20 best movies like The Wire (2002)

List of the best movies like The Wire (2002): The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans, The Mule, Triple 9, Destroyer, Monster, Pride and Glory, New Jack City, A Most Violent Year, Fresh, Menace II Society.

Tags: movies similar to The Wire (2002) - full list

Markimdb: 6.6
Genrethriller, drama, crime
CountryUSA
Duration01:57

Terrence McDonagh, a New Orleans Police sergeant, who starts out as a good cop, receiving a medal and a promotion to lieutenant for heroism during Hurricane Katrina. During his heroic act, McDonagh injures his back and later becomes addicted to prescription pain medication. McDonagh finds himself involved with a drug dealer who is suspected of murdering a family of African immigrants.

Markimdb: 7
Genrethriller, drama, crime
CountryUSA, Canada
Duration01:56

Earl Stone, a man in his eighties, is broke, alone, and facing foreclosure of his business when he is offered a job that simply requires him to drive. Easy enough, but, unbeknownst to Earl, he's just signed on as a drug courier for a Mexican cartel. He does so well that his cargo increases exponentially, and Earl hit the radar of hard-charging DEA agent Colin Bates.

Markimdb: 6.3
Genrethriller, drama, crime
CountryUSA
Duration02:13

A gang of criminals and corrupt cops plan the murder of a police officer in order to pull off their biggest heist yet across town.

Markimdb: 6.2
Genreaction, thriller, drama, crime, detective
CountryUSA
Duration01:55

Erin Bell is an LAPD detective who, as a young cop, was placed undercover with a gang in the California desert with tragic results. When the leader of that gang re-emerges many years later, she must work her way back through the remaining members and into her own history with them to finally reckon with the demons that destroyed her past.

Markimdb: 7.3
Genrethriller, drama, crime, biography
CountryUSA, Germany
Duration01:49

Aileen Wuornos is an emotionally scarred highway hooker who shoots a sadistic trick who rapes her and ultimately becomes America's first female serial killer.

Markimdb: 6.6
Genrethriller, drama, crime
CountryUSA, Germany
Duration02:10

A saga centered on a multi-generational family of New York City Police officers. The family's moral codes are tested when Ray Tierney, investigates a case that reveals an incendiary police corruption scandal involving his own brother-in-law. For Ray, the truth is revelatory, a Pandora's Box that threatens to upend not only the Tierney legacy but the entire NYPD.

Markimdb: 6.6
Genreaction, thriller, drama, crime
CountryUSA
Duration01:37

A gangster, Nino, is in the Cash Money Brothers, making a million dollars every week selling crack. A cop, Scotty, discovers that the only way to infiltrate the gang is to become a dealer himself.

Markimdb: 7
Genreaction, thriller, drama, crime
CountryUSA, United Arab Emirates
Duration02:05

A thriller set in New York City during the winter of 1981, statistically one of the most violent years in the city's history, and centered on a the lives of an immigrant and his family trying to expand their business and capitalize on opportunities as the rampant violence, decay, and corruption of the day drag them in and threaten to destroy all they have built.

Markimdb: 7.5
Genrethriller, drama, crime
CountryUSA, France
Duration01:54

Michael is a 12-year-old drug pusher who lives in a crowded house with his cousins and aunt. His father has become a street bum, but still meets with Fresh on occasion to play chess. Fresh is rather quiet in a crazy world. Fresh's sister is a junkie who sleeps with the dealers that Fresh sells for. As the story progresses Fresh realizes that he doesn't want to sell drugs anymore, he wants revenge.

Markimdb: 7.5
Genrethriller, drama, crime
CountryUSA
Duration01:37

Sobering and incisive, this cautionary drama centers on a street tough 18-year-old facing a moral quandary while trying to turn his life around.

Markimdb: 6
Genreaction, thriller, drama, crime, detective
CountryUSA
Duration01:39

Nico Toscani is an Italian immigrant, American patriot, ex-CIA agent, aikido specialist and unorthodox Chicago policeman. He is as committed to his job as he is to his personalized brand of justice—expert and thorough bone-crushing.

Markimdb: 5.8
Genrehorror, fantastic, fantastic, thriller, thriller, drama, drama
CountryUSA, Germany, Canada, France
Duration02:02

Survivors of a nuclear attack are grouped together for days in the basement of their apartment building, where fear and dwindling supplies wear away at their dynamic.

Markimdb: 5.4
Genrethriller, drama, crime
CountryUSA
Duration02:21

A pair of cops investigating a drug invasion stumble upon a mysterious bank vault.

Markimdb: 5
Genrethriller, melodrama, drama, crime
CountryFrance, Belgium, China, USA
Duration02:21

A foster family in South Central a few weeks before the city erupts in violence following the verdict of the Rodney King trial in 1992.

Markimdb: 8
Genreaction, thriller, drama, crime
CountryBrazil, Argentina, USA, Netherlands
Duration01:55

After a bloody invasion of the BOPE in the High-Security Penitentiary Bangu 1 in Rio de Janeiro to control a rebellion of interns, the Lieutenant-Colonel Roberto Nascimento and the second in command Captain André Matias are accused by the Human Right Aids member Diogo Fraga of execution of prisoners. Matias is transferred to the corrupted Military Police and Nascimento is exonerated from the BOPE by the Governor.

Markimdb: 5.7
Genreaction, thriller, drama, crime
CountryMexico, USA
Duration01:43

Gloria finds a power she never knew she had when she is drawn into a dangerous world of cross-border crime. Surviving will require all of her cunning, inventiveness, and strength.

Markimdb: 7.2
Genrethriller, drama, crime, detective
CountryUSA
Duration01:59

A law firm brings in its 'fixer' to remedy the situation after a lawyer has a breakdown while representing a chemical company that he knows is guilty in a multi-billion dollar class action suit.

Markimdb: 5.2
Genreaction, thriller, drama, crime
CountryUSA, Bulgaria
Duration01:59

Lucas, a 14-year-old boy inducted into the gang life in Washington D.C., is determined that his 10-year-old brother won't follow the same path. When an Afghanistan war veteran comes into the neighborhood, an opportunity arises.

Markimdb: 6.1
Genreaction, thriller, drama, crime
CountryUSA
Duration02:30

A father is without the means to pay for his daughter's medical treatment. As a last resort, he partners with a greedy co-worker to rob a casino. When things go awry they're forced to hijack a city bus.

Markimdb: 7.5
Genrethriller, drama, crime
CountryUSA
Duration02:30

A young lawyer defends a black man accused of murdering two men who raped his 10-year-old daughter, sparking a rebirth of the KKK.

Markimdb: 7
Genrethriller, drama, crime, detective
CountryUnited Kingdom, USA
Duration00:40

The hunt is on to find the murderer of a wealthy glamorous heiress who is found dead in her London townhouse. Based on the short story by Agatha Christie.

Markimdb: 4.8
Genreaction, thriller, drama, crime
CountryUSA
Duration01:26

Ray Liotta (Goodfellas) delivers an intense, electrifying performance in this explosive follow-up to the gritty urban crime thriller Street Kings. Liotta plays Detroit detective Marty Kingston, the leader of an undercover narcotics team, whose members are being systematically murdered one by one. To solve the brutal killings, Kingston joins forces with a cocky, young homicide detective. But neither of them is prepared for the shocking corruption their investigation will uncover — stunning secrets that will set both men on a violent collision course with betrayal and vengeance.

Markimdb: 5.9
Genrethriller, drama, crime, detective, biography
CountryUSA
Duration01:00

Massachusetts, 1892. An unmarried woman of 32 and a social outcast, Lizzie lives a claustrophobic life under her father's cold and domineering control. When Bridget Sullivan, a young maid, comes to work for the family, Lizzie finds a sympathetic, kindred spirit, and a secret intimacy soon blossoms into a wicked plan.

Markimdb: 8.1
Genreaction, thriller, drama, crime
CountryUSA

A riveting police drama about the men and women of the Chicago Police Department's District 21 who put it all on the line to serve and protect their community. District 21 is made up of two distinctly different groups: the uniformed cops who patrol the beat and go head-to-head with the city's street crimes and the Intelligence Unit that combats the city's major offenses - organized crime, drug trafficking, high profile murders and beyond.

Markimdb: 6.8
Genrethriller, drama, crime, biography
CountryRepublic of Ireland, United Kingdom, USA
Duration01:38

In this true story, Veronica Guerin is an investigative reporter for an Irish newspaper. As the drug trade begins to bleed into the mainstream, Guerin decides to take on and expose those responsible. Beginning at the bottom with addicts, Guerin then gets in touch with John Traynor, a paranoid informant. Not without some prodding, Traynor leads her to John Gilligan, the ruthless head of the operation, who does not take kindly to Guerin's nosing.

Markimdb: 6.4
Genrethriller, drama, crime
CountryUSA, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom
Duration01:52

Construction company owner John Matthews learns that his estranged son, Jason, has been arrested for drug trafficking. Facing an unjust prison sentence for a first time offender courtesy of mandatory minimum sentence laws, Jason has nothing to offer for leniency in good conscience. Desperately, John convinces the DEA and the opportunistic DA Joanne Keeghan to let him go undercover to help make arrests big enough to free his son in return. With the unwitting help of an ex-con employee, John enters the narcotics underworld where every move could be his last in an operation that will demand all his resources, wits and courage to survive.

Markimdb: 5.8
Genreaction, thriller, drama, crime
CountryUSA
Duration01:37

An ex-convict (Tyrese) gets tangled up with a gang after his car is hijacked with his son inside.

Markimdb: 7.8
Genredrama, crime, biography
CountryUSA, United Kingdom
Duration02:37

Following the death of his employer and mentor, Bumpy Johnson, Frank Lucas establishes himself as the number one importer of heroin in the Harlem district of Manhattan. He does so by buying heroin directly from the source in South East Asia and he comes up with a unique way of importing the drugs into the United States. Based on a true story.

Markimdb: 6.9
Genreaction, thriller, drama, crime
CountryCanada, United Kingdom, USA
Duration02:39

Two policemen, one an old-timer, the other his volatile younger partner, find themselves suspended when a video of their strong-arm tactics becomes the media's cause du jour. Low on cash and with no other options, these two embittered soldiers descend into the criminal underworld to gain their just due, but instead find far more than they wanted awaiting them in the shadows.

Markimdb: 6.9
Genrethriller, drama, crime, detective, biography
CountryUSA
Duration02:41

In 1934, Frank Hamer and Manny Gault, two former Texas Rangers, are commissioned to put an end to the wave of vicious crimes perpetrated by Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, a notorious duo of infamous robbers and cold-blooded killers who nevertheless are worshiped by the public.

Markimdb: 7
Genrethriller, drama, crime
CountryUSA
Duration01:41

Freddy Heflin is the sheriff of a place everyone calls “Cop Land” — a small and seemingly peaceful town populated by the big city police officers he’s long admired. Yet something ugly is taking place behind the town’s peaceful facade. And when Freddy uncovers a massive, deadly conspiracy among these local residents, he is forced to take action and make a dangerous choice between protecting his idols and upholding the law.

Markimdb: 7.6
Genreaction, thriller, drama, crime
CountryUSA
Duration02:50

In the midst of trying to legitimize his business dealings in 1979 New York and Italy, aging mafia don, Michael Corleone seeks forgiveness for his sins while taking a young protege under his wing.

Markimdb: 8.5
Genrethriller, drama, crime
CountryUSA, Hong Kong
Duration02:31

To take down South Boston's Irish Mafia, the police send in one of their own to infiltrate the underworld, not realizing the syndicate has done likewise. While an undercover cop curries favor with the mob kingpin, a career criminal rises through the police ranks. But both sides soon discover there's a mole among them.

Markimdb: 7
Genrethriller, drama, crime, biography
CountryUSA, United Kingdom
Duration02:34

    A U.S Customs official uncovers a massive money laundering scheme involving Pablo Escobar.

    Markimdb: 7.2
    Genrethriller, drama, crime
    CountryUSA
    Duration01:52

    A small-time hood must choose from among love, friendship and the chance to rise within the mob.

    Markimdb: 7.5
    Genrethriller, drama, crime, detective
    CountryUSA

    The third installment of the “Law & Order” franchise takes viewers deep into the minds of its criminals while following the intense psychological approaches the Major Case Squad uses to solve its crimes.

    Markimdb: 4.9
    Genrethriller, drama, crime
    CountryUSA
    Duration01:38

    In post-Katrina New Orleans, a disgraced detective encounters the ghost of a murdered woman who wants to help him identify her killer.

    Markimdb: 5.4
    Genreaction, thriller, drama, crime
    CountryUSA
    Duration01:48

    A man is out for justice after a group of corrupt police officers are unable to catch his wife's killer.

    Markimdb: 6.7
    Genreaction, thriller, drama, crime
    CountryUSA
    Duration01:53

      Los Angeles, 1949. Ruthless, Brooklyn-born mob king Mickey Cohen runs the show in this town, reaping the ill-gotten gains from the drugs, the guns, the prostitutes and — if he has his way — every wire bet placed west of Chicago. And he does it all with the protection of not only his own paid goons, but also the police and the politicians who are under his control. It’s enough to intimidate even the bravest, street-hardened cop… except, perhaps, for the small, secret crew of LAPD outsiders led by Sgt. John O’Mara and Jerry Wooters who come together to try to tear Cohen’s world apart.

      Markimdb: 6.5
      Genrethriller, drama, crime
      CountryUSA
      Duration02:38

        Financial TV host Lee Gates and his producer Patty are put in an extreme situation when an irate investor takes over their studio.

        Markimdb: 6.4
        Genreaction, thriller, crime
        CountryUSA

        A fast-paced action thriller about a rookie cop who inadvertently captures the murder of a young drug dealer on her body cam. After realizing that the murder was committed by corrupt cops, she teams up with the one person from her community who is willing to help her as she tries to escape both the criminals out for revenge and the police who are desperate to destroy the incriminating footage.

        Markimdb: 6.6
        Genrethriller, drama, crime
        CountryUSA, United Kingdom
        Duration02:12

        A young district attorney seeking to prove a case against a corrupt police detective encounters a former lover and her new protector, a crime boss who refuse to help him.

        Markimdb: 7.3
        Genrethriller, melodrama, drama, crime, military, biography
        CountryUnited Kingdom, USA, Luxembourg, China
        Duration01:37

        The true story of British intelligence whistleblower Katharine Gun who—prior to the 2003 Iraq invasion—leaked a top-secret NSA memo exposing a joint US-UK illegal spying operation against members of the UN Security Council. The memo proposed blackmailing member states into voting for war.

        Markimdb: 4.7
        Genreaction, thriller, drama, crime
        CountryCanada, USA
        Duration01:14

        A former mob enforcer who is released from prison after serving 22 years for a crime he didn't commit sets out on a path for revenge against the people who wronged him.

        Markimdb: 7.5
        Genreaction, thriller, drama, crime
        CountryFrance, Germany, USA, Japan
        Duration01:56

        An African-American Mafia hit man who models himself after the samurai of old finds himself targeted for death by the mob.

        Markimdb: 6.2
        Genreaction, thriller, drama, crime
        CountryUSA
        Duration02:35

        After a violent encounter, Roy finds Rocky and sees something in her eyes that prompts a fateful decision. He takes her with him as he flees to Galveston, an action as ill-advised as it is inescapable.

        Markimdb: 7.4
        Genrethriller, drama, crime
        CountryUSA
        Duration01:36

        An old-time crook plans a heist. When one of his two partners is found out to be a black man tensions flare.

        Markimdb: 6.4
        Genreaction, thriller, drama, crime
        CountryUSA, Hong Kong
        Duration02:28

        A grieving mother transforms herself into a vigilante following the murders of her husband and daughter, eluding the authorities to deliver her own personal brand of justice.

        Markimdb: 5.8
        Genrethriller, drama, crime
        CountryUSA, Canada
        Duration02:50

        A disgraced former cop, fresh off a six-year prison sentence for attempted murder - returns home looking for redemption but winds up trapped in the mess he left behind.

        Markimdb: 6.7
        Genreaction, thriller, crime
        CountryUSA
        Duration01:49

        A DEA agent and an undercover Naval Intelligence officer who have been tasked with investigating one another find they have been set up by the mob -- the very organization the two men believe they have been stealing money from.




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