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Movies that feel like How I Fell in Love with a Gangster (2022)

If you loved How I Fell in Love with a Gangster, the closest films we have are Furioza (2021), The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil (2019) and Brother (1997). All three share How I Fell in Love with a Gangster's gritty and kinetic feel, which is what we rank on before quality. 10 of the 12 picks below are included with a subscription right now on Netflix, HBO Max and Amazon Prime Video and others, checked against today's data.

A mysterious woman recounts the rise and fall of Nikodem "Nikoś" Skotarczak, one of the biggest gangsters in Poland's history. Inspired by a true story.

🍅 60% Rotten Tomatoes6.1 IMDb ↗TMDB ↗dir. Maciej Kawulskigrittykineticcontemplativeromantic
Stream it:Netflix

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If How I Fell in Love with a Gangster hit the spot, these will too

Furioza poster
Furioza
2021 · dir. Cyprian T. Olencki
6.3action · crime · drama

Gritty where it counts, kinetic underneath

The difference: Not nearly as romantic

A policewoman makes her ex-boyfriend an offer he can't refuse: either he infiltrates and informs on a gang of hooligans, or his brother goes to jail.

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The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil poster
The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil
2019 · dir. Lee Won-tae
🍅 97%7action · crime · thriller

Two things both keep coming back to: gangster and a true story

The difference: Reviewed even better

After barely surviving a brutal attack by a sadistic serial killer, crime boss Jang Dong-su is left humiliated. Determined to catch the killer known as K, he forms an uneasy alliance with Jung Tae-seok, a relentless and incorruptible detective who often disrupts his illegal business. However, while Jang Dong-su wants K dead, Jung Tae-suk is determined to bring him to justice. With a deal in place—whoever finds K first will decide his fate—the hunt begins, blurring the lines between crime and law.

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Brother poster
Brother
1997 · dir. Aleksei Balabanov
🍅 100%7.8crime · drama · action

One thread runs through both: gangster

The difference: 25 years apart, and the 1990s show

Danila goes to his successful brother, Victor, in Petersburg to start a new life. Unknown to Danila, Victor is a contract killer, but is in hiding after asking for too much money to assassinate a Chechen mob boss. To avoid exposure, Victor convinces Danila to kill the boss instead.

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Mesrine: Killer Instinct poster
Mesrine: Killer Instinct
2008 · dir. Jean-François Richet
🍅 81%7.5drama · action · thriller

Common ground: a true story

The difference: Played as thriller first

Jacques Mesrine, a loyal son and dedicated soldier, is back home and living with his parents after serving in the Algerian War. Soon he is seduced by the neon glamour of sixties Paris and the easy money it presents. Mentored by Guido, Mesrine turns his back on middle class law-abiding and soon moves swiftly up the criminal ladder.

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Little Caesar poster
Little Caesar
1931 · dir. Mervyn LeRoy
🍅 96%7.2drama · crime · action

Contemplative crime in both cases

A small-time hood shoots his way to the top, but how long can he stay there?

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Law of Tehran poster
Law of Tehran
2019 · dir. Saeed Roustaee
🍅 95%7.8action · crime · drama

Action with a pulse of grit, in both cases

Samad is nobody’s fool. The narcotics officer has seen his share of a drug dealer’s lies and games, and his patience has come to run thin. While searching for the infamous drug baron Nasser Khakzad, he and his colleague Hamid scour the streets of Tehran, turning an overcrowded prison on its head. With his rough and dubious approach, Samad finally manages to find the criminal’s whereabouts – but things do not quite go according to plan...

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Police Story: Lockdown poster
Police Story: Lockdown
2013 · dir. Ding Sheng
🍅 25%5.9action · crime · drama

Both lean on momentum more than on drama

A man looking for the release of a long-time prisoner takes a police officer, his daughter, and a group of strangers hostage.

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Enforcement poster
Enforcement
2020 · dir. Frederik Louis Hviid
🍅 82%6.5action · crime

Crime built on grit, twice over

The exact details of what took place while Talib Ben Hassi was in police custody remain unclear. Police officers Jens and Mike are on routine patrol in Svalegården's ghetto when news of Talib's death comes in over the radio, igniting uncontrollable, pent-up rage in the ghetto's youth, who lust for revenge. Suddenly, the two officers find themselves fair game and must fight tooth and claw to find a way out.

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Master Z: Ip Man Legacy poster
Master Z: Ip Man Legacy
2018 · dir. Yuen Woo-ping
6.5action · crime · drama

Contemplative action, and it commits to that

Following his defeat by Master Ip, Cheung Tin Chi tries to make a life with his young son in Hong Kong, waiting tables at a bar that caters to expats. But it's not long before the mix of foreigners, money, and triad leaders draw him once again to the fight.

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As Tears Go By poster
As Tears Go By
1988 · dir. Wong Kar-Wai
🍅 85%7drama · crime · romance

Romantic drama, and it commits to that

The difference: Leans further into romance

Mid-level gangster Wah falls in love with his beautiful cousin, but must also continue to protect his volatile partner-in-crime and friend, Fly.

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Infernal Affairs III poster
Infernal Affairs III
2003 · dir. Andrew Lau Wai-Keung
6.8crime · drama · action

Crime built on momentum, twice over

Triad gangster turned corrupt cop Lau Kin-ming goes to dangerous lengths to avoid detection.

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A Touch of Sin poster
A Touch of Sin
2013 · dir. Jia Zhangke
🍅 95%7.1crime · drama

Contemplative drama, and it commits to that

Four people in different provinces are driven to violent ends: An angry miner is enraged by corruption in his village. A migrant discovers the possibilities of owning a firearm. A receptionist is pushed beyond her limits by an abusive client. A young factory worker goes from one job to the next.

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The best-reviewed films that share How I Fell in Love with a Gangster’s defining feeling.