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Movies like Abel Villarama Armado (1999)

The best movies like Abel Villarama Armado (1999) are The Protector (1985), The Enforcer (2022) and Empire (2002). If Abel Villarama Armado hooked you with its crime and action, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.

Quick picks

  1. 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

  2. The 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 this
  3. Empire (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 this
  4. Run (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 & crime

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  5. How to Rob a Bank (2007)

    Caught in the middle of a bank robbery, a slacker and a bank employee become the ones who arbitrate the intense situation.

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

  6. State 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 this
  7. 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 action & crime

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  8. Busting (1974)

    Defying orders to lay-off the case, two Los Angeles vice-squad cops go after a local mobster and use unorthodox methods to achieve results.

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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  9. Wire Room (2022)

    New recruit Justin Rosa must monitor arms-smuggling cartel member Eddie Flynn — and keep him alive at all costs. When a SWAT team descends on Flynn’s home, Rosa breaks protocol and contacts the gangster directly to save his life. As gunmen break into the Wire Room and chaos erupts, Mueller and Rosa make a final, desperate stand against the corrupt agents and officials who seek to destroy evidence and kill them both.

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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  10. 12 Rounds 3: Lockdown (2015)

    Detective Shaw returns to active duty after the death of his partner. When he uncovers evidence linking his fellow officers to a murder, they frame him for a homicide he didn't commit. Trapped in his own precinct, Shaw will do whatever it takes to expose the dirty cops and clear his name. With twelve rounds in the clip and one shot at redemption, nothing will stand in Shaw's way in this action-packed thriller.

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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  11. Absolution (2024)

    An aging ex-boxer gangster working as muscle for a Boston crime boss receives an upsetting diagnosis. Despite a faltering memory, he attempts to rectify the sins of his past and reconnect with his estranged children. He is determined to leave a positive legacy for his grandson, but the criminal underworld isn’t done with him and won’t loosen their grip willingly.

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

  12. 6 Bullets (2012)

    An ex-mercenary known for finding missing children is hired by a mixed martial arts fighter whose daughter has been kidnapped.

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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  13. Red Right Hand (2024)

    Cash is trying to live a quiet, honest life in a small Appalachian town. When a vicious crime boss forces him back into her services, he soon learns he's capable of anything -- even killing -- to protect his family and his home.

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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  14. Ted Bundy: American Boogeyman (2021)

    Set in a gritty and decadent 1970s America, American Boogeyman follows the elusive and charming killer and the manhunt that brought him to justice involving the detective and the FBI rookie who coined the phrase ‘serial killer’.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  15. Above the Rim (1994)

    Story of a promising high school basketball star and his relationships with two brothers, one a drug dealer and the other a former basketball star fallen on hard times and now employed as a security guard.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  16. Body Brokers (2021)

    Utah and his girlfriend Opal, are drug addicts living on the streets in rural Ohio. After getting recruited by body broker Wood and offered treatment in Los Angeles, Wood takes Utah under his wing and introduces him to treatment center mogul Vin. Wood and Vin bring Utah in on their lucrative and illegal dealings, where saving lives comes second to the bottom line.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  17. The Sound of Fury (1950)

    A family man – desperate for a job – latches onto a friend who encourages him into being a criminal.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  18. Siberian Education (2013)

    The story of a gang of children growing up in a community of banished criminals, in a forgotten corner of the former Soviet Union. This community rejects the world outside. The only law it obeys… is its own. Against this backdrop two best friends, Kolyma and Gagarin, gradually become fierce enemies as they find themselves on opposite sides of the strict code of honour of the ‘honest criminal’ brotherhood.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  19. I Am Elizabeth Smart (2017)

    The story of Elizabeth Smart's kidnapping and captivity, as told from her perspective.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  20. Winged Creatures (2009)

    A psychotic man opens fire in a diner, murdering numerous people before killing himself. The survivors struggle in different ways following this horrendous event: a doctor doubts his own instincts and elects to use an experimental medical procedure on his wife, while a gambler believes he's on a lucky streak. A waitress begins engaging in promiscuous sex, and a young girl whose father is among the dead gains unexpected fame.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime

  21. Double Barrel (2017)

    A young couple who are so poor that they have to work as hired killers.

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

  22. Gitano (1949)

    The story deals with the gaieties and frolics of Gypsies led by Ricardo, shown here dancing with Ramona.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action

  23. Plane (2023)

    After a heroic job of successfully landing his storm-damaged aircraft in a war zone, a fearless pilot finds himself between the agendas of multiple militias planning to take the plane and its passengers hostage.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  24. Antonio's Secret (2008)

    The story about a teenage boy, Antonio, whose emerging gay sexuality alienates him from his friends and family, until his libertine uncle, Jonbert, comes to live with him and his mother.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime

  25. Air Force (1943)

    The crew of an Air Force bomber arrives in Pearl Harbor in the aftermath of the Japanese attack and is sent on to Manila to help with the defense of the Philippines.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  26. Days of Being Wild (1990)

    Yuddy, a Hong Kong playboy known for breaking girls' hearts, tries to find solace and truth after discovering the woman who raised him isn't his mother.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  27. Asintado (2014)

    In the middle of the preparation for the Taong Putik Festival, a young man, penniless and in love, takes on a job that goes terribly wrong. To save him, his mother now makes the most difficult decision of her life.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime

  28. They Were Expendable (1945)

    After a demonstration of new PT boats, Navy brass are still unconvinced of their viability in combat, leaving Lt. "Rusty" Ryan frustrated. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, however, Ryan and his buddy Lt. Brickley are told they can finally take their squadron into battle. The PT boats quickly prove their worth, successfully shooting down Japanese planes, relaying messages between islands, and picking off a multitude of enemy ships.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  29. Children's Show (2014)

    A film based on a real life story of children ages 10-15 years old being used by a syndicate for underground wrestling.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime

  30. Hustisya (2014)

    A foul-mouthed woman fights for her soul in the belly of the city. Working for a human trafficking agency controlled by a powerful syndicate, she sees no evil, hears no evil. In a society like ours, you have only two choices—to be a victim or a victimizer. She makes her choice.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime

Like Abel Villarama Armado and something else?

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

Frequently asked questions

What are the best movies like Abel Villarama Armado?

The closest matches to Abel Villarama Armado are The Protector (1985), The Enforcer (2022) and Empire (2002). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.

What should I watch after Abel Villarama Armado?

Start with The Protector (1985), the closest match to Abel Villarama Armado.

What is the highest-rated movie like Abel Villarama Armado?

Days of Being Wild (1990), rated 7.3/10 by 636 TMDB users.

What is the newest movie like Abel Villarama Armado?

Absolution (2024) is the most recent release on this list.

Are there English movies like Abel Villarama Armado?

Yes: The Protector (1985), The Enforcer (2022) and Empire (2002).

How are movies similar to Abel Villarama Armado chosen?

First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Abel Villarama Armado, 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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