Movies Like They Drive by Night

If you liked They Drive by Night (1938), a crime and thriller movie directed by Arthur B. Woods, 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
Maniac (1963)
★ 6.2/10Also crime and thriller
When a stranger enters a quiet, country town and is seduced by a sensuous married woman he unwittingly finds himself at the centre of a storm of sexual guilt and murder.
2
The Glass Key (1942)
★ 6.7/10Also crime and thriller
A crooked politician finds himself being accused of murder by a gangster from whom he refused help during a re-election campaign.
3
Suburbicon (2017)
★ 5.9/10Also thriller and crime
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…
4
Underworld U.S.A. (1961)
★ 7.1/10Also crime and thriller
A bitter young man sets out to get back at the gangsters who murdered his father.
5
The Corrupted (2019)
★ 6.1/10Also crime and thriller
Set ahead of the 2012 London Olympics, the film follows Liam, an ex-con trying to win back the love and trust of his family. He has lost everything at the hands of a local crime syndicate run by Clifford Cullen, who…
6
Section 8 (2022)
★ 6.1/10Also thriller
After avenging the murder of his family, a former soldier is sprung from prison and recruited by a shadowy government agency.
7
Reasonable Doubt (2014)
★ 5.8/10Also crime and thriller
When up-and-coming District Attorney Mitch Brockden commits a fatal hit-and-run, he feels compelled to throw the case against the accused criminal who was found with the body and blamed for the crime. Following the…
8
Panic (2000)
★ 6.2/10Also crime
Alex is going through a midlife crisis and it has become a very difficult time for him. His marriage is struggling, he's worried about his son, and his job of killing people for his family has become the most stressful…
9
Wardriver (2026)
★ 7.4/10Also thriller and crime
He’s a Wardriver: a hacker who steals from banks, not people—until he’s noticed. Now the money turns violent, and the woman caught in it could save him or kill them both.
10
Lights Out (2024)
★ 7/10Also thriller
A drifting ex-soldier turns underground fighter with the help of a just-released ex-con, pitting him against corrupt cops and hired killers now gunning for him and all those he cares about.
11
Ted Bundy: American Boogeyman (2021)
★ 6.6/10Also thriller and crime
Set in a gritty and decadent 1970s America, American Boogeyman follows the elusive and charming killer and the manhunt that brought him to justice involving the detective and the FBI rookie who coined the phrase…
12
The Truth About Emanuel (2013)
★ 6/10Also thriller
A troubled young woman becomes obsessed with her mysterious new neighbor, who bears a striking resemblance to the girl's dead mother.
13
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.
14
Nightfall (1956)
★ 6.9/10Also crime and thriller
An innocent man turns fugitive as he reconstructs events that implicate him for a murder and robbery he did not commit.
15
Red Right Hand (2024)
★ 6.6/10Also crime and thriller
Cash is trying to live a quiet, honest life in a small Appalachian town. When a vicious crime boss forces him back into her services, he soon learns he's capable of anything -- even killing -- to protect his family and…
16
The Blue Lamp (1950)
★ 6.6/10Also crime and thriller
P.C. George Dixon is a long-serving traditional copper who is due to retire shortly. He takes a new recruit under his aegis and introduces him to the easy-going night beat. Dixon is a classic ordinary hero but also…
17
One Night at McCool's (2001)
★ 5.9/10Also crime
On an ordinary night, in an ordinary part of town, a beautiful young woman walks into a bar. Her name is Jewel, and before long she is chatting to bartender Randy. The pair leave together, but he ends up getting into a…
18
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…
19
The System (2022)
★ 7.3/10Also crime and thriller
When a young soldier, newly returned from war, gets caught up in a drug bust, he is recruited by the authorities to go undercover in a notoriously dangerous prison in order to figure out what is really going on.
20
I Wake Up Screaming (1941)
★ 6.9/10Also crime
A young promoter is accused of the murder of Vicky Lynn, a young actress he "discovered" as a waitress while out with ex-actor Robin Ray and gossip columnist Larry Evans.