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Safe poster

Movies that feel likeSafe (2012)

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.

If you loved Safe, the closest films we have are Infernal Affairs II (2003), Premium Rush (2012) and Ninja: Shadow of a Tear (2013). All three share Safe'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 The Plagues of Breslau (2018).

πŸ… 59% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 6.5 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Boaz Yakinkineticgrittytense
11 of 12 streaming nowNetflix Β· HBO Max Β· Amazon Prime Video

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If Safe hit the spot, these will too

Infernal Affairs II poster
Infernal Affairs II
2003 Β· dir. Alan Mak Siu-Fai
πŸ… 75%β˜… 7.2action Β· thriller Β· crimeMax

Both are built on the same subject: triad

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.

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

The same city underneath both: New York City

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

Ninja: Shadow of a Tear poster
Ninja: Shadow of a Tear
2013 Β· dir. Isaac Florentine
πŸ… 100%β˜… 6.2action Β· crime Β· thrillerPrime Video

Kinetic and gritty in the same breath

The difference: Critics rated this one higher still

Fight everyone and trust no one: it's the code of survival practiced by martial-arts master Casey Bowman after his life of domestic bliss is shattered by a savage act of violence. Vowing revenge, the fearless American stealthily tracks the killer from Osaka to Bangkok to Rangoon with the help of a wise and crafty sensei. His only clues: a series of victims whose necks bear the distinctive mark of strangulation by barbed wire. Fighting to avenge as well as to survive, Casey must sharpen his razor-like responses and take his battle skills to the next level, even using deep meditation to fake his own death. His target: the sinister drug lord Goro, who is flooding the streets with deadly meth cooked at his remote jungle factory. To prepare for his ultimate confrontation, Casey must finally become an invisible warrior worthy of the name Ninja. But just when his prey is cornered, an unexpected twist shows Casey that his battle is only beginning: he truly can trust no one.

The Last Stand poster
The Last Stand
2013 Β· dir. Kim Jee-woon
πŸ… 61%β˜… 6.3action Β· crime Β· thrillerPrime Video

Both lean on tension more than on action

Ray Owens is sheriff of the quiet US border town of Sommerton Junction after leaving the LAPD following a bungled operation. Following his escape from the FBI, a notorious drug baron, his gang, and a hostage are heading toward Sommerton Junction where the police are preparing to make a last stand to intercept them before they cross the border. Owens is reluctant to become involved but ultimately joins in with the law enforcement efforts.

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

Kinetic crime in both cases

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.

Crank: High Voltage poster
Crank: High Voltage
2009 Β· dir. Mark Neveldine
πŸ… 64%β˜… 6.1action Β· thriller Β· crime

Thriller built on grit, twice over

Chelios faces a Chinese mobster who has stolen his nearly indestructible heart and replaced it with a battery-powered ticker that requires regular jolts of electricity to keep working.

Lethal Weapon 4 poster
Lethal Weapon 4
1998 Β· dir. Richard Donner
πŸ… 54%β˜… 6.6action Β· crime Β· thriller

One thread runs through both: triad

With personal crises and age weighing in on them, LAPD officers Riggs and Murtaugh must contend with a deadly Chinese crime lord trying to get his brother out of prison.

The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 poster
The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3
2009 Β· dir. Tony Scott
πŸ… 51%β˜… 6.4crime Β· thriller Β· action

Tense action, and it commits to that

Armed men hijack a New York City subway train, holding the passengers hostage in return for a ransom, and turning an ordinary day's work for dispatcher Walter Garber into a face-off with the mastermind behind the crime.

From Paris with Love poster
From Paris with Love
2010 Β· dir. Pierre Morel
πŸ… 37%β˜… 6.4action Β· crime Β· thriller

Crime with a pulse of momentum, in both cases

James Reese has a good job as an ambassador's aid in France, but his real passion is a side gigβ€”working in a minor role in the CIA. He would love to be a full-fledged agent and can't believe his luck when he lands an assignment with Charlie Wax. Trigger-happy Charlie soon has James crying for his desk job, but when he learns that the same guys they're trying to catch are after him, James realises that Charlie may be his only hope of survival.

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

Thriller with a pulse of grit, 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.

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

Action with a pulse of tension, in both cases

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.

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

Both are crime through and through

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.

In the mood for more kinetic?

all kinetic movies β†’

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