Movies like Shanghai Grand (1996)
The best movies like Shanghai Grand (1996) are Absolution (2024), City on Fire (1987) and Line Walker 2: Invisible Spy (2019). If Shanghai Grand 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 ratedShock Wave (2017)6.7/10 from 218 votes
- NewestAbsolution (2024)Released 2024
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
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: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLine Walker 2: Invisible Spy (2019)
A car crash sparks a war between local police and an international terrorist organization.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisShock Wave (2017)
When a terrorist who specializes in explosives takes hold of an underground tunnel, he threatens to kill hostages if his demands are not met.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
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 thisYoung and Dangerous 5 (1998)
Although Chicken does not make an appearance, Chan Ho Nam finds a new love interest in the form of Mei Ling. Meanwhile, Tung Sing returns to cause trouble again for Hung Hing, in the form of new leader Szeto Ho Nam.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe White Storm 3: Heaven or Hell (2023)
An undercover cop who invade a drug cartel led by a notorious Thai drug lord. In classic heroic bloodshed fashion, the two develop a bond of brotherhood.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLegendary Assassin (2008)
An assassin who is fresh from his latest kill becomes stranded in an island, when he inadvertently befriends a female police officer. As the night progresses, the unspoken truth honored by the two sides of the law is broken. After the remains of a body that belonged to a drug lord and syndicate crime leader are found, chaos ensues and criminals ravage the once peaceful streets in a race against time to find the mysterious murderer that's loose and out for blood.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChasing the Dragon (2017)
An illegal immigrant from Mainland China sneaks into the corrupt British-colonized Hong Kong in 1963, transforming himself into a ruthless drug lord.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisShock Wave 2 (2020)
After suffering life changing injuries in the line of duty, bomb disposal officer Fung turns his back on the police. But when a devastating series of bombings sweep Hong Kong, the police suspect their former ally may be involved after he is found unconscious at a crime scene. Now faced with memory loss and recalling only fragments of his former life, Fung sets out to uncover the truth and find out who he really is.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisYoung and Dangerous 3 (1996)
This time taking on the rival Tung Sing triad, who is attempting to usurp Hung Hing influence in Hong Kong by having Tung Sing member Crow frame Ho Nam for the murder of Hung Hing Chairman Chiang Tin Sang. On the plus side, Chicken finds a new love interest in Wasabi, the daughter of the comedic priest, Father Lethal Weapon Lam.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & 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: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisL Storm (2018)
ICAC Investigator William Luk and JFIU Chief Inspector Lau Po-keung both hit a dead end in their investigation of a bribery case and a money laundering case. In the meantime, William Luk was suspended when model Eva Ng went to Inspector Kenny Ching of ICAC’s Internal Investigation Group L, to file a report against him for accepting a $12M bribe. Lau discovered Luk was set up and whoever framed Luk was connected to his case. He began to suspect the bank manager Thomson Yau was assisting a gangster, Wong Hoi-wo in money laundering activities. When Director Hong Liang of China’s Anti-Corruption & Bribery Bureau (ACBB) provided Lau with important intelligence, it became clear the money laundering activities were connected to a corrupted Vice-Ministerial Level cadre. To clear his name, William Luk put everything on the line…
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Enforcer (1995)
An undercover cop struggling to provide for his son and ailing wife, must infiltrate a ruthless gang. But things turn sour when another cop blows his cover and he quickly finds himself battling for his life and the lives of his family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 thisPeace Hotel (1995)
After his wife's murder, Ping sets up a Peace Hotel to act as a sanctuary for anyone who needs protecting. One day, a mysterious woman shows up who seeks shelter from a gang hunting her. Vowing to never turn anyone away, Ping must decide whether to help the women or risk confronting the gang.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
SnoozefestMovies 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 thisWire 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
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe 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
SnoozefestMovies like thisYoung and Dangerous (1996)
Five young hoodlums sing karaoke, murder, joke around, get beaten up, win and lose women, and learn the value of blind loyalty.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Shanghai Grand?
The closest matches to Shanghai Grand are Absolution (2024), City on Fire (1987) and Line Walker 2: Invisible Spy (2019). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Shanghai Grand?
Start with Absolution (2024), the closest match to Shanghai Grand.
What is the highest-rated movie like Shanghai Grand?
Shock Wave (2017), rated 6.7/10 by 218 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Shanghai Grand?
Absolution (2024) is the most recent release on this list.
How are movies similar to Shanghai Grand chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Shanghai Grand, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.