Movies like Second Detective Returns (2021)
The best movies like Second Detective Returns (2021) are Big Brother (2018), Yolo (2024) and Thick as Thieves (1999). If Second Detective Returns hooked you with its drama and comedy, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedBig Brother (2018)7.6/10 from 309 votes
- NewestHostile Takeover (2025)Released 2025
- In ChineseBig Brother (2018)Also in Chinese
Big Brother (2018)
A soldier-turned-high school teacher uses unusual methods to reach to a class of poor students, while dealing with a greedy entrepreneur and his gang of fighters as well as the government.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisYolo (2024)
After an argument with her younger sister, Le Ying moves out on her own. She meets a boxing trainer and starts boxing.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThick as Thieves (1999)
Two master thieves go at odds with one another as one sets the other up for a crime. The first, a suave pro who does his job and then hides in his own privacy, listening to old jazz records and caring for his ailing dog, Wally. The other is a local gangster with a taste for the finer life, who decides to eliminate the competition. This ignites a war between the two men and their aides. An angry mob boss and a female police officer try to sort the mess before things get too out of hand.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & action
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 & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPolice 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 & drama
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 & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisUnder the Light (2023)
Officers Su Jianming and Li Huilin investigate a crime involving wealthy businessman Li Zhitian. As clues emerge, the investigation becomes more and more like a game of chess.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & action
SnoozefestMovies like thisPegasus 2 (2024)
Former champion driver Zhang Chi teaches at a driving school in troubled times, relying on his reputation to make ends meet. A failing automobile factory offers to sponsor Zhang Chi in the last Bayinbrook Rally.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies 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 & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHail the Judge (1994)
Pao Lung Sing, a descendant of the legendary Judge Pao Ching Tin, is a 9th degree corrupt judge who changes his tune when he tries to champion a woman Chi Siu-Lin, who was framed for killing her husband. As a result, Pao is forced to flee and through a series of events becomes a 1st degree judge and comes back to wreak havoc and justice on the guilty.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLady Windermere's Fan (1925)
A society woman believes her husband is having an affair, a misconception which may have dire personal consequences for all involved.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHostile Takeover (2025)
Follows Pete, a professional hitman, as he faces a group of assassins after the boss of a crime syndicate suspects disloyalty due to his attendance at Workaholics Anonymous meetings.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGotcha! (1985)
A student on a trip to France is tricked into smuggling secrets across the Iron Curtain by a sexy spy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBreaking News in Yuba County (2021)
An overlooked pencil-pusher catches her husband in bed with another woman, the shock of which causes him to die of a heart attack. So she buries his body and takes advantage of the growing celebrity status that comes from having a missing husband. But she quickly finds herself in over her head, dodging cops and criminals, all while trying to keep the truth from her sister, a local news anchor who’s desperate for a story.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
SnoozefestMovies 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 & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisArticle 20 (2024)
Tells the story of prosecutor Han Ming who is involved in a difficult case where the intentional injury of people is turned into a legitimate defense.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & comedy
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 & drama
SnoozefestMovies 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 & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 thisI Am Not Madame Bovary (2016)
Li Xuelian, a woman from the countryside is falsely accused by her husband of having an affair. To defend herself, Li moves from her small town to the big city until she reached the capital.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Second Detective Returns?
The closest matches to Second Detective Returns are Big Brother (2018), Yolo (2024) and Thick as Thieves (1999). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Second Detective Returns?
Start with Big Brother (2018), the closest match to Second Detective Returns.
What is the highest-rated movie like Second Detective Returns?
Big Brother (2018), rated 7.6/10 by 309 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Second Detective Returns?
Hostile Takeover (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Chinese movies like Second Detective Returns?
Yes: Big Brother (2018), Yolo (2024) and Police Story: Lockdown (2013).
How are movies similar to Second Detective Returns chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Second Detective Returns, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.