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Movies like Dayavan (1988)

The best movies like Dayavan (1988) are Switchblade Sisters (1975), Vice Squad (1982) and Mardaani (2014). If Dayavan hooked you with its action and crime, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.

Quick picks

  1. Switchblade Sisters (1975)

    The leader of an inner city girl gang is challenged when a new girl moves into the neighborhood.

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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  2. Vice Squad (1982)

    An unlikely Hollywood hooker helps a detective set a trap for a mutilator pimp.

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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  3. Mardaani (2014)

    A Mumbai police officer's search for a missing teenage girl leads her to the depraved world of child trafficking. What follows is a cat-and-mouse game between the officer and a ruthless mafia kingpin.

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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  4. Death Wish (2018)

    A mild-mannered father is transformed into a killing machine after his family is torn apart by a violent act.

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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  5. Convict (2014)

    Set in the dark and old Parramatta prison built by the original convicts our lead character Ray a war veteran finds himself serving 18 months for manslaughter after defending his fiance. He soon realizes that the prison boss has it in for him and does everything possible to break Ray even going after his fiance.

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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  6. Al Capone (1959)

    In this unusually accurate biography, small-time hood Al Capone comes to Chicago at the dawn of Prohibition to be the bodyguard of racketeer Johnny Torrio. Capone's rise in Chicago gangdom is followed through murder, extortion, and political fraud. He becomes head of Chicago's biggest "business," but moves inexorably toward his downfall and ignominious end.

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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  7. Scarface (1983)

    After getting a green card in exchange for assassinating a Cuban government official, Tony Montana stakes a claim on the drug trade in Miami. Viciously murdering anyone who stands in his way, Tony eventually becomes the biggest drug lord in the state, controlling nearly all the cocaine that comes through Miami. But increased pressure from the police, wars with Colombian drug cartels and his own drug-fueled paranoia serve to fuel the flames of his eventual downfall.

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

    Absolute CinemaMovies like this
  8. El 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 this
  9. The Corruptor (1999)

    Danny is a young cop partnered with Nick, a seasoned but ethically tainted veteran. As the two try to stop a gang war in Chinatown, Danny relies on Nick but grows increasingly uncomfortable with the way Nick gets things done.

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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  10. We Die Young (2019)

    Lucas, a 14-year-old boy inducted into the gang life in Washington D.C., is determined that his 10-year-old brother won't follow the same path. When an Afghanistan war veteran comes into the neighborhood, an opportunity arises.

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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  11. Rise of the Footsoldier (2007)

    Carlton Leach rises from one of the most feared generals of the football terraces to becoming a member of a notorious gang of criminals who rampaged their way through London and Essex in the late '80s and early '90s.

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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  12. Menace II Society (1993)

    A young street hustler attempts to escape the rigors and temptations of the ghetto in a quest for a better life.

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

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  13. Gangs of Wasseypur - Part 2 (2012)

    After the death of his father and brother Danish, Faizal Khan vows to take revenge by destroying Ramadhir Singh's gang.

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

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  14. Hobo with a Shotgun (2011)

    A vigilante homeless man pulls into a new city and finds himself trapped in urban chaos, a city where crime rules and where the city's crime boss reigns. Seeing an urban landscape filled with armed robbers, corrupt cops, abused prostitutes and even a pedophile Santa, the Hobo goes about bringing justice to the city the best way he knows how - with a 20-gauge shotgun. Mayhem ensues when he tries to make things better for the future generation. Street justice will indeed prevail.

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

  15. The Protector (1985)

    Billy Wong is a New York City cop whose partner is gunned down during a robbery. Billy and his new partner, Danny Garoni, are working security at a fashion show when a wealthy man's daughter, Laura Shapiro, is kidnapped. The Federal authorities suspect that Laura's father is involved with Mr. Ko, a Hong Kong drug kingpin, so the NYC police commissioner sends the two cops to Hong Kong to investigate.

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

  16. True Confessions (1981)

    A cop clashes with his priest brother while investigating the brutal murder of a young prostitute.

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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  17. Wonderland (2003)

    On the afternoon of July 1, 1981, Los Angeles police responded to a distress call on Wonderland Avenue and discovered a grisly quadruple homicide. The police investigation that followed uncovered two versions of the events leading up to the brutal murders - both involving legendary porn actor John Holmes.

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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  18. The Krays (1990)

    Twins Ronnie and Reggie Kray are raised in east London, under the influence of their hateful but doting mother Violet. As they grow up, Ronnie's violent nature takes over, and Reggie follows his brother's lead. The two become notorious crime lords who rule over the East End club scene. But at the height of their power, the brothers veer into different lives, giving the older crime bosses a chance to reclaim what the Krays took from them.

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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  19. Coffy (1973)

    After her younger sister gets involved in drugs and is severely injured by contaminated heroin, a nurse sets out on a mission of vengeance and vigilante justice, killing drug dealers, pimps, and mobsters who cross her path.

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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  20. The Outrage (1964)

    At a disused railway station, three men -- a con artist, a preacher, and a prospector -- discuss the recent trial and sentencing of the outlaw Juan Carrasco for the murder of a man and the rape of his wife. In their recounting, the three explore the conflicting testimonies of the parties involved in the crimes. Disconcerting new questions arise with each different version of the event.

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

  21. Kuppathu Raja (2019)

    A story about the relationship between the slum dwellers in Chennai and how certain anti-social elements create unrest in their lives.

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

  22. One Deadly Summer (1983)

    Shortly after Elle Wieck moves to a small French village, she begins dating Pin-Pon, a quiet young mechanic who has grown obsessed with the beautiful newcomer. But Elle has her own reason for the relationship...

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

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  23. Police Story (1985)

    Officer Chan Ka Kui manages to put a major Hong Kong drug dealer behind the bars practically alone, after a shooting and an impressive chase inside a slum. Now, he must protect the boss' secretary, Selina, who will testify against the gangster in court.

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

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  24. Sicario (2015)

    An idealistic FBI agent is enlisted by a government task force to aid in the escalating war against drugs at the border area between the U.S. and Mexico.

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

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  25. Milan (1995)

    Raja is a small-time smuggler. His sweetheart, Priya does not approve of this, and convinces him to give up his smuggling activities, and turn the information over to the police. He does so, only to find that he has been framed for a murder he did not commit. When he decides to entrust himself to the justice of the courts, he is convicted of murder and sentenced to jail. In jail he encounters more problems, and needs all his wits to stay alive. Back to Priya; Raja's former smuggling colleagues, including corrupt police officers are openly harassing her, and no one seems to be able to look after her. Raja must get out of jail to find out who has framed him, and who is the king-pin behind the smuggling ring.

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

  26. Eagle Rock (2019)

    In the early 1970s, a young woman in prison for murder reflects on what led her to the crime, the cult she was a part of, and her relationship with its leader.

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

  27. The Element of Crime (1984)

    Fisher, an ex-detective, decides to take one final case when a mysterious serial killer claims the lives of several young girls. Fisher, unable to find the culprit, turns to Osbourne, a writer who was once respected for his contributions to the field of criminology. Fisher begins to use Osbourne's technique, which involves empathizing with serial killers; however, as the detective becomes increasingly engrossed in this method, things take a disturbing turn.

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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  28. Harlem Nights (1989)

    'Sugar' Ray is the owner of an illegal casino and must contend with the pressure of vicious gangsters and corrupt police who want to see him go out of business. In the world of organised crime and police corruption in the 1920s, any dastardly trick is fair.

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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  29. The Four Feathers (2002)

    A young British officer resigns his post when he learns of his regiment's plan to ship out to the Sudan for the conflict with the Mahdi. His friends and fiancée send him four white feathers as symbols of what they view as his cowardice. To redeem his honor, he disguises himself as an Arab and secretly saves their lives.

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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  30. Buffalo Soldiers (2002)

    A criminal subculture operates among U.S. soldiers stationed in West Germany just before the fall of the Berlin wall.

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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this

Like Dayavan and something else?

Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best movies like Dayavan?

The closest matches to Dayavan are Switchblade Sisters (1975), Vice Squad (1982) and Mardaani (2014). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.

What should I watch after Dayavan?

Start with Switchblade Sisters (1975), the closest match to Dayavan.

What is the highest-rated movie like Dayavan?

Scarface (1983), rated 8.2/10 by 13,663 TMDB users.

What is the newest movie like Dayavan?

Eagle Rock (2019) is the most recent release on this list.

Are there Hindi movies like Dayavan?

Yes: Mardaani (2014), Gangs of Wasseypur - Part 2 (2012) and Milan (1995).

How are movies similar to Dayavan chosen?

First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Dayavan, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.

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