7 Movies Similar To Red Notice (But Better)

It might have earned only 37% on Rotten Tomatoes, but that didn't stop the Dwayne Johnson and Ryan Reynolds double act from becoming one of Netflix's biggest successes. Becoming the most viewed film on the streaming service on its opening day, "Red Notice" shattered records of the big red N's former hits, leading these massive stars and Gal Gadot to prep for sequels. But if you want more of two heroes rubbing each other the wrong way, we've got a carefully picked compilation of buddy movies that check all those boxes and more, and have everything "Red Notice" was trying to accomplish.

Below are some of the best movies that have a pair of opposites forced to find equal footing to get the job done, with inevitable hijinks ensuing. It's a tried and tested formula. One probably has anger issues that collide brilliantly with the fast-mouthed funny half, all culminating in them being best buds by the story's end. Here's a killer collection of movies that "Red Notice" is hopefully taking notes from going forward.

Many moons before Robert De Niro tickled audiences' funny bones with the likes of "Meet the Parents," "Dirty Grandpa," and "Analyze This," he appeared opposite Charles Grodin in what could be argued is his best movie, "Midnight Run." The Oscar-winning actor plays a down on his luck bounty hunter, Jack Walsh, whose latest haul is on everybody's radar, including the enigmatic Yaphet Kotto as a CIA agent keen to get Grodin to talk. Unfortunately, the only person he won't shut up for is Jack Walsh.

The perfect balance of an imbalanced partnership, the brilliance of "Midnight Run" is that these two aren't a stereotypical mismatch. Grodin isn't necessarily the fast-talking, overly animated chalk to De Niro's deadpan cheese; they're on the same wavelength almost trying to get one over on each other. The winning treat though, is applying peak De Niro in a genre we wouldn't see him so heavily in for years.

Forget Jack Byrnes or any kind of sweary grandpa you might've seen him in, it's his fistophobia-inducing, pastry-loving smart mouth that is the funniest he's ever been, making it understandable why a sequel to "Midnight Run" has been talked about for some time. Admittedly, some of the cast are no longer with us, but seeing De Niro talk back to the CIA and have yelling matches with Joe Pantoliano might make another run worthwhile.

We're clearly in a dour dimension when talk of a "Red Notice" sequel is still happening and we have yet to get ourselves a reunion with "The Nice Guys." One of Shane Black's best works, Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling are a debt collector and a private investigator thrown together for highly comedic purposes following the death of an adult film star. Crowe handles things brilliantly as the bruiser willing to break bones and take names, while Gosling puts his comedy skills on show in a way that wouldn't be matched until he was just Ken in "Barbie."

Flying along in a script that crackles with the same unmistakeable wit that helped the likes of "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" and "Lethal Weapon," "The Nice Guys" was a buddy movie that slipped under the radar for many and gained a second life thanks to streaming services and mainly because social media demanded more people watch it. Honestly, if you have to settle for a movie with one Ryan in it, make sure it's this one and mourn the fact we'll never see him reprise the role, all because "The Angry Birds Movie" came out the same week.

If you're going to see a globe-trotting pair looking for treasure and avoiding traps when they can, you might as well do it while hitching a ride with the Jones boys. Steven Spielberg's beloved threequel might be one of the best third installments to a franchise ever, as the adventure and charm get amplified with Sean Connery stepping in as Henry Jones Sr. to Harrison Ford's famous whip-cracking adventurer, Indiana Jones. Bouncing off one another as a brilliant father and son duo (when in fact there were only 12 years between the two actors in real-life), "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" stands as one of the best buddy movies ever. It also has a heart that beats louder than most.

Spielberg has always shown a knack for comedic moments, and with the united effort of Harrison Ford as the Nazi-thumping hero and Sean Connery as his disapproving dad, it makes "The Last Crusade" an understandable favorite for Indy fans. It's in the collision of egos and the quiet moments of a bond between father and son that just can't be beat. Take your pick between "I thought I lost you, boy" or "Indiana, let it go" to get choked up by and remember a time when an Indy adventure was universally loved. 

It's no surprise that Shane Black's name would appear more than once on this list, so what better extra entry to include than the one that sees Donald Glover being far too old for Mel Gibson's s**t in "Lethal Weapon"? Written by Black and good enough to earn three sequels, Glover's Roger Murtaugh is forced to join up with Gibson's short-fuse and former special forces operative, Martin Riggs. It leads to a partnership by which all police pairings attempt to replicate and only few have succeeded. Gibson's gung-ho heroism clashes perfectly with Glover's repeated face-palming as his world turns to chaos thanks to the addition of his new partner, and the result is absolute movie gold.

In the three films that followed, some highlights did appear with the inclusion of Joe Pesci in "Lethal Weapon 2" and then later with the likes of Chris Rock and Jet Li in "Lethal Weapon 4." The magic of the first really can't be matched, though, with Murtaugh trying his best to keep his firecracker would-be-friend Riggs on a leash as he sprints barefoot down Los Angeles streets and has a grueling brawl with Gary Busey on his front lawn. Debate all you like about "Die Hard" being a festive film, but never forget that the Richard Donner-directed gem is also a bit of Christmas fun with a perfect balance of naughty and nice heroes at its core.

In the era where Arnold Schwarzenegger turned everything to gold with a single touch of his waffle-iron shaped hands, "The Last Action Hero" was a misunderstood gem that arrived at the wrong time. Earning plenty of belated love as a meta buddy movie about movies, Austin O'Brien plays film nut Danny Maddigan, who is whisked into the world of his favorite action movie franchise that's led by Arnie's fictional hero, Jack Slater. He might have passed the torch to Dwayne Johnson in "The Rundown," but here is a strong reminder that Arnie had some exceptional comedy chops that even The Rock couldn't quite roll with.

Besides being the reluctant guardian of a mouthy, movie-obsessed kid, Schwarzenegger plays on the tropes that defined his career as an action hero who doesn't know he is one, and it leads to some legitimately brilliant moments. From praising Sylvester Stallone for his performance in "Terminator 2: Judgement Day" to trying to come up with a new catch phrase for the one he's known for ("Rubber baby buggy bumpers" still doesn't quite land), this really is one of Arnie's best movies that doesn't have him playing a cyborg assassin. Add in the scenery chewing talent of Charles Dance as the film's villain and a brief appearance of Ian McKellen as the Grim Reaper and you've got a movie that loves movies and is funnier than "Red Notice" could ever dream of being. Sorry, Mr. Reynolds.

In the earlier Die Hard movies, John McClane (Bruce Willis) is always at his best when he has someone, good or bad, to bounce off of. In "Die Hard with a Vengeance," he got the best possible candidate to do that with in the form of Zeus Carver, played by Samuel L. Jackson at his most Samuel L. Jacksoniest. Pulled into McClane's world by chance all because some "'white cop threw some white a**hole's brother off a roof," Zeus is the outspoken shopkeeper who drops more bombs with his impeccable one liners than a vengeful Gruber ever could, and the result is comedy gold. This is the kind of partnership you want in a buddy movie and why it has such a high spot in the rankings of Die Hard movies. 

Another pitch perfect pairing of absolute icons, Jackson's Zeus seems smarter and sharper than the vest-wearing legend that runs into trouble because of that "thing in L.A." and rubs McClane the wrong way time and time again. If "Red Notice" took any notice from this action movie gem, it's to make the film's heroes just as good apart as when they're together. In the years that followed, other directors would try to recapture the nearly nuclear chemistry between Willis and Jackson, but nothing will ever top these two trying to get accurate water measurements after ripping up the New York City streets.

Another Sean Connery-starring gem that has a mismatch deliver movie magic, "The Rock" is worth considering as not just a brilliant "Red Notice" follow-up, but Michael Bay's best work. Such a ranking is only earned thanks to the exceptional back and forth between Nicolas Cage as chemical freak Stanley Goodspeed and Sean Connery as former Alcatraz inmate John Mason. Forced to work together to take down a military general turned domestic terrorist that has taken over the island, "The Rock" boasts some of the best action on this list. In between a car chase in San Fransisco and a showdown so good that the "Call of Duty" games ripped it off, the winning formula really is Cage as the out of his depth scientist forced to team up with a hero that is giving us an unofficial sweary James Bond sequel. 

Cage's Goodspeed slowly slips into action hero mode and Connery slips back into his 007 days as Mason, but the extra win is the villain they're forced to team up against. Ed Harris as the rebellious General Hummel is magnetic and a bad guy that you can't help but accept has good intentions. Forget The Rock's movie and just stick with "The Rock" instead. You'll be so much better off.