Movies like Mersal (2017)
The best movies like Mersal (2017) are Dhuruvangal Pathinaaru (2016), Kaithi (2019) and Thick as Thieves (2009). If Mersal 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 ratedThe Fugitive (1993)7.5/10 from 5,061 votes
- NewestFriends Like Us (2026)Released 2026
- In TamilDhuruvangal Pathinaaru (2016)Also in Tamil
Dhuruvangal Pathinaaru (2016)
A former cop looks back on the case which left him disabled and forced him to quit the force.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisKaithi (2019)
Dilli, a convicted criminal, is out on parole to meet his daughter. However, a drug bust sets him off on a mission to save the life of police officers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThick as Thieves (2009)
A master thief recruits a notorious thief to help him steal two famous Faberge eggs from an impenetrable vault in an effort to pull off one final job and repay his debt to the Russian mob.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPor Thozhil (2023)
Loganathan, a senior cop is asked to mentor Prakash, an academically bright but faint-hearted rookie and this unlikely duo team up to investigate a series of murder cases, and realize all of them are interlinked and that a psychopath serial killer is on the run.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Glass Key (1942)
A crooked politician finds himself being accused of murder by a gangster from whom he refused help during a re-election campaign.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Seven-Ups (1973)
A tough detective who is part of an elite New York City unit is trying to find out who killed his partner, but uncovers a plot to kidnap mobsters for money.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOverdrive (2017)
Master car thieves square off against French gangsters in the South of France with money, women and lives all on the line.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Mirror Crack'd (1980)
Jane Marple solves the mystery when a local woman is poisoned and a visiting movie star seems to have been the intended victim.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Fugitive (1993)
Wrongfully convicted of murdering his wife and sentenced to death, Richard Kimble escapes from the law in an attempt to find the real killer and clear his name.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThey Made Me a Fugitive (1947)
After being framed for a policeman's murder, a criminal escapes prison and sets out for revenge.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMaanaadu (2021)
A Muslim man, who is stuck in a time loop, has to stop a political rally from taking place in order to save the state's chief minister and prevent religious violence.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisIslands (2025)
In this twisty thriller, a tennis coach at a tropical resort finds himself at the center of a missing persons mystery. Tom teaches tennis during the day and parties at night. When an enigmatic tourist arrives, Tom is unable to shake the feeling he has met her before. Tension and attraction grow, until her husband disappears, and the police suspect Tom.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe 355 (2022)
A group of top female agents from American, British, Chinese, Colombian, and German government agencies are drawn together to try and stop an organization from acquiring a deadly weapon to send the world into chaos.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGotcha! (1985)
A student on a trip to France is tricked into smuggling secrets across the Iron Curtain by a sexy spy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe 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 crime & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRatsasan (2018)
A serial killer is murdering school girls, and a newbie cop has to track him down before the victim count increases.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHow 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
SnoozefestMovies like thisYennai Arindhaal (2015)
Sathyadev, who is on a career break, is forced to put on his cop shoes ones again to save Thenmozhi, a young woman who is the target of a criminal organ harvesting group, led by a ghost from his past.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLaRoy, Texas (2024)
Broke and depressed, Ray is mistaken for a dangerous hitman and given an envelope of cash. Along with his P.I. friend Skip, he must escape the actual hitman to make it out of LaRoy alive.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKiller's Kiss (1955)
Davey Gordon, a New York City boxer at the end of his career, falls for dancer Gloria Price. However, their budding relationship is interrupted by Gloria's violent boss, Vincent Rapallo, who has eyes for Gloria. The two decide to skip town, but before they can, Vincent and his thugs abduct Gloria, and Davey is forced to search for her among the most squalid corners of the city, with his enemy hiding in the shadows.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKuttram 23 (2017)
A case involving the disappearance of a pregnant woman turns into a personal one for the cop who is tasked with investigating it.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller & crime
90 Feet from Home (2019)
A former, troubled Major League Baseball player returns home to confront his abusive step-father.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime & thriller
The Interpreter (2005)
After Silvia Broome, an interpreter at United Nations headquarters, overhears plans of an assassination, an American Secret Service agent is sent to investigate.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDoctors of the Dark Side (2011)
Doctors of the Dark Side is the first feature length documentary about the pivotal role of physicians and psychologists in detainee torture. The stories of four detainees and the doctors involved in their abuse demonstrate how US Army and CIA doctors implemented the Enhanced Interrogation Techniques and covered up signs of torture at Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib. Interviews with medical, legal and intelligence experts and evidence from declassified government memos document what has been called the greatest scandal in American medical ethics. Based on four years of research by Producer/Director Martha Davis, written by Oscar winning Mark Jonathan Harris, and filmed in HD by Emmy winning DP Lisa Rinzler, the film shows how the torture of detainees could not continue without the assistance of the doctors.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime
Barreda (2026)
A fictionalized drama film based on one of the most shocking crimes in Argentina's history. In 1992, Ricardo Barreda was an unassuming dentist, brutally murdered his wife, mother-in-law, and two adult daughters in their family home. Branding himself as a victim, Ricardo Barreda ignited a media storm and fueled a national scandal.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLn Aghfer Abadan (1981)
Hussein's father dies after being neglected by doctors. Hussein decides to take revenge on doctors by stealing their cars.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Hard to Believe (2016)
A documentary that examines the issue of forced live organ harvesting from Chinese prisoners of conscience, and the response - or lack of it - around the world. It's happened before: governments killing their own citizens for their political or spiritual beliefs. But it’s never happened like this. It’s happened so often that the world doesn’t always pay attention.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime
Malpractice (2001)
A lawyer turns private investigator when her doctor-husband holds himself responsible for the death of a patient.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime
Untold: Hall of Shame (2023)
Examine one of sports' biggest steroid scandals via interviews with the head of BALCO lab, athletes suspected of using performance-enhancing drugs and more.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime
Friends Like Us (2026)
A dark comedic thriller where two sitcom actors have to reenact a new version of their show’s series finale after a crazed fan keeps them hostage.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Mersal?
The closest matches to Mersal are Dhuruvangal Pathinaaru (2016), Kaithi (2019) and Thick as Thieves (2009). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Mersal?
Start with Dhuruvangal Pathinaaru (2016), the closest match to Mersal.
What is the highest-rated movie like Mersal?
The Fugitive (1993), rated 7.5/10 by 5,061 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Mersal?
Friends Like Us (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Tamil movies like Mersal?
Yes: Dhuruvangal Pathinaaru (2016), Kaithi (2019) and Por Thozhil (2023).
How are movies similar to Mersal chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Mersal, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.