Movies like Shisei: The Tattooer (2006)

Irezumi (1966)

Otsuya, the daughter of a rich merchant, elopes with her lover Shinsuke, an employee of her father's. During their flight, Otsuya's beauty attracts the gaze of Seikichi, a mysterious master tattooist who sees her pristine white skin as the perfect canvas for his art. The image of the large demonic spider that he emblazons across Otsuya's back marks her as the property of another man, radically altering her relationships with all around her as her personality seems to transform under its influence.

Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama

180 (2026)

When an unexpected road rage incident puts his son in critical condition, an enraged father spirals down a dark path of emotional turmoil and vengeance.

Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & crime

Five Minutes of Heaven (2009)

The story of former Ulster Volunteer Force member Alistair Little. Twenty-five years after Little killed Joe Griffin's brother, the media arrange an auspicious meeting between the two.

Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama

The Quiller Memorandum (1966)

After two British Secret Intelligence Service agents are murdered at the hands of a cryptic neo-Nazi group known as Phoenix, the suave agent Quiller is sent to Berlin to investigate.

Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & drama

Dear Mr. Gacy (2010)

A chronicle of the interaction between college student Jason Moss and the object of his obsession, serial killer John Wayne Gacy.

Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama

The 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

Blindfire (2020)

A police officer who while responding to a violent hostage call, kills the African American suspect only to later learn of his innocence. Sensing this was a set-up, and facing repercussions, he must track down the person responsible while examining his own accountability and the ingrained racism which brought him to this point.

Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama

King Ivory (2025)

Based on extensive research involving law enforcement and gang members, a never-before-seen, authentic look inside the underworld of fentanyl trafficking from gangs inside the Oklahoma State Penitentiary at McAlester a.k.a. "Big Mac."

Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama

The Public Eye (1992)

A crime photographer gets involved in a conspiracy.

Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama

The Devil You Know (2022)

Once-incarcerated Marcus Cowans is trying to turn over a new leaf with the support of his loving family. Upon discovering that one of his brothers may have been involved in a horrific crime, Marcus grapples with the limits of brotherhood and loyalty. He and his family, increasingly weary of the justice system’s failings, end up in the crosshairs of a seasoned but jaded detective.

Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & drama

Chopper (2000)

The true and infamous story of Australia's notorious criminal Mark 'Chopper' Read and his years of crime, interest in violence, drugs and prostitutes.

Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama

Each Dawn I Die (1939)

A corrupt D.A. with governatorial ambitions is annoyed by an investigative reporter's criticism of his criminal activities and decides to frame the reporter for manslaughter in order to silence him.

Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama

Inside Man (2023)

Based on true events. A disgraced police detective seeking redemption goes undercover to expose a violent crime syndicate. But as he sinks deeper into the mob, the price for absolution may be higher than he can afford.

Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & thriller

The 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 crime & thriller

Character (2021)

A kind man aspires to become a manga writer, but villains and evil deeds do not come easily to him, for he has little experience or natural inclination for them. Things take a surprise turn when he comes across a family who were described as idealized that are no more. He uses the real-life situation for his work.

Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & crime

Awake (2007)

While undergoing heart surgery, a man experiences a phenomenon called ‘anesthetic awareness’, which leaves him awake but paralyzed throughout the operation. As various obstacles present themselves, his wife must make life-altering decisions while wrestling with her own personal drama.

Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & crime

The 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 thriller & crime

Female Prisoner Scorpion: #701's Grudge Song (1973)

Nami is once again on the run from the law but is saved by an old classmate who works at a strip club. Through a subsequent conversation they discover they both have a score to settle with a particular crooked cop. However, Nami has doubts about ever trusting a man.

Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & thriller

S.W.A.T.: Under Siege (2017)

When a D.E.A. and S.W.A.T. cartel takedown ends in a shootout, S.W.A.T. Agent Travis Hall seizes a mysterious prisoner taking him into custody. Before long, the S.W.A.T. compound is under siege by wave-after-wave of assault teams attempting to recover the prisoner known as “The Scorpion” for the tattoo blazed across his back. When Travis discovers that his prisoner is a Secret Ops double agent planted within the cartel, it’s up to him and his expert S.W.A.T. team to keep “The Scorpion” and his billion dollar secrets safe.

Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & thriller

The 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

Law Abiding Citizen (2009)

A frustrated man decides to take justice into his own hands after a plea bargain sets one of his family's killers free. He targets not only the killer but also the district attorney and others involved in the deal.

Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & crime

Nightlord (2027)

Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller & crime

Tattoo Girl (1993)

A woman with a butterfly mask starts to win huge at gambling and ends up having to defend herself from those looking for revenge.

Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime & drama

Twitz from Pluto: Graff, Jackass and TV Casualty (2022)

The story of two teenage extraterrestrial refugees from the planet Pluto, who escape to Earth after their planet is destroyed by the US government, as it was deemed “insignificant.” For many years prior, tensions between the Plutonians and the Earthlings had seen a steady incline, as Pluto held camps where Earthlings were experimented on and tortured. The two aliens make their crash landing, undertake human form and undergo the aliases “Hugh Jainus” and “E. Rection”. In an effort to wage revenge on the nation, with their brainwashed sidekick Potator under their wing, the trio hijack television stations worldwide and broadcast mind-numbingly stupid and ridiculous, yet insane and often violent programs to dumb down and distract the nation’s citizens from their devious plans. The tube tells the story...

Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & crime

Death House (2018)

During an exclusive tour, a power breakdown inside a secret prison known as the Death House sends two agents fighting through a labyrinth of horrors while being pursued by a ruthless army of roaming inmates. As they fight to escape, the agents push toward the lowest depths of the facility where they learn a supernatural group of evil beings is their only chance for survival.

Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime & thriller

The Garden of Sinners: Remaining Sense of Pain (2008)

July 1998 - After a group of delinquents is found dead in their hangout place with all their limbs twisted and torn off, Aozaki Touko receives a request to find the murderer and asks Shiki for help. The main suspect is Asagami Fujino; a girl who was the boys' plaything until recently, who Shiki believes to be "one of her kind".

Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime & drama

Julia (2015)

After suffering a brutal trauma, Julia uses an unorthodox form of therapy to restore herself.

Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller

Chrysalis (2014)

Joshua and Penelope are survivors of a deadly infection that laid waste to humanity 25 years ago. When they encounter fellow survivor Abira, their lives are forever changed as they fight off the remnants of the infected.

Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

Once Were Warriors (1994)

In a violent relationship, it takes a mother’s strength to save herself and her children from the man she loved. Once Were Warriors is a violent love story set against a contemporary urban backdrop.

Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

Memento (2000)

Leonard Shelby is tracking down the man who raped and murdered his wife. The difficulty of locating his wife's killer, however, is compounded by the fact that he suffers from a rare, untreatable form of short-term memory loss. Although he can recall details of life before his accident, Leonard cannot remember what happened fifteen minutes ago, where he's going, or why.

Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller