‘The Rip’ (2026) pulls you right into its buddy-cop energy, sun-soaked Miami setting, and detectives who feel rough around the edges but deeply committed to the job. These are cops shaped by the streets they patrol, carrying their flaws, instincts, and frustrations into every decision they make. The film leans into gritty crime drama without softening the blows, letting the tension build through sharp character moments and high-stakes situations. You can almost feel the heat, the exhaustion, and the pressure weighing down on them scene after scene. And like me, if you just finished watching ‘The Rip’ on Netflix and found yourself wanting more crime stories that mix high tension with strong character work, this list is definitely for you.
1. Heat (1994)
Michael Mann’s Heat is a masterclass in crime filmmaking, and it shares a DNA with The Rip in the way it blends razor-sharp action with deeply human character work. At its core, Heat is about two men on opposite sides of the law: Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro), a meticulous and professional thief, and Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino), a driven, obsessive LAPD detective. The way these two characters mirror each other’s passion and flaw makes every scene crackle with intensity.
Like The Rip, this isn’t a world of clear-cut good guys and bad guys. Everyone’s driven by something personal, something that haunts them. The famous downtown shootout, the cat-and-mouse chases, and the long dialogues about life and loneliness give Heat a realism and emotional weight that few crime films achieve. It balances the procedural with the personal, the heist with the heartache, and the stakes with the souls of its characters. If you were drawn to The Rip for its smart plotting, layered cops, and raw energy, Heat delivers all that and more in a powerful, unforgettable way.
2. The Gray Man (2022)
The Gray Man brings high-octane global action with a tense cat-and-mouse chase at its center, and while it leans more into the spy-thriller lane than straight police drama, it shares with The Rip that relentless sense of pursuit. Ryan Gosling plays Court Gentry, a former CIA operative turned freelance mercenary who’s hunted across continents by his own agency after a job goes sideways. Chris Evans is the ruthless agent in pursuit, and their dynamic, full of taunts, strategy, and barely controlled violence, pulses with energy.
Just as The Rip blends gritty procedural elements with personal stakes, The Gray Man grounds its globe-trotting set pieces in the psychology of its characters and their moral pushes and pulls. It doesn’t shy away from showing us how blurred the lines can be when every decision means life or death. The action is crisp and inventive, but the film also lets you feel the exhaustion and focus of warriors who have been at this too long. If you liked the way The Rip balanced tension, compelling characters, and edge-of-your-seat sequences, The Gray Man will pull you right into that same thrilling world.
Also Check: 6 Films to watch if you like The Gray Man on Netflix
3. Training Day (2001)
Training Day is one of those films that hits hard and sticks with you. Denzel Washington’s unforgettable performance as Detective Alonzo Harris channels the same kind of moral abrasion and raw intensity you might have appreciated in The Rip. This isn’t just another cop movie. It’s a character study of power, corruption, and survival. Washington’s Alonzo takes Ethan Hawke’s rookie officer Jake Hoyt on a 24-hour ride that quickly becomes a descent into a gritty moral maze. You see the law not just as rules and badges, but as force, negotiation, and sometimes temptation.
What makes Training Day akin to The Rip is its unflinching look at the darker corners of crime enforcement and how those corners shape the people who walk through them. There’s fear, admiration, confusion, and tension all tangled up in every conversation between the two leads. It’s intense, yes, but also deeply human. You sense the emotional weight each character carries and how every choice feels like a gamble. If you want something that dives into the psyche of cops who are as complicated as the criminals they chase, Training Day delivers in full force.
4. Serpico (1973)
Serpico doesn’t chase flashy set pieces. What it does is dig into the moral backbone of a cop who refuses to compromise. Al Pacino gives a standout performance as Frank Serpico, a real-life NYPD officer who becomes disgusted with the corruption around him and chooses to stand apart, even at great personal risk. The film is quieter than some of the explosive thrillers on this list, but it’s riveting in its moral intensity.
Like The Rip, Serpico isn’t just about catching bad guys. It’s about the psychology of law enforcement, the personal toll of immersion in a dangerous world, and the courage it takes to stay true to what you believe. You feel Frank’s isolation, his frustration, and his commitment in every scene. It’s a slower burn, but one that grips you deeply, because it makes you confront the cost of integrity. If you were drawn to The Rip for its textured characters, and the way it makes you live inside the lives of cops who aren’t perfect but are deeply committed, then Serpico will resonate long after the credits roll.
More Read: The 10 Best Al Pacino Performances, Ranked
5. Ambulance (2022)
Ambulance might look like pure action on the surface, but at its core it’s a tense character-driven ride that shares a kinship with The Rip. Directed by Michael Bay, this movie throws you straight into a chaotic bank heist gone wrong, and the escape hinges on commandeering an ambulance with a wounded victim and two desperate criminals in tow. What keeps you glued isn’t just the spectacle of the high-speed chase. It’s how the characters respond under pressure, how fear and loyalty clash, and how the law closes in with relentless precision.
Like The Rip, Ambulance gives you edge-of-your-seat energy with a sense of grounded consequence. The cops aren’t distant forces; they’re calculated, determined, and constantly tightening their net. You feel the tension in every pursuit, every siren wail, every split-second decision that could go right or horribly wrong. It’s explosive, yes, but also smart in how it uses its action to tell you something about survival, desperation, and the way all kinds of characters behave when they’re backed into a corner. If The Rip hooked you with its pulse-racing moments and fully committed performances, Ambulance is a roller coaster that keeps pace with that same intensity.
6. End of Watch (2012)
End of Watch is one of the most immersive cop dramas in recent memory, and if The Rip got you invested in buddy dynamics and real-world stakes, this will hit that sweet spot hard. The film follows two LAPD officers, Brian Taylor (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Mike Zavala (Michael Peña), whose friendship is as deep as their commitment to the job. Shot in a cinéma vérité style that feels like you’re riding along with them, the movie blends brutal action with deeply human moments. You see them at work, at home, celebrating, and grieving. That’s the heart of it: these are cops who are real to you, not just characters in a story.
Like The Rip, the danger feels immediate and personal. You hear the radios crackle, you see the tension in their eyes, and you feel the bond between them that makes every close call matter. It’s a film about brotherhood, trust, fear, and resilience. Beyond the gunfights and the chases, End of Watch gives you heart, making you care about the people behind the badges. If you liked the way The Rip balanced action with deep emotional connection, this one delivers that mix with power and honesty.
