Movies like The Essex Boys Tapes (2024)
The best movies like The Essex Boys Tapes (2024) are The Unforgivable (2021), Riot in Cell Block 11 (1954) and Cleaner (2007). If The Essex Boys Tapes hooked you with its crime, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Unforgivable (2021)7.4/10 from 2,174 votes
- Newest180 (2026)Released 2026
The Unforgivable (2021)
A woman is released from prison after serving a sentence for a violent crime and re-enters a society that refuses to forgive her past.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRiot in Cell Block 11 (1954)
A prisoner leads his counterparts in a protest for better living conditions which turns violent and ugly.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCleaner (2007)
Single father and former cop Tom Cutler has an unusual occupation: he cleans up death scenes. But when he's called in to sterilize a wealthy suburban residence after a brutal shooting, Cutler is shocked to learn he may have unknowingly erased crucial evidence, entangling himself in a dirty criminal cover-up.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTwo-Way Stretch (1960)
Three criminals plan to break out of prison the day before their release in order to carry out a daring jewel robbery, intending to establish the perfect alibi by returning to jail afterwards. First however they must get out, a task made more difficult by a new, stricter prison officer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThey Made Me a Fugitive (1947)
After being framed for a policeman's murder, a criminal escapes prison and sets out for revenge.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
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 crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLong Shot (2017)
When Juan Catalan is arrested for a murder he insists he didn't commit, he builds his case for innocence around unexpected raw footage.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTed Bundy: American Boogeyman (2021)
Set in a gritty and decadent 1970s America, American Boogeyman follows the elusive and charming killer and the manhunt that brought him to justice involving the detective and the FBI rookie who coined the phrase ‘serial killer’.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Score to Settle (2019)
A former mob enforcer who is released from prison after serving 22 years for a crime he didn't commit sets out on a path for revenge against the people who wronged him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
SnoozefestMovies like thisHow to Rob a Bank (2007)
Caught in the middle of a bank robbery, a slacker and a bank employee become the ones who arbitrate the intense situation.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
SnoozefestMovies like this180 (2026)
When an unexpected road rage incident puts his son in critical condition, an enraged father spirals down a dark path of emotional turmoil and vengeance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
SnoozefestMovies like thisViolent Ends (2025)
A man raised in a violent crime family struggles to build an honest life with his fiancée but is dragged back into the criminal world after his cousin’s armed robbery leaves an innocent person caught in the crossfire.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisViolent Saturday (1955)
Three men case a small town very carefully, with plans to rob the bank on the upcoming Saturday, which turns violent and deadly.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBelly (1998)
Tommy Bundy and Sincere are best friends as well as infamous and ruthless criminals and shot-callers in the hood. Respected by many but feared by all. As the police are closing in on them and new players are looking for a come up, will their reign last?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPanic (2000)
Alex is going through a midlife crisis and it has become a very difficult time for him. His marriage is struggling, he's worried about his son, and his job of killing people for his family has become the most stressful part of his life. He seeks the help of a therapist and meets a woman in the waiting room that he connects with.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
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
SnoozefestMovies like thisPlunder Road (1957)
A spectacular heist starts to unravel as the crooks take it on the lam.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBrute Force (1947)
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 chains?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRun (1991)
When a law student accidentally kills the son of a mob boss in a fight, he finds himself relentlessly pursued by the mob and the police.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisUnderworld U.S.A. (1961)
A bitter young man sets out to get back at the gangsters who murdered his father.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAstray (2025)
Police officers Kim and Jeroen are dispatched to a report from an elderly couple. What should have been an ordinary shift spirals into a nightmare as the duo stumbles upon a discovery that forces them to confront their fears and beliefs.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime
The Burkittsville 7 (2000)
A film archivist revisits the story of Rustin Parr, a hermit thought to have murdered seven children while under the possession of the Blair Witch.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime
Slaughterhouse 2: Prelude (2013)
On Christmas Eve, a group of friends promote a particular party; among them a familiar face that will later unfold amid an outbreak of insanity, torture and death. The creator of the original toasts the audience with this raw prequel, with the intent to disturb the public in every way, in a spectacle of violence and mayhem.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime
Zero Day (2003)
Two troubled adolescents chronicle the events that ultimately lead up to a terrifying assault on their school.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThug (2017)
Thug, is a documentary type style film about a filmmaking student from the suburbs who comes to the inner city of Newark New Jersey to document one of New Jersey's worst criminals named GINO. But things take a turn for the worse as he digs deeper, which makes Gino's True Colors come out that sets off a chain of unnerving events sending him on a killing spree against anyone who crossed him.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime
Freak (2026)
A boy who aspires to be a detective begins to investigate a mystery with the help of an odd person. Slowly, the investigation takes a turn.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime
Cold as I.C.E (2026)
After legal U.S citizen Joey Mexico is shot and arrested by I.C.E, conflicting narratives on the incident spark severe controversy.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime
Bucharest Horror Show (TBA)
On March 9, 2026, two American filmmakers disappeared in Romania while attending a horror festival. On May 14, journalists began receiving footage of the missing women from an anonymous source. This film presents the raw, unedited version.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime
Invoking Yell (2023)
Set in 1990s story of three twenty something women who venture into the woods to shoot a demo tape for their black metal band.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime
Where Is Amy Pressman (2010)
In 2007, a teen girl from a posh L.A. suburb must deal with the grizzly murder of her family while trapped in the company of their killers.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Essex Boys Tapes?
The closest matches to The Essex Boys Tapes are The Unforgivable (2021), Riot in Cell Block 11 (1954) and Cleaner (2007). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Essex Boys Tapes?
Start with The Unforgivable (2021), the closest match to The Essex Boys Tapes.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Essex Boys Tapes?
The Unforgivable (2021), rated 7.4/10 by 2,174 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Essex Boys Tapes?
180 (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Essex Boys Tapes?
Yes: The Unforgivable (2021), Riot in Cell Block 11 (1954) and Cleaner (2007).
How are movies similar to The Essex Boys Tapes chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Essex Boys Tapes, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.