Movies Like Past Tense

If you liked Past Tense (1994), a drama and crime movie directed by Graeme Clifford, 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
Jesse Stone: Lost in Paradise (2015)
★ 6.6/10Also drama and tv movie
Police Chief Jesse Stone now presides over the quiet, seaside village of Paradise, Massachusetts. When the facts don't add up in a brutal Boston-area murder case, Jesse opens an investigation filled with surprises…
2
Dead Man's Folly (1986)
★ 6.4/10Also crime and mystery
During a murder hunt game at a country house, to which Hercule Poirot is invited as an "expert", a real murder occurs.
3
Scum (1977)
★ 7.2/10Also tv movie and drama
Carlin is a new reform school inmate with a reputation as a hard case. The authorities encourage gang leader Pongo to humble Carlin, but Carlin overtakes Pongo as Daddy of the ward. The guards institute a reign of…
4
Ray Donovan: The Movie (2022)
★ 6.8/10Also crime and drama
A showdown decades in the making brings the Donovan family legacy full circle. As the events that made Ray who he is today finally come to light, the Donovans find themselves drawn back to Boston to face the past. Each…
5
Desert Dawn (2025)
★ 6.3/10Also crime and mystery
A newly appointed small-town sheriff and his begrudging deputy get tangled up in a web of lies and corruption involving shady businessmen and the cartel while investigating the murder of a mysterious woman.
6
Witness Protection (1999)
★ 6.3/10Also drama and crime
Would you be willing to walk away from everyone and everything you've ever known in exchange for your safety? This is the question facing career criminal Bobby "Bats" Batton (Tom Sizemore); on the outs with the mob and…
7
Miss Marple: The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side (1992)
★ 7.4/10Also crime and drama
A town busybody is poisoned at a busy reception in the home of famous film star Marina Gregg. The poisoned drink seemed intended for Marina, but Miss Marple is not so sure. She sets out to discover the true identity of…
8
Miss Marple: 4.50 from Paddington (1987)
★ 7.5/10Also crime and mystery
Travelling on the 4.50 from Paddington, Mrs McGillicuddy witnesses a murder on a passing train - but where is the body?
9
The Hound of the Baskervilles (2002)
★ 6/10Also tv movie and drama
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are called in to unravel a mysterious curse that has plagued the Baskerville family for generations. When Sir Charles Baskerville is found dead, his heir, Sir Henry, begs Holmes to save…
10
Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise (2006)
★ 6.9/10Also drama and crime
When Jesse Stone looks into the murder of a teen-age girl whose body is found floating in a local lake, it brings him up against the Boston mob and into the affluent world of a bestselling writer who exploits troubled…
11
Hierarchy (2025)
★ 6/10Also crime and tv movie
In an undisclosed area of Texas after two adoptive brothers become entangled in criminal activity, forced to evade law enforcement and the greedy Russian mafia.
12
Jesse Stone: Benefit of the Doubt (2012)
★ 6.8/10Also drama and crime
Jesse finds himself struggling to get his job back as the Paradise police chief, and he is forced to rely on his cop intuition to sort through a maze of misleading clues and hidden meanings as he attempts to solve a…
13
Suburbicon (2017)
★ 5.9/10Also crime and drama
In the quiet family town of Suburbicon during the 1950s, the best and worst of humanity is hilariously reflected through the deeds of seemingly ordinary people. When a home invasion turns deadly, a picture-perfect…
14
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.
15
Miss Marple: A Caribbean Mystery (1989)
★ 6.7/10Also mystery and crime
While on vacation at a resort hotel in the West Indies, Miss Marple correctly suspects that the apparently natural death of a retired British major is actually the work of a murderer planning yet another killing.
16
Shimmer Lake (2017)
★ 6/10Also crime and drama
Shot in reverse day-by-day through a week—a local sheriff embarks on a quest to unlock the mystery of three small-town criminals and a bank heist gone wrong.
17
They Call Me Mister Tibbs! (1970)
★ 5.9/10Also drama and crime
A police detective's investigation of a prostitute's murder points to his best friend.
18
The Locksmith (2023)
★ 5.9/10Also mystery and crime
A thief fresh out of prison, tries to work his way back into the life of his daughter and ex-fiancé. Determined, he is forced to use the skills he has as a gifted locksmith. Things take a tumultuous turn after an…
19
Crooked House (2017)
★ 6.4/10Also mystery and crime
A private investigator helps a former flame solve the murder of her wealthy grandfather, who lived in a sprawling estate surrounded by his idiosyncratic family.
20
Red Riding: The Year of Our Lord 1983 (2009)
★ 6.9/10Also crime and drama
Detective Chief Superintendent Maurice Jobson is forced to remember the very similar disappearance of Clare Kemplay, who was found dead in 1974, and the subsequent imprisonment of local boy Michael Myshkin. Washed-up…