Best movies like Cartel War
A unique, carefully handpicked, selection of the best movies like Cartel War Starring Jack Lucarelli, Mercedes Brito, Roberto 'Sanz' Sanchez, Sandra Carolina, and more. If you liked Cartel War then you may also like: Welcome Home Brother Charles, Rage of Honor, Rapid Fire, Red Heat, Rush and many more popular movies featured on this list. You can further filter the list even more or get a random selection from the list of similar movies, to make your selection even easier.
Led by a detective hell-bent on revenge, a team of undercover cops in Los Angeles attempt to bring down a powerful drug mob from the inside. Operating outside the law, they put everything on the line to clean up the streets and exact payback on the king pin who devastated their families. Based on the true story of Mexico's most powerful drug lord, Cartel War is an action-packed journey into an all-too-real violent underworld.
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Rage of Honor
A Japanese cop, Shiro, and his partner Ray are after a bunch of drug dealers. But they are betrayed by an insider and Ray is killed. Shiro follows the murderer, a sadistic drug lord, up to Argentina
Rapid Fire
College student Jake Lo is pursued by smugglers, mobsters and crooked federal agents after he witnesses a murder by a Mafia kingpin.
Rush
Undercover cop Jim Raynor (Jason Patric) is a seasoned veteran. His partner, Kristen Cates (Jennifer Jason Leigh), is lacking in experience, but he thinks she's tough enough to work his next case with him: a deep cover assignment to bring down the notoriously hard-to-capture drug lord Gaines (Gregg Allman). While their relationship turns romantic during the assignment, they also turn into junkies, and will have to battle their own addictions if they want to bring down Gaines once and for all.
Catch the Heat
Gorgeous Checkers Goldberg, a police detective, goes undercover as a stripper in order to stop a ruthless kingpin who has been using unsuspecting starlets in order to smuggle drugs into the United States. With her hot looks, street smarts and martial arts prowess, Goldberg seems to have everything she needs to catch this violent criminal -- and will stop at nothing to get the job done.
Desperado
Mariachi plunges headfirst into the dark border underworld when he follows a trail of blood to the last of the infamous Mexican drug lords, Bucho, for an action-packed, bullet-riddled showdown. With the help of his best friend and a beautiful bookstore owner, the Mariachi tracks Bucho, takes on his army of desperados, and leaves a trail of blood of his own.
S.W.A.T.
Hondo Harrelson recruits Jim Street to join an elite unit of the Los Angeles Police Department. Together they seek out more members, including tough Deke Kay and single mom Chris Sanchez. The team's first big assignment is to escort crime boss Alex Montel to prison. It seems routine, but when Montel offers a huge reward to anyone who can break him free, criminals of various stripes step up for the prize.
Snitch
Construction company owner John Matthews learns that his estranged son, Jason, has been arrested for drug trafficking. Facing an unjust prison sentence for a first time offender courtesy of mandatory minimum sentence laws, Jason has nothing to offer for leniency in good conscience. Desperately, John convinces the DEA and the opportunistic DA Joanne Keeghan to let him go undercover to help make arrests big enough to free his son in return. With the unwitting help of an ex-con employee, John enters the narcotics underworld where every move could be his last in an operation that will demand all his resources, wits and courage to survive.
Sabotage
John "Breacher" Wharton leads an elite DEA task force that takes on the world's deadliest drug cartels. When the team successfully executes a high-stakes raid on a cartel safe house, they think their work is done – until, one-by-one, the team members mysteriously start to be eliminated. As the body count rises, everyone is a suspect.
Tequila Sunrise
In a seaside California town, best friends Mac and Nick are on opposite sides of the law. Mac is a former drug dealer trying to clean up his act, while Nick is a high-profile detective trying to take down a Mexican drug lord named Carlos. Soon Nick's loyalties are put to the test when he begins an affair with restaurateur Jo Ann -- a love interest of Mac's -- unwittingly leading his friend into a police-orchestrated trap.
American Sicario
The story of the rise and fall of the first American-born drug lord in Mexico, this tale of power, money, greed and betrayal amongst rival members of the drug cartels finds American gangster Erik Vasquez scheming to become the top dog in the Mexican underworld, only to find himself making enemies out of both the powerful cartels and his own allies.
End of Watch
Two young officers are marked for death after confiscating a small cache of money and firearms from the members of a notorious cartel during a routine traffic stop.
Predator 2
A police chief in the war-torn streets of Los Angeles discovers that an extraterrestrial creature is hunting down residents - and that he is the next target.
The Heat
Uptight and straight-laced, FBI Special Agent Sarah Ashburn is a methodical investigator with a reputation for excellence--and hyper-arrogance. Shannon Mullins, one of Boston P.D.'s "finest," is foul-mouthed and has a very short fuse, and uses her gut instinct and street smarts to catch the most elusive criminals. Neither has ever had a partner, or a friend for that matter. When these two wildly incompatible law officers join forces to bring down a ruthless drug lord, they become the last thing anyone expected: buddies.
True Blood
Ray Trueblood, member of a street gang, is framed by an enemy of a rival gang, Billy "Spider" Masters. Ray is accused of killing a cop and he has to escape leaving behind his little brother, Donny. Ten years later Ray returns to his neighborhood to take his brother with him, but things are worse than he could expect: his brother, now 18 years old, hates him and is a member of Billy Masters' gang. Furthermore, Billy Masters is looking for revenge and... the police is still after Ray for the murder of the police officer.
Highway Patrolman
A naïve rookie in the Mexican highway patrol must adapt in order to survive as he contends with widespread corruption, dangerous drug runners and the consequences of his often morally gray actions.
American Rampage
Ex-San Francisco vice cop Samantha Roarke and Hollywood homicide detective Ryan Hayes team up to investigate an international drug cartel in Los Angeles, leading them to an ex-CIA operative turned drug kingpin who's organizing a heroin distribution center in the city.
No Escape, No Return
Two cops go undercover to infiltrate a violent drug ring, and are in for a shock when they find out who's running it.
A Man Apart
When Vetter's wife is killed in a botched hit organized by Diablo, he seeks revenge against those responsible. But in the process, Vetter and Hicks have to fight their way up the chain to get to Diablo but it's easier said than done when all Vetter can focus on is revenge.
The Line
The story centers around veteran assassin Mark Shields as he tracks down, Pelon, the elusive head of the Salazar Crime Cartel. Through twists of fate, Shields ends up with a local woman, Olivia who is also fighting her own demons for the sake of her daughter. Set in the rich and atmospheric backdrop of Tijuana, Mexico, La Linea (The Line) is full of action and drama.
Buying Time
Written and directed by Mitchell Gabourie in 1989. this action movie delves into the world of horse racing, where cunning crooks can win a fortune in an instant. Coerced by the cops into going undercover, two streetwise kids pose as employees at a retirement home and uncover a lucrative and highly sophisticated criminal operation, which they boldly attempt to take down with the help of a detective (Dean Stockwell).
Double Tap
A drug-lord targets an undercover FBI agent and the hit man she falls in love with while tracking.
The Big Score
A narcotics detective, played by Fred Williamson, lets nothing stand in the way of his bringing down a major drug dealer. After a bust gone awry, he's accused of stealing a lost briefcase filled with money and both the mob and the police are looking for him. A ruthless hit man, played by Bruce Glover, will stop at nothing to get what his boss wants; the money!
Young Rebels
From Amir Shervan, the director of SAMURAI COP, comes another great 90's action classic. One man (Johnny Greene) teams up with another (Tadashi Yamashita) to take down the cartel run and its evil leader (Robert Z'Dar).
Naked Lies
FBI agent Cara Landry is sent on an undercover assignment to gather evidence on Damian Medina, a Mexican casino owner running a counterfeiting operation for the Cali drug cartel...
Breach of Trust
For opposite reasons, an undercover federal agent and a small time hood join forces to take on a union of drug lords and dirty cops.
L.A. Bounty
Mayor candidate Mike Rhodes is kidnapped in his own home outside of Los Angeles by unknown, masked terrorists. His wife Kelly barely survives the attempted murder on her, and is able to identify one of the kidnappers. She's placed on the police's protection list while the investigation is ongoing. Ruger, a tough and merciless bounty hunter is out on the streets avenging her partner's death. With Kelly as her bait, Ruger starts a dangerous game to bring Cavanough, a crazed crime kingpin behind the kidnapping, out of hiding.
The Killing Zone
Convict is recruited from a chain gang to help capture a Mexican drug lord.
Stiletto Dance
Two undercover police officers must try to prevent a multi-million dollar nuclear arms deal among several mob factions.
The Snitch Cartel
The real life story of Andres Lopez Lopez aka "Frecita" during his years involved with the Colombian Cartel aka "Cartel Norte del Valle"
Bullets, Blood & a Fistful of Ca$h
A hard boiled tale of bloody revenge that interweaves the stories of nine criminals. The story takes place in one day, on the eve of an all out syndicate war. Through a twisted series of events, the interweaving narratives are put on an ultra-violent collision course that will determine, once and for all, who owns the streets.
Cartel
Chuck Taylor is a charter pilot who unknowingly smuggles cocaine for the Cartel into the U.S. Unfortunately he is captured by the feds. Ironically, so is Tony King, boss of the Cartel. The two are placed in the same cell, and a relentless battle of wills begins. King even has Taylor's family executed from behind bars. When King escapes from the prison, Taylor takes that as his cue to do likewise. He hunts down the members of the Cartel one by one, and gets vengeance for his loved ones in this ultra violent and bloody action flick.
New York Cop
Allegedly based on a true story, this film follows the life of Toshi, a Japanese man living in America and working with the New York City police. After being recommended for undercover work, Toshi decides to go after a gang lead by Hawk. Hawk and Toshi soon become friends, although Hawk's second-in-command, Tito, is suspicious of the newcomer. Will Toshi be able to bring the gang down, or will his cover be blown before he can finish the assignment?
Mexico's Bravest Man
Julian Leyzaola Perez, former military officer turned police chief, declared open war on the drug cartels in Tijuana, MX and Juarez, MX. Murder rates in both cities dropped, while outrage spilled over regarding human rights abuses committed by Leyzaola's police force. Are Leyzaola's hardball policies justified? What are his loyalties? In a society known for rampant political corruption at all levels, is it possible for a police chief to play a clean game?
How to Make Money Selling Drugs
Ten easy steps show you how to make money from drugs, featuring a series of interviews with drug dealers, prison employees, and lobbyists arguing for tougher drug laws.
2025: Blood, White & Blue
Undercover U.S. agent Bill Wilson makes the bust of his career taking down a cartel leader. Hiding the evidence in his home exposes his family to a brutal targeting on the night of the annual Purge, the deadliest night of the year.
Ambushed
In the frenetic underbelly of Los Angeles, Agent Maxwell closes in on an international cocaine smuggling operation run by criminal mastermind Vincent Camastra. When Agent Beverly Royce goes undercover with the drug dealers and finds herself deeper then she can handle - the case becomes personal for Maxwell who has to combat ruthless killers and dirty cops in an all-out action filled finale to bring the criminals to justice.
Fist of the Vampire
1977. A family is murdered in cold blood. The case goes unsolved for decades and remains a mystery. Enter the present day, detective Lee Southward is sent on assignment to infiltrate an illegal underground fighting tournament and bring in the organizers. Lee battles his way to the top of the tournaments in attempts to get closer to the organizers. As Lee draws closer and begins to piece clues together he is brought back to the case closed decades ago. However there is a problem: The organizers are of the undead and crave human blood! Lee must fight his way through all the sex, drugs, and violence of the underground while trying to piece together evidence with the help of an undercover officer and find a way to stop the undead!
Flipping
The story of Michael Moore, Shot, Hooker, Joey, and Dennis. Five gangsters who work for a man named Leo. They soon discover they could get more out of life if they could run the streets themselves. Tensions build and loyalty is tested as they plan a hit that could change all of their lives forever.
Welcome Home Brother Charles
After wrongly doing time in prison for murder, a man seeks revenge on a racist law enforcement system and the detective who framed him.