Movies like Ban Drugs (2023)
The best movies like Ban Drugs (2023) are Under the Light (2023), S.W.A.T. (2019) and Police Story: Lockdown (2013). If Ban Drugs hooked you with its drama and crime, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Enforcer (2022)7.0/10 from 533 votes
- NewestFox Hunt (2025)Released 2025
- In ChineseUnder the Light (2023)Also in Chinese
Under the Light (2023)
Officers Su Jianming and Li Huilin investigate a crime involving wealthy businessman Li Zhitian. As clues emerge, the investigation becomes more and more like a game of chess.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & action
SnoozefestMovies like thisS.W.A.T. (2019)
The story centers on the Chinese Special Police Unit, from their hard training to their first mission.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPolice Story: Lockdown (2013)
A man looking for the release of a long-time prisoner takes a police officer, his daughter, and a group of strangers hostage.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSilverton Siege (2022)
After a failed sabotage mission, a trio of anti-apartheid freedom fighters ends up in a tense bank hostage situation. Based on a true story.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEmpire (2002)
Big time drug dealer Victor Rosa is looking to get out of the game and sees his chance with a big deal with a new friend who happens to be a Wall St. stockbroker. Thinking this will be his chance to go out on top, Victor soon finds out that he's been double crossed and his last option is to get revenge.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Bodyguard (2016)
A retired bodyguard who has settled into a corner of the world where China, Russia and North Korea meet as he suffers from early dementia finds a new friend in a young girl. When her life is threatened by her father's connection with a local crime lord, the bodyguard must call upon his long forgotten skills to save her.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
SnoozefestMovies like thisState Property (2002)
A Philadelphia gang member becomes a drug kingpin and starts a feud with vicious rivals in his quest for the American Dream.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFox Hunt (2025)
Based on true events. Dai Yichen, the Shanghai-based mastermind of a massive financial fraud who has been on the run for seven years, resurfaces in Paris. Chinese economic crime detective Ye Jun leads the "Fox Hunt Team" on a cross-border mission to recover the stolen assets. When the hunter becomes the hunted, can the Fox Hunt Team make a comeback against all odds?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHidden Man (2018)
A martial arts-infused spy thriller set in 1937 Beijing. A time when China was lurching between revolution, prosperity, and chaos.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Perfect Weapon (1991)
Jeff, a young delinquent, is enrolled by his father in a kenpo school, in the hopes of teaching the boy some self-discipline. Years later, Jeff's mentor, Kim, is being threatened by one of the Korean mafia families. Jeff tries to help his old friend, but is too late to prevent Kim's death at the hands of an unknown hitman. Vowing revenge, Jeff takes on all of the families, using his martial arts skills to find the man who killed his friend.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCaught in Time (2020)
Based on real life events from the 1990s, a ruthless gang manages to pull off several high risk – high reward heists, meticulously planned out and executed over nearly a decade. When a police detective thinks he's figured out their pattern, the head of the gang starts to openly taunt him, resulting in a race to the ultimate showdown between cops and robbers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Great Arms Robbery (2022)
Agent Wen goes undercover to locate weapons for an arms dealer. He's attacked after finding them, so he teams up with his partner to recover the munitions and prevent disaster.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEl padrino: The Latin Godfather (2004)
In the streets of East Los Angeles, Manny is a formidable drug dealer. Impressed by his extravagant lifestyle and prowess, his young son, Kilo, yearns to follow in his footsteps. Kilo resolves to learn how to prosper in the drug world, and his new life as a dealer begins. In a world where a man wants everything, he may end up with nothing.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Enforcer (2022)
A noir thriller set in Miami, the film follows an enforcer who discovers his femme fatale boss has branched out into cyber sex trafficking, putting a young runaway he’s befriended at risk. He sacrifices everything to save the young girl from the deadly organization he’s spent his life building.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Worth the HypeMovies 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 & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBest of the Best 2 (1993)
In an underground fight club, blackbelt Travis Brickley is killed after losing to the evil martial arts master Brakus. Travis' death is witnessed by Walter Grady, the son of his best friend Alex Grady. Alex and his partner, Tommy Lee, vow to avenge their friend's death by defeating Brakus and shutting down the fight club.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Parts You Lose (2019)
An unlikely friendship unfolds between a young deaf boy, Wesley, and a fugitive criminal who takes refuge in an abandoned barn on the family’s rural North Dakota farm.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Shadow Play (2019)
Tang Yijie, the Construction Committee Director, falls off from rooftop and dies in a demolition riot. Yang Jiadong, a young police officer starts his investigation and finds that Tang's death is tied up with another case several years ago. Soon he is framed and suspended from duty, but he never gives up.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisYoung and Dangerous 4 (1997)
The boss of the Hung Hing gang, Tian Sang, has died. Ho Nam and Hon Bun find Sangs younger brother, Yang to lead the gang. Meanwhile, Hon Bun receives news that his younger brother, a leader of the Tuen Mun gang has been assasinated. They travel to Hong Kong to settle the matter.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Rescue (2020)
A rescue unit within the Chinese Coast Guard are forced to overcome their personal differences to resolve a crisis.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & action
Worth the HypeMovies like this
Like Ban Drugs and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Ban Drugs?
The closest matches to Ban Drugs are Under the Light (2023), S.W.A.T. (2019) and Police Story: Lockdown (2013). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Ban Drugs?
Start with Under the Light (2023), the closest match to Ban Drugs.
What is the highest-rated movie like Ban Drugs?
The Enforcer (2022), rated 7.0/10 by 533 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Ban Drugs?
Fox Hunt (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Chinese movies like Ban Drugs?
Yes: Under the Light (2023), S.W.A.T. (2019) and Police Story: Lockdown (2013).
How are movies similar to Ban Drugs chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Ban Drugs, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.