Movies like The 51st State (2001)
The best movies like The 51st State (2001) are The Matador (2005), Next Day Air (2009) and Big Nothing (2006). If The 51st State hooked you with its thriller and action, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedLock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)8.1/10 from 7,519 votes
- NewestRedirected (2014)Released 2014
The Matador (2005)
The life of Danny Wright, a salesman forever on the road, veers into dangerous and surreal territory when he wanders into a Mexican bar and meets a mysterious stranger, Julian, who's very likely a hit man. Their meeting sets off a chain of events that will change their lives forever, as Wright is suddenly thrust into a far-from-mundane existence that he takes to surprisingly well … once he gets acclimated to it.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNext Day Air (2009)
Two inept criminals are mistakenly delivered a package of cocaine and think they've hit the jackpot, triggering a series of events that changes ten people's lives forever.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisBig Nothing (2006)
A frustrated, unemployed teacher joins forces with a scammer and his girlfriend in a blackmailing scheme.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRocknRolla (2008)
When a Russian mobster sets up a real estate scam that generates millions of pounds, various members of London's criminal underworld pursue their share of the fortune. Various shady characters, including Mr One-Two, Stella the accountant, and Johnny Quid, a druggie rock-star, try to claim their slice.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTriggermen (2002)
Two British conmen in Chicago are mistaken for hired hitmen by mobsters wanting to rub out a rival gangster. Keen to make a fast buck, they pretend they are the hitmen but soon find they get more than they bargained for when the real ones turn up.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & comedy
The Guard (2011)
When a small-town Irish cop with a crass personality is partnered with a straight-laced FBI agent to bust an international drug-trafficking ring, they must settle their differences in order to take down a dangerous gang.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSmokin' Aces (2006)
When a Las Vegas performer-turned-snitch named Buddy Israel decides to turn state's evidence and testify against the mob, it seems that a whole lot of people would like to make sure he's no longer breathing.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisConfidence (2003)
What Jake Vig doesn't know just might get him killed. A sharp and polished grifter, Jake has just swindled thousands of dollars from the unsuspecting Lionel Dolby with the help of his crew. It becomes clear that Lionel wasn't just any mark, he was an accountant for eccentric crime boss Winston King. Jake and his crew will have to stay one step ahead of both the criminals and the cops to finally settle their debt.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOld Men in New Cars: In China They Eat Dogs II (2002)
The last wish of the dying "Monk" is for his foster child, Harald, to find his real son, Ludvig. But the latter is currently in a Swedish prison cell...
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Big Hit (1998)
Affable hit man Melvin Smiley is constantly being scammed by his cutthroat colleagues in the life-ending business. So, when he and his fellow assassins kidnap the daughter of an electronics mogul, it's naturally Melvin who takes the fall when their prime score turns sour. That's because the girl is the goddaughter of the gang's ruthless crime boss. But, even while dodging bullets, Melvin has to keep his real job secret from his unsuspecting fiancée, Pam.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisShoot 'Em Up (2007)
A man named Mr. Smith delivers a woman's baby during a shootout, and is then called upon to protect the newborn from the army of gunmen.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)
A card shark and his unwillingly-enlisted friends need to make a lot of cash quick after losing a sketchy poker match. To do this they decide to pull a heist on a small-time gang who happen to be operating out of the flat next door.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy & crime
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisCrank (2006)
Chev Chelios, a hit man wanting to go straight, lets his latest target slip away. Then he awakes the next morning to a phone call that informs him he has been poisoned and has only an hour to live unless he keeps adrenaline coursing through his body while he searches for an antidote.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOrdinary Decent Criminal (2000)
Michael Lynch is a notorious criminal with two wives and a flair for showmanship. He's also a huge embarrassment to the local police, who are determined to bring him down once and for all.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWho Is Cletis Tout? (2001)
With a hitman’s gun aimed at him, Finch tells the story of how he broke out of jail, fell in love, and took the identity of a man wanted by the Mafia.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisThursday (1998)
A former Los Angeles drug dealer moves far away to Texas, making a new life for himself as a married architect in the suburbs. His old crime partner unexpectedly shows up with heroin and gangster business, attracting a slew of violent unsavory characters.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIn Bruges (2008)
Ray and Ken, two hit men, are in Bruges, Belgium, waiting for their next mission. While they are there they have time to think and discuss their previous assignment. When the mission is revealed to Ken, it is not what he expected.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPerrier's Bounty (2010)
A gangster named Perrier looks to exact his revenge on a trio of fugitives responsible for the accidental death of one of his cronies.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisYou Kill Me (2007)
While drying out on the West Coast, an alcoholic hit man befriends a tart-tongued woman who might just come in handy when it's time for him to return to Buffalo and settle some old scores.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKiss of the Dragon (2001)
Liu Jian, an elite Chinese police officer, comes to Paris to arrest a Chinese drug lord. When Jian is betrayed by a French officer and framed for murder, he must go into hiding and find new allies.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCriminal (2004)
Needing a new partner capable of intricate cons, Richard Gaddis, recruits Rodrigo, a crook with a perfect poker face. The two plan a big-time scam: selling a fake Silver Certificate to currency collector William Hannigan. Rodrigo distrusts his new associate, but needs money to help out his ill father. The situation becomes more complicated when Rodrigo falls for Gaddis' sister, Valerie, drawing another player into the game.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHomegrown (1998)
Three laborers on a Northern California marijuana plantation become increasingly paranoid when they learn that their boss has been murdered. They know enough to run, taking with them enough of the crop to pay them for services rendered. Hooking up with go-between Lucy in the next town, they plot their next move.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisDomino (2005)
The story of the life of Domino Harvey, who abandoned her career as a Ford model to become a bounty hunter.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & crime
SnoozefestMovies like thisReindeer Games (2000)
After assuming his dead cellmate's identity to get with his girlfriend, an ex-con finds himself the reluctant participant in a casino heist.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller & action
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Ice Harvest (2005)
A shady lawyer attempts a Christmas Eve crime, hoping to swindle the local mob out of some money. But his partner, a strip club owner, might have different plans for the cash.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisRedirected (2014)
Four friends become stranded in Eastern Europe and have to become hit men, prostitutes, corrupt cops, smugglers and more to make it home.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisChain of Fools (2001)
An avid detective is assigned to investigate the heist of a batch of precious coins that end up in the hands of a suicidal barber.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisCa$h (2010)
A stroke of good luck turns lethal for Sam Phelan and his wife Leslie when they are faced with a life-changing decision that brings strange and sinister Pyke Kubic to their doorstep. As Pyke leads Sam and Leslie on a tumultuous adventure through the streets of Chicago, each are pulled deeper and deeper into a desperate spiral of deception and violence – all in the name of money.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisEcstasy (2011)
A small-time drug smuggler from Scotland, is trying to figure out his way through life until he meets a beautiful girl from Canada, who seeks a change after a bad relationship she just got out of.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy & crime
SnoozefestMovies like thisBirthday Girl (2001)
John is a mild-mannered banker who has never been lucky in love. Fed up with waiting for the right girl to come along, John takes a chance on a Russian mail-order bride arranged via the Internet, where he is introduced to Nadia. John's fondness for Nadia grows... until the sudden arrival of Nadia's gregarious cousins makes John realize that he's in over his head.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy & crime
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The 51st State?
The closest matches to The 51st State are The Matador (2005), Next Day Air (2009) and Big Nothing (2006). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The 51st State?
People who watched The 51st State most often go on to The Matador (2005), Next Day Air (2009) and Big Nothing (2006).
What is the highest-rated movie like The 51st State?
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998), rated 8.1/10 by 7,519 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The 51st State?
Redirected (2014) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The 51st State?
Yes: The Matador (2005), Next Day Air (2009) and Big Nothing (2006).
How are movies similar to The 51st State chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The 51st State, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.