Movies like Sketch Artist (1992)
The best movies like Sketch Artist (1992) are Dead Man's Folly (1986), Desert Dawn (2025) and The Substitute 2: School's Out (1998). If Sketch Artist hooked you with its crime and mystery, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Ferpect Crime (2004)6.7/10 from 373 votes
- NewestMisdirection (2026)Released 2026
Dead Man's Folly (1986)
During a murder hunt game at a country house, to which Hercule Poirot is invited as an "expert", a real murder occurs.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDesert Dawn (2025)
A newly appointed small-town sheriff and his begrudging deputy get tangled up in a web of lies and corruption involving shady businessmen and the cartel while investigating the murder of a mysterious woman.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Substitute 2: School's Out (1998)
When teacher Randall Thomasson is killed during a carjacking, an unexpected visitor shows up at his funeral - his estranged brother, Karl Thomasson. An ex-Green Beret turned mercenary, Karl signs on as a new substitute teacher in order to investigate Randall's murder.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHierarchy (2025)
In an undisclosed area of Texas after two adoptive brothers become entangled in criminal activity, forced to evade law enforcement and the greedy Russian mafia.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCa$h (2010)
A stroke of good luck turns lethal for Sam Phelan and his wife Leslie when they are faced with a life-changing decision that brings strange and sinister Pyke Kubic to their doorstep. As Pyke leads Sam and Leslie on a tumultuous adventure through the streets of Chicago, each are pulled deeper and deeper into a desperate spiral of deception and violence – all in the name of money.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisFarewell, My Lovely (1975)
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 with seductress Helen Grayle and discovers a web of dark secrets that are better left hidden.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like this5lbs of Pressure (2024)
Fresh out of prison after serving time for murder, Adam returns to his old stomping grounds to seek out a son who doesn't know him. Eli, the brother of the man he killed is looking for revenge. Mike, is trying to escape a life of crime living under the thumb of his gangster Uncle.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBreathless (2012)
Lorna is a strong-willed Texas woman who’s had enough of her untrustworthy husband Dale’s criminal acts and lack of husbandry. Fed up, she enlists the help of her old friend, Tiny, to help her figure out what to do with Dale after his latest double-cross involving the theft of $100,000 from a bank.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & mystery
SnoozefestMovies like thisAll the Devils Are Here (2025)
After a heist, four criminals lay low in a remote safehouse, waiting for orders. As paranoia builds, one thing becomes clear — the real threat may not be outside, but among them.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLike Minds (2006)
A forensic psychologist must determine if a minor should be charged with murder.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRighteous Kill (2008)
Two veteran New York City detectives work to identify the possible connection between a recent murder and a case they believe they solved years ago; is there a serial killer on the loose, and did they perhaps put the wrong person behind bars?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisWalker, Texas Ranger: Trial by Fire (2005)
Walker investigates a murder connected with a missing government weapon. In addition, he tries to track down a teen on the run from a crime syndicate.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Locksmith (2023)
A thief fresh out of prison, tries to work his way back into the life of his daughter and ex-fiancé. Determined, he is forced to use the skills he has as a gifted locksmith. Things take a tumultuous turn after an unexpected disappearance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & mystery
SnoozefestMovies like thisMiss Marple: 4.50 from Paddington (1987)
Travelling on the 4.50 from Paddington, Mrs McGillicuddy witnesses a murder on a passing train - but where is the body?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like thisShimmer Lake (2017)
Shot in reverse day-by-day through a week—a local sheriff embarks on a quest to unlock the mystery of three small-town criminals and a bank heist gone wrong.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Black Book (2023)
After his son is wrongly accused of kidnapping, a deacon who has just lost his wife takes matters into his own hands and fights a crooked police gang to clear him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThieves Highway (2025)
After discovering a plot to haul stolen cattle in the middle of nowhere, a desperate and isolated lawman becomes the only thing standing between a group of dangerous rustlers and a clear run to the border.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMisdirection (2026)
A desperate couple have pulled off a string of high-end break-ins to pay off a mob debt. When they attempt to rob their latest victim, they find themselves caught in a deadly game of cat and mouse. The tables are turned and the hunters become the hunted.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Ritual Killer (2023)
Unable to process the death of his daughter, Detective Boyd embarks on a hunt for a serial killer who murders according to a brutal tribal ritual: Muti. The only person who can help Boyd is Professor Mackles, an anthropologist who hides an unspeakable secret. The line between sanity and madness thins as Boyd goes deeper into the killer’s world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Virtuoso (2021)
Danger, deception and murder descend upon a sleepy town when a professional assassin accepts a new assignment from his enigmatic boss.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & crime
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Rendering (2002)
Ten years after being molested in art school by habitual rapist Theodore Gray, who is serving 25 years but eligible for parole, Sarah Reynolds leads a happy life in a gallery and with her handsome husband, lawyer Michael Reynolds, and helps police detective Nick Sousa, who put Grat away, as sketch-artist. Then new cases following Gray's MO occur, and a victim who got away gives a description Sara hesitates to confide to paper: it fits Michael scarily. She turns it in, yet once he's behind bars searches in and is blackmailed to plead Gray's paroling or his crime cahoots will torture Michael to death.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery & thriller
Sketch Artist II: Hands That See (1995)
Police sketch artist Jack Whitfield helps blind rape victim Emmy describe her attacker – a serial rapist and murderer who is now out to get her.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller & crime
Slaughter Hotel (1971)
A masked killer stalks an institution for mentally disturbed rich women.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisSketch (2017)
A police sketch artist who believes he has stumbled upon the suspect from one of his drawings becomes convinced he knows how to do the right thing.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery & thriller
All About the Benjamins (2002)
Bounty hunter Bucum Jackson teams with the small-time con artist, Reggie Wright, that he is pursuing, in an attempt to locate a missing stash of diamonds and a lottery ticket worth millions of dollars. Bucum and Reggie find themselves in a race to the finish as they embark on an unlikely partnership that should -- when all is said and done -- prove beneficial to them both.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisTangled (2001)
A young man is found bruised, beaten and stumbling down a secluded road. As the police try to piece together what happened, the convoluted relationship between a young woman and her two suitors gradually emerges.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Outsider (1967)
Darren McGavin is David Ross, a private investigator playing a game of follow the money. A simple case of embezzling turns bad quickly when bodies start dropping and the savvy P.I. is the primary suspect in an attractive woman's death. This NBC TV movie served as a pilot for the later series.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime
Identity (2025)
A sketch artist and a cop work together to unravel the identity of an elusive killer using the descriptions of his face, etched into the memory of an eye-witness to the brutal crime
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller & mystery
The Ferpect Crime (2004)
A playboy has the tables turned on him when he finds himself being used as a plaything by an undesirable woman.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Sketch Artist?
The closest matches to Sketch Artist are Dead Man's Folly (1986), Desert Dawn (2025) and The Substitute 2: School's Out (1998). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Sketch Artist?
Start with Dead Man's Folly (1986), the closest match to Sketch Artist.
What is the highest-rated movie like Sketch Artist?
The Ferpect Crime (2004), rated 6.7/10 by 373 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Sketch Artist?
Misdirection (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Sketch Artist?
Yes: Dead Man's Folly (1986), Desert Dawn (2025) and The Substitute 2: School's Out (1998).
How are movies similar to Sketch Artist chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Sketch Artist, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.