Best movies like Mad Detective
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
A rookie cop teams up with a former detective with a supernatural gift to hunt down a serial killer.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Action, Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: surreal, psychological, serious, suspenseful, neo noir, detective, bloody, psychological thriller, philosophical, mind bending
Best tv shows and movies like Mad Detective (2007):
Similar in 86%
Cold War (2012)
Plot Summary:
They say Hong Kong is the safest city in Asia. But tonight, a police van has been hijacked along with the arms, equipment and the five officers aboard, one of the hostages being the only son of police deputy commissioner M.B. Lee! With the chief commissioner away on a conference overseas, the fiery Lee immediately takes command of the rescue operation – codenamed "Cold War" – but the mysterious kidnappers clearly know the police procedures and are therefore in an advantageous position. Objecting to Lee's aggressive but futile methods, the other deputy commissioner Sean Lau steps in at this time of crisis to lead the operation. But even Lau's careful plan to negotiate with the kidnappers ends up a failure, losing the $50 million cash ransom and the life of his lieutenant in the process. Meanwhile, the ICAC (Independent Commission Against Corruption) begins to investigate Lau and Lee on suspicion of having hidden ties to the kidnappers.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Action, Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: exciting, rough, serious, suspenseful, crime drama, noir, suspense, detective, action packed, realistic
Similar in 86%
Fire of Conscience (2010)
Plot Summary:
Fire of Conscience is an 2010 Hong Kong action/thriller film directed by Dante Lam and starring Leon Lai and Richie Ren. The Chinese name is derived in one of the action scenes where Lai has to chase Ren through a street of dragon dance.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Action, Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: tense, serious, captivating, detective, suspense, crime drama, exciting, realistic, suspenseful, fast
Similar in 90%
The Bullet Vanishes (2012)
Plot Summary:
One rainy night in an arms factory near Shanghai, a young female worker accused of stealing a box of bullets from the ruthless Boss Ding (Liu Kai Chi) is violently killed in a game of Russian roulette. Half a month later, a series of inexplicable deaths takes place in the factory, where the victims are shot but no bullets are found. Rumors of a deadly curse begin to spread in the factory, terrorizing the workers there. So, eccentric police inspector Song Donglu (Lau Ching Wan) and his hot-blooded, gunslinging partner Guo Zhui (Nicholas Tse) are sent in to investigate the mystery of the phantom bullets.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: China, Hong Kong
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: tense, rough, serious, suspenseful, stylized, realistic, detective
Similar in 75%
Heroic Duo (2003)
Plot Summary:
Tough cop Ken Li (Cheng) is at the top of his game, but he's going to need some help to solve a grisly crime that the offender, a respected police officer, doesn't even remember committing. He seeks out Jack Lai (Lai), a former psychologist now in disgrace and behind bars, who has an uncanny ability to bend people to his will. Making an uneasy truce, this unconventional pair set out on a mission to find the man responsible, a master of hypnotism who will stop at nothing to get his revenge!.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 880
Genere: Action, Crime, Thriller
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, stylized, heroic
Similar in 78%
Double Tap (2000)
Plot Summary:
Leslie Cheung plays Rick Pang, an IPSC champion who is also a gun expert who modifies his pistols to perfect his technique known as 'double tap', placing two shots in the same exact spot. In the 1996 IPSC Hong Kong shooting competition, he goes up against another experienced shooter named Miu. Unfortunately, the competition was marred by a depressed stock trader, a friend of Miu, who lost much in the stock market and threatened the safety of the contest, wounding the IPSC supervisor, again one of Miu's friend. Rick was forced to kill him with his trademark double tap. Rick's experience from this encounter was strangely exciting to him and he discovers his lust for murdering others in cold blood.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Action, Crime, Thriller
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, realistic, suspenseful, crime drama, heroic, cult film
Similar in 76%
On the Run (1988)
Plot Summary:
When Hsiang Ming's wife is murdered, he takes up the hunt for her killer. The killer turns out to not be at all like he imagined, and suddenly he has unsuspected enemies who are after him.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 589
Genere: Action, Crime, Thriller
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: neo noir, heroic, psychological, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, cult film
Similar in 79%
The Big Heat (1988)
Plot Summary:
A cop (Waise Lee) is losing the control of his right hand and cannot pull the trigger on time anymore. Before any accident happens, he decides to resign. Meanwhile his friend and informer is brutally murdered in Malaysia. Before leaving the force, he decides to find the killers with the help of his buddy, a young cop and an inspector from Kuala Lumpur.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 754
Genere: Action, Crime, Thriller
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: heroic, neo noir, bloody, psychological, exciting, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, fast
Similar in 85%
Firestorm (2013)
Plot Summary:
A crew of seasoned criminals led by the notorious Nam, armed with high-powered weapons, pulls off another smooth and violent armored car heist in broad daylight in a crowded street. Whoever tries to get in their way, they will show no mercy. This puts the police force to shame and humiliation. A hardboiled senior police inspector Lui, hot on the trails of Nam and his tight crew, determines to put an end to this madness that causes the lives of innocent people. But he soon comes face to face with the cruel reality that the usual police tactics are too futile to send these armed thieves behind bars. Extreme crime requires extreme justice, even if it means crossing his moral line. Tou, an ex-con desperate to leave his criminal past behind, volunteers to be Lui’s snitch in exchange for a fresh start with her girlfriend Bing. But little does he know what hellish situation he’s getting himself into.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Action, Crime, Thriller
Country: Hong Kong, China
Duration: 118 min
Plot tags: exciting, rough, serious, suspenseful, tense, hood, crime drama, realistic
Similar in 78%
Running Out of Time 2 (2001)
Plot Summary:
Ho Sheung Sang finds himself wrapped up in another cat-and-mouse game, this time against a tricky magician.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Mystery
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 86%
Big Bullet (1996)
Plot Summary:
Hotheaded cop Bill Zhu (Lau Ching-wan) gets relegated to the Emergency Unit after a dustup with his inept boss. When the mob kills Zhu's pal and ex-colleague (Francis Ng) during a turf-war hit, he rounds up his motley department cohorts and embarks on a mission of revenge against the gangsters. The pursuit of the baddies culminates in a hair-raising showdown atop a hijacked transport plane in this action thriller.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 998
Genere: Action, Crime, Thriller
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: neo noir, bloody, heroic, crime drama, exciting, tense, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 86%
Overheard (2009)
Plot Summary:
The story revolves around three members of a police surveillance squad conducting an investigation into a financial investment group involved in criminal fraud. The focus of the plot, however, is actually on the three officers themselves who stumble upon an opportunity to capitalize on information they gathered during their surveillance.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Crime, Thriller
Country: Hong Kong, Singapore, China
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: realistic, tense, captivating, psychological, neo noir, serious, suspenseful
Similar in 80%
Blind Detective (2013)
Plot Summary:
A blind detective, former cop, teams up with a policewoman who admires him to solve the disappearance of a girl friend of hers, years ago. Besides, he helps her to improve her skills as an investigator.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Action, Comedy, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Hong Kong, China
Duration: 130 min
Plot tags: serious, suspenseful, detective, tense, captivating, suspense, rough, offbeat, humorous, realistic
Similar in 89%
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 76%
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 80%
Striking Distance (1993)
Plot Summary:
Coming from a police family, Tom Hardy ends up fighting his uncle after the murder of his father. Tom believes the killer is another cop, and goes on the record with his allegations. Demoted to water-way duty Tom, along with new partner Jo Christman, navigate the three rivers looking for clues and discovering bodies. This time the victims are women Tom knows, he must find the killer to prove his innocence.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 45000
Genere: Action, Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: suspenseful, rough, suspense, intense, detective, realistic, serious, disturbing, psychological, action thriller
Similar in 78%
Kung Fu Jungle (2014)
Plot Summary:
A martial arts instructor working at a police academy gets imprisoned after killing a man by accident. But when a vicious killer starts targeting martial arts masters, the instructor offers to help the police in return for his freedom.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Action, Crime, Thriller
Country: China, Hong Kong
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: exciting, stylized, rough, suspenseful, scenic, crime drama, perverse, cult classic, serious, realistic
Similar in 75%
Eye in the Sky (2007)
Plot Summary:
The head of an elite Hong Kong surveillance unit (Simon Yam) keeps one eye on his rookie apprentice (Kate Tsui) and the other on a notorious criminal (Tony Leung Ka Fai) he suspects of masterminding a recent jewel heist in this tense thriller from filmmaking duo Johnnie To and Nai-Hoi Yau. Of course, the criminal knows all along he's being watched. But that doesn't stop him from trying to pull off the biggest score of his career.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Crime, Thriller
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: tense, exciting, serious, captivating, suspense, action thriller, rough, realistic, suspenseful, fast
Similar in 77%
PTU: Police Tactical Unit (2003)
Plot Summary:
Over the course of one night, a team of cops frantically search for their colleague's missing gun.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: neo noir, serious, suspenseful, exciting, realistic, heroic, contemplative, detective
Similar in 83%
Divergence (2005)
Plot Summary:
A cop, a lawyer, and an assassin cross paths after the murder of a federal witness and the kidnapping of a famous pop star.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: neo noir, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, heroic, fast
Similar in 75%
Vengeance (2009)
Plot Summary:
A French chef swears revenge after a violent attack on his daughter's family in Hong Kong, during which her husband and her two children are murdered. To help him find the killers, he hires three local hit-men working for the mafia.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Action, Crime, Thriller
Country: Hong Kong, France
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: neo noir, realistic, stylized, serious, heroic, tense, captivating, suspense, disturbing, bloody
Similar in 75%
The Longest Nite (1998)
Plot Summary:
Two triad leaders vie for the right to manage a string of casinos in Macau which sparks an exhausting battle. A twist of fate brings the two gangster bosses together in collaboration, but rumors have it otherwise. A murderous plot unfolds.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 84 min
Plot tags: heroic, neo noir, crime drama, exciting, rough, bleak, serious, realistic, suspenseful, stylized
Similar in 89%
Fulltime Killer (2001)
Plot Summary:
Professional assassin O has resided in an isolated world of killing and loneliness. But his life begins to change once he meets the innocent Chin; hired to clean O's apartment. However, soon the flamboyent and reckless Tok enters Chin's life with a mission--to unveil O's identity and usurp his place as the number one sharp-shooting assassin in the game.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: tense, atmospheric, harsh, exciting, suspenseful, bloody, cult classic, stylized, heroic, neo noir
Similar in 81%
Alex Cross (2012)
Plot Summary:
After Washington DC detective Alex Cross is told that a family member has been murdered, he vows to track down the killer. He soon discovers that she was not his first victim and that things are not what they seem.
IMDB Rating: 5.2
IMDB Votes: 35000
Genere: Action, Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA, France
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: suspense, suspenseful, sexy, entertaining, rough, serious, exciting, action packed, neo noir, detective
Similar in 90%
No Mercy (2010)
Plot Summary:
Forensic pathologist Kang (Seol Kyeong-gu) is assigned to examine the dismembered corpse of a female murder victim. Detective Min (Han Hye-jin) points to a fanatic environmentalist, Lee Sung-ho (Ryoo Seung-beom), as the primary suspect. But when Kang’s daughter is kidnapped, a manipulative game begins between Kang and Lee, who holds secrets about the homicide case.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Action, Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Country: South Korea
Duration: 123 min
Plot tags: suspense, disturbing, psychological, serious, suspenseful, rough, detective, captivating, neo noir, dark
Similar in 75%
Running Out of Time (1999)
Plot Summary:
Police inspector and excellent hostage negotiator Ho Sheung-Sang finds himself in over his head when he is pulled into a 72 hour game by a cancer suffering criminal out for vengeance on Hong Kong's organized crime syndicates.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: suspense, sexy, neo noir, dramatic, exciting, tense, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 90%
The Negotiator (1998)
Plot Summary:
The police try to arrest expert hostage negotiator Danny Roman, who insists he's being framed for his partner's murder in what he believes is an elaborate conspiracy. Thinking there's evidence in the Internal Affairs offices that might clear him, he takes everyone in the office hostage and demands that another well-known negotiator be brought in to handle the situation and secretly investigate the conspiracy.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 153000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Germany, USA
Duration: 140 min
Plot tags: suspense, suspenseful, serious, intense, talky, psychological, clever, entertaining, detective, exciting
Similar in 88%
Insomnia (1997)
Plot Summary:
Detectives Jonas and Erik are called to the midnight sun country of northern Norway to investigate a recent homicide, but their plan to arrest the killer goes awry, and Jonas mistakenly shoots Erik. The suspect escapes, and a frightened Jonas pins Erik's death on the fugitive. Jonas continues to pursue the killer as he seeks to protect himself; however, his mounting guilt and the omnipresent sun plague him with an insomnia that affects his sanity.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 15000
Genere: Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Norway
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: psychological, neo noir, detective, tense, suspense, enigmatic, bleak, dark, cynical, grim
Similar in 82%
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 78%
Talaash: The Answer Lies Within (2012)
Plot Summary:
A cop, investigating the mysterious death of a filmstar, meets a sex-worker, while he faces some personal problems psychologically. The mystery connects these people in a way, that ultimately changes their lives.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 44000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: India
Duration: 140 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, suspenseful, suspense thriller, psychological thriller, neo noir, suspense, surprise ending, mind bending, psychedelic
Similar in 75%
Infernal Affairs (2002)
Plot Summary:
Chan Wing Yan, a young police officer, has been sent undercover as a mole in the local mafia. Lau Kin Ming, a young mafia member, infiltrates the police force. Years later, their older counterparts, Chen Wing Yan and Inspector Lau Kin Ming, respectively, race against time to expose the mole within their midst.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 130000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: psychological, suspense, suspenseful, tense, neo noir, intense, serious, dramatic, crime drama, realistic