Movies Like Harsh Times

If you liked Harsh Times (2005), a crime and drama movie directed by David Ayer, 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
The Substitute (1996)
★ 7/10Also action and crime
When an inner-city Miami schoolteacher gets her knee broken after standing up to the school's gang leader, her mercenary combat specialist boyfriend goes undercover as a substitute teacher to take down the punk. Soon…
2
The Rookie (1990)
★ 5.9/10Also action and crime
Veteran cop Nick Pulovski is used to playing musical partners; many of the partners he's had in the past have died on the job, and often as a result of Nick's risky tactics. But the rookie who's been assigned to help…
3
Farewell, My Lovely (1975)
★ 6.7/10Also crime and thriller
Private eye Philip Marlowe is hired by ex-con Moose Malloy to find his girlfriend, a former lounge dancer. While also investigating the murder of a client and the theft of a jade necklace, Marlowe becomes entangled…
4
Klute (1971)
★ 6.8/10Also thriller and crime
A high-priced call girl is forced to depend on a reluctant private eye when she is stalked by a psychopath.
5
Cutter's Way (1981)
★ 6.5/10Also drama and thriller
Alex Cutter is a boozy, belligerent and deeply cynical Vietnam veteran whose encounter with a landmine during the war has left him minus an eye, a leg and an arm. When his drifter playboy friend Richard Bone is falsely…
6
Gang Related (1997)
★ 6.4/10Also action and crime
After murdering an undercover DEA agent, two corrupt cops scramble to cover up what they've done.
7
Blue Velvet (1986)
★ 7.6/10Also thriller and crime
The discovery of a severed human ear found in a field leads a young man on an investigation related to a beautiful, mysterious nightclub singer and a group of psychopathic criminals who have kidnapped her child.
8
What Doesn't Kill You (2008)
★ 6/10Also action and crime
Two childhood friends from South Boston turn to crime as a way to get by, ultimately causing a strain in their personal lives and their friendship.
9
Colors (1988)
★ 6.5/10Also action and crime
A confident young cop is shown the ropes by a veteran partner in the dangerous gang-controlled barrios of Los Angeles, where the gang culture is enforced by the colors the members wear.
10
Killing Zoe (1993)
★ 6.2/10Also action and crime
Zed is an American vault-cracker who travels to Paris to meet up with his old friend Eric. Eric and his gang have planned to raid the only bank in the city which is open on Bastille day. After offering his services…
11
Gangster Squad (2013)
★ 6.4/10Also crime and drama
Los Angeles, 1949. Ruthless, Brooklyn-born mob king Mickey Cohen runs the show in this town, reaping the ill-gotten gains from the drugs, the guns, the prostitutes and — if he has his way — every wire bet placed west…
12
Mulholland Falls (1996)
★ 6/10Also drama and thriller
In 1950s Los Angeles, a special crime squad of the LAPD investigates the murder of a young woman.
13
Cherry (2021)
★ 7.3/10Also drama and crime
Cherry drifts from college dropout to army medic in Iraq—anchored only by his one true love, Emily. But after returning from the war with PTSD, his life spirals into drugs and crime as he struggles to find his place in…
14
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…
15
Transfusion (2023)
★ 6/10Also crime and action
Ryan Logan, a former Special Forces operative, is battling to cope with life after the loss of his wife. He is thrusted into the criminal underworld to keep his only son from being taken from him.
16
Tightrope (1984)
★ 6.2/10Also thriller and crime
Wes Block is a detective who's put on the case of a serial killer whose victims are young and pretty women. The murders are getting personal when the killer chooses victims who are acquaintances of Block. Even his…
17
Small Engine Repair (2021)
★ 6/10Also crime and drama
The seemingly casual reunion of three old friends at an out-of-the-way repair shop masks a hidden agenda fuelled by the arrival of a privileged young yuppie.
18
The Corruptor (1999)
★ 6.1/10Also action and crime
Danny is a young cop partnered with Nick, a seasoned but ethically tainted veteran. As the two try to stop a gang war in Chinatown, Danny relies on Nick but grows increasingly uncomfortable with the way Nick gets…
19
Kiss of the Dragon (2001)
★ 6.9/10Also action and crime
Liu Jian, an elite Chinese police officer, comes to Paris to arrest a Chinese drug lord. When Jian is betrayed by a French officer and framed for murder, he must go into hiding and find new allies.
20
Alpha Dog (2006)
★ 6.7/10Also crime and drama
Johnny Truelove likes to see himself as tough. He's the son of an underworld figure and a drug dealer. Johnny also likes to get tough when things don't go his way. When Jake Mazursky fails to pay up for Johnny, things…