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The Grifters poster

Movies that feel likeThe Grifters (1990)

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.

If you loved The Grifters, the closest films we have are One False Move (1992), Sexy Beast (2001) and The Asphalt Jungle (1950). All three share The Grifters' gritty and contemplative feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Odds Against Tomorrow (1959).

πŸ… 92% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 6.8 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Stephen Frearsgrittycontemplativeplayfulatmospheric
7 of 12 streaming nowHBO Max Β· Amazon Prime Video Β· TCM

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If The Grifters hit the spot, these will too

One False Move poster
One False Move
1992 Β· dir. Carl Franklin
πŸ… 93%β˜… 7.1crime Β· drama Β· thriller

Both keep coming back to the same thing: neo-noir

The difference: Takes it somewhere less playful than The Grifters does

Following a series of drug deals and murders, three criminals -- Fantasia, Ray Malcolm and Pluto -- travel from Los Angeles to Houston, finally arriving in a small Arkansas town to go into hiding. Two detectives from the LAPD, who are already on the case, contact the town's sheriff, Dale Dixon, to alert him of the fugitives' presence in the area. Underestimating Dixon, the criminals have no idea what they are about to face.

Sexy Beast poster
Sexy Beast
2001 Β· dir. Jonathan Glazer
πŸ… 87%β˜… 7.3crime Β· thriller Β· drama

The same preoccupation in both: neo-noir

The difference: Leans harder into thriller than The Grifters does

Ex-safecracker Gal Dove has served his time behind bars and is blissfully retired to a Spanish villa paradise with a wife he adores. The idyll is shattered by the arrival of his nemesis Don Logan, intent on persuading Gal to return to London for one last big job.

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

Gritty where it counts, contemplative underneath

The difference: 40 years apart, and the 1950s show

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.

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

Crime with a pulse of atmosphere, in both cases

The difference: Trades the play of The Grifters for an angle of its own

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.

The Long Good Friday poster
The Long Good Friday
1980 Β· dir. John Mackenzie
πŸ… 97%β˜… 7.5crime Β· thriller Β· dramaMax

Both lean on grit more than on drama

In the late 1970s, Cockney crime boss Harold Shand, a gangster trying to become a legitimate property mogul, has big plans to get the American Mafia to bankroll his transformation of a derelict area of London into the possible venue for a future Olympic Games. However, a series of bombings targets his empire on the very weekend the Americans are in town. Shand is convinced there is a traitor in his organization, and sets out to eliminate the rat in typically ruthless fashion.

SPL: Kill Zone poster
SPL: Kill Zone
2005 Β· dir. Wilson Yip
πŸ… 80%β˜… 6.9action Β· crime Β· dramaPrime Video

Contemplative crime in both cases

Chan, an articulate senior detective nearing the end of his career, is taking care of the daughter of a witness killed by ruthless crime lord Po. Martial arts expert Ma is set to take over as head of the crime unit, replacing Chan who wants an early retirement.

Night Moves poster
Night Moves
1975 Β· dir. Arthur Penn
πŸ… 78%β˜… 7.1thriller Β· crime Β· drama

Drama built on atmosphere, twice over

Private detective and former football player Harry Moseby gets hired on to what seems a standard missing person case - a former Hollywood actress wants Moseby to find and return her daughter. Harry travels to Florida to find her, but he begins to see a connection between the runaway girl, the world of Hollywood stuntmen, and a suspicious mechanic when an unsolved murder comes to light.

Odds Against Tomorrow poster
Odds Against Tomorrow
1959 Β· dir. Robert Wise
πŸ… 88%β˜… 7.4crime Β· drama Β· thriller

Playful crime, and it commits to that

An old-time crook plans a heist. When one of his two partners is found out to be a black man tensions flare.

Bound poster
Bound
1996 Β· dir. Lana Wachowski
πŸ… 86%β˜… 7.3drama Β· thriller Β· crime

Playful drama, and it commits to that

Corky, a tough female ex-convict working on an apartment renovation in a Chicago building, meets a couple living next door, Caesar, a paranoid mobster, and Violet, his seductive girlfriend, who is immediately attracted to her.

Kansas City Confidential poster
Kansas City Confidential
1952 Β· dir. Phil Karlson
πŸ… 79%β˜… 7.3crimePrime Video

A streak of grit through both

An ex-convict sets out to uncover who framed him for an armored car robbery.

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

Both run contemplative where it counts

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.

Angels with Dirty Faces poster
Angels with Dirty Faces
1938 Β· dir. Michael Curtiz
πŸ… 100%β˜… 7.8crime Β· drama

The shared currency is atmosphere

Childhood chums Rocky Sullivan and Jerry Connelly grow up on opposite sides of the fence: Rocky matures into a prominent gangster, while Jerry becomes a priest, tending to the needs of his old tenement neighborhood.

In the mood for more gritty?

all gritty movies β†’

The best-reviewed films that share The Grifters’ defining feeling.