Movies like The Match-Stick Flame (2020)
The best movies like The Match-Stick Flame (2020) are Trap House (2025), Misdirection (2026) and The International (2009). If The Match-Stick Flame 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 ratedTrap House (2025)6.6/10 from 333 votes
- NewestSeparate Ways (2026)Released 2026
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
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
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 thriller & crime
SnoozefestMovies like thisRun (1991)
When a law student accidentally kills the son of a mob boss in a fight, he finds himself relentlessly pursued by the mob and the police.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe 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 thisOne Night in Bangkok (2020)
A hit man named Kai flies into Bangkok, gets a gun, and orders a cab. He offers a professional female driver big money to be his all-night driver. But when she realizes Kai is committing brutal murders at each stop, it's too late to walk away. Meanwhile, an offbeat police detective races to decode the string of slayings before more blood is spilled.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHellhound (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
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe 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 thisRun All Night (2015)
Brooklyn mobster and prolific hit man Jimmy Conlon has seen better days. Longtime best friend of a mob boss, Jimmy is haunted by the sins of his past—as well as a dogged police detective who’s been one step behind Jimmy for 30 years. But when Jimmy’s estranged son becomes a target, Jimmy must make a choice between the crime family he chose and the real family he abandoned long ago. Now, with nowhere safe to turn, Jimmy has just one night to figure out exactly where his loyalties lie and to see if he can finally make things right.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBlack Site (2022)
A group of officers based in a labyrinthine top-secret prison must fight for their lives against Hatchet, a brilliant and infamous high-value detainee. When he escapes, his mysterious and deadly agenda has far reaching and dire consequences.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & thriller
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 thisUntil 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 & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisShade (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 & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisState Property (2002)
A Philadelphia gang member becomes a drug kingpin and starts a feud with vicious rivals in his quest for the American Dream.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & action
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 & thriller
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 thisNo Man's Land (1987)
A rookie cop goes undercover to infiltrate a gang of car thieves led by smooth and charming Ted. The rookie becomes too involved and starts to enjoy the thrill and lifestyle of the game, and becomes romanticly involved with the leaders sister.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFast Charlie (2023)
When his aging mob boss is whacked, Charlie Swift, a loyal friend and hired gun, will stop at nothing to destroy the upcoming crew that took him out.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Black Book (2023)
After his son is wrongly accused of kidnapping, a deacon who has just lost his wife takes matters into his own hands and fights a crooked police gang to clear him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMRITYORMUKSHI (2025)
Single father Raghu is pulled into a deadly conspiracy when his child is taken hostage, forcing him into a violent game of crime and fate.Hunted by a mysterious masked figure, he must confront the consequences of his past choices. Mrityormukshi is a gripping thriller about guilt,morality, and the price of one’s actions. “Mrityormukshi” is a a gripping thriller that explores guilt,morality, and the inescapable grasp of destiny.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime & thriller
Luciano's Successor (2024)
In order to hunt down a missing artifact, two detectives interrogate the recently captured master thief Arsenia Beaumont. But Arsenia is not one to let her secrets be known to just anyone. Only one detective has ever earned her respect. The detectives must prove they are worthy opponents if they want to finish their case.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller & crime
Haachi (TBA)
A young couple and a married pair, both suffering from colds, argue over trivial matters, leading to a major ego clash by the end of the day.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
The Crowd Roars (1938)
A young boxer gets caught between a no-good father and a crime boss when he starts dating the boss's daughter, although she doesn't know what daddy does for a living.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
The Last Director (2017)
After a series of mysterious studio firings, George Lucas tracks down the evil forces trying to ruin his beloved franchise's fate.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
Connection (2025)
A kidnapped woman will be freed on one condition: She must convince her kidnapper that his life is worth living.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
The Killing of Time (2024)
In this indirect sequel to "The Pure and the Damned," childhood friends Ellis and Benny kill time as they await their newest partner in the midst of a robbery.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime
Beef Cattle (1979)
Thomas, in his forties, holds an important post in a slaughterhouse. He is engaged to Marie-Rose, the daughter of the director, whom he hopes to follow later. In a routine examination in the hospital, however, he finds out that he has cancer and his days are counted. The upheaval that he suffers as a result, however, does not take long, his decision is certain: he will use the short time to clean up some bad guys. What else can he do now?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
I Am a Special Policewoman (2022)
A special forces police officer must stop a drug gang who have kidnapped a member of the force and who are responsible for a traumatic incident from her past.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
Separate Ways (2026)
The story follows Leah, a resilient young woman navigating a world reshaped by a sudden and terrifying outbreak. As society collapses and the threat of the undead looms, Leah struggles not only to survive the new dangers around her but also to process the emotional weight of her past. Through haunting flashbacks, we glimpse her relationship with Mason-her longtime partner-and the unresolved tensions, love, and missed moments that defined their life before everything changed. Blending intimate relationship drama with apocalyptic horror, the film explores how ordinary human conflicts are magnified in extraordinary circumstances. As Leah moves between memories of what once was and the harsh reality of what now is, she's forced to confront loss, love, and the difficult choices that come with survival.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Match-Stick Flame?
The closest matches to The Match-Stick Flame are Trap House (2025), Misdirection (2026) and The International (2009). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Match-Stick Flame?
Start with Trap House (2025), the closest match to The Match-Stick Flame.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Match-Stick Flame?
Trap House (2025), rated 6.6/10 by 333 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Match-Stick Flame?
Separate Ways (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Match-Stick Flame?
Yes: Trap House (2025), Misdirection (2026) and The International (2009).
How are movies similar to The Match-Stick Flame chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Match-Stick Flame, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.