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Movies that feel like Serpico (1973)

If you loved Serpico, the closest films we have are The Man from Hong Kong (1975), The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) and Black Mass (2015). All three share Serpico's gritty and contemplative feel, which is what we rank on before quality. 7 of the 12 picks below are included with a subscription right now on HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video and Hulu and others, checked against today's data.

New York cop Frank Serpico blows the whistle on the rampant corruption in the force only to have his comrades turn against him.

πŸ… 93% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 7.7 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Sidney Lumetgrittycontemplativeepic
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If Serpico hit the spot, these will too

The Man from Hong Kong poster
The Man from Hong Kong
1975 Β· dir. Brian Trenchard-Smith
πŸ… 100%β˜… 6.5action Β· crime Β· adventure

Two things both keep coming back to: corruption and police

The difference: Sits closer to action than Serpico does

Australian authorities arrest a man believed to be connected to the Sydney criminal underworld and send for Inspector Fang Sing Leng from Hong Kong to question him. After the alleged criminal is assassinated, Inspector Leng and the Sydney police try to hunt down those responsible and hope to solve their case along the way.

Feels alike?
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre poster
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
1948 Β· dir. John Huston
πŸ… 100%β˜… 8.2adventure Β· drama Β· western

Both keep coming back to the same thing: money

The difference: Made in the 1940s, in a different era of the craft

Two jobless Americans convince a prospector to travel to the mountains of Mexico with them in search of gold. But the hostile wilderness, local bandits, and greed all get in the way of their journey.

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Black Mass poster
Black Mass
2015 Β· dir. Scott Cooper
πŸ… 74%β˜… 6.8drama Β· crime Β· history

Common ground: a true story

The true story of Whitey Bulger, the brother of a state senator and the most infamous violent criminal in the history of South Boston, who became an FBI informant to take down a Mafia family invading his turf.

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Dog Day Afternoon poster
Dog Day Afternoon
1975 Β· dir. Sidney Lumet
πŸ… 94%β˜… 8crime Β· drama Β· thriller

The same hand behind both of them: Sidney Lumet

The difference: Missing the scale of Serpico

Based on the true story of would-be Brooklyn bank robbers John Wojtowicz and Salvatore Naturile. Sonny and Sal attempt a bank heist which quickly turns sour and escalates into a hostage situation and stand-off with the police. As Sonny's motives for the robbery are slowly revealed and things become more complicated, the heist turns into a media circus.

Feels alike?
House of Gucci poster
House of Gucci
2021 Β· dir. Ridley Scott
πŸ… 62%β˜… 6.6drama Β· crime Β· history

One thread runs through both: biography

The difference: Critics were much harder on this one

When Patrizia Reggiani, an outsider from humble beginnings, marries into the Gucci family, her unbridled ambition begins to unravel the family legacy and triggers a reckless spiral of betrayal, decadence, revenge, and ultimately… murder.

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Straight Time poster
Straight Time
1978 Β· dir. Ulu Grosbard
πŸ… 82%β˜… 7.4crime Β· drama

The same preoccupation in both: police

The difference: None of the scale Serpico is built on

After being released on parole, a burglar attempts to go straight, get a regular job, and just go by the rules. He soon finds himself back in jail at the hands of a power-hungry parole officer.

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Midnight Express poster
Midnight Express
1978 Β· dir. Alan Parker
πŸ… 90%β˜… 7.5drama Β· crime

Both are built on the same subject: a true story

Billy Hayes is caught attempting to smuggle drugs out of a country. The courts decide to make an example of him, sentencing him to more than 30 years in prison. Hayes has two opportunities for release: the appeals made by his lawyer, his family, and the American government, or the "Midnight Express".

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Papillon poster
Papillon
1973 Β· dir. Franklin J. Schaffner
πŸ… 74%β˜… 8crime Β· drama

Gritty and contemplative in the same breath

A man befriends a fellow criminal as the two of them begin serving their sentence on a dreadful prison island, which inspires the man to plot his escape.

Feels alike?
Killers of the Flower Moon poster
Killers of the Flower Moon
2023 Β· dir. Martin Scorsese
πŸ… 93%β˜… 7.5crime Β· history Β· drama

Epic crime, and it commits to that

When oil is discovered in 1920s Oklahoma under Osage Nation land, the Osage people are murdered one by oneβ€”until the FBI steps in to unravel the mystery.

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The Wrong Man poster
The Wrong Man
1956 Β· dir. Alfred Hitchcock
πŸ… 93%β˜… 7.4crime Β· drama

Both rooted in New York City

In 1953, an innocent man named Christopher Emmanuel "Manny" Balestrero is arrested after being mistaken for an armed robber.

Feels alike?
Bonnie and Clyde poster
Bonnie and Clyde
1967 Β· dir. Arthur Penn
πŸ… 91%β˜… 7.7crime Β· drama

Drama with a pulse of grit, in both cases

In the 1930s, bored waitress Bonnie Parker falls in love with an ex-con named Clyde Barrow, and together they start a violent crime spree throughout the country, stealing cars and robbing banks.

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Blue Collar poster
Blue Collar
1978 Β· dir. Paul Schrader
πŸ… 96%β˜… 7.5drama Β· crime

Contemplative history in both cases

Fed up with mistreatment at the hands of both management and union brass, and coupled with financial hardships on each man's end, three auto assembly line workers hatch a plan to rob a safe at union headquarters.

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