Movies Like DEFECTIVE

If you liked DEFECTIVE (2026), a thriller and action movie directed by Ruby Martin-Salazar, here are 20 movies with a similar feel, based on TMDB's recommendations. Each one links to its cast, trailer and where it's streaming.

1
The Quiller Memorandum (1966)
★ 5.9/10Also thriller and drama
After two British Secret Intelligence Service agents are murdered at the hands of a cryptic neo-Nazi group known as Phoenix, the suave agent Quiller is sent to Berlin to investigate.
2
Indemnity (2022)
★ 6.6/10Also action and thriller
An ex-fireman with PTSD goes on the run when accused of a crime he doesn't even remember committing, leading him down a rabbit hole of conspiracy to the highest degree.
3
Time Without Pity (1957)
★ 6.5/10Also thriller and drama
Alec Graham is sentenced to death for the murder of his girlfriend Jennie, with whom he spent a weekend at the English country home of the parents of his friend Brian Stanford. Alec’s father, David Graham, a…
4
Oscar Shaw (2026)
★ 6.6/10Also action and thriller
After retiring from the police force, a relentless detective haunted by the tragic loss of his closest friend sets out on a perilous quest for vengeance, seeking redemption and fighting to restore justice to the…
5
No Name on the Bullet (1959)
★ 6.6/10Also action and thriller
When hired killer John Gant rides into Lordsburg, the town's folk become paranoid as each leading citizen has enemies capable of using the services of a professional killer for personal revenge.
6
Each Dawn I Die (1939)
★ 6.9/10Also drama and thriller
A corrupt D.A. with governatorial ambitions is annoyed by an investigative reporter's criticism of his criminal activities and decides to frame the reporter for manslaughter in order to silence him.
7
The Blue Lamp (1950)
★ 6.6/10Also thriller and action
P.C. George Dixon is a long-serving traditional copper who is due to retire shortly. He takes a new recruit under his aegis and introduces him to the easy-going night beat. Dixon is a classic ordinary hero but also…
8
Nancy (2018)
★ 5.8/10Also drama and thriller
Nancy becomes increasingly convinced she was kidnapped as a child. When she meets a couple whose daughter went missing thirty years ago, reasonable doubts give way to willful belief.
9
Foreign Correspondent (1940)
★ 7/10Also thriller and action
American crime reporter John Jones is reassigned to Europe as a foreign correspondent to cover the imminent war. When he walks into the middle of an assassination and stumbles on a spy ring, he seeks help from a…
10
Point Blank (1967)
★ 7.1/10Also thriller and drama
After being double-crossed and left for dead, a mysterious man named Walker single-mindedly tries to retrieve the rather inconsequential sum of money that was stolen from him.
11
Sleep, My Love (1948)
★ 6.3/10Also thriller and drama
A woman wakes up in the middle of the night on board a train, but she can't remember how she got there. Danger and suspense ensue.
12
They Made Me a Fugitive (1947)
★ 6.6/10Also drama and thriller
After being framed for a policeman's murder, a criminal escapes prison and sets out for revenge.
13
The Black Pirate (1926)
★ 6.7/10Also drama and action
A nobleman vows to avenge the death of his father by the hands of pirates. To this end, he infiltrates the pirate band; Acting in character, he single-handedly captures a merchant vessel, but things are complicated…
14
The Locket (1946)
★ 6.3/10Also drama and thriller
A dark personal secret drives a young woman to use every man she encounters.
15
The Devil's Brigade (1968)
★ 6.3/10Also action and drama
At the onset of World War II, American Lt. Col. Robert Frederick is put in charge of a unit called the 1st Special Service Force, composed of elite Canadian commandos and undisciplined American soldiers. With Maj. Alan…
16
Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House (2017)
★ 6.2/10Also drama and thriller
The story of Mark Felt, who under the name "Deep Throat" helped journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein uncover the Watergate scandal in 1974.
17
5 Against the House (1955)
★ 5.9/10Also drama and thriller
Former war-time Army buddies now students in college decide to rip off a Reno casino.
18
The Time Shifters (1999)
★ 5.8/10Also thriller and action
Tom Merrick gets caught up in a time-traveling conspiracy and must set the timeline right before it is irrevocably altered.
19
Seeds of Yesterday (2015)
★ 6.4/10Also thriller and drama
The Sheffield family reveal and go through some home truths as their middle child inherits the Foxworth mansion. The family's ghosts looming over, and more tragedies are in store as the curse lives on.
20
The Mechanic (1972)
★ 6.7/10Also action and thriller
Arthur Bishop is a veteran hit man who, owing to his penchant for making his targets' deaths seem like accidents, thinks himself an artist. It's made him very rich, but as he hits middle age, he's so depressed and…