38 Movies Like The Punisher (1989) You Need to Watch Next
The avenging angel of Marvel Comics fame comes brilliantly to life in this searing action-adventure thriller! Dolph Lundgren stars as Frank Castle, a veteran cop who loses his entire family to a mafia
Updated June 2026
View The Punisher details →Where to watch(GB)
View on JustWatch →Rent / Buy
Sky StoreAvailability may change. Data by JustWatch.
If you loved The Punisher (1989) by Mark Goldblatt, here are 38 movies that share its content DNA. iRankMovies measures real similarity using cosine similarity across eight weighted dimensions — genre (50%), tone (12%), pace (10%), structure (8%), era (7%), theme (6%), audience (4%) and narrative perspective (3%) — not just the rating. The closest matches according to our analysis are The Punisher, The Dark Knight Rises, Batman Begins. Every title is ranked by how closely it matches and backed by the iRank Score, a composite of IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic and TMDb across 12,000+ analysed titles.
38 Movies Similar to The Punisher
The Punisher
2004 · Jonathan Hensleigh
When undercover FBI agent Frank Castle's wife and son are slaughtered, he becomes 'the Punisher' -- a ruthless vigilante willing to go to any length to avenge his family.
In common: Action · Crime · Drama
The Dark Knight Rises
2012 · Christopher Nolan
Following the death of District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman assumes responsibility for Dent's crimes to protect the late attorney's reputation and is subsequently hunted by the Gotham City Police Dep
In common: Action · Crime · Drama
Batman Begins
2005 · Christopher Nolan
Driven by tragedy, billionaire Bruce Wayne dedicates his life to uncovering and defeating the corruption that plagues his home, Gotham City. Unable to work within the system, he instead creates a new
In common: Action · Crime · Drama
Punisher: War Zone
2008 · Lexi Alexander
Waging his one-man war on the world of organized crime, ruthless vigilante-hero Frank Castle sets his sights on overeager mob boss Billy Russoti. After Russoti is left horribly disfigured by Castle, h
In common: Action · Crime
Kick-Ass
2010 · Matthew Vaughn
Dave Lizewski is an unnoticed high school student and comic book fan who one day decides to become a super-hero, even though he has no powers, training or meaningful reason to do so.
In common: Action · Crime
sex, lies, and videotape
1989 · Steven Soderbergh
Ann, a frustrated wife, enters into counseling due to a troubled marriage. Unbeknownst to her, her husband John has begun an affair with her sister. When John’s best friend Graham arrives, his penchan
In common: Crime · Drama
Elite Squad
2007 · José Padilha
In 1997, before the visit of the pope to Rio de Janeiro, Captain Nascimento from BOPE (Special Police Operations Battalion) is assigned to eliminate the risks of the drug dealers in a dangerous slum n
In common: Action · Crime · Drama
Cradle 2 the Grave
2003 · Andrzej Bartkowiak
Gang leader Tony pulls off a major diamond heist with his crew, but cop-turned-criminal Ling knows who has the loot and responds by kidnapping Tony's daughter and holding her for ransom. Unfortunately
In common: Action · Crime · Drama
Max Payne
2008 · John Moore
A DEA agent whose family was slain as part of a conspiracy, and an assassin out to avenge her sister's death, join forces to solve a series of murders in New York City.
In common: Action · Crime · Drama
The Punisher: One Last Kill
2026 · Reinaldo Marcus Green
As Frank Castle searches for meaning beyond revenge, an unexpected force pulls him back into the fight.
In common: Action · Crime · Drama
A Better Tomorrow
1986 · John Woo
A reforming ex-gangster tries to reconcile with his estranged policeman brother, but the ties to his former gang are difficult to break.
In common: Action · Crime · Drama
Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)
2020 · Cathy Yan
Harley Quinn joins forces with a singer, an assassin and a police detective to help a young girl who had a hit placed on her after she stole a rare diamond from a crime lord.
In common: Action · Crime
Kick-Ass 2
2013 · Jeff Wadlow
After Kick-Ass’ insane bravery inspires a new wave of self-made masked crusaders, he joins a patrol led by the Colonel Stars and Stripes. When these amateur superheroes are hunted down by Red Mist — r
In common: Action · Crime
Batman
1989 · Tim Burton
Having witnessed his parents' brutal murder as a child, millionaire philanthropist Bruce Wayne fights crime in Gotham City disguised as Batman, a costumed hero who strikes fear into the hearts of vill
In common: Action · Crime
Samaritan
2022 · Julius Avery
Thirteen year old Sam Cleary suspects that his mysteriously reclusive neighbor Mr. Smith is actually the legendary vigilante Samaritan, who was reported dead 25 years ago. With crime on the rise and t
In common: Action · Crime
Batman Forever
1995 · Joel Schumacher
Batman faces off against two foes: the schizophrenic, horribly scarred former District Attorney Harvey Dent, aka Two-Face, and the Riddler, a disgruntled ex-Wayne Enterprises inventor seeking revenge
In common: Action · Crime
Catwoman
2004 · Pitof
Liquidated after discovering a corporate conspiracy, mild-mannered graphic artist Patience Phillips washes up on an island, where she's resurrected and endowed with the prowess of a cat — and she's ea
In common: Action · Crime
Rebel Ridge
2024 · Jeremy Saulnier
A former Marine confronts corruption in a small town when local law enforcement unjustly seizes the bag of cash he needs to post his cousin's bail.
In common: Action · Crime · Drama
Ambulance
2022 · Michael Bay
Decorated veteran Will Sharp, desperate for money to cover his wife's medical bills, asks for help from his adoptive brother Danny. A charismatic career criminal, Danny instead offers him a score: the
In common: Action · Crime · Drama
Patriots Day
2016 · Peter Berg
In the aftermath of an unspeakable act of terror, Police Sergeant Tommy Saunders joins courageous survivors, first responders and investigators in a race against the clock to hunt down the Boston Mara
In common: Action · Crime · Drama
Master Z: Ip Man Legacy
2018 · Yuen Woo-Ping
Following his defeat by Master Ip, Cheung Tin Chi tries to make a life with his young son in Hong Kong, waiting tables at a bar that caters to expats. But it's not long before the mix of foreigners, m
In common: Action · Crime · Drama
21 Bridges
2019 · Brian Kirk
An embattled NYPD detective, is thrust into a citywide manhunt for a pair of cop killers after uncovering a massive and unexpected conspiracy. As the night unfolds, lines become blurred on who he is p
In common: Action · Crime · Drama
Contraband
2012 · Baltasar Kormákur
When his brother-in-law runs afoul of a drug lord, family man Chris Farraday turns to a skill he abandoned long ago—smuggling—to repay the debt. But the job goes wrong, and Farraday finds himself want
In common: Action · Crime · Drama
Lock Up
1989 · John Flynn
Frank Leone is nearing the end of his prison term for a relatively minor crime. Just before he is paroled, however, Warden Drumgoole takes charge. Drumgoole was assigned to a hell-hole prison after hi
In common: Action · Crime · Drama
Training Day
2001 · Antoine Fuqua
On his first day on the job as a narcotics officer, a rookie cop works with a rogue detective who isn't what he appears.
In common: Action · Crime · Drama
Polar
2019 · Jonas Åkerlund
When a retiring assassin realizes that he is the target of a hit, he winds up back in the game going head to head with a gang of younger, ruthless killers.
In common: Action · Crime · Drama
The Shadow's Edge
2025 · Larry Yang
Macau Police brings the tracking expert police officer out of retirement to help catch a dangerous group of professional thieves.
In common: Action · Crime · Drama
Scarface
1983 · Brian De Palma
After getting a green card in exchange for assassinating a Cuban government official, Tony Montana stakes a claim on the drug trade in Miami. Viciously murdering anyone who stands in his way, Tony eve
In common: Action · Crime · Drama
Sin Nombre
2009 · Cary Joji Fukunaga
Sayra, a Native Honduran teenager, hungers for a better life. Her chance for one comes when she is reunited with her long-estranged father, who intends to emigrate to Mexico and then enter the United
In common: Action · Crime · Drama
Jack Reacher
2012 · Christopher McQuarrie
One morning in an ordinary town, five people are shot dead in a seemingly random attack. All evidence points to a single suspect: an ex-military sniper who is quickly brought into custody. The interro
In common: Action · Crime · Drama
Havoc
2025 · Gareth Evans
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.
In common: Action · Crime · Drama
Colombiana
2011 · Olivier Megaton
After witnessing her parents’ murder as a child in Bogota, Cataleya Restrepo grows up to be a stone-cold assassin. She works for her uncle as a hitman by day, but her personal time is spent engaging i
In common: Action · Crime · Drama
The Substitute
1996 · Robert Mandel
When an inner-city Miami schoolteacher gets her knee broken after standing up to the school's gang leader, her mercenary combat specialist boyfriend goes undercover as a substitute teacher to take dow
In common: Action · Crime · Drama
Need for Speed
2014 · Scott Waugh
The film revolves around a local street-racer who partners with a rich and arrogant business associate, only to find himself framed by his colleague and sent to prison. After he gets out, he joins a N
In common: Action · Crime · Drama
Parker
2013 · Taylor Hackford
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 hija
In common: Action · Crime
Four Brothers
2005 · John Singleton
Four adopted brothers return to their Detroit hometown when their mother is murdered and vow to exact revenge on the killers.
In common: Action · Crime
The Dark Knight
2008 · Christopher Nolan
Batman raises the stakes in his war on crime. With the help of Lt. Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman sets out to dismantle the remaining criminal organizations that plague the stree
In common: Action · Crime
The Green Hornet
2011 · Michel Gondry
Britt Reid, the heir to the largest newspaper fortune in Los Angeles, is a spoiled playboy who has been, thus far, happy to lead an aimless life. After his father dies, Britt meets Kato, a resourceful
In common: Action · Crime