feelsalike.com

Movies that feel like Force of Evil (1950)

If you loved Force of Evil, the closest films we have are The Set-Up (1949), The Big Combo (1955) and Animal Kingdom (2010). All three share Force of Evil's gritty and contemplative feel, which is what we rank on before quality. 9 of the 12 picks below are included with a subscription right now on HBO Max Amazon Channel, TCM and Philo and others, checked against today's data.

Lawyer Joe Morse wants to consolidate all the small-time numbers racket operators into one big powerful operation. But his elder brother Leo is one of these small-time operators who wants to stay that way, preferring not to deal with the gangsters who dominate the big-time.

πŸ… 100% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 7.2 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Abraham Polonskygrittycontemplativeatmospheric

When is Force of Evil streaming? β†’

If Force of Evil hit the spot, these will too

The Set-Up poster
The Set-Up
1949 Β· dir. Robert Wise
πŸ… 85%β˜… 7.8drama Β· crime

Film noir is the engine of both

Expecting the usual loss, a boxing manager takes bribes from a betting gangster without telling his fighter.

Feels alike?
The Big Combo poster
The Big Combo
1955 Β· dir. Joseph H. Lewis
πŸ… 93%β˜… 7.3drama Β· crime

Both keep circling back to film noir

Police Lt. Leonard Diamond vies to bring a clever, well connected, and sadistic gangster to justice all the while obsessing over the gangster's girlfriend.

Feels alike?
Animal Kingdom poster
Animal Kingdom
2010 Β· dir. David MichΓ΄d
πŸ… 94%β˜… 7.2crime Β· drama

The same mix in both: grit, then stillness

The difference: A 2010s film, from a different era of filmmaking

Joshua β€œJ” is taken in by his extended family after his mother dies of an overdose. The clan, ruled by J’s scheming grandmother, is heavily involved in criminal activities, and J is soon indoctrinated into their way of life. But J is given a chance to take another path when a cop seeks to help him.

Feels alike?
The Asphalt Jungle poster
The Asphalt Jungle
1950 Β· dir. John Huston
πŸ… 98%β˜… 7.8crime Β· drama

Atmospheric crime, and it commits to that

Recently paroled from prison, legendary burglar "Doc" Riedenschneider, with funding from Alonzo Emmerich, a crooked lawyer, gathers a small group of veteran criminals together in the Midwest for a big jewel heist.

Feels alike?
Blast of Silence poster
Blast of Silence
1961 Β· dir. Allen Baron
πŸ… 83%β˜… 7.4crime Β· drama Β· thriller

Both rooted in New York City

The difference: Leans thriller where Force of Evil does not

A hired killer from Cleveland has a job to do on a second-string mob boss in New York. But a special girl from his past and a fat gun dealer with pet rats get in his way.

Feels alike?
Odd Man Out poster
Odd Man Out
1947 Β· dir. Carol Reed
πŸ… 100%β˜… 7.6crime Β· drama Β· thriller

Gritty drama in both cases

Belfast police conduct a door-to-door manhunt for an IRA gunman wounded in a daring robbery.

Feels alike?
Pickpocket poster
Pickpocket
1959 Β· dir. Robert Bresson
πŸ… 93%β˜… 7.5crime Β· drama

Crime built on stillness, twice over

The difference: None of the atmosphere that defines Force of Evil

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 with a couple of petty thieves in order to improve his craft. With a police inspector keeping an eye on him, Michel also tries to get a straight job, but the temptation to steal is hard to resist.

Feels alike?
Touch of Evil poster
Touch of Evil
1958 Β· dir. Orson Welles
πŸ… 96%β˜… 8crime Β· thriller Β· drama

Both built around gangster

A border-town bombing draws Mexican investigator Miguel Vargas into a corruption-ridden police investigation led by crooked captain Hank Quinlan, setting off a deadly struggle over power, justice, and truth.

Feels alike?
The Godfather Part II poster
The Godfather Part II
1974 Β· dir. Francis Ford Coppola
πŸ… 96%β˜… 9drama Β· crime

Gangster sits at the heart of each

In the continuing saga of the Corleone crime family, a young Vito Corleone grows up in Sicily and in 1910s New York. In the 1950s, Michael Corleone attempts to expand the family business into Las Vegas, Hollywood and Cuba.

Feels alike?
The Grifters poster
The Grifters
1990 Β· dir. Stephen Frears
πŸ… 92%β˜… 6.9crime Β· drama

Both trade on atmosphere more than on being drama

A small-time conman has his loyalties torn between his estranged mother and his new girlfriend, both of whom are high-stakes grifters with their own angles to play.

Feels alike?
Shoot the Piano Player poster
Shoot the Piano Player
1960 Β· dir. FranΓ§ois Truffaut
πŸ… 90%β˜… 7.4drama Β· thriller Β· crime

Crime with a pulse of grit, in both cases

Charlie is a former classical pianist who has changed his name and now plays jazz in a grimy Paris bar. When Charlie's brothers, Richard and Chico, surface and ask for Charlie's help while on the run from gangsters they have scammed, he aids their escape. Soon Charlie and Lena, a waitress at the same bar, face trouble when the gangsters arrive, looking for his brothers.

Feels alike?
Straight Time poster
Straight Time
1978 Β· dir. Ulu Grosbard
πŸ… 82%β˜… 7.4crime Β· drama

Both trade on stillness more than on being drama

After being released on parole, a burglar attempts to go straight, get a regular job, and just go by the rules. He soon finds himself back in jail at the hands of a power-hungry parole officer.

Feels alike?

In the mood for more gritty?

all gritty movies β†’

The best-reviewed films that share Force of Evil's defining feeling.