12 Movies Like Speed You Need to Watch
Craving tense, fast-paced thrillers? Discover action, crime, and suspense picks like Speed, Timecop, Derailed, and 96 Minutes for your next watch.
If you are hunting for movies like Speed, this list keeps the tension high with a mix of action, thriller, crime, drama, and even a little adventure. Start with Speed (1994), then move into pulse-pounding picks such as 96 Minutes (2025), Timecop (1994), and Derailed (2002), each built around pressure, danger, and split-second choices. For a grittier edge, Nemesis (1992), Juice (1992), and Wanted: Dead or Alive (1986) bring crime-driven stakes and sharp momentum. If you want something with a bigger scope, Star Trek: Generations (1994) adds blockbuster adventure while still delivering tension. These are the kinds of films that keep you locked in from the first scene and make the ride feel fast, tense, and worth taking.
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01
96 Minutes
action · crime
Former bomb disposal expert, Song Kang-Ren, and his fiancée, Huang Xin, board a high-speed train that contains a bomb. At the same time, Liu Kai, a well-known physics teacher who was involved in an affair scandal, also boards this same train in order to win back his wife, Ting Juan, who took the prior high-speed rail to return home in frustration… After all, can the bomb be successfully defused this time? and resolve the crisis?
Directed by Tzu-Hsuan HungCast Po-Hung Lin, Vivian Sung, Bo-Chieh Wang, Lee Lee-Zen, Yao YitiNetflix -
02
Nemesis
action · drama · sci-fi · thriller
In the future, chaos is rampant as 'information terrorists' threaten to destroy order in society. Alex is a part-man, part-machine LAPD cop who is the best at what he does. When one of the terrorists calls him a machine, Alex questions his humanity and decides to leave the force. His final assignment is to apprehend an old colleague who has stolen some data. However, there is more than meets the eye and Alex must question his allegiance.
Directed by Albert PyunCast Olivier Gruner, Tim Thomerson, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Merle Kennedy, Yuji OkumotoAmazon Prime VideoFreevee -
03
Timecop
action · crime · sci-fi · thriller
In 2004, an officer for a security agency that regulates time travel must fend for his life against a shady politician who has a tie to his past.
Directed by Peter HyamsCast Jean-Claude Van Damme, Mia Sara, Ron Silver, Bruce McGill, Gloria ReubenAmazon Prime VideoFreevee -
04
Wanted: Dead or Alive
action · crime · drama · thriller
Nick Randall is a Los Angeles-based bounty hunter and an ex-CIA operative who is asked by a former co-worker to help track down terrorist Malak Al Rahim. However, Malak Al Rahim is also looking for Randall, forcing a showdown on the waterfront.
Directed by Gary ShermanCast Rutger Hauer, Gene Simmons, Robert Guillaume, Mel Harris, William RussFreevee -
05
Star Trek: Generations
action · adventure · mystery · sci-fi · thriller
Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the Enterprise-D find themselves at odds with the renegade scientist Soran who is destroying entire star systems. Only one man can help Picard stop Soran's scheme...and he's been dead for seventy-eight years.
Directed by David CarsonCast Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, Michael DornParamount Plus -
06
Derailed
action · thriller
NATO operative Jacques Kristoff (Jean-Claude Van Damme) is summoned into action—on his birthday, no less—to track down Galina Konstantin (Laura Harring), who has stolen an extremely valuable and dangerous top-secret container from the Slovakian Government. Finding Galina doesn't take long, and Jacques must wrap up the mission by returning Galina and the contraband to his superiors by train. Things seem to be going smoothly as Jacques and Galina board the train posing as a couple, but soon all hell breaks loose.
Directed by Bob MisiorowskiCast Jean-Claude Van Damme, Tomas Arana, Laura Harring, Susan Gibney, Lucy JennerFreevee -
07
Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol
action · adventure · thriller
Ethan Hunt and his team are racing against time to track down a dangerous terrorist named Hendricks, who has gained access to Russian nuclear launch codes and is planning a strike on the United States. An attempt to stop him ends in an explosion causing severe destruction to the Kremlin and the IMF to be implicated in the bombing, forcing the President to disavow them. No longer being aided by the government, Ethan and his team chase Hendricks around the globe, although they might still be too late to stop a disaster.
Directed by Brad BirdCast Tom Cruise, Paula Patton, Simon Pegg, Jeremy Renner, Michael NyqvistParamount Plus -
08
Toy Soldiers
action · drama · thriller
After federal agents arrest a drug czar and put him on trial, the cartel leader's vicious son storms a prep school and takes its students hostage. They rebel against the armed intruders and try to take back their academy by any means necessary.
Directed by Daniel Petrie Jr.Cast Sean Astin, Wil Wheaton, Keith Coogan, Andrew Divoff, R. Lee ErmeyAmazon Prime Video -
09
Mission: Impossible
action · adventure · thriller
When Ethan Hunt, the leader of a crack espionage team whose perilous operation has gone awry with no explanation, discovers that a mole has penetrated the CIA, he's surprised to learn that he's the prime suspect. To clear his name, Hunt now must ferret out the real double agent and, in the process, even the score.
Directed by Brian De PalmaCast Tom Cruise, Jon Voight, Emmanuelle Béart, Henry Czerny, Jean RenoParamount PlusMax -
10
The Firm
drama · mystery · thriller
Mitch McDeere is a young man with a promising future in Law. About to sit his Bar exam, he is approached by 'The Firm' and made an offer he doesn't refuse. Seduced by the money and gifts showered on him, he is totally oblivious to the more sinister side of his company. Then, two Associates are murdered. The FBI contact him, asking him for information and suddenly his life is ruined. He has a choice - work with the FBI, or stay with the Firm. Either way he will lose his life as he knows it. Mitch figures the only way out is to follow his own plan...
Directed by Sydney PollackCast Tom Cruise, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Gene Hackman, Hal Holbrook, Terry KinneyParamount PlusMax -
11
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
action · adventure · sci-fi · thriller
After years of war, the Federation and the Klingon empire find themselves on the brink of a peace summit when a Klingon ship is nearly destroyed by an apparent attack from the Enterprise. Both worlds brace for what may be their deadliest encounter.
Directed by Nicholas MeyerCast William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, Walter KoenigParamount Plus -
12
Freejack
action · crime · sci-fi · thriller
Time-traveling bounty hunters find a doomed race-car driver in the past and bring him to 2009 New York, where his mind will be replaced with that of a terminally ill billionaire.
Directed by Geoff MurphyCast Emilio Estevez, Mick Jagger, Rene Russo, Anthony Hopkins, Jonathan BanksFreevee
Wrapping Up
Whether you want high-speed chases, time-bending action, or crime stories with real bite, this lineup gives you plenty of strong options to explore. Speed may set the benchmark, but titles like Timecop, Derailed, and 96 Minutes show how many different ways a movie can keep the pressure on. Bookmark this page and come back whenever you want another fast, suspenseful watch. We update this list regularly so it stays useful as new releases arrive and older favorites keep finding new fans.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes these movies similar to Speed?
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 9, 2026