Movies like Upstream (2017)
The best movies like Upstream (2017) are Police Story: Lockdown (2013), Empire (2002) and The Enforcer (2022). If Upstream hooked you with its crime and action, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Enforcer (2022)7.0/10 from 532 votes
- NewestMisdirection (2026)Released 2026
- In ChinesePolice Story: Lockdown (2013)Also in Chinese
Police Story: Lockdown (2013)
A man looking for the release of a long-time prisoner takes a police officer, his daughter, and a group of strangers hostage.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEmpire (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 thisThe 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 thisFox Hunt (2025)
Based on true events. Dai Yichen, the Shanghai-based mastermind of a massive financial fraud who has been on the run for seven years, resurfaces in Paris. Chinese economic crime detective Ye Jun leads the "Fox Hunt Team" on a cross-border mission to recover the stolen assets. When the hunter becomes the hunted, can the Fox Hunt Team make a comeback against all odds?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Perfect Weapon (1991)
Jeff, a young delinquent, is enrolled by his father in a kenpo school, in the hopes of teaching the boy some self-discipline. Years later, Jeff's mentor, Kim, is being threatened by one of the Korean mafia families. Jeff tries to help his old friend, but is too late to prevent Kim's death at the hands of an unknown hitman. Vowing revenge, Jeff takes on all of the families, using his martial arts skills to find the man who killed his friend.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSilverton Siege (2022)
After a failed sabotage mission, a trio of anti-apartheid freedom fighters ends up in a tense bank hostage situation. Based on a true story.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Bodyguard (2016)
A retired bodyguard who has settled into a corner of the world where China, Russia and North Korea meet as he suffers from early dementia finds a new friend in a young girl. When her life is threatened by her father's connection with a local crime lord, the bodyguard must call upon his long forgotten skills to save her.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
SnoozefestMovies like thisCaught in Time (2020)
Based on real life events from the 1990s, a ruthless gang manages to pull off several high risk – high reward heists, meticulously planned out and executed over nearly a decade. When a police detective thinks he's figured out their pattern, the head of the gang starts to openly taunt him, resulting in a race to the ultimate showdown between cops and robbers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBest of the Best 2 (1993)
In an underground fight club, blackbelt Travis Brickley is killed after losing to the evil martial arts master Brakus. Travis' death is witnessed by Walter Grady, the son of his best friend Alex Grady. Alex and his partner, Tommy Lee, vow to avenge their friend's death by defeating Brakus and shutting down the fight club.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEl 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 thisHidden Man (2018)
A martial arts-infused spy thriller set in 1937 Beijing. A time when China was lurching between revolution, prosperity, and chaos.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe 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
SnoozefestMovies 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 drama & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTake Back (2021)
Zara and Brian are living the perfect small town life when a mysterious stranger from Zara's secret past kidnaps their daughter and now they must race to save her life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
SnoozefestMovies like thisMoscow Mission (2023)
Tough Chinese detectives go on a mission to Moscow to hunt down ruthless robbers who have been plaguing the trans-Siberian railway with violence and chaos.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBarron's Cove (2025)
When his young son is viciously murdered by a classmate, a grieving father with a history of violence kidnaps the child responsible, igniting a frenzied manhunt fueled by a powerful politician -- the father of the kidnapped boy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe 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 crime & action
SnoozefestMovies like thisTrap House (2025)
An undercover DEA agent and his partner embark on a game of cat and mouse with an audacious, and surprising group of thieves – their own rebellious teenagers, who have begun robbing from a dangerous cartel, using their parents' tactics and top-secret intel to do it.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisInside 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 & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMisdirection (2026)
A desperate couple have pulled off a string of high-end break-ins to pay off a mob debt. When they attempt to rob their latest victim, they find themselves caught in a deadly game of cat and mouse. The tables are turned and the hunters become the hunted.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Upstream?
The closest matches to Upstream are Police Story: Lockdown (2013), Empire (2002) and The Enforcer (2022). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Upstream?
Start with Police Story: Lockdown (2013), the closest match to Upstream.
What is the highest-rated movie like Upstream?
The Enforcer (2022), rated 7.0/10 by 532 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Upstream?
Misdirection (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Chinese movies like Upstream?
Yes: Police Story: Lockdown (2013), Fox Hunt (2025) and The Bodyguard (2016).
How are movies similar to Upstream chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Upstream, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.