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Movies like The Secrets Beneath (1986)

The best movies like The Secrets Beneath (1986) are The Protector (1985), Wire Room (2022) and Trap House (2025). If The Secrets Beneath 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

  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. 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

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  3. Trap 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

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  4. Misdirection (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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  5. 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

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  6. The 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 & crime

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  7. 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

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  8. 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

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  9. Until Death (2007)

    Anthony Stowe is a dirty cop who is hooked on heroin—and everyone hates him. After a serious accident, he is placed into an induced coma, but emerges from it a better person who wants to put things right.

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

  10. The 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

  11. Take 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

  12. 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

  13. The Rookie (1990)

    Veteran cop Nick Pulovski is used to playing musical partners; many of the partners he's had in the past have died on the job, and often as a result of Nick's risky tactics. But the rookie who's been assigned to help Nick bust a carjacking ring is almost as hotheaded as he is … and when Nick gets kidnapped, his newbie partner is his only hope.

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

  14. Oscar Shaw (2026)

    After retiring from the police force, a relentless detective haunted by the tragic loss of his closest friend sets out on a perilous quest for vengeance, seeking redemption and fighting to restore justice to the streets he once swore to protect.

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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  15. The Double (2011)

    The mysterious murder of a US senator bearing the distinctive trademark of the legendary Soviet assassin 'Cassius', forces retired CIA operative, Paul Shepherson to team with rookie FBI agent, Ben Geary to solve the crime. Having spent his career chasing Cassius, Shepherdson is convinced his nemesis is long dead, but is pushed to take on the case by his former supervisor, Tom Highland. Geary, who wrote his Master's thesis on Shepherdson's pursuit of the Soviet killer, is certain that Cassius has resurfaced.

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

  16. Hellhound (2024)

    Ready to leave his profession behind, Loreno, an assassin, lends help to an old friend, Cetan, and taking one last job in Thailand seeking out a local kingpin. A lapse in judgment means Loreno crosses paths with old colleague Paul.

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

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  17. 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
  18. The Island (2023)

    When his brother is killed, LAPD officer Mark leaves the city to return to the island he grew up on. Seeking answers and ultimately vengeance, he soon finds himself in a bloody battle with the corrupt tycoon who's taken over the island paradise.

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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  19. The 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 this
  20. Shade (2003)

    Tiffany, Charlie and Vernon are con artists looking to up the ante from their typical scams. They figure a good way of doing this is taking down Dean "The Dean" Stevens, a well-known cardsharp, in a rigged game. However, they first need enough money to enter a game with Stevens, so they decide to strike a deal with fellow crook Larry Jennings to scam a local gangster -- which turns out to be a bad idea.

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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this

Like The Secrets Beneath and something else?

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

Frequently asked questions

What are the best movies like The Secrets Beneath?

The closest matches to The Secrets Beneath are The Protector (1985), Wire Room (2022) and Trap House (2025). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.

What should I watch after The Secrets Beneath?

Start with The Protector (1985), the closest match to The Secrets Beneath.

What is the highest-rated movie like The Secrets Beneath?

The Enforcer (2022), rated 7.0/10 by 533 TMDB users.

What is the newest movie like The Secrets Beneath?

Misdirection (2026) is the most recent release on this list.

How are movies similar to The Secrets Beneath chosen?

First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Secrets Beneath, 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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