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21 Jump Street poster

Movies that feel like21 Jump Street (2012)

When cops Schmidt and Jenko join the secret Jump Street unit, they use their youthful appearances to go undercover as high school students. They trade in their guns and badges for backpacks, and set out to shut down a dangerous drug ring. But, as time goes on, Schmidt and Jenko discover that high school is nothing like it was just a few years earlier -- and, what's more, they must again confront the teenage terror and anxiety they thought they had left behind.

If you loved 21 Jump Street, the closest films we have are Knockin' on Heaven's Door (1997), Bad Boys (1995) and The Heat (2013). All three share 21 Jump Street's kinetic and witty feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Flickering Lights (2000).

🍅 85% Rotten Tomatoes★ 7.2 IMDb ↗TMDB ↗dir. Phil Lordkineticwittyplayfulgrittywarm
8 of 12 streaming nowNetflix · Amazon Prime Video · Paramount Plus Premium

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If 21 Jump Street hit the spot, these will too

Looking for the series itself? Also in this series: 22 Jump Street (2014)

Knockin' on Heaven's Door poster
Knockin' on Heaven's Door
1997 · dir. Thomas Jahn
★ 7.8comedy · crime · action

Kinetic where it counts, witty underneath

The difference: Sits closer to drama than 21 Jump Street does

Two young men, Martin and Rudi, both suffering from terminal cancer, get to know each other in a hospital room. They drown their desperation in tequila and decide to take one last trip to the sea. Drunk and still in pajamas they steal the first fancy car they find, a 60's Mercedes convertible. The car happens to belong to a bunch of gangsters, which immediately start to chase it, since it contains more than the pistol Martin finds in the glove box.

Bad Boys poster
Bad Boys
1995 · dir. Michael Bay
🍅 46%★ 6.8action · thriller · crime

Swaggering partners whose friendship is the real love story

The difference: Plays its cool straight — no self-mockery in the mix

Marcus Burnett is a henpecked family man. Mike Lowrey is a footloose and fancy free ladies' man. Both Miami policemen, they have 72 hours to reclaim a consignment of drugs stolen from under their station's nose. To complicate matters, in order to get the assistance of the sole witness to a murder, they have to pretend to be each other.

The Heat poster
The Heat
2013 · dir. Paul Feig
🍅 66%★ 6.6action · comedy · crime

A by-the-book cop and a loose cannon forced into partnership

The difference: The friendship arc is sweeter than the thin drug case

Uptight and straight-laced, FBI Special Agent Sarah Ashburn is a methodical investigator with a reputation for excellence--and hyper-arrogance. Shannon Mullins, one of Boston P.D.'s "finest," is foul-mouthed and has a very short fuse, and uses her gut instinct and street smarts to catch the most elusive criminals. Neither has ever had a partner, or a friend for that matter. When these two wildly incompatible law officers join forces to bring down a ruthless drug lord, they become the last thing anyone expected: buddies.

The Other Guys poster
The Other Guys
2010 · dir. Adam McKay
🍅 78%★ 6.7comedy · action · crimeNetflixStarz

Desk-cop losers spoofing action-hero worship from the inside

The difference: Sillier and more absurdist — gags outrank the plot

Unlike their heroic counterparts on the force, desk-bound NYPD detectives Gamble and Hoitz garner no headlines as they work day to day. When a seemingly minor case turns out to be a big deal, the two cops get the opportunity to finally prove to their comrades that they have the right stuff.

T2 Trainspotting poster
T2 Trainspotting
2017 · dir. Danny Boyle
🍅 81%★ 7.1drama · comedy · crimeNetflix

Playful and gritty in the same breath

The difference: Trades the momentum of 21 Jump Street for an angle of its own

After 20 years abroad, Mark Renton returns to Scotland and reunites with his old friends Sick Boy, Spud and Begbie.

Dead Presidents poster
Dead Presidents
1995 · dir. Albert Hughes
🍅 47%★ 6.9crime · drama · actionStarz

Both are built on the same subject: male friendship

The difference: The scrappier of the two with critics

On the streets they call cash dead presidents. And that's just what a Vietnam veteran is after when he returns home from the war only to find himself drawn into a life of crime. With the aid of his fellow vets he plans the ultimate heist -- a daring robbery of an armored car filled with unmarked U.S. currency!

Rush Hour 3 poster
Rush Hour 3
2007 · dir. Brett Ratner
🍅 17%★ 6.3action · comedy · crimeParamount+

Familiar buddy chemistry cranked up for one more improbable ride

The difference: The weakest Rush Hour — the double act runs on fumes

After a botched assassination attempt, the mismatched duo finds themselves in Paris, struggling to retrieve a precious list of names, as the murderous crime syndicate's henchmen try their best to stop them. Once more, Lee and Carter must fight their way through dangerous gangsters; however, this time, the past has come back to haunt Lee. Will the boys get the job done once and for all?

Extreme Job poster
Extreme Job
2019 · dir. Lee Byeong-heon
🍅 83%★ 7.1action · comedy · crime

An undercover op that spirals into absurdity the longer it runs

The difference: Korean fried-chicken farce — slower burn before the mayhem

A drug squad attempts to take down a criminal organization and they must go undercover to do so, so they begin working at a chicken restaurant, that becomes famous for its delicious chicken. Due to the unexpected popularity, the detectives find themselves in a situation they never expected.

Flickering Lights poster
Flickering Lights
2000 · dir. Anders Thomas Jensen
🍅 70%★ 7.5action · comedy · crime

The same preoccupation in both: male friendship

Four small gangsters from Copenhagen trick a gangster boss: they take over 4,000,000 kroner which they were supposed to bring him. Trying to escape to Barcelona they are forced to stop in the countryside, in an old, wrecked house, hiding there for several weeks. Slowly, one after another, they realize, that they would like to stay there, start a new life.

The Family poster
The Family
2013 · dir. Luc Besson
🍅 28%★ 6.3crime · comedy · actionNetflixPrime Video

One thread runs through both: high school

After ratting out his Mafia cohorts, Giovanni Manzoni and his family enter the Witness Protection Program and relocate to a sleepy town in France. Despite the best efforts of their handler to keep them in line, Giovanni (now called Fred Blake), his wife and children can't help but resort to doing things the "family" way. However, their dependence on such old habits places everyone in danger from vengeful mobsters.

Mr. Nice Guy poster
Mr. Nice Guy
1997 · dir. Sammo Hung
🍅 45%★ 6.3crime · action · comedy

Slapstick cop comedy chasing a drug gang at full sprint

The difference: Jackie Chan physicality, not banter — the jokes are stunts

A Chinese chef accidentally gets involved with a news reporter who filmed a drug bust that went awry and is now being chased by gangs who are trying to get the video tape.

Kopps poster
Kopps
2003 · dir. Josef Fares
★ 6.7action · comedy

Action with a pulse of warmth, in both cases

A small Swedish village, Högboträsk, is so peaceful that crime is nonexistent. The police spend their shifts drinking coffee, eating hot dogs and chasing down runaway cows. This is all well and good for the village's own police, but the police management board wants to discontinue the local police force for lack of crime.

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The best-reviewed films that share 21 Jump Street’s defining feeling.