Movies Like The Sheriff

If you liked The Sheriff (1971), a tv movie and drama movie directed by David Lowell Rich, 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
Cape Fear (1991)
★ 7.3/10Also drama and crime
Sam Bowden is a small-town corporate attorney. Max Cady is a tattooed, cigar-smoking, Bible-quoting, psychotic rapist. What do they have in common? 14 years ago, Sam was a public defender assigned to Max Cady's rape…
2
In the Heat of the Night (1967)
★ 7.7/10Also crime and drama
African-American Philadelphia police detective Virgil Tibbs is arrested on suspicion of murder by Bill Gillespie, the racist police chief of tiny Sparta, Mississippi. After Tibbs proves not only his own innocence but…
3
The Devil All the Time (2020)
★ 7.2/10Also crime and drama
In Knockemstiff, Ohio and its neighboring backwoods, sinister characters converge around young Arvin Russell as he fights the evil forces that threaten him and his family.
4
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…
5
A Time to Kill (1996)
★ 7.4/10Also crime and drama
A young lawyer defends a black man accused of murdering two white men who raped his 10-year-old daughter, sparking a rebirth of the KKK.
6
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…
7
At Close Range (1986)
★ 6.8/10Also crime and drama
Brad Whitewood Jr. lives in rural Pennsylvania and has few prospects. Against his mother's wishes, he seeks out his estranged father, the head of a gang of thieves in a nearby town. Though his new girlfriend supports…
8
The Accused (1988)
★ 7.1/10Also crime and drama
Out drinking one night after a fight with her boyfriend, three men brutally rape Sarah Tobias in a bar while people watch and cheer. District Attorney Kathryn Murphy takes the case; however, she allows the rapists to…
9
Desert Dawn (2025)
★ 6.3/10Also crime and tv movie
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.
10
Straw Dogs (1971)
★ 7.1/10Also drama and crime
David Sumner, a mild-mannered academic from the United States, marries Amy, an Englishwoman. In order to escape a hectic stateside lifestyle, David and his wife relocate to the small town in rural Cornwall where Amy…
11
Sergeant Rutledge (1960)
★ 7/10Also crime and drama
Respected black cavalry Sergeant Brax Rutledge stands court-martial for raping and killing a white woman and murdering her father, his superior officer.
12
Butterfly on a Wheel (2007)
★ 6.5/10Also crime and drama
A sociopathic kidnapper methodically pushes a desperate pair of parents to their absolute breaking point.
13
Cape Fear (1962)
★ 7.4/10Also drama and crime
Sam Bowden witnesses a rape committed by Max Cady and testifies against him. When released after 8 years in prison, Cady begins stalking Bowden and his family but is always clever enough not to violate the law.
14
Boys Don't Cry (1999)
★ 7.4/10Also crime and drama
A young transgender man explores his gender identity and searches for love in rural Nebraska.
15
Desperation Road (2023)
★ 6.6/10Also crime and drama
Ex-con Russell Gaines is attempting to rebuild his life with the help of his father, Mitchell. However, the arrival of Maben sends his new life into chaos, leading the pair to go on the run - as their violent pasts…
16
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…
17
180 (2026)
★ 5.9/10Also crime and drama
When an unexpected road rage incident puts his son in critical condition, an enraged father spirals down a dark path of emotional turmoil and vengeance.
18
Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
★ 7.8/10Also crime and drama
Semi-retired Michigan lawyer Paul Biegler takes the case of Army Lt. Manion, who murdered a local innkeeper after his wife claimed that he raped her. Over the course of an extensive trial, Biegler parries with District…
19
Rust Creek (2019)
★ 6.3/10Also drama and crime
When an overachieving college senior makes a wrong turn, her road trip becomes a life-changing fight for survival in rural Kentucky.
20
Fury (1936)
★ 7.5/10Also crime and drama
Joe, who owns a gas station along with his brothers and is about to marry Katherine, travels to the small town where she lives to visit her, but is wrongly mistaken for a wanted kidnapper and arrested.