Movies like On the Run (1988)
The best movies like On the Run (1988) are Beast Cops (1998), Return to a Better Tomorrow (1994) and The Virtuoso (2021). If On the Run hooked you with its crime and thriller, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedRed Right Hand (2024)6.6/10 from 264 votes
- NewestMisdirection (2026)Released 2026
Beast Cops (1998)
Tung is a street cop in Hong Kong who's friends with a Triad named Fai. Fai hires a hit man to murder a business rival; the hit goes wrong and Fai, implicated in the incident, goes on the run.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisReturn to a Better Tomorrow (1994)
An adventure that delves into the dark caverns of the underworld and tells the tale of three chivalrous gangsters who attempt to escape the powerful clutch of their gang leader.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Virtuoso (2021)
Danger, deception and murder descend upon a sleepy town when a professional assassin accepts a new assignment from his enigmatic boss.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & crime
SnoozefestMovies like thisIron Angels (1987)
Yeung’s poppy fields are torched by a law enforcement task force, she retaliates by ordering police officials assassinated. The Angels break into Yeung’s corporate offices, eventually tracing her headquarters. After Alex Fong’s character is captured and held by Yeung, the Angels mount an assault to rescue him. A complex sub-plot involving an armored car bullion robbery eventually leads the Angels to a final showdown with Yeung and her men.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisUntil Death (2007)
Anthony Stowe is a dirty cop who is hooked on heroin—and everyone hates him. After a serious accident, he is placed into an induced coma, but emerges from it a better person who wants to put things right.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Killer (2024)
Zee is a feared contract killer known as "the Queen of the Dead," but when she refuses to murder a young blind woman, she finds herself hunted both by criminal colleagues and a determined police detective.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLegendary Assassin (2008)
An assassin who is fresh from his latest kill becomes stranded in an island, when he inadvertently befriends a female police officer. As the night progresses, the unspoken truth honored by the two sides of the law is broken. After the remains of a body that belonged to a drug lord and syndicate crime leader are found, chaos ensues and criminals ravage the once peaceful streets in a race against time to find the mysterious murderer that's loose and out for blood.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTime and Tide (2000)
A streetwise young man becomes a bodyguard to score quick cash. He befriends a disillusioned mercenary determined to begin life anew. They find themselves working together to foil an assassination attempt, but their partnership ultimately can't last.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisYoung and Dangerous 3 (1996)
This time taking on the rival Tung Sing triad, who is attempting to usurp Hung Hing influence in Hong Kong by having Tung Sing member Crow frame Ho Nam for the murder of Hung Hing Chairman Chiang Tin Sang. On the plus side, Chicken finds a new love interest in Wasabi, the daughter of the comedic priest, Father Lethal Weapon Lam.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRed Right Hand (2024)
Cash is trying to live a quiet, honest life in a small Appalachian town. When a vicious crime boss forces him back into her services, he soon learns he's capable of anything -- even killing -- to protect his family and his home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRun (1991)
When a law student accidentally kills the son of a mob boss in a fight, he finds himself relentlessly pursued by the mob and the police.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe System (2022)
When a young soldier, newly returned from war, gets caught up in a drug bust, he is recruited by the authorities to go undercover in a notoriously dangerous prison in order to figure out what is really going on.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDog Bite Dog (2006)
A young Cambodian man who has been trained to fight for money in his country is hired to kill someone in Hong Kong. He performs the hit and then flees from Hong Kong police, who are wrestling with internal problems of a model cop and his son, who is also on the force and who was told by his dad not to become a police officer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMisdirection (2026)
A desperate couple have pulled off a string of high-end break-ins to pay off a mob debt. When they attempt to rob their latest victim, they find themselves caught in a deadly game of cat and mouse. The tables are turned and the hunters become the hunted.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisShade (2003)
Tiffany, Charlie and Vernon are con artists looking to up the ante from their typical scams. They figure a good way of doing this is taking down Dean "The Dean" Stevens, a well-known cardsharp, in a rigged game. However, they first need enough money to enter a game with Stevens, so they decide to strike a deal with fellow crook Larry Jennings to scam a local gangster -- which turns out to be a bad idea.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Witness Out of the Blue (2019)
In this classic whodunit, a police detective must rely on the only witness - a parrot, to catch the killer of an armed robber.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRevenge: A Love Story (2010)
A serial murderer has brutally killed several policemen and their pregnant wives. After a quick investigation, the murderer is revealed to be Kit, whom the case's detective-in-charge knows from a previous case. Once upon a time, Kit was an innocent boy in a rural village who also has a crush on naïve high school student Wing. After the death of Wing's grandmother, Kit rescues Wing from a foster care facility, and the two quickly fall in love. However, their romance ends prematurely when a local policeman arrests them. The events that follow lay the seeds for Kit's terrifying path to vengeance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFrank and Penelope (2022)
A tale of love and violence when a man on his emotional last legs finds a savior seductively dancing in a run-down strip club. And a life most certainly headed off a cliff suddenly becomes redirected - as everything is now worth dying for.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBarron's Cove (2025)
When his young son is viciously murdered by a classmate, a grieving father with a history of violence kidnaps the child responsible, igniting a frenzied manhunt fueled by a powerful politician -- the father of the kidnapped boy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCleaner (2007)
Single father and former cop Tom Cutler has an unusual occupation: he cleans up death scenes. But when he's called in to sterilize a wealthy suburban residence after a brutal shooting, Cutler is shocked to learn he may have unknowingly erased crucial evidence, entangling himself in a dirty criminal cover-up.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like On the Run?
The closest matches to On the Run are Beast Cops (1998), Return to a Better Tomorrow (1994) and The Virtuoso (2021). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after On the Run?
Start with Beast Cops (1998), the closest match to On the Run.
What is the highest-rated movie like On the Run?
Red Right Hand (2024), rated 6.6/10 by 264 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like On the Run?
Misdirection (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
How are movies similar to On the Run chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside On the Run, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.