Movies Like Joe Palooka in the Squared Circle

If you liked Joe Palooka in the Squared Circle (1950), a crime movie directed by Reginald Le Borg, 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
My Blue Heaven (1990)
★ 6.1/10Also crime
FBI agent Barney Coopersmith is assigned to protect former Mafia figure turned informant Vincent Antonelli. In the witness protection program one is supposed to keep a low profile, but that is something that Antonelli…
2
Plunder Road (1957)
★ 6.9/10Also crime
A spectacular heist starts to unravel as the crooks take it on the lam.
3
Kid Galahad (1962)
★ 6.2/10Also crime
After completing military service, Walter Gulick takes a job as a sparring partner at a gym, the owner of which sees potential in Walter as a professional fighter—and takes him under his wing.
4
Dick Tracy (1990)
★ 6.2/10Also crime
The comic strip detective finds his life vastly complicated when Breathless Mahoney makes advances towards him while he is trying to battle Big Boy Caprice's united mob.
5
Wrong Cops (2013)
★ 6.1/10Also crime
A group of bad cops look to dispose of a body that one of them accidentally shot.
6
Little Caesar (1931)
★ 6.9/10Also crime
A small-time hood shoots his way to the top, but how long can he stay there?
7
Murder at the Gallop (1963)
★ 7.1/10Also crime
Miss Marple and Mr. Stringer are witnesses to the death by heart attack of elderly, rich Mr. Enderby. Yet they have their doubts about what happened. The police don't believe them, thus leading Miss Marple to yet again…
8
Murder Most Foul (1964)
★ 7.1/10Also crime
A murderer is brought to court and only Miss Marple is unconvinced of his guilt. Once again she begins her own investigation.
9
Welcome to Collinwood (2002)
★ 6.1/10Also crime
Five hapless inner-city low-lifes attempt to burgle a pawnbroker's safe, but end up being plagued by bad luck.
10
Each Dawn I Die (1939)
★ 6.9/10Also crime
A corrupt D.A. with governatorial ambitions is annoyed by an investigative reporter's criticism of his criminal activities and decides to frame the reporter for manslaughter in order to silence him.
11
LaRoy, Texas (2024)
★ 6.8/10Also crime
Broke and depressed, Ray is mistaken for a dangerous hitman and given an envelope of cash. Along with his P.I. friend Skip, he must escape the actual hitman to make it out of LaRoy alive.
12
The Mechanic (1972)
★ 6.7/10Also crime
Arthur Bishop is a veteran hit man who, owing to his penchant for making his targets' deaths seem like accidents, thinks himself an artist. It's made him very rich, but as he hits middle age, he's so depressed and…
13
'G' Men (1935)
★ 6.6/10Also crime
James “Brick” Davis, a struggling attorney, owes his education to a mobster, but always has refused to get involved with the underworld. When a friend of his is gunned down by a notorious criminal, Brick decides to…
14
Oscar Shaw (2026)
★ 6.6/10Also crime
After retiring from the police force, a relentless detective haunted by the tragic loss of his closest friend sets out on a perilous quest for vengeance, seeking redemption and fighting to restore justice to the…
15
Maniac (1963)
★ 6.2/10Also crime
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.
16
Shadow of the Thin Man (1941)
★ 7/10Also crime
While attending a major horse race with their young son, Nick Jr., Nick and Nora Charles witnesse a shocking murder from the crowded grandstand. What first appears to be an isolated killing soon leads to a maze of…
17
They Live by Night (1949)
★ 6.8/10Also crime
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.
18
On the Waterfront (1954)
★ 7.8/10Also crime
A prizefighter-turned-longshoreman with a conscience goes up against labor leaders to expose corruption, extortion, and murder among the union ranks.
19
Witness to Murder (1954)
★ 6.3/10Also crime
A woman fights to convince the police that she witnessed a murder while looking out her bedroom window.
20
Stolen: Heist of the Century (2025)
★ 7.2/10Also crime
Antwerp, 2003. A gang of thieves rob the impenetrable Diamond Center. Who was behind one of the world's biggest heists - and how did they pull it off?