders sister.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: stylized, neo noir, suspense, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, independent film, exciting, road movie
Similar in 86%
Dead Connection (1994)
Plot Summary:
After a series of murders in motel rooms are connected, a cop, Dickson, heads out on the trail to find a serial killer. He discovers that he signs the motel guest-books with the names of boxers, and hence gets a lead on him. However, when he just fails to catch up arrest him, the chase becomes personal.
IMDB Rating: 4.8
IMDB Votes: 587
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: detective, independent film, tense, rough, mind bending, serious, realistic, suspenseful, sexual, neo noir
Similar in 83%
The Jingoist (2020)
Plot Summary:
In the wake of September 11th, two brothers believe they have stopped a mass terrorist attack in New York. Now they must face the consequences of taking justice into their own hands.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 45
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 78 min
Plot tags: neo noir, tense, suspense, suspenseful, disturbing, talky
Similar in 87%
A Life Not to Follow (2015)
Plot Summary:
A Neo-Noir film told in three interlacing chapters: Eric is a dead man and he knows it. Death is imminent and he must make amends for his past sins, by killing those who wronged him, no matter the price: A wiseguy willing to do anything to move up in the world must now make the ultimate sacrifice. He must kill his best friend or in turn be killed: An F.B.I.agent turned P.I. is on the trail of a missing girl. In his long search for her he comes face to face with a host of unsavory characters who will lead him to perdition or salvation.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 318
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: neo noir, dark, suspense, tense, captivating, suspenseful, independent film, detective, cult film
Similar in 80%
Relentless (1989)
Plot Summary:
Two Los Angeles police detectives, cynical veteran Malloy and cocky rookie Dietz, hunt for a serial killer, an ex-cop named Taylor, whom randomly chooses his victims from a phone directory.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: psychological, exciting, suspenseful, suspense, detective, slasher, neo noir, independent film, rough, serious
Similar in 86%
Boston Strangler (2023)
Plot Summary:
Reporters Loretta McLaughlin and Jean Cole bravely pursue the story of the Boston Strangler at great personal risk, putting their own lives on the line in their quest to uncover the truth.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 30000
Genere: Crime, Drama, History, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 112 min
Plot tags: detective, period piece, historical drama, interesting
Similar in 84%
Dragnet 1967 (1967)
Plot Summary:
The classic police drama is updated for the 1960s. No-nonsense Sgt. Joe Friday and his partner, Officer Bill Gannon, tackle traditional police cases and face new challenges such as LSD, race riots, and public service TV shows.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: detective, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 83%
The Onion Field (1979)
Plot Summary:
Greg Powell, a disturbed ex-con, recruits Jimmy Youngblood (Smith) a petty thief, as partner in crime. Powell panics when they two of are pulled over by two cops for tail lights. Powell decides to kidnap the cops and Smith goes along with his crazy scheme. They drive out to a deserted onion field in Bakersfield, where one cop is killed and the other escapes. The film explores the consequences.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 126 min
Plot tags: neo noir, atmospheric, psychological, realistic, rough, serious, disturbing, detective, bleak, emotional
Similar in 82%
The Hillside Strangler (2004)
Plot Summary:
Kenneth Bianchi is a security guard whose attempts to become a police officer are repeatedly thwarted. He moves to California to live with his cousin Angelo and dates a string of women, becoming increasingly preoccupied with sex. Eventually the cousins decide to start an escort agency. After violently killing a prostitute they thought had betrayed them, Kenneth and Angelo begin committing a series of crimes that become a media sensation.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, realistic, disturbing, suspense, crying, detective, suspenseful, sexual, sexy
Similar in 84%
The Todd Killings (1971)
Plot Summary:
Based on the true story of '60s thrill-killer Charles Schmidt ("The Pied Piper of Tucson"), Skipper Todd (Robert F. Lyons) is a charismatic 23-year old who charms his way into the lives of high school kids in a small California town. Girls find him attractive and are only too willing to accompany him to a nearby desert area to be his "girl for the night." Not all of them return, however. Featuring Richard Thomas as his loyal hanger-on and a colorful assortment of familiar actors in vivid character roles including Barbara Bel Geddes, Gloria Grahame, Edward Asner, Fay Spain, James Broderick and Michael Conrad.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 404
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: slasher, splatter, independent film
Similar in 77%
Manhunt: Search for the Night Stalker (1989)
Plot Summary:
Based on the true story of Richard "The Night Stalker" Ramirez who terrorized California in 1985 and the two Los Angeles police detectives who try to track him down.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 475
Genere: Crime, Drama, History, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 77%
Out of the Darkness (1985)
Plot Summary:
A gripping thriller telling the true story of the hunt and capture of David Berkowitz, a.k.a. "Son of Sam" — the infamous serial killer who stalked New York in the 70s.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 471
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: psychological, detective, rough, mind bending, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 77%
Zodiac Killer (2005)
Plot Summary:
A young man who works at a nursing home uses the legendary Zodiac killer's M.O. to kill people who neglect their elderly relatives.
IMDB Rating: 2.1
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 83 min
Plot tags: slasher, rough, serious, suspenseful, disturbing, suspense, scary, bleak
Similar in 82%
The Sovereign (2008)
Plot Summary:
For two months a serial killer has been terrorizing the city of St. Petersburg. Every Wednesday a girl between 9 and 12 years old is the victim. The brutality of the maniac plunges city residents into horror. Parents are afraid of leaving their children alone on the street. The press reinforces the atmosphere of fear and hysteria.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 283
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Russia
Duration: 86 min
Plot tags: tense, captivating, suspense, disturbing, surprise ending, detective
Similar in 79%
The Night Stalker (2016)
Plot Summary:
An account of serial killer Richard Ramírez and his rampage in California during the mid-1980s.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 897
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: psychological, tense, rough, suspense, slasher, suspenseful, psychological horror, psychotronic
Similar in 84%
Wicked City (2015)
Plot Summary:
“Wicked City” follows a unique case set in a noteworthy era of L.A. history, starting with a murder case from 1982 centered on the rock ’n’ roll, cocaine-infused revelry of the Sunset Strip. Alliances are formed to solve a serial murder case.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 42 min
Plot tags: erotic, captivating, suspense, tense, realistic, detective, period drama
Similar in 75%
The Little Things (2021)
Plot Summary:
Deputy Sheriff Joe "Deke" Deacon joins forces with Sgt. Jim Baxter to search for a serial killer who's terrorizing Los Angeles. As they track the culprit, Baxter is unaware that the investigation is dredging up echoes of Deke's past, uncovering disturbing secrets that could threaten more than his case.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 120000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 128 min
Plot tags: suspense, tense, suspenseful, neo noir, captivating, dark, disturbing, action thriller, twisted, psychological
Similar in 76%
The Watcher (2000)
Plot Summary:
FBI agent Joel Campbell, burnt-out and shell-shocked after years spent chasing serial killers, flees L.A. to begin a new life for himself in Chicago. But five months later, Joel's best laid plans are abruptly cut short when his new hometown becomes the setting for some particularly gruesome murders--murders that could only have been committed by one man: David Allen Griffin. One of Joel's most elusive and cunning nemeses, Griffin has followed his former pursuer to Chicago in order to play a sadistic game of cat and mouse. Taunting Joel with photographs of his intended victims and leaving his crime scenes meticulously free of clues in order to keep the police at bay, Griffin derives as much pleasure out of watching Joel react to every movement as watching his victims die. But when Griffin moves into Joel's inner circle, Joel must quickly find some way to stop him before someone close to him becomes the next one to die.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 28000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA, Canada, Vietnam
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: suspense, psychological, suspenseful, scary, rough, slasher, serious, realistic, neo noir, independent film
Similar in 90%
The Riverman (2004)
Plot Summary:
A series of interviews are conducted with convicted serial killer Ted Bundy in hopes of gaining insight into the Green River Killer who is terrorizing Seattle.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: psychological, rough, serious, suspenseful, disturbing, mystical, detective, realistic, suspense
Similar in 88%
The Case of the Hillside Stranglers (1989)
Plot Summary:
The true chilling story of the "two of a kind", killing cousins Angelo Buono and Kenneth Bianchi, better known as the Hillside Stranglers, is told in this TV drama.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 754
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: tense, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful