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Jack Reacher poster

Movies that feel likeJack Reacher (2012)

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.

If you loved Jack Reacher, the closest films we have are Bad Boys for Life (2020), The Outlaws (2017) and The Plagues of Breslau (2018). All three share Jack Reacher's gritty and tense feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Premium Rush (2012).

πŸ… 64% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 7 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Christopher McQuarriegrittycontemplativetensekinetic
12 of 12 streaming nowNetflix Β· HBO Max Β· Amazon Prime Video

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If Jack Reacher hit the spot, these will too

Looking for the series itself? Also in this series: Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016)

Bad Boys for Life poster
Bad Boys for Life
2020 Β· dir. Adil El Arbi
πŸ… 76%β˜… 6.5thriller Β· action Β· crimeHulu

Seasoned investigators chase down a threat that keeps escalating past reason

The difference: Buddy-cop banter and cartel warfare, not a lone drifter's cold precision

Marcus and Mike are forced to confront new threats, career changes, and midlife crises as they join the newly created elite team AMMO of the Miami police department to take down the ruthless Armando Armas, the vicious leader of a Miami drug cartel.

The Outlaws poster
The Outlaws
2017 Β· dir. Kang Yun-sung
πŸ… 92%β˜… 7.2action Β· crime Β· thrillerPrime Video

Detectives and unconventional allies converge to take down a growing criminal threat

The difference: A gang-turf-war procedural, not a solitary ex-military investigator's case

In Chinatown, law and order is turned upside down when a trio of feral Chinese gangsters arrive, start terrorizing civilians, and usurping territory. The beleaguered local gangsters team up with the police, lead by the badass loose cannon Ma Seok-do, to bring them down. Based on a true story.

The Plagues of Breslau poster
The Plagues of Breslau
2018 Β· dir. Patryk Vega
πŸ… 83%β˜… 6crime Β· action Β· thrillerNetflix

A determined investigator digs into a killer's method to expose the truth

The difference: A serial-killer procedural, not one man clearing a framed suspect

Every day at 6 pm a serial killer kills another person. Police officer Helena Rus thinks the killings are done by one man only and decides to reveal the killer's identity by getting back in 18th century history of the city.

Cold Eyes poster
Cold Eyes
2013 Β· dir. Kim Byung-seo
β˜… 7.1crime Β· action Β· thriller

The same mix in both: grit, then tension

The difference: Easier on the stillness than Jack Reacher

Ha Yoon-ju becomes the newest member of a unit within the Korean Police Forces Special Crime Department that specializes in surveillance activities on high-profile criminals. She teams up with Hwang Sang-jun, the veteran leader of the unit, and tries to track down James who is the cold-hearted leader of an armed criminal organization.

The Transporter poster
The Transporter
2002 Β· dir. Corey Yuen
πŸ… 53%β˜… 6.8action Β· crime Β· thriller

Both keep coming back to the same thing: police chase

Former Special Forces officer Frank Martin will deliver anything to anyone for the right price, and his no-questions-asked policy puts him in high demand. But when he realizes his latest cargo is alive, it sets in motion a dangerous chain of events. The bound and gagged Lai is being smuggled to France by a shady American businessman, and Frank works to save her as his own illegal activities are uncovered by a French detective.

Premium Rush poster
Premium Rush
2012 Β· dir. David Koepp
πŸ… 75%β˜… 6.5crime Β· action Β· thriller

Crime built on momentum, twice over

In Manhattan, a bike messenger picks up an envelope that attracts the interest of a dirty cop, who pursues the cyclist throughout the city.

Taken 2 poster
Taken 2
2012 Β· dir. Olivier Megaton
πŸ… 22%β˜… 6.2action Β· crime Β· thrillerMax

A skilled operative proves far more capable than his enemies expect

The difference: A hostage-rescue mission abroad, not a stateside murder investigation

In Istanbul, retired CIA operative Bryan Mills and his wife are taken hostage by the father of a kidnapper Mills killed while rescuing his daughter.

Safe poster
Safe
2012 Β· dir. Boaz Yakin
πŸ… 59%β˜… 6.5action Β· crime Β· thrillerPrime Video

Gritty thriller, and it commits to that

After a former elite agent rescues a 12-year-old Chinese girl who's been abducted, they find themselves in the middle of a standoff between Triads, the Russian Mafia and high-level corrupt New York City politicians and police.

The Raid poster
The Raid
2012 Β· dir. Gareth Evans
πŸ… 87%β˜… 7.6action Β· thriller Β· crime

Both lean on tension more than on action

Deep in the heart of Jakarta's slums lies an impenetrable safe house for the world's most dangerous killers and gangsters. Until now, the run-down apartment block has been considered untouchable to even the bravest of police. Cloaked under the cover of pre-dawn darkness and silence, an elite swat team is tasked with raiding the safe house in order to take down the notorious drug lord that runs it. But when a chance encounter with a spotter blows their cover and news of their assault reaches the drug lord, the building's lights are cut and all the exits blocked. Stranded on the sixth floor with no way out, the unit must fight their way through the city's worst to survive their mission. Starring Indonesian martial arts sensation Iko Uwais.

The Mechanic poster
The Mechanic
2011 Β· dir. Simon West
πŸ… 54%β˜… 6.5action Β· thriller Β· crimeParamount+

Drama with a pulse of momentum, in both cases

Arthur Bishop is a 'mechanic' - an elite assassin with a strict code requiring professional perfection and total detachment. One of an elite group of assassins, Bishop may be the best in the business - with a unique talent for cleanly eliminating targets. When Harry McKenna, his close friend and mentor, is murdered, Harry's son comes to him with vengeance in his heart and a desire to learn Bishop's trade, signaling the birth of a deadly partnership.

In the Line of Duty 4 poster
In the Line of Duty 4
1989 Β· dir. Yuen Woo-ping
β˜… 7.1action Β· crime Β· thriller

Determined investigators dig through a web of organized crime and cover-ups

The difference: A buddy-detective martial-arts thriller, not a solitary ex-military sniper case

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.

RocknRolla poster
RocknRolla
2008 Β· dir. Guy Ritchie
πŸ… 60%β˜… 7.2action Β· crime Β· thriller

Gritty crime in both cases

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.

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