12 Movies Like Sicario You Need to Watch
Craving tense cartel dramas and gritty thrillers? Explore 12 picks including Sicario, Under Fire, Narcos, BuyBust, Ferry, and Rambo: Last Blood.
If you’re searching for movies like Sicario, you probably want tense crime stories, moral gray areas, and the kind of pressure-cooker suspense that never lets up. This list brings together gritty standouts such as Under Fire, Narcos, Absolution, and Ferry, plus harder-hitting picks like 4Got10, BuyBust, and Rambo: Last Blood. You’ll also find the original Sicario here for reference, along with titles that lean into action, drama, mystery, and thriller territory in different ways. Some entries focus on cartel violence and undercover risk, while others trade desert standoffs for urban chaos or revenge-driven fallout. With 12 carefully chosen picks on the page, there’s plenty here for anyone who wants the same uneasy tension and hard-edged atmosphere.
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01
Under Fire
action · drama · thriller
Story unfolds in the scorching heat of the Mexico border, where rival drug dealers Griff and Abbott arrive at a remote drop point for a routine drug deal. But when the exchange goes down, both reveal undercover badges — Griff is FBI, Abbott is DEA — and neither knew they were working the same case.
Directed by Steven C. MillerCast Dylan Sprouse, Mason Gooding, Odette Annable, Austin North, Emilio RiveraHulu -
02
Narcos
biography · crime · drama · thriller
A gritty chronicle of the war against Colombia's infamously violent and powerful drug cartels.
Directed by Andrés Baiz, Josef Kubota Wladyka, Fernando Coimbra, Gerardo Naranjo, Guillermo NavarroCast Pedro Pascal, Wagner Moura, Boyd Holbrook, Alberto Ammann, Paulina GaitanNetflix -
03
Absolution
action · crime · thriller
When a contract killer (Steven Seagal) encounters a girl on the run from a dangerous mob boss (Vinnie Jones) with powerful political ties, running a human trafficking operation, he is torn between protecting the girl, and remaining loyal to the government agency that hired him.
Directed by Keoni WaxmanCast Steven Seagal, Byron Mann, Howard Dell, Adina Stetcu, Vinnie JonesFreevee -
04
Ferry
action · crime · drama · thriller
Before he built a drug empire, Ferry Bouman returns to his hometown on a revenge mission that finds his loyalty tested — and a love that alters his life.
Directed by Cecilia VerheydenCast Frank Lammers, Elise Schaap, Huub Stapel, Raymond Thiry, Monic HendrickxNetflix -
05
4Got10
action · crime · thriller
Brian Barnes (Johnny Messner) wakes up in the desert wounded and with no memory and no idea why he's surrounded by eight bodies, a van with four million in cash and a van full of cocaine. Brian is pursued by not only notorious drug lord Danny Perez (Danny Trejo) who desperately want his money back, and DEA Agent Rooker (Dolph Lundgren), but also a by the corrupt Sheriff Olson (Michael Pare) who will stop at nothing to get his hand on the new found fortune. On the run, Brian discovers the more he remembers the less he wants to know about who he really is.
Directed by Timothy Woodward Jr.Cast Johnny Messner, Dolph Lundgren, Danny Trejo, Vivica A. Fox, Michael ParéFreevee -
06
BuyBust
action · crime · thriller
A special forces team is sent to snuff out a drug den, but find themselves trapped inside it after being set-up and betrayed.
Directed by Erik MattiCast Anne Curtis, Brandon Vera, Victor Neri, Arjo Atayde, Levi IgnacioNetflix -
07
Rambo: Last Blood
action · crime · thriller
After fighting his demons for decades, John Rambo now lives in peace on his family ranch in Arizona, but his rest is interrupted when Gabriela, the granddaughter of his housekeeper María, disappears after crossing the border into Mexico to meet her biological father. Rambo, who has become a true father figure for Gabriela over the years, undertakes a desperate and dangerous journey to find her.
Directed by Adrian GrunbergCast Sylvester Stallone, Paz Vega, Sergio Peris-Mencheta, Adriana Barraza, Yvette MonrealPeacock PremiumAMC+ -
08
Havoc
action · crime · drama · mystery · thriller
When a drug heist swerves lethally out of control, a jaded cop fights his way through a corrupt city's criminal underworld to save a politician's son.
Directed by Gareth EvansCast Tom Hardy, Lockhart Ogilvie, Quelin Sepulveda, Justin Cornwell, Jim CaesarNetflix -
09
The Preppie Connection
crime · drama
A student at a private school uses his connections to establish a drug trafficking network.
Directed by Joseph CasteloCast Thomas Mann, Lucy Fry, Logan Huffman, Guillermo Arribas, Amy HargreavesAMC+ -
10
The Transporter Refueled
action · thriller
The fast-paced action movie is again set in the criminal underworld in France, where Frank Martin is known as The Transporter, because he is the best driver and mercenary money can buy. In this installment, he meets Anna and they attempt to take down a group of ruthless Russian human traffickers who also have kidnapped Frank’s father.
Directed by Camille DelamarreCast Ed Skrein, Ray Stevenson, Loan Chabanol, Gabriella Wright, Tatiana PajkovicMax -
11
Gåsmamman
crime · thriller
Sonja lives a rather carefree life with her beloved family. The husband Frederick's marijuana business providing family finances a silver lining. But life is shattered and Sonja forced to play a dangerous game with both organized crime and police to protect their children. She can no longer be sure which ones are her friends and who she can trust.
Directed by Richard Holm, Joakim Eliasson, Olof SpaakCast Joel Lützow, Alexandra Rapaport, Edvin Ryding, Clara Christiansson Drake, Shebly NiavaraniAmazon Prime VideoFreevee -
12
Survivor
action · crime · thriller
A Foreign Service Officer in London tries to prevent a terrorist attack set to hit New York, but is forced to go on the run when she is framed for crimes she did not commit.
Directed by James McTeigueCast Paddy Wallace, Parker Sawyers, Bashar Rahal, Royce Pierreson, Ben StarrFreevee
Wrapping Up
Whether you want slow-burn suspense, ruthless action, or crime dramas with real bite, this roundup gives you a strong starting point. From the bare-knuckle intensity of BuyBust to the cartel world of Narcos and the revenge path of Rambo: Last Blood, each pick captures a different side of that harsh, high-stakes mood. Bookmark this page if you like keeping a reliable watchlist close at hand, and come back whenever you’re in the mood for something darker and more intense. We update this page regularly, so there’s always a fresh reason to revisit.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes these movies similar to Sicario?
These picks were matched by tone, themes, and story style using a similarity model trained on plot synopses, genres, and cast — not just shared genre tags — so the connection runs deeper than a simple category match.
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Last updated: September 10, 2026