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Gangster Squad poster

Movies that feel likeGangster Squad (2013)

Los Angeles, 1949. Ruthless, Brooklyn-born mob king Mickey Cohen runs the show in this town, reaping the ill-gotten gains from the drugs, the guns, the prostitutes and — if he has his way — every wire bet placed west of Chicago. And he does it all with the protection of not only his own paid goons, but also the police and the politicians who are under his control. It’s enough to intimidate even the bravest, street-hardened cop… except, perhaps, for the small, secret crew of LAPD outsiders led by Sgt. John O’Mara and Jerry Wooters who come together to try to tear Cohen’s world apart.

If you loved Gangster Squad, the closest films we have are The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil (2019), Mesrine: Killer Instinct (2008) and Undisputed III: Redemption (2010). All three share Gangster Squad's gritty and kinetic feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Infernal Affairs II (2003).

🍅 30% Rotten Tomatoes★ 6.7 IMDb ↗TMDB ↗dir. Ruben Fleischergrittycontemplativekinetictense
10 of 12 streaming nowNetflix · HBO Max · Amazon Prime Video

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If Gangster Squad hit the spot, these will too

The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil poster
The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil
2019 · dir. Lee Won-tae
🍅 97%★ 7action · crime · thrillerPrime VideoPeacock

Two things both keep coming back to: gangster and dramatic

The difference: Reviewed even better

After barely surviving a brutal attack by a sadistic serial killer, crime boss Jang Dong-su is left humiliated. Determined to catch the killer known as K, he forms an uneasy alliance with Jung Tae-seok, a relentless and incorruptible detective who often disrupts his illegal business. However, while Jang Dong-su wants K dead, Jung Tae-suk is determined to bring him to justice. With a deal in place—whoever finds K first will decide his fate—the hunt begins, blurring the lines between crime and law.

Mesrine: Killer Instinct poster
Mesrine: Killer Instinct
2008 · dir. Jean-François Richet
🍅 81%★ 7.5drama · action · thriller

One thread runs through both: gangster

Jacques Mesrine, a loyal son and dedicated soldier, is back home and living with his parents after serving in the Algerian War. Soon he is seduced by the neon glamour of sixties Paris and the easy money it presents. Mentored by Guido, Mesrine turns his back on middle class law-abiding and soon moves swiftly up the criminal ladder.

Undisputed III: Redemption poster
Undisputed III: Redemption
2010 · dir. Isaac Florentine
★ 7.4action · thriller · crime

Gritty and contemplative in the same breath

Russian inmate Boyka, now severely hobbled by the knee injury suffered at the end of Undisputed 2. No longer the feared prison fighter he was, he has declined so far that he is now good only for cleaning toilets. But when a new prison fight tournament begins - an international affair, matching the best fighters from prisons around the globe, enticing them with the promise of freedom for the winner - Boyka must reclaim his dignity and fight for his position in the tournament.

The Protector poster
The Protector
2005 · dir. Prachya Pinkaew
🍅 53%★ 7action · crime · drama

Both land momentum and tension at once

A young fighter named Kham must go to Australia to retrieve his stolen elephant. With the help of a Thai-born Australian detective, Kham must take on all comers, including a gang led by an evil woman and her two deadly bodyguards.

Kill Boksoon poster
Kill Boksoon
2023 · dir. Byun Sung-hyun
🍅 79%★ 6.6action · drama · thrillerNetflix

Gritty crime in both cases

At work, she's a renowned assassin. At home, she's a single mom to a teenage daughter. Killing? That's easy. It's parenting that's the hard part.

The Killer poster
The Killer
1989 · dir. John Woo
🍅 96%★ 7.7action · crime · dramaRent or buy

Both keep coming back to the same thing: dramatic

The difference: Made in the 1980s, in a different era of the craft

Mob assassin Jeffrey is no ordinary hired gun; the best in his business, he views his chosen profession as a calling rather than simply a job. So, when beautiful nightclub chanteuse Jennie is blinded in the crossfire of his most recent hit, Jeffrey chooses to retire after one last job to pay for his unintended victim's sight-restoring operation. But when Jeffrey is double-crossed, he reluctantly joins forces with a rogue policeman to make things right.

Colombiana poster
Colombiana
2011 · dir. Olivier Megaton
🍅 29%★ 6.4action · thriller · crime

Drama with a pulse of stillness, in both cases

After witnessing her parents’ murder as a child in Bogota, Cataleya Restrepo grows up to be a stone-cold assassin. She works for her uncle as a hitman by day, but her personal time is spent engaging in vigilante murders that she hopes will lead her to her ultimate target: the mobster responsible for her parents' death.

Need for Speed poster
Need for Speed
2014 · dir. Scott Waugh
🍅 23%★ 6.4action · crime · drama

Both lean on momentum more than on action

The film revolves around a local street-racer who partners with a rich and arrogant business associate, only to find himself framed by his colleague and sent to prison. After he gets out, he joins a New York-to-Los Angeles race to get revenge. But when the ex-partner learns of the scheme, he puts a massive bounty on the racer's head, forcing him to run a cross-country gauntlet of illegal racers in all manner of supercharged vehicles.

Jack Reacher poster
Jack Reacher
2012 · dir. Christopher McQuarrie
🍅 64%★ 7crime · drama · thrillerPrime VideoParamount+

Thriller built on tension, twice over

One morning in an ordinary town, five people are shot dead in a seemingly random attack. All evidence points to a single suspect: an ex-military sniper who is quickly brought into custody. The interrogation yields one written note: 'Get Jack Reacher!'. Reacher, an enigmatic ex-Army investigator, believes the authorities have the right man but agrees to help the sniper's defense attorney. However, the more Reacher delves into the case, the less clear-cut it appears. So begins an extraordinary chase for the truth, pitting Jack Reacher against an unexpected enemy, with a skill for violence and a secret to keep.

RocknRolla poster
RocknRolla
2008 · dir. Guy Ritchie
🍅 60%★ 7.2action · crime · thriller

Gritty crime, and it commits to that

The difference: Easier on the stillness than Gangster Squad

When a Russian mobster sets up a real estate scam that generates millions of pounds, various members of London's criminal underworld pursue their share of the fortune. Various shady characters, including Mr One-Two, Stella the accountant, and Johnny Quid, a druggie rock-star, try to claim their slice.

The Raid 2 poster
The Raid 2
2014 · dir. Gareth Evans
🍅 82%★ 7.9action · crime · thriller

Kinetic action, and it commits to that

After fighting his way through an apartment building populated by an army of dangerous criminals and escaping with his life, SWAT team member Rama goes undercover, joining a powerful Indonesian crime syndicate to protect his family and uncover corrupt members of his own force.

Infernal Affairs II poster
Infernal Affairs II
2003 · dir. Alan Mak Siu-Fai
🍅 75%★ 7.2action · thriller · crimeMax

Both lean on tension more than on thriller

In this prequel to the original, a bloody power struggle among the Triads coincides with the 1997 handover of Hong Kong, setting up the events of the first film.

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The best-reviewed films that share Gangster Squad’s defining feeling.