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Movies like The River (2024)

The best movies like The River (2024) are Clean (2022), Casino (1995) and How to Make a Killing (2026). If The River hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.

Quick picks

  1. Clean (2022)

    Tormented by a past life, garbage man Clean attempts a life of quiet redemption. But when his good intentions mark him a target of a local crime boss, Clean is forced to reconcile with the violence of his past.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  2. Casino (1995)

    In Las Vegas, two best friends-a casino executive and a Mafia enforcer--compete for a gambling empire and a fast-living, fast-loving socialite.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Absolute CinemaMovies like this
  3. How to Make a Killing (2026)

    Disowned at birth by his obscenely wealthy family, blue-collar Becket Redfellow will stop at nothing to reclaim his inheritance, no matter how many relatives stand in his way.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  4. Mildred Pierce (1945)

    A hard-working mother inches towards disaster as she divorces her husband and starts a successful restaurant business to support her spoiled daughter.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  5. Overboard (1987)

    Heiress Joanna Stayton hires carpenter Dean Proffitt to build a closet on her yacht—and refuses to pay him for the project when it's done. But after Joanna accidentally falls overboard and loses her memory, Dean sees an opportunity to get even.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  6. The Card Counter (2021)

    William Tell just wants to play cards. His spartan existence on the casino trail is shattered when he is approached by Cirk, a vulnerable and angry young man seeking help to execute his plan for revenge on a military colonel. Tell sees a chance at redemption through his relationship with Cirk.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  7. Rumble Through the Dark (2023)

    In the dark landscape of the Mississippi Delta, a former bare-knuckle fighter must win one last fight to pay off his debts to the local mob boss and save his childhood home—the stakes nothing less than life or death.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  8. They Won't Believe Me (1947)

    On trial for murdering his girlfriend, philandering stockbroker Larry Ballentine takes the stand to claim his innocence and describe the actual, but improbable sounding, sequence of events that led to her death.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  9. After We Fell (2021)

    Just as Tessa's life begins to become unglued, nothing is what she thought it would be. Not her friends nor her family. The only person that she should be able to rely on is Hardin, who is furious when he discovers the massive secret that she's been keeping. Before Tessa makes the biggest decision of her life, everything changes because of revelations about her family.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  10. Polyester (1981)

    Blessed with a keen sense of smell and cursed with a philandering pornographer husband, a parasitic mother, and a pair of delinquent children, the long-suffering Francine Fishpaw turns to the bottle as her life falls apart -- until deliverance appears in the form of a hunk named Todd Tomorrow. Originally screened with "Odorama" scratch and sniff cards so the audience could (at their own risk) smell along with the film.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  11. Easy Money (1983)

    To inherit his mother-in-law's colossal fortune, a hard living gambling addict must change his unhealthy ways before it gets the best of him.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  12. Bastard Out of Carolina (1996)

    A poor, struggling South Carolinian mother and daughter face painful choices with their resolve and pride. Bone, the eldest daughter, and Anney her tired mother, grow both closer and farther apart: Anney sees Glen as her last chance.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  13. Erin Brockovich (2000)

    A twice-divorced mother of three who sees an injustice, takes on the bad guy and wins -- with a little help from her push-up bra. Erin goes to work for an attorney and comes across medical records describing illnesses clustered in one nearby town. She starts investigating and soon exposes a monumental cover-up.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  14. Fierce People (2006)

    A massage therapist looking to overcome her addictions and reconnect with her son, whose father is an anthropologist in South America studying the Yanomani people, moves in with a wealthy ex-client in New Jersey.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  15. The Crash (2026)

    A teen slams her car into a building, killing her boyfriend and his friend. What seems like a tragic accident becomes a murder case.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  16. Cry of the City (1948)

    Petty crook and cop-killer Martin Rome, in bad shape from wounds in the hospital prison ward, still refuses to help slimy lawyer Niles clear his client by confessing to another crime. Police Lt. Candella must check Niles' allegation; a friend of the Rome family, he walks a tightrope between sentiment and cynicism. When Martin fears Candella will implicate his girlfriend Teena, he'll do anything to protect her. How many others will he drag down to disaster with him?

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  17. The Big Sleep (1946)

    Private Investigator Philip Marlowe is hired by wealthy General Sternwood regarding a matter involving his youngest daughter Carmen. Before the complex case is over, Marlowe sees murder, blackmail, deception, and what might be love.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  18. The Trials of Cate McCall (2013)

    In order to be reinstated to the bar and recover custody of her daughter, a hotshot lawyer, now in recovery and on probation, must take on the appeal of a woman wrongfully convicted of murder.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  19. The Brothers Rico (1957)

    Eddie Rico, the erstwhile bookkeeper for a big Mafia boss, is now making a living as an honest merchant in Florida with his family. Things go sour when the police start a search for his syndicate-linked brothers who are on the lam after a big hit, forcing Eddie to get involved with the Mafia again.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  20. The Killer Is Loose (1956)

    A savings-and-loan bank is robbed; later, a police wiretap identifies meek bank teller Leon Poole as the inside man. In capturing him, detective Sam Wagner accidentally kills Poole's young wife, and at his trial Poole swears vengeance against Wagner. Poole begins his plans to get revenge when he escapes his captors.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this

Like The River and something else?

Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best movies like The River?

The closest matches to The River are Clean (2022), Casino (1995) and How to Make a Killing (2026). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.

What should I watch after The River?

Start with Clean (2022), the closest match to The River.

What is the highest-rated movie like The River?

Casino (1995), rated 8.0/10 by 6,868 TMDB users.

What is the newest movie like The River?

The Crash (2026) is the most recent release on this list.

Are there English movies like The River?

Yes: Clean (2022), Casino (1995) and How to Make a Killing (2026).

How are movies similar to The River chosen?

First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The River, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.

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