Movies like Waikiki (1980)
The best movies like Waikiki (1980) are Hierarchy (2025), Desert Dawn (2025) and The Substitute 2: School's Out (1998). If Waikiki hooked you with its action and crime, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedRay Donovan: The Movie (2022)6.8/10 from 242 votes
- NewestHierarchy (2025)Released 2025
Hierarchy (2025)
In an undisclosed area of Texas after two adoptive brothers become entangled in criminal activity, forced to evade law enforcement and the greedy Russian mafia.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDesert Dawn (2025)
A newly appointed small-town sheriff and his begrudging deputy get tangled up in a web of lies and corruption involving shady businessmen and the cartel while investigating the murder of a mysterious woman.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Substitute 2: School's Out (1998)
When teacher Randall Thomasson is killed during a carjacking, an unexpected visitor shows up at his funeral - his estranged brother, Karl Thomasson. An ex-Green Beret turned mercenary, Karl signs on as a new substitute teacher in order to investigate Randall's murder.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFatal Contact: Bird Flu in America (2006)
An outbreak of avian flu mutates into a virus that becomes transmittable from human to human.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisJesse Stone: Benefit of the Doubt (2012)
Jesse finds himself struggling to get his job back as the Paradise police chief, and he is forced to rely on his cop intuition to sort through a maze of misleading clues and hidden meanings as he attempts to solve a shocking and horrifying mob-related double homicide.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNo Night Is Too Long (2002)
A chance meeting, a stolen kiss and a sudden flare of passion sets a handsome young university student on a journey of betrayal, heartbreak and murder.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDead Man's Folly (1986)
During a murder hunt game at a country house, to which Hercule Poirot is invited as an "expert", a real murder occurs.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Sister's Secret (2018)
Twin sisters secretly swap places on their thirtieth birthday. The harmless prank becomes a nightmare when one of them is murdered.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCrossword Mysteries: Proposing Murder (2019)
When an old friend of New York Sentinel Crosswords editor Tess Harper is found murdered on the very day her puzzle includes his proposal of marriage, Tess unofficially teams up with Detective Logan O’Connor to find the killer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAmanda Knox: Murder on Trial in Italy (2011)
Based on the events surrounding the murder of British student Meredith Kercher. Hayden Panettiere (Heroes) and Marcia Gay Harden (Academy Award winner for Pollock) star in the Lifetime Original Movie Amanda Knox: Murder on Trial in Italy based on the international headline-grabbing story of the now infamous American exchange student accused by Italian authorities of brutally killing her roommate. Amanda Knox: Murder on Trial in Italy poses the question of whether Knox (Panettiere), the Seattle honors student accused of murdering her college roommate Meredith Kercher (Amanda Fernando Stevens) in 2007 with her boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito (Paolo Romio) and acquaintance Rudy Guede (Djirbi Kebe), actually committed the crime or was herself a victim.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHello (2022)
An emotionally unavailable flight attendant meets a potential love interest and later finds out that her "perfect guy" has ulterior motives. As the clock ticks down on New Year's Eve, she must fight to keep her murdered ex-boyfriend's secrets or find herself dead.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAurora Teagarden Mysteries: Til Death Do Us Part (2021)
Just days before Aurora’s wedding, a body is discovered, and she fears her father may be a suspect. She and Nick race to solve the cold case before they walk down the aisle.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHailey Dean Mysteries: Dating Is Murder (2017)
Attorney turned therapist Hailey Dean is pulled into another investigation when a popular new dating app links multiple missing persons cases from around the city. Reuniting with her old team, Hailey discovers the potential dangers of online interaction, and must track down a killer before anyone else gets hurt.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRay Donovan: The Movie (2022)
A showdown decades in the making brings the Donovan family legacy full circle. As the events that made Ray who he is today finally come to light, the Donovans find themselves drawn back to Boston to face the past. Each of them struggles to overcome their violent upbringing, but destiny dies hard, and only their fierce love for each other keeps them in the fight.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRiddled with Deceit: A Martha's Vineyard Mystery (2020)
Former detective Jeff Jackson teams up with Dr. Zee Madieras to track down their friend's missing emerald brooch, a thief, and also... a murderer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCrossword Mysteries: Riddle Me Dead (2021)
Tess gets invited to be a part of a popular game show, but when the host is unexpectedly murdered, she and Detective Logan O'Connor seek to uncover who was behind it all.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWitness Protection (1999)
Would you be willing to walk away from everyone and everything you've ever known in exchange for your safety? This is the question facing career criminal Bobby "Bats" Batton (Tom Sizemore); on the outs with the mob and facing prosecution for a number of serious crimes, Batton is offered a deal by the FBI in which he will be given immunity in exchange for testifying against his former partners. However, Batton will have to join the Federal Witness Protection Program, which means that he, his wife, and his children will never again see their friends and family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPast Malice: An Emma Fielding Mystery (2018)
Archaeologist Emma Fielding is hired to consult on the acquisition of a castle-like estate that local legend states is cursed. But she finds herself in the middle of a murder case after discovering the body of the archaeologist she was hired to shadow in a secret chamber in the bowels of the huge building. Assisted by her friend, FBI special agent Jim Conner, Fielding must sift through clues and a long list of suspects, each of whom has their own reason for wanting the man dead, to determine who is the killer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Night Stalker (1972)
Wisecracking reporter Carl Kolchak investigates a string of murders in Las Vegas and suspects the culprit is a vampire. His editor thinks he's crazy and the police think he's a nuisance, so Kolchak takes matters into his own hands.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCurious Caterer: Dying for Chocolate (2022)
Goldy is a spirited single mom who’s thrust into the role of town sleuth to help solve a friend’s mysterious death. With the clock ticking to find the culprit, Goldy strikes up an unlikely partnership with Detective Tom Schultz, who leans into Goldy’s local knowledge. As their relationship shows signs of becoming something more, the suspect list rises. Will Goldy narrow in on the killer before the killer narrows in on her?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Waikiki?
The closest matches to Waikiki are Hierarchy (2025), Desert Dawn (2025) and The Substitute 2: School's Out (1998). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Waikiki?
Start with Hierarchy (2025), the closest match to Waikiki.
What is the highest-rated movie like Waikiki?
Ray Donovan: The Movie (2022), rated 6.8/10 by 242 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Waikiki?
Hierarchy (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Waikiki?
Yes: Hierarchy (2025), Desert Dawn (2025) and The Substitute 2: School's Out (1998).
How are movies similar to Waikiki chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Waikiki, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.