Movies Like The Public Defender

If you liked The Public Defender (1931), a mystery and crime movie directed by J. Walter Ruben, 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
Sexy Beast (2001)
★ 7/10Also crime and drama
Ex-safecracker Gal Dove has served his time behind bars and is blissfully retired to a Spanish villa paradise with a wife he adores. The idyll is shattered by the arrival of his nemesis Don Logan, intent on persuading…
2
Marlowe (1969)
★ 6.2/10Also crime and mystery
Mysterious Orfamay Quest hires Los Angeles private investigator Philip Marlowe to find her missing brother. Though the job seems simple enough, it leads Marlowe into the underbelly of the city, turning up leads who are…
3
Too Late (2016)
★ 6.8/10Also drama and crime
Private investigator Mel Sampson is tasked with tracking down the whereabouts of a missing woman from his own past.
4
The Getaway (1972)
★ 7.2/10Also crime and drama
A recently released ex-convict and his loyal wife go on the run after a heist goes wrong.
5
Shaft's Big Score! (1972)
★ 6.1/10Also crime and drama
John Shaft is back as the lady-loved black detective cop on the search for the murderer of a client.
6
Deceiver (1997)
★ 6/10Also mystery and crime
The gruesome death of a prostitute brings suspicion on one of her clients, James Wayland, a brilliant, self-destructive and epileptic heir to a textile fortune. So detectives Braxton and Kennesaw take Wayland in for…
7
The Killers (1946)
★ 7.4/10Also crime and mystery
Two hit men walk into a diner asking for a man called "the Swede". When the killers find the Swede, he's expecting them and doesn't put up a fight. Since the Swede had a life insurance policy, an investigator, on a…
8
The Mirror Crack'd (1980)
★ 6.1/10Also mystery and crime
Jane Marple solves the mystery when a local woman is poisoned and a visiting movie star seems to have been the intended victim.
9
Gang Related (1997)
★ 6.4/10Also crime and drama
After murdering an undercover DEA agent, two corrupt cops scramble to cover up what they've done.
10
American Gigolo (1980)
★ 6.2/10Also crime and drama
Julian makes a lucrative living as an escort to older women in the Los Angeles area. He begins a relationship with Michelle, a local politician's wife, without expecting any pay. One of his clients is murdered and…
11
Sharky's Machine (1981)
★ 6.2/10Also crime and drama
Police officer Tom Sharky gets busted back to working vice, where he happens upon a scandalous conspiracy involving a local politician. Sharky's new 'machine' gathers evidence while Sharky falls in love with a woman he…
12
Don't Say a Word (2001)
★ 6.3/10Also mystery and crime
When the daughter of a psychiatrist is kidnapped, he is horrified to discover that the abductors' demand is that he break through to a young woman, suffering from PTSD, who knows a secret six digit code number.
13
The Night of the Hunter (1955)
★ 7.8/10Also crime and drama
In Depression-era West Virginia, a serial-killing preacher hunts two young children who know the whereabouts of a stash of money.
14
The Usual Suspects (1995)
★ 8.2/10Also drama and crime
The lone survivor of an explosive heist gone wrong recounts for interrogators the events that began with five disparate criminals assembled for a police lineup - with alleged criminal mastermind Keyser Soze at the…
15
The Outfit (2022)
★ 7.1/10Also crime and drama
Leonard is an English tailor who used to craft suits on London’s world-famous Savile Row. After a personal tragedy, he’s ended up in Chicago, operating a small tailor shop in a rough part of town where he makes…
16
Heat (1995)
★ 7.9/10Also crime and drama
Obsessive master thief Neil McCauley leads a top-notch crew on various daring heists throughout Los Angeles while determined detective Vincent Hanna pursues him without rest. Each man recognizes and respects the…
17
True Story (2015)
★ 6.3/10Also crime and drama
A drama centered on the relationship between journalist Michael Finkel and Christian Longo, an FBI Most Wanted List murderer who for years lived outside the U.S. under Finkel's name.
18
Public Enemies (2009)
★ 6.7/10Also crime and drama
Depression-era bank robber John Dillinger's charm and audacity endear him to much of America's downtrodden public, but he's also a thorn in the side of J. Edgar Hoover and the fledgling FBI. Desperate to capture the…
19
The United States of Leland (2003)
★ 6.5/10Also crime and drama
A withdrawn young man, Leland Fitzgerald is imprisoned for the murder of a mentally disabled boy, who also happened to be the brother of his girlfriend, Becky. As the community struggles to deal with the killing, Pearl…
20
The Clovehitch Killer (2018)
★ 6.4/10Also drama and mystery
A picture-perfect family is torn apart after Tyler finds a cache of disturbing images in his father's possession. He begins to suspect that the man he trusts most in the world may be responsible for the murder of 13…