Movies Like Way of the Wrong Road

If you liked Way of the Wrong Road (1963), a movie directed by Jean Herman, 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 Outsiders (1983)
★ 7.2/10
In 1960s Tulsa, class divisions ignite a violent rivalry between the working-class Greasers and the privileged Socs. When a deadly encounter forces two Greasers, Ponyboy and Johnny, to flee, their struggle for survival…
2
Standing Tall (2015)
★ 7.2/10
The film tells the story of Malony and his education as he grows from a six-year-old into an 18-year-old. A minors’ judge and a caseworker work tirelessly to try to save the young offender.
3
The 400 Blows (1959)
★ 8/10
For young Parisian boy Antoine Doinel, life is one difficult situation after another. Surrounded by inconsiderate adults, including his neglectful parents, Antoine spends his days with his best friend, Rene, trying to…
4
Pickpocket (1959)
★ 7.3/10
Michel takes up pickpocketing on a lark and is arrested soon after. His mother dies shortly after his release, and despite the objections of his only friend, Jacques, and his mother's neighbor Jeanne, Michel teams up…
5
The Orphans (2025)
★ 6.7/10
Gab and Driss, childhood friends on bad terms since they left the orphanage, now have opposite lives - one is a cop with the IGPN, the other a fixer for thugs. When their first love dies in a suspicious accident, her…
6
Charm City Kings (2020)
★ 7.8/10
Mouse desperately wants to join The Midnight Clique, the infamous Baltimore dirt bike riders who rule the summertime streets. When Midnight’s leader, Blax, takes 14-year-old Mouse under his wing, Mouse soon finds…
7
Siberian Education (2013)
★ 6.8/10
The story of a gang of children growing up in a community of banished criminals, in a forgotten corner of the former Soviet Union. This community rejects the world outside. The only law it obeys… is its own. Against…
8
Dog Pound (2010)
★ 7.2/10
Three juvenile delinquents arrive at a correctional center and are put under the care of an experienced guard.
9
Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
★ 7.5/10
After moving to a new town, troublemaking teen Jim Stark is supposed to have a clean slate, although being the new kid in town brings its own problems. While searching for some stability, Stark forms a bond with a…
10
Just an Illusion (2026)
★ 7.3/10
In 1985 suburban Paris, 12-year-old Vincent lives with his distant older brother and quarrelling parents. Amid laughter and unease, he navigates friendship and first love, while beginning to confront the adult world.
11
Motherless Brooklyn (2019)
★ 6.7/10
New York City, 1957. Lionel Essrog, a private detective living with Tourette syndrome, tries to solve the murder of his mentor and best friend, armed only with vague clues and the strength of his obsessive mind.
12
Bad Boys (1983)
★ 7/10
Mick O'Brien is a young Chicago street thug torn between a life of petty crime and the love of his girlfriend. But when the heist of a local drug dealer goes tragically wrong Mick is sentenced to a brutal juvenile…
13
The Clique (2008)
★ 5.9/10
A young girl tries to fit in with a clique of popular middle school girls after moving into the guest house of one of their homes.
14
South Central (1992)
★ 6.7/10
During a 10-year sentence for murdering the leader of a rival South Central Los Angeles gang, Bobby Johnson finds religion and rehabilitation with the help of Muslim inmate Ali. Upon his release, Bobby returns home to…
15
Bazaar (Murder in the Building) (2026)
★ 6.5/10
Misanthropic novelist François writes gripping crime stories – “Agatha Christie meets The Scarlet Pimpernel” – but outside of the swashbuckling imaginary world of his Marquis la Rose-novels, life is far from thrilling…
16
Brute Force (1947)
★ 7.3/10
Timeworn Joe Collins and his fellow inmates live under the heavy thumb of the sadistic, power-tripping guard Captain Munsey. Only Collins' dreams of escape keep him going, but how can he possibly bust out of Munsey's…
17
A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints (2006)
★ 6.5/10
Dito Montiel, a successful author, receives a call from his long-suffering mother, asking him to return home and visit his ailing father. Dito recalls his childhood growing up in a violent neighborhood in Queens, N.Y…
18
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
★ 8.7/10
Imprisoned in the 1940s for the double murder of his wife and her lover, upstanding banker Andy Dufresne begins a new life at the Shawshank prison, where he puts his accounting skills to work for an amoral warden…
19
Borgo (2024)
★ 6.8/10
Melissa is an experienced, exemplary prison guard. But a dangerous spiral is set into motion when she transfers to a Corsican jail, where she accepts help and protection from inmate Saveriu to get her bearings. Upon…
20
Razzia (1955)
★ 6.7/10
Henri, the Man from Nantes, comes back to his country after a successful stay in the United States, where he was working for Liski, the drug dealer. With the fame of being a tough guy preceding him, he sets himself to…