Movies Like Hard Times

If you liked Hard Times (2024), a movie directed by Elliot Warren and Elliott Gonzo, 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
Protector (2026)
★ 8.4/10
Nikki's life is shattered when her daughter is kidnapped. Thrust into the criminal underworld while hunted by cops and military, she must fight to rescue her child.
2
The Shipment (2021)
★ 6.7/10
A former U.S. Navy Seal is forced to become the international criminal he once fought against when a powerful and violent drug cartel kidnaps his wife and daughter.
3
Sympathy for the Devil (2023)
★ 5.9/10
After being forced to drive a mysterious passenger at gunpoint, a man finds himself in a high-stakes game of cat and mouse where it becomes clear that not everything is as it seems.
4
Matchstick Men (2003)
★ 7/10
A phobic con artist and his protege are on the verge of pulling off a lucrative swindle when the con artist's teenage daughter arrives unexpectedly.
5
The Protector (1985)
★ 5.9/10
Billy Wong is a New York City cop whose partner is gunned down during a robbery. Billy and his new partner, Danny Garoni, are working security at a fashion show when a wealthy man's daughter, Laura Shapiro, is…
6
Shaft (1971)
★ 6.4/10
Cool Black private eye John Shaft is hired by a crime lord to find and retrieve his kidnapped daughter.
7
I Am All Girls (2021)
★ 6.5/10
A special crimes investigator forms an unlikely bond with a serial killer to bring down a global child sex trafficking syndicate.
8
Wanda (1970)
★ 6.8/10
After a string of abusive relationships, Wanda abandons her family and seeks solace in the company of a petty criminal.
9
The Sleepover (2020)
★ 6.4/10
Two siblings who discover their seemingly normal mom is a former thief in witness protection. Mom is forced to pull one last job, and the kids team up to rescue her over the course of an action-packed night.
10
High Sierra (1941)
★ 7.1/10
Given a pardon from jail, Roy Earle gets back into the swing of things as he robs a swanky resort.
11
Simpsley (2026)
★ 8.1/10
When penniless con-artist Marge Bouvier is sent to Italy to convince wealthy sap Seymour Skinner to come home, she's tempted by the trappings of his affluent lifestyle. But there’s a big fat fly in the ointment…
12
Cleveland Abduction (2015)
★ 7.3/10
A single mother becomes Ariel Castro's first kidnapping victim, and finds herself trapped in his home with two other women for 11 years.
13
They Live by Night (1949)
★ 6.8/10
An escaped convict, injured during a robbery, falls in love with the woman who nurses him back to health, but their relationship seems doomed from the beginning.
14
One Mile: Chapter Two (2026)
★ 6.6/10
Former special forces operative Danny is forced back onto a remote island when a violent, secretive community takes revenge by abducting his daughter Alex, launching a relentless hunt against enemies prepared for his…
15
Adventures in Babysitting (1987)
★ 6.9/10
When plans with her boyfriend fall through, high school senior Chris Parker ends up babysitting the Anderson kids, Brad and Sara. What should be a quiet night in, however, turns into a series of ridiculous exploits…
16
Two Hands (1999)
★ 6.6/10
19-year-old Jimmy is just scraping by in the red-light district of Sydney. When local crime lord Pando offers him a shot at working for his syndicate, Jimmy jumps at the chance to deliver a costly package. But, when…
17
The Family Plan 2 (2025)
★ 6.6/10
Now that Dan's assassin days are behind him, all he wants for Christmas is quality time with his kids. But when he learns his daughter has her own plans, he books a family trip to London—putting them all in the…
18
Sherlock Jr. (1924)
★ 8/10
A film projectionist longs to be a detective, and puts his meager skills to work when he is framed by a rival for stealing his girlfriend's father's pocketwatch.
19
Psycho Therapy: The Shallow Tale of a Writer Who Decided to Write About a Serial Killer (2025)
★ 6.8/10
A struggling writer in the midst of a divorce befriends a retired serial killer who incidentally becomes his marriage counselor by day, and killing counselor for his next book by night.
20
Plunder Road (1957)
★ 6.9/10
A spectacular heist starts to unravel as the crooks take it on the lam.