Movies Like The Laughing Policeman

If you liked The Laughing Policeman (1973), a crime and drama movie directed by Stuart Rosenberg, 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
10 to Midnight (1983)
★ 6.2/10Also crime and drama
Warren Stacy, an office equipment repairman, begins murdering women after they reject his advances. To minimize the evidence, Stacy always kills while naked, wearing nothing but gloves, and further evades the law with…
2
American Gigolo (1980)
★ 6.2/10Also crime and drama
Julian makes a lucrative living as an escort to older women in the Los Angeles area. He begins a relationship with Michelle, a local politician's wife, without expecting any pay. One of his clients is murdered and…
3
Street Kings (2008)
★ 6.7/10Also crime and drama
Tom Ludlow is a disillusioned L.A. Police Officer, rarely playing by the rules and haunted by the death of his wife. When evidence implicates him in the execution of a fellow officer, he is forced to go up against the…
4
Dirty Harry (1971)
★ 7.5/10Also crime and thriller
When a madman dubbed 'Scorpio' terrorizes San Francisco, hard-nosed cop, Harry Callahan – famous for his take-no-prisoners approach to law enforcement – is tasked with hunting down the psychopath.
5
Zodiac (2007)
★ 7.5/10Also crime and thriller
Police conduct a manhunt for the Zodiac Killer, a serial killer who terrorized the San Francisco Bay Area during the late 1960s and early 1970s, taunting police with letters, bloodstained clothing, and ciphers mailed…
6
The Little Things (2021)
★ 6.4/10Also drama and crime
Deputy Sheriff Joe "Deke" Deacon joins forces with Sgt. Jim Baxter to search for a serial killer who's terrorizing Los Angeles. As they track the culprit, Baxter is unaware that the investigation is dredging up echoes…
7
Striking Distance (1993)
★ 5.9/10Also crime and thriller
Demoted Pittsburgh cop Tom Hardy works river patrol while a serial killer targets women from his past, forcing him to conduct an unauthorized investigation to prove his innocence and expose a dirty cop.
8
Blitz (2011)
★ 6.2/10Also crime and thriller
A tough cop is dispatched to take down a serial killer who has been targeting police officers.
9
Righteous Kill (2008)
★ 5.9/10Also crime and thriller
Two veteran New York City detectives work to identify the possible connection between a recent murder and a case they believe they solved years ago; is there a serial killer on the loose, and did they perhaps put the…
10
Cruising (1980)
★ 6.6/10Also crime and thriller
When New York is caught in the grip of a sadistic serial killer who preys on patrons of the city's underground bars, rookie cop Steve Burns infiltrates the gay S&M subculture to try and lure him out of the shadows.
11
Lethal Weapon (1987)
★ 7.3/10Also thriller and crime
A veteran cop and an unstable detective become partners who must put their differences aside in order to bring down a heroin-smuggling ring run by ex-Special Forces.
12
Bullitt (1968)
★ 7.2/10Also crime and thriller
Senator Walter Chalmers is aiming to take down mob boss Pete Ross with the help of testimony from the criminal's hothead brother Johnny, who is in protective custody in San Francisco under the watch of police…
13
Blindfire (2020)
★ 6.8/10Also crime and drama
A police officer who while responding to a violent hostage call, kills the African American suspect only to later learn of his innocence. Sensing this was a set-up, and facing repercussions, he must track down the…
14
Magnum Force (1973)
★ 7.1/10Also drama and crime
"Dirty" Harry Callahan is a San Francisco Police Inspector on the trail of a group of rogue cops who have taken justice into their own hands. When shady characters are murdered one after another in grisly fashion, only…
15
Shot Caller (2017)
★ 7/10Also crime and drama
A newly-released prison gangster is forced by the leaders of his gang to orchestrate a major crime with a brutal rival gang on the streets of Southern California.
16
Gang Related (1997)
★ 6.4/10Also crime and thriller
After murdering an undercover DEA agent, two corrupt cops scramble to cover up what they've done.
17
Farewell, My Lovely (1975)
★ 6.7/10Also crime and thriller
Private eye Philip Marlowe is hired by ex-con Moose Malloy to find his girlfriend, a former lounge dancer. While also investigating the murder of a client and the theft of a jade necklace, Marlowe becomes entangled…
18
Colombiana (2011)
★ 6.7/10Also thriller and crime
After witnessing her parents’ murder as a child in Bogota, Cataleya Restrepo grows up to be a stone-cold assassin. She works for her uncle as a hitman by day, but her personal time is spent engaging in vigilante…
19
The Corruptor (1999)
★ 6.1/10Also crime and thriller
Danny is a young cop partnered with Nick, a seasoned but ethically tainted veteran. As the two try to stop a gang war in Chinatown, Danny relies on Nick but grows increasingly uncomfortable with the way Nick gets…
20
King Ivory (2025)
★ 7/10Also crime and drama
Based on extensive research involving law enforcement and gang members, a never-before-seen, authentic look inside the underworld of fentanyl trafficking from gangs inside the Oklahoma State Penitentiary at McAlester…