Movies like Incident (2023)
The best movies like Incident (2023) are Tales of the Grim Sleeper (2014), Blue Code of Silence (2020) and Detroit Under S.T.R.E.S.S. (2018). If Incident hooked you with its documentary and crime, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Thin Blue Line (1988)7.7/10 from 431 votes
- NewestMaternal Instinct (2026)Released 2026
Tales of the Grim Sleeper (2014)
When Lonnie Franklin Jr. was arrested in South Central Los Angeles in 2010 as the suspected murderer of a string of young black women, police hailed it as the culmination of 20 years of investigations. Four years later documentary filmmaker Nick Broomfield took his camera to the alleged killer’s neighborhood for another view.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBlue Code of Silence (2020)
Every year an average of one thousand American police officers are arrested for misconduct or corruption, and the abuse of power is a legacy that stretches back to the dawn of US policing. BLUE CODE OF SILENCE tells the true story about a crooked police officer in 1970s New York who brought down the most corrupt police unit in American history. Who was detective Bob Leuci?
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & crime
Detroit Under S.T.R.E.S.S. (2018)
In 1971, the Detroit Police Department begins operating one of the most controversial decoy police units ever created, after one year of operating, Detroit becomes the city with the highest police-civilian fatal shootings as well as the city with the highest police officer deaths.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
The Slow Hustle (2021)
After Baltimore Police Detective Sean Suiter is shot and found dead while on duty, the tragedy soon becomes enmeshed in a widening corruption scandal that threatens to unravel the public’s already strained relationship with law enforcement.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & crime
Sound of the Police (2023)
This documentary examines the fraught relationship between African Americans and the police, often rife with tension, fear, suspicion and hostility on all sides. Framed by some of the most recent conflicts between Black Americans and police officers, which garnered national media attention, the film traces the country’s complex racial history that set the path for policing in Black communities and fuels the ongoing conflict between African American communities and law enforcement.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
The Thin Blue Line (1988)
One night in November 1976, after his car breaks down on a road outside Dallas, Randall Dale Adams accepts a ride from teenager David Harris. Harris is driving a stolen vehicle and, later that night, when Dallas police officer Robert Wood pulls the car over to check its headlights, he is shot and killed. A jury believes Adams is the killer, but stylized reenactments and interviews with key figures, conflicting testimonies and evidence are presented to argue that Adams was framed by a corrupt justice system, ultimately leading to his exoneration.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like this137 Shots (2021)
In this documentary, law enforcement faces scrutiny as Americans demand justice after police violence claims multiple Black lives in Cleveland.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & crime
Peace Officer (2015)
Peace Officer is a documentary about the increasingly militarized state of American police as told through the story of Dub Lawrence, a former sheriff who established his rural state's first SWAT team only to see that same unit kill his son-in-law in a controversial standoff 30 years later. Driven by an obsessed sense of mission, Dub uses his own investigation skills to uncover the truth in this and other recent officer-involved shootings in his community, while tackling larger questions about the changing face of peace officers nationwide.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
The Fear of 13 (2015)
After 23 years on Death Row a convicted murderer petitions the court asking to be executed, but as his story unfolds, it becomes clear that nothing is what it seems.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMurder on a Sunday Morning (2001)
2001 French documentary about the murder trial of a 15 year old black teen accused of murder in Jacksonville, Florida. Winner of 2002 Academy Award for Best Documentary.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDream/Killer (2015)
In 2005, 20-year-old Ryan Ferguson was convicted and sentenced to 40 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. dream/killer is the story of how his father Bill embarked on 10-year campaign to prove Ryan’s innocence. The film is chock-full of incredible characters. From the questionable District Attorney Kevin Crane, and the highly-confused witness Chuck Erickson, to the high-powered Chicago attorney Kathleen Zellner, the doc depicts both a highly flawed justice system, as well as one that can work brilliantly.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Crime on the Bayou (2021)
A Crime on the Bayou is the story of Gary Duncan, a Black teenager from Plaquemines Parish, a swampy strip of land south of New Orleans. In 1966, Duncan tries to break up an argument between white and Black teenagers outside a newly integrated school. He gently lays his hand on a white boy’s arm. The boy recoils like a snake. That night, police burst into Duncan’s trailer and arrest him for assault on a minor. A young Jewish attorney, Richard Sobol, leaves his prestigious D.C. firm to volunteer in New Orleans. With his help, Duncan bravely stands up to a racist legal system powered by a white supremacist boss to challenge his unfair arrest. Their fight goes all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, and their lifelong friendship is forged.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & crime
Copwatch (2017)
The true story of We Copwatch, an organization whose mission is to film police activity as a non-violent form of protest and deterrent to police brutality. Around the country, a network of regular people take up cameras to bear witness to police actions and hold law enforcement to accountability.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Long Shot (2017)
When Juan Catalan is arrested for a murder he insists he didn't commit, he builds his case for innocence around unexpected raw footage.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Murder of Rachel Nickell (2026)
A young mother is killed in broad daylight on London's Wimbledon Common — in front of her toddler. This documentary examines the yearslong murder case.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & crime
Homicide Hunter: Never Give Up (2022)
The unsolved rape, mutilation and murder of young G.I. Darlene Krashoc has haunted Joe Kenda in the years since he turned in his gun and badge. Until a crack team of cold case cops uses Kenda’s groundwork to set a trap for a monster hiding in plain sight.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & documentary
I Got A Monster (2023)
In March of 2017, Baltimore was rocked by one of the nation’s largest Police corruption scandals when seven members of the elite Gun Trace Task Force unit were federally indicted on racketeering charges. Defense attorney Ivan Bates wasn’t shocked by the news because for years he had been listening to the victims of these crimes and had been trying to bring down the corrupt sergeant. I GOT A MONSTER is the true story of a cat-and-mouse game in an upside-down world where the cops are also the robbers.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Witch Hunt (2008)
Executive Producer Sean Penn presents "Witch Hunt," a gripping indictment of the American justice system told through the lens of one small town. Voters in Bakersfield, California elected a tough on crime district attorney into office for more than 25 years. During his tenure he convicted dozens of innocent working class moms and dads. They went to prison, some for decades, before being exonerated. He remains in office today. This story on a micro level mirrors what the US has experienced over the last eight years. When power is allowed to exist without oversight civil rights are in jeopardy.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & crime
Happy Valley (2014)
The children of "Happy Valley" were victimized for years, by a key member of the legendary Penn State college football program. But were Jerry Sandusky’s crimes an open secret? With rare access, director Amir Bar-Lev delves beneath the headlines to tell a modern American parable of guilt, redemption, and identity.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & crime
True Conviction (2017)
There's a new detective agency in Dallas, Texas, started by three exonerated men, with decades in prison served between them. True Conviction is a character-driven documentary that follows these change-makers as they rebuild their lives and families, learn to investigate cases, and work to support one another.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Unraveled: The Long Island Serial Killer (2021)
Eleven bodies are found dumped on Long Island between 2010 and 2011; journalists Alexis Linkletter and Billy Jensen investigate corruption at the highest level of the Suffolk County Police Department and why the case has never been solved.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & documentary
16 Shots (2018)
Documentary examining the 2014 shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald by Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke and the cover-up that ensued.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Charm City (2018)
During three years of unparalleled violence in Baltimore, Charm City delivers an unexpectedly candid, observational portrait of those left on the frontlines. With grit, fury, and compassion, a group of police, citizens, and government officials grapple with the consequences of violence and try to reclaim their future.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Crime + Punishment (2018)
Over four years of unprecedented access, the story of a brave group of black and Latino whistleblower cops and one unrelenting private investigator who, amidst a landmark lawsuit, risk everything to expose illegal quota practices and their impact on young minorities.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Beyond Human Nature (2023)
When a man is murdered by drowning in a paper pulp vat, a small town clamors for justice and his brother comes face to face with the slippery nature of objective truth. 'Beyond Human Nature' chronicles the grisly Tom Monfils homicide investigation of 1992 through the eyes of the people who lived it.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & crime
Free Chol Soo Lee (2022)
On June 3, 1973, a man was murdered in a busy intersection of San Francisco’s Chinatown as part of an ongoing gang war. Chol Soo Lee, a 20-year-old Korean immigrant who had previous run-ins with the law, was arrested and convicted based on flimsy evidence and the eyewitness accounts of white tourists who couldn’t distinguish between Asian features. Sentenced to life in prison, Chol Soo Lee would spend years fighting to survive behind bars before journalist K.W. Lee took an interest in his case. The intrepid reporter’s investigation would galvanize a first-of-its-kind pan-Asian American grassroots movement to fight for Chol Soo Lee’s freedom, ultimately inspiring a new generation of social justice activists.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & crime
Emanuel (2019)
On June 17th, 2015, 21-year-old white supremacist Dylann Roof walked into a bible study and murdered nine African Americans during their closing prayer. This is the story of the victims and survivors of that night.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & crime
Tower (2016)
Combining archival footage with rotoscopic animation, Tower reveals the action-packed untold stories of the witnesses, heroes and survivors of America's first mass school shooting, when the worst in one man brought out the best in so many others.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDetainment (2018)
Two ten year-old boys are detained by police under suspicion of abducting and murdering a toddler.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMaternal Instinct (2026)
Police pull over a woman who claims she just gave birth. But the baby — and the blood — aren't hers. Twisted lies unravel in this true-crime documentary.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Incident?
The closest matches to Incident are Tales of the Grim Sleeper (2014), Blue Code of Silence (2020) and Detroit Under S.T.R.E.S.S. (2018). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Incident?
People who watched Incident most often go on to Tales of the Grim Sleeper (2014), Blue Code of Silence (2020) and Detroit Under S.T.R.E.S.S. (2018).
What is the highest-rated movie like Incident?
The Thin Blue Line (1988), rated 7.7/10 by 431 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Incident?
Maternal Instinct (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Incident?
Yes: Tales of the Grim Sleeper (2014), Blue Code of Silence (2020) and Detroit Under S.T.R.E.S.S. (2018).
How are movies similar to Incident chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Incident, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.