Movies Like A Life in the Balance

If you liked A Life in the Balance (1955), a crime and mystery movie directed by Harry Horner and Rafael Portillo, here are 20 movies with a similar feel, based on TMDB's recommendations. Each one links to its cast, trailer and where it's streaming.

1
The Tall Man (2012)
★ 6/10Also mystery and thriller
When her child goes missing, a mother looks to unravel the legend of the Tall Man, an entity who allegedly abducts children.
2
6 Bullets (2012)
★ 6.3/10Also thriller and crime
An ex-mercenary known for finding missing children is hired by a mixed martial arts fighter whose daughter has been kidnapped.
3
M (1951)
★ 6.5/10Also crime and thriller
In the city, someone is murdering children. The police search is so intense, it is disturbing the 'normal' criminals, and the local hoods decide to help find the murderer as quickly as possible.
4
The Whisper Man (2026)
★ 6.8/10Also crime and thriller
When his young son vanishes, a widower enlists help from his estranged father, a retired detective who put away the serial killer now linked to the case.
5
Mindcage (2022)
★ 5.9/10Also mystery and thriller
Detectives Jake Doyle and Mary Kelly seek the help of an incarcerated serial killer named The Artist when a copycat killer strikes. While Mary searches for clues in The Artist's brilliant but twisted psyche, she and…
6
Barron's Cove (2025)
★ 7.1/10Also crime and thriller
When his young son is viciously murdered by a classmate, a grieving father with a history of violence kidnaps the child responsible, igniting a frenzied manhunt fueled by a powerful politician -- the father of the…
7
A Walk Among the Tombstones (2014)
★ 6.3/10Also crime and mystery
Private investigator Matthew Scudder is hired by a drug kingpin to find out who kidnapped and murdered his wife.
8
The Glass Key (1942)
★ 6.7/10Also crime and mystery
A crooked politician finds himself being accused of murder by a gangster from whom he refused help during a re-election campaign.
9
Secret in Their Eyes (2015)
★ 6.4/10Also thriller and mystery
A tight-knit team of FBI investigators, along with their District Attorney supervisor, is suddenly torn apart when they discover that one of their own teenage daughters has been brutally murdered.
10
The Ritual Killer (2023)
★ 5.8/10Also mystery and thriller
Unable to process the death of his daughter, Detective Boyd embarks on a hunt for a serial killer who murders according to a brutal tribal ritual: Muti. The only person who can help Boyd is Professor Mackles, an…
11
The Imposter (2012)
★ 7.3/10Also mystery and crime
In 1994, a 13-year-old boy disappeared without a trace from his home in San Antonio, Texas. Three-and-a-half years later, he is found alive in a village in southern Spain with a horrifying story of kidnap and torture…
12
Cult Killer (2024)
★ 6.4/10Also mystery and thriller
A private investigator is forced into a dangerous alliance with a killer in order to uncover a quiet town’s grisly criminal underbelly and clear the name of her mentor, who is implicated in the crimes.
13
The Seven-Ups (1973)
★ 6.3/10Also thriller and crime
A tough detective who is part of an elite New York City unit is trying to find out who killed his partner, but uncovers a plot to kidnap mobsters for money.
14
Vigilante (1983)
★ 6.1/10Also crime and thriller
New York City factory worker Eddie Marino is a solid citizen and regular guy, until the day a sadistic street gang brutally assaults his wife and murders his child. When a corrupt judge sets the thugs free, he goes…
15
His Kind of Woman (1951)
★ 6.8/10Also crime and thriller
Career gambler Dan Milner agrees to a $50,000 deal to leave the USA for Mexico, only to find himself entangled with fellow guests at a luxurious resort and suspecting that the man who hired him may be the deported…
16
Cohen and Tate (1989)
★ 6.5/10Also crime and thriller
A boy kidnapped by two mismatched hitmen puts them at each other's throats while being driven to their employers, possibly to be killed. Cohen, an older professional becomes increasingly irritated with his partner…
17
All the Devils Are Here (2025)
★ 6.2/10Also crime and mystery
After a heist, four criminals lay low in a remote safehouse, waiting for orders. As paranoia builds, one thing becomes clear — the real threat may not be outside, but among them.
18
Every Secret Thing (2014)
★ 6.2/10Also thriller and crime
One clear summer day in a Baltimore suburb, a baby goes missing from her front porch. Two young girls serve seven years for the crime and are released into a town that hasn't fully forgiven or forgotten. Soon, another…
19
Striking Distance (1993)
★ 5.9/10Also crime and mystery
Demoted Pittsburgh cop Tom Hardy works river patrol while a serial killer targets women from his past, forcing him to conduct an unauthorized investigation to prove his innocence and expose a dirty cop.
20
Psycho (1960)
★ 8.4/10Also thriller and mystery
When larcenous real estate clerk Marion Crane goes on the lam with a wad of cash and hopes of starting a new life, she ends up at the notorious Bates Motel, where manager Norman Bates cares for his housebound mother.