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The Killer poster

Movies that feel likeThe Killer (1989)

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.

If you loved The Killer, the closest films we have are Hard Boiled (1992), Hard Target (1993) and Police Story 2 (1988). All three share The Killer's kinetic and gritty feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Branded to Kill (1967).

🍅 96% Rotten Tomatoes★ 7.7 IMDb ↗TMDB ↗dir. John Wookineticgrittycontemplativetense
8 of 12 streaming nowHBO Max · Amazon Prime Video · Peacock Premium

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If The Killer hit the spot, these will too

Hard Boiled poster
Hard Boiled
1992 · dir. John Woo
🍅 92%★ 7.7action · thriller · crimeRent or buy

Both are John Woo's work, and they rhyme

The difference: Easier on the stillness than The Killer

A cop who loses his partner in a shoot-out with gun smugglers goes on a mission to catch them. In order to get closer to the leaders of the ring he joins forces with an undercover cop who's working as a gangster hitman. They use all means of excessive force to find them.

Hard Target poster
Hard Target
1993 · dir. John Woo
🍅 63%★ 6.2action · thriller · crimePrime Video

The same hand behind both of them: John Woo

The difference: The scrappier of the two with critics

When a woman's father goes missing, she enlists a local to aid in her search. The pair soon discover that her father has died at the hands of a wealthy sportsman who hunts homeless men as a form of recreation.

Police Story 2 poster
Police Story 2
1988 · dir. Jackie Chan
🍅 84%★ 7action · crime · thrillerMax

Both rooted in Hong Kong

The Hong Kong super-cop must stop a group of blackmailing bombers at the same time that the villains of the first Police Story are out for revenge.

Infernal Affairs II poster
Infernal Affairs II
2003 · dir. Andrew Lau Wai-Keung
🍅 75%★ 7.2action · thriller · crimeMax

Common ground: police

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.

In the Line of Duty 4 poster
In the Line of Duty 4
1989 · dir. Yuen Woo-ping
★ 7.1action · crime · thriller

Both land momentum and grit at once

Two detectives who are up to their necks in trouble and in each other's face, as they try to shut down a drug-trafficking scheme that could be connected with international ties to organized crime. But in the midst of their investigation, innocent immigrant dock worker Luk Wan-Ting gets caught up in the mix when he witnesses the murder of an intelligence operative and is framed for the crime.

Branded to Kill poster
Branded to Kill
1967 · dir. Seijun Suzuki
🍅 100%★ 7.2thriller · crime · action

The same preoccupation in both: hitman

The difference: Made in the 1960s, in a different era of the craft

After botching his latest assignment, a third-ranked Japanese hit man becomes the target of another assassin.

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

Both keep coming back to the same thing: dramatic

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.

Assault on Precinct 13 poster
Assault on Precinct 13
1976 · dir. John Carpenter
🍅 94%★ 7.3thriller · action · crimePrime Video

Both are built on the same subject: police

A highway patrol officer, two criminals, and a station secretary form an unlikely alliance to defend a defunct Los Angeles precinct against a siege by a bloodthirsty street gang.

A Better Tomorrow poster
A Better Tomorrow
1986 · dir. John Woo
🍅 95%★ 7.4action · crime · drama

Both lean on stillness more than on action

A reforming ex-gangster tries to reconcile with his estranged policeman brother, but the ties to his former gang are difficult to break.

Gone in 60 Seconds poster
Gone in 60 Seconds
1974 · dir. H.B. Halicki
🍅 43%★ 6.3action · crime · thriller

Tense crime in both cases

Insurance investigator Maindrian Pace and his team lead double-lives as unstoppable car thieves. When a South American drug lord pays Pace to steal 48 cars for him, all but one, a 1973 Ford Mustang, are in the bag. As Pace prepares to rip-off the fastback, codenamed "Eleanor", in Long Beach, he is unaware that his boss has tipped off the police after a business dispute.

Bullitt poster
Bullitt
1968 · dir. Peter Yates
🍅 98%★ 7.4action · crime · thriller

Thriller built on momentum, twice over

Senator Walter Chalmers is aiming to take down mob boss Pete Ross with the help of testimony from the criminal's hothead brother Johnny, who is in protective custody in San Francisco under the watch of police lieutenant Frank Bullitt. When a pair of mob hitmen enter the scene, Bullitt follows their trail through a maze of complications and double-crosses. This thriller includes one of the most famous car chases ever filmed.

El Mariachi poster
El Mariachi
1993 · dir. Robert Rodriguez
🍅 91%★ 6.8action · crime · thriller

Gritty drama, and it commits to that

The difference: Sits closer to western than The Killer does

El Mariachi just wants to play his guitar and carry on the family tradition. Unfortunately, the town he tries to find work in has another visitor, a killer who carries his guns in a guitar case. The drug lord and his henchmen mistake el Mariachi for the killer, Azul, and chase him around town trying to kill him and get his guitar case.

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