Movies Like Expect the Unexpected

If you liked Expect the Unexpected (1998), a action and crime movie directed by Patrick Yau Tat-chi, 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
Rob N Roll (2024)
★ 5.9/10Also action and crime
A fierce robber has plotted a major heist. But unfortunately, his plan was unintentionally foiled by two dispirited middle-aged best friends, and the stolen cash disappears.
2
The Protector (1985)
★ 5.9/10Also action and crime
Billy Wong is a New York City cop whose partner is gunned down during a robbery. Billy and his new partner, Danny Garoni, are working security at a fashion show when a wealthy man's daughter, Laura Shapiro, is…
3
Project Gutenberg (2018)
★ 7.1/10Also action and crime
The Hong Kong police is hunting a counterfeiting gang led by a mastermind code-named "Painter" . The gang possesses exceptional counterfeiting skills which makes it difficult to distinguish the authenticity of its…
4
Young and Dangerous (1996)
★ 6.6/10Also action and crime
Five young hoodlums sing karaoke, murder, joke around, get beaten up, win and lose women, and learn the value of blind loyalty.
5
In the Line of Duty 4 (1989)
★ 7/10Also action and crime
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…
6
Wire Room (2022)
★ 6/10Also action and crime
New recruit Justin Rosa must monitor arms-smuggling cartel member Eddie Flynn — and keep him alive at all costs. When a SWAT team descends on Flynn’s home, Rosa breaks protocol and contacts the gangster directly to…
7
Motorway (2012)
★ 6.2/10Also action and crime
Two police pursuit drivers, a hothead rookie and his long-suffering, almost-retired mentor, face off against an escape car driver from the latter's past.
8
Trap House (2025)
★ 6.6/10Also action and crime
An undercover DEA agent and his partner embark on a game of cat and mouse with an audacious, and surprising group of thieves – their own rebellious teenagers, who have begun robbing from a dangerous cartel, using their…
9
Golden Job (2018)
★ 6.1/10Also action and crime
A group of former mercenaries reunite to plan an epic heist: boosting a truck full of medicine held by a foreign intelligence agency to supply a refugee camp in need. But when they find the truck is actually filled…
10
State Property (2002)
★ 6.4/10Also crime and action
A Philadelphia gang member becomes a drug kingpin and starts a feud with vicious rivals in his quest for the American Dream.
11
Special ID (2013)
★ 6/10Also action and crime
A career-long undercover Hong Kong cop is sent to Mainland China when his former protégé becomes the primary suspect in a murder.
12
Full Contact (1992)
★ 6.8/10Also action and crime
In an effort to get his buddy out of a gambling debt, Jeff agrees to join forces with Judge in a weapons heist. The job goes bad and Judge betrays Jeff. Jeff plots the ultimate revenge on Judge and his followers and it…
13
Sheroes (2023)
★ 5.8/10Also action and crime
When four thick-as-thieves friends arrive in Thailand, they quickly find themselves in over their heads. Fighting to stay alive, they employ their unique set of skills and unleash their fierce loyalty in a…
14
P Storm (2019)
★ 6.4/10Also action and crime
Liu Yue Ping reports to the ICAC about a rich 2G Cao Yuen Yuen who bribed officers of the Hong Kong Correctional Services (HKCS) from inside the prison. William Luk decides to infiltrate the prison as an inmate to…
15
Cotton Comes to Harlem (1970)
★ 6.2/10Also action and crime
Harlem's African-American population is being ripped off by the Rev. Deke O'Malley, who dishonestly claims that small donations will secure parcels of land in Africa. When New York City police officers Gravedigger…
16
SPL: Kill Zone (2005)
★ 7/10Also action and crime
Chan, an articulate senior detective nearing the end of his career, is taking care of the daughter of a witness killed by ruthless crime lord Po. Martial arts expert Ma is set to take over as head of the crime unit…
17
Parker (2013)
★ 6.1/10Also action and crime
A thief with a unique code of professional ethics is double-crossed by his crew and left for dead. Assuming a new disguise and forming an unlikely alliance with a woman on the inside, he looks to hijack the score of…
18
Absolution (2024)
★ 5.9/10Also action and crime
An aging ex-boxer gangster working as muscle for a Boston crime boss receives an upsetting diagnosis. Despite a faltering memory, he attempts to rectify the sins of his past and reconnect with his estranged children…
19
2 Guns (2013)
★ 6.5/10Also action and crime
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…
20
The Perfect Weapon (1991)
★ 6.4/10Also action and crime
Jeff, a young delinquent, is enrolled by his father in a kenpo school, in the hopes of teaching the boy some self-discipline. Years later, Jeff's mentor, Kim, is being threatened by one of the Korean mafia families…