Movies like Smuggler (1998)
The best movies like Smuggler (1998) are Other Side of the Box (2018), Border Hunters (2025) and Hunting Grounds (2025). If Smuggler hooked you with its thriller, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Smuggler
Quick picks
- Highest ratedTake Cover (2024)6.4/10 from 237 votes
- NewestWardriver (2026)Released 2026
- In GermanHeimwerker (2000)Also in German
Other Side of the Box (2018)
A couple receives a mysterious package from an old friend.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBorder Hunters (2025)
After his police officer brother is killed by a drug dealer who flees to the protection of his cartel-connected uncle in Mexico, an American man with a diverse law enforcement/military background goes south of the border to get revenge
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHunting Grounds (2025)
Desperate to find refuge for her children, Chloe Marvino runs away from her Mafia tied husband, and finds shelter in a cabin with a recluse drifter named Jake. But as her husband's henchmen draw closer to her, it turns out that Jake is the biggest enemy of them all.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBest of the Best 4: Without Warning (1998)
A group of Russian mobsters have stolen a huge supply of paper for printing U.S. currency, and are now flooding the market with conterfeit bills. When one of the mobsters decides to give herself in and hand over a data CD to the DA, she is shot and killed, but not before handing the disc to an unsuspecting Tommy Lee. Despite working with the police as a martial arts instructor, Lee doesn't go to the cops with the disc, but instead goes on the run, giving the mafia time to kidnap his daughter and hold as a hostage in exchange for return of the disc. Will Tommy ever see his daughter again?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisPoint Blank (2019)
A nurse is forced to spring a wounded murder suspect from the hospital when the man’s brother kidnaps his pregnant wife and wants to make a trade.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGhost Recon: Alpha (2012)
Ghost Recon: Alpha sees a team led by Ghost Leader infiltrate a trade at a Russian depot between a general and a mysterious other figure.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisParadise Highway (2022)
A truck driver has been forced to smuggle illicit cargo to save her brother from a deadly prison gang. With FBI operatives hot on her trail, Sally's conscience is challenged when the final package turns out to be a teenage girl.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisLights Out (2024)
A drifting ex-soldier turns underground fighter with the help of a just-released ex-con, pitting him against corrupt cops and hired killers now gunning for him and all those he cares about.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGunslingers (2025)
When the most wanted man in America surfaces in a small Kentucky town, his violent history -- and a blood-thirsty mob seeking vengeance and a king’s ransom -- soon follow. As brothers face off against one another and bullets tear the town to shreds, this lightning-fast gunslinger makes his enemies pay the ultimate price for their greed.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBorder Incident (1949)
The story concerns two agents, one Mexican (PJF) and one American, who are tasked to stop the smuggling of Mexican migrant workers across the border to California. The two agents go undercover, one as a poor migrant.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWardriver (2026)
He’s a Wardriver: a hacker who steals from banks, not people—until he’s noticed. Now the money turns violent, and the woman caught in it could save him or kill them both.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThieves Highway (2025)
After discovering a plot to haul stolen cattle in the middle of nowhere, a desperate and isolated lawman becomes the only thing standing between a group of dangerous rustlers and a clear run to the border.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCurve (2016)
Clinging to a smooth, curved surface high above a sentient abyss, a woman tries to cover the few feet back to safety without losing purchase and falling to her death.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHider in the House (1989)
A deranged man hides in the attic of a new house and becomes obsessed with the unsuspecting family that moves in.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOne Ranger (2023)
A Texas Ranger is recruited by British Intelligence to track down a dangerous terrorist and stop him from attacking London.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Lineup (1958)
In San Francisco, a psychopathic gangster and his mentor retrieve heroin packages carried by unsuspecting travelers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisShadow Dancer (2012)
In 1990s Belfast, a woman is forced to betray all she believes in for the sake of her son.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisVicious (2025)
When Polly receives a mysterious box, it comes with one rule: place inside something she needs, something she hates, and something she loves. If she doesn’t obey, it will consume everything—and everyone—she’s ever known.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSew Torn (2025)
A seamstress gets tangled in her own thread after stealing a briefcase from a drug deal gone bad. In an escalating game of cat and mouse, her different choices lead to drastically different outcomes along the way.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTake Cover (2024)
A burned-out professional sniper finds himself trapped in an all-glass penthouse by a lethal competitor and must find a way to survive and escape with little to no cover between him and the killer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKalashtar (2022)
The story spins around a frustrated unemployed youth who manages to get a parttime job , where he gets stirred up by a stranger who orders him to do an illegal activity , that makes a major change in his life in a not so good manner , did he manages to break his shackles ?!
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Burn (2016)
After her mother discovers she has a drug problem, a troubled teenage girl finds herself in an inpatient rehabilitation center, where she must decide between the realm of people who belong on the inside or change her outlook to join the often difficult world of reality on the outside before the choice is made for her.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Heimwerker (2000)
A young man accidentally kills his neighbor when he hangs a Dirty Harry poster on the wall.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
ANORAK (TBA)
A short film that delves deep into the psyche of young protagonist Will. Follow the intriguing tale of Will as he finds himself captivated and consumed by his obsession with a girl named Bliss.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Hold Your Breath (2017)
A masked intruder strikes during a midnight swim on Halloween reminding Molly that the shadows of the past can be deadly.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Reverb (2014)
Helia Millville wants nothing more than to maintain an ordinary life after a sudden romantic break up. However, when a mysterious visitor disrupts Helia’s daily habits, the true horrors of her past become harder to repress.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Telefon (1995)
A guy is terrorized on the phone and receives death threats. He should have taken them seriously...
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Deluge (2022)
A family struggles to survive isolated from civilization, with the exception of a neighbor who lives nearby. A storm that has haunted them for the past four years, tests the family’s faith while they face their crop’s decay and other peculiar events.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Blood Pulls a Gun (2014)
A teenage girl gets a keyhole look into a dangerous and mysterious world when a tattooed stranger checks into her roadside motel.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Like Smuggler and something else?
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Smuggler?
The closest matches to Smuggler are Other Side of the Box (2018), Border Hunters (2025) and Hunting Grounds (2025). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Smuggler?
Start with Other Side of the Box (2018), the closest match to Smuggler.
What is the highest-rated movie like Smuggler?
Take Cover (2024), rated 6.4/10 by 237 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Smuggler?
Wardriver (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there German movies like Smuggler?
Yes: Heimwerker (2000), Natural Art and Telefon (1995).
How are movies similar to Smuggler chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Smuggler, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.