Movies like A Certain Sacrifice (1985)
The best movies like A Certain Sacrifice (1985) are Dead End (1937), House of Bamboo (1955) and They Made Me a Fugitive (1947). If A Certain Sacrifice hooked you with its crime and drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Asphalt Jungle (1950)7.5/10 from 562 votes
- NewestDown the Arm of God (2026)Released 2026
Dead End (1937)
The lives of a young man and woman, an infamous gangster and a group of street kids converge one day in a volatile New York City slum.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHouse of Bamboo (1955)
Eddie Kenner is given a special assignment by the Army to get the inside story on Sandy Dawson, a former GI who has formed a gang of fellow servicemen and Japanese locals.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
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 drama & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEach Dawn I Die (1939)
A corrupt D.A. with governatorial ambitions is annoyed by an investigative reporter's criticism of his criminal activities and decides to frame the reporter for manslaughter in order to silence him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Asphalt Jungle (1950)
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.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWhere the Day Takes You (1992)
King is a young man, but he's already a veteran of life on the streets of Los Angeles. The de facto leader of a group of teenage runaways, King acts as a mentor to troubled kids such as gay hustler Little J and junkie Greg. When Heather, a beautiful girl from Chicago, starts hanging out with King and his crew, it changes the dynamic of the gang. However, it seems as though nothing will alter their dangerous lifestyle.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBrighton Rock (1948)
Centring on the activities of a gang of assorted criminals and, in particular, their leader – a vicious young hoodlum known as "Pinkie" – the film's main thematic concern is the criminal underbelly evident in inter-war Brighton.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Assault (2014)
After a cheerleader is sexually assaulted by the high school football team, she must overcome her shame and use the evidence gathered from the subsequent social media firestorm to piece together the night that she can't remember in her fight for justice. Based on the true story of the Steubenville, Ohio rape case.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Story of Temple Drake (1933)
The coquettish granddaughter of a respected small-town judge is stranded at a bootleggers’ hide-out, subjected to an act of nightmarish sexual violence, and plunged into a criminal underworld that threatens to swallow her up completely.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWitness to Murder (1954)
A woman fights to convince the police that she witnessed a murder while looking out her bedroom window.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOutrage (1950)
A young woman who has just become engaged has her life completely shattered when she is raped while on her way home from work.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNational Theatre Live: Prima Facie (2022)
Tessa is a young, brilliant barrister. From working class origins, she has reached the top of her game. An unexpected event forces her to confront the lines where the patriarchal power of the law, burden of proof and morals diverge.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & crime
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Deep End of the Ocean (1999)
A three-year-old boy disappears during his mother's high school reunion. Nine years later, by chance, he turns up in the town in which the family has just relocated.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLittle Lord Fauntleroy (1980)
Young Cedric Errol and his widowed mother live in genteel poverty in 1880s Brooklyn after the death of his father. Cedric's grandfather, the Earl of Dorincourt, has long ago disowned his son for marrying an American. But after the death of the Earl's remaining son, he decides to accept Cedric as his heir.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAll Together Now (2020)
An optimistic, talented teen clings to a huge secret: she's homeless and living on a school bus. When tragedy strikes, can she learn to accept a helping hand?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFlowers in the Attic (2014)
After the sudden death of their father, four children face cruel treatment from their ruthless grandmother.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Christmas Shoes (2002)
Two separate stories mesh - in the first, a young music teacher, Maggie Andrews, begins dying of a heart condition and her son Nathan tries to get a pair of Christmas shoes for her before she dies. In the second, lawyer Robert Layton and his wife Kate are slowly drifting apart and the matter comes to a head during Christmas when Kate takes over for Maggie for the school choir.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFlicka (2006)
Katy McLaughlin desires to work on her family's mountainside horse ranch, although her father insists she finish boarding school. Katy finds a mustang in the hills near her ranch. The headstrong 16 year old then sets her mind to tame a mustang and prove to her father she can run the ranch. But when tragedy happens, it will take all the love and strength the family can muster to restore hope.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJesus (1999)
Jesus, a carpenter living a simple life, discovers his destiny as the biblical Messiah.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRollin' with the Nines (2006)
Too Fine and his friends Finny, Pushy and Rage hope to set up a successful urban underground garage...
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime & drama
Hannibal (2001)
After having successfully eluded the authorities for years, Hannibal peacefully lives in Italy in disguise as an art scholar. Trouble strikes again when he's discovered leaving a deserving few dead in the process. He returns to America to make contact with now disgraced Agent Clarice Starling, who is suffering the wrath of a malicious FBI rival as well as the media.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Star for Two (1991)
Love between a man and a woman that endures the ravages of time.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Down the Arm of God (2026)
A young pastor goes through a harsh winter in a small Texas town, where his mission to help the homeless is faced with resistance by his congregation, exposing deep-seated prejudice and systemic failures.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Smoke (1995)
Writer Paul Benjamin is nearly hit by a bus when he leaves Auggie Wren's smoke shop. Stranger Rashid Cole saves his life, and soon middle-aged Paul tells homeless Rashid that he wouldn't mind a short-term housemate. Still grieving over his wife's murder, Paul is moved by both Rashid's quest to reconnect with his father and Auggie's discovery that a woman who might be his daughter is about to give birth.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMad City (1997)
A misguided museum guard who loses his job and then tries to get it back at gunpoint is thrown into the fierce world of ratings-driven TV gone mad.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPumpkin (2002)
Carolyn's sorority sisters set their sights on the Sorority of the Year award and coaching challenged athletes is their ticket to the trophy. But when the queen of formals finds herself mentoring Pumpkin, a disabled athlete, their two worlds collide.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisVerlorene Seelen (2014)
A woman suffers from her right-wing radical boyfriend until a mysterious woman takes care of her. When the protagonist returns home, she turns the tables.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
The Last Sin Eater (2007)
In seeking her own redemption from the one man of whom she is most afraid, 10-year-old Cadi Forbes discovers a secret sin haunting her community of Welsh immigrants in 1850s Appalachia.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
BLOODY DATE (2023)
"BLOODY DATE" is a short film that delves into the life of Javier, a blue-collar worker with a secret life. By day, he's a mechanic dealing with the dirty grind of work, but by night, he's entangled in the world of drugs and danger. As financial troubles loom over his best friend, he finds himself owing a lot of money to some very wrong people. With a heart of gold and a tough exterior, Javier navigates a complex web of loyalty and betrayal. This thrilling narrative unfolds as Javier's past collides with his present. The film explores themes of friendship, sacrifice, and the consequences of choices made in the shadows.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like A Certain Sacrifice?
The closest matches to A Certain Sacrifice are Dead End (1937), House of Bamboo (1955) and They Made Me a Fugitive (1947). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after A Certain Sacrifice?
Start with Dead End (1937), the closest match to A Certain Sacrifice.
What is the highest-rated movie like A Certain Sacrifice?
The Asphalt Jungle (1950), rated 7.5/10 by 562 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like A Certain Sacrifice?
Down the Arm of God (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like A Certain Sacrifice?
Yes: Dead End (1937), House of Bamboo (1955) and They Made Me a Fugitive (1947).
How are movies similar to A Certain Sacrifice chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside A Certain Sacrifice, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.