Movies like Project Gutenberg (2018)
The best movies like Project Gutenberg (2018) are Infernal Affairs (2002), Drug War (2012) and Once a Thief (1991). If Project Gutenberg 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
- Highest ratedThe Shadow's Edge (2025)8.4/10 from 1,610 votes
- NewestCold War 1994 (2026)Released 2026
Infernal Affairs (2002)
Chan Wing Yan, a young police officer, has been sent undercover as a mole in the local mafia. Lau Kin Ming, a young mafia member, infiltrates the police force. Years later, their older counterparts, Chen Wing Yan and Inspector Lau Kin Ming, respectively, race against time to expose the mole within their midst.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDrug War (2012)
A drug cartel boss is arrested in a raid and coerced into betraying his former accomplices as part of an undercover operation.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOnce a Thief (1991)
Three orphans grow up to become art thieves under the tutelage of a crime boss. Romance complicates matters when the trio are double-crossed.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Thieves (2012)
A gang of South Korean thieves team up with a Hong Kong crew to steal a diamond necklace from a heavily-guarded casino safe in Macau. As the cops close in, old betrayals — and misunderstandings — resurface.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Shadow's Edge (2025)
Macau Police brings the tracking expert police officer out of retirement to help catch a dangerous group of professional thieves.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & crime
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisHard Boiled (1992)
A cop who loses his partner in a shoot-out with gun smugglers goes on a mission to catch them. In order to get closer to the leaders of the ring he joins forces with an undercover cop who's working as a gangster hitman. They use all means of excessive force to find them.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCold War (2012)
After five specially trained officers and a van full of firearms fall off the grid, the Hong Kong police start receiving calls from the hijackers.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBodies at Rest (2019)
Working in the morgue, a hardworking forensics expert and his assistant are suddenly accosted by masked intruders who demand access to a body involved in a recent crime.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChasing the Dragon II: Wild Wild Bunch (2019)
Based on real-life crimes that terrorized Hong Kong in the 1990s, Logan (Tony Leung Ka-Fai) is the head of leading a notorious human trafficking gang, abducting the children of Hong Kong's elite. Police forces decide to send in Sky (Louis Koo), a Hong Kong undercover agent whose mission is to infiltrate and save the hostages, all while bringing the gang and their leader to justice.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & action
Integrity (2019)
The chief investigator of Hong Kong’s Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) is banking on a key witness, the corporate accountant Jack, to testify in court against a high-level customs officer and a tobacco trading company CEO accused of bribery and smuggling. When neither Jack nor the CEO show up on the day of the hearing, King is given seven days to save the prosecution’s case.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & mystery
Crime Story (1993)
A special agent is assigned to protect a wealthy business magnate. However, when the businessman is kidnapped in a daring ambush, he teams up with a seasoned detective to crack the case. But soon he discovers the case isn't that simple.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Brink (2017)
Reckless police inspector Sai Gau (Zhang Jin) is on a mission to crack down on criminal Shing's (Shawn Yue) gold smuggling scheme, yet fails to arrest him. As Sai Gau continues his manhunt, he discovers Shing's involvement with triad boss Blackie (Yasuaki Kurata), who hides on a casino cruise ship on the high seas. Shing has been involved in a power struggle within the smuggling ring, and is forced to kill his adopted father. He also loses his share of gold smuggling to Blackie. To get even, Shing appears on the cruise, while Sai Gau is there to hunt for him.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & action
SnoozefestMovies like thisCity on Fire (1987)
Ko Chow is an undercover cop who is under pressure from all sides. His boss, Inspector Lau, wants him to infiltrate a gang of ruthless jewel thieves; his girlfriend wants him to commit to marriage or she will leave Hong Kong with another lover; and he is being pursued by other cops who are unaware that he is a colleague. Chow would rather quit the force, feeling guilty about betraying gang members who have become his friends.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDetective Chinatown 3 (2021)
Tang Ren and Qin Feng travel to Japan to investigate the death of a mafia head. As they suspect foul play, they engage in a battle of wits against foreign detectives.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & mystery
SnoozefestMovies like thisSeoul Vibe (2022)
Chasing speed, dreams and money, a team of drivers get involved in the slush fund investigation of a powerful figure during the 1988 Seoul Olympics.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBadges of Fury (2013)
When a series of eerie murders erupts across Hong Kong, grizzled veteran Huang and his reckless younger partner Wang, are assigned to track down the killer.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & crime
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Big Swindle (2004)
After being convicted for fraud, one month has passed since Choi Chang-hyuk's release from jail. But this time around he's got an elaborate plan cooked up. It's the biggest bank heist in history that'll make any thief have a wet dream. The best five thieves come together to form a team.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & action
Once Upon a Time in Shanghai (2014)
A laborer moves to Shanghai in the hope of becoming rich. But ends up using his kung fu skills to survive. Remake of The Boxer From Shantung.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Killer (1989)
Mob assassin Jeffrey is no ordinary hired gun; the best in his business, he views his chosen profession as a calling rather than simply a job. So, when beautiful nightclub chanteuse Jennie is blinded in the crossfire of his most recent hit, Jeffrey chooses to retire after one last job to pay for his unintended victim's sight-restoring operation. But when Jeffrey is double-crossed, he reluctantly joins forces with a rogue policeman to make things right.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCold War 1994 (2026)
In 1994, a tycoon's kidnapping shook Hong Kong, threatening its financial standing. Police pursued personal gain while OCID Superintendent Li Wenbin risked everything to navigate conflicting interests and expose the truth.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & crime
Overheard 2 (2011)
Manson Law, a celebrated stockbroker in Hong Kong, is injured in a car accident. The police, led by Inspector Jack Ho, discovers a military surveillance device in the car wreck. Meanwhile, the wiretapper Joe Szema is unveiling his extensive plan that targets the mysterious financial conglomerate, the Landlord Club. The fate of these three men soon intertwines in the cat-and-mouse game that may bring down the entire stock market.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBeast Stalker (2008)
Sergeant Tong is wracked with guilt after he unwittingly kills a young girl whilst capuring a criminal named Cheung. When the girl's sister is later kidnapped in a ploy to get Cheung released, Sergeant Tong vows to find and rescue her before she comes to harm.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRaging Fire (2021)
Cheung Sung-bong is a highly respected cop with a long history of success in dangerous cases. However, his past soon comes back to haunt him when a former protégé resurfaces, seeking revenge.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisNew Police Story (2004)
Sent into a drunken tailspin when his entire unit is killed by a gang of thrill-seeking punks, disgraced Hong Kong police inspector Wing needs help from his new rookie partner, with a troubled past of his own, to climb out of the bottle and track down the gang and its ruthless leader.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRunning Out of Time (1999)
Police inspector and excellent hostage negotiator Ho Sheung-Sang finds himself in over his head when he is pulled into a 72 hour game by a cancer suffering criminal out for vengeance on Hong Kong's organized crime syndicates.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTriple Tap (2010)
Champion competitive marksman Ken comes across an armored van robbery. He sees a policeman held hostage and shoots and kills four of the robbers. One of the robbers escapes and the policeman survives. The case is handled by Jerry Chang, whom Ken knows from having recently beaten him in a shooting match. Ken is found not guilty in court. Soon after, Ken is attacked by the escaped robber Pang Tao. Their confrontation reveals a very different background story and brings about a myriad of lies and traps and changes in relationships as Jerry and Ken try to outsmart each other.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAbsolution (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
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe International (2009)
An interpol agent and an attorney are determined to bring one of the world's most powerful banks to justice. Uncovering money laundering, arms trading, and conspiracy to destabilize world governments, their investigation takes them from Berlin, Milan, New York and Istanbul. Finding themselves in a chase across the globe, their relentless tenacity puts their own lives at risk.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisP Storm (2019)
Liu Yue Ping reports to the ICAC about a rich 2G Cao Yuen Yuen who bribed officers of the Hong Kong Correctional Services (HKCS) from inside the prison. William Luk decides to infiltrate the prison as an inmate to conduct his investigation, while his partner Ching Tak Ming and Chief Inspector Lau Po-keung back him up from the outside.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIn the Line of Duty 4 (1989)
Two detectives who are up to their necks in trouble and in each other's face, as they try to shut down a drug-trafficking scheme that could be connected with international ties to organized crime. But in the midst of their investigation, innocent immigrant dock worker Luk Wan-Ting gets caught up in the mix when he witnesses the murder of an intelligence operative and is framed for the crime.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Project Gutenberg?
The closest matches to Project Gutenberg are Infernal Affairs (2002), Drug War (2012) and Once a Thief (1991). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Project Gutenberg?
People who watched Project Gutenberg most often go on to Infernal Affairs (2002), Drug War (2012) and Once a Thief (1991).
What is the highest-rated movie like Project Gutenberg?
The Shadow's Edge (2025), rated 8.4/10 by 1,610 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Project Gutenberg?
Cold War 1994 (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
How are movies similar to Project Gutenberg chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Project Gutenberg, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.