Movies like The Sicilian Checkmate (1972)
The best movies like The Sicilian Checkmate (1972) are The Day of the Owl (1968), Lucky Luciano (1973) and Mafioso (1962). If The Sicilian Checkmate 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 Traitor (2019)7.6/10 from 1,452 votes
- NewestThe Big Fake (2025)Released 2025
- In ItalianThe Day of the Owl (1968)Also in Italian
The Day of the Owl (1968)
Set in Sicily, this violent crime drama tells the tale of an Italian cop who heads to a small island town to look into the death of a construction supplier. Once there he is shocked by the influence the Mafia has over the people and even himself.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLucky Luciano (1973)
Lucky Luciano is one of the bosses of the Mafia. He orders the slaughter of 40 other responsibles, therefore becoming the only boss. But a few years later he is put into jail. In 1946, he got a pardon and is sent back to Sicilia. There, he begins becoming one of the chief of the Mafia. The US Army seems to refrain from interfering.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMafioso (1962)
When a good-natured factory supervisor living in Milan with his Northern wife returns to his native Sicily, a decades' old oath forces him to fulfill a nightmarish obligation.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSicilian Letters (2024)
Loosely based on real events that took place during Matteo Messina Denaro's thirty years on the run. A disgraced politician is gifted a second chance when secret services involve him in an operation to root out an elusive Mafia boss. Using his personal connection as the Boss' godfather, his task is to get him to reveal his hiding place in their secret letters.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBoys Cry (2018)
Mirko and Manolo are best friends and live in the suburbs of Rome. They both live in poor conditions with their single parents, are still in school and struggle with occasional odd jobs to make ends meet. Together they share dreams of women, of sex and money, of a better life to come. Then, after killing a man in a hit-and-run one night, they get involved with the local mafia and their lives change dramatically.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Valachi Papers (1972)
When Joe Valachi has a price put on his head by Don Vito Genovese, he must take desperate steps to protect himself while in prison. An unsuccessful attempt to slit his throat puts him over the edge to break the sacred code of silence.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSalvatore Giuliano (1962)
Sicilian bandit Salvatore Giuliano's bullet-riddled corpse is found facedown in a courtyard in Castelvetrano, a handgun and rifle by his side. Local and international press descend upon the scene, hoping to crack open the true story behind the death of this young man, who, at the age of twenty-seven, had already become Italy’s most wanted criminal and celebrated hero.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Worth the HypeMovies 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 thisThe Escort (1993)
The film shows the difficulties of an honest, imperiled judge and his bodyguard of four men, trying to clean up a Sicilian town. Corrupt local politicians, working hand-in-hand with the Mafia, will stop at nothing to prevent exposure of their rackets.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMafia Millionaires (2014)
The rise and fall of a Neapolitan criminal clan through the story of a boss and his family, divided between the aspiration for a bourgeois life and the deep impulses of oppression. Thirty years of history of one of the most beautiful and discussed cities in the world, the dream of a boy who is overwhelmed by the desire for power as an end in itself, to become the nightmare of a man and those who live next to him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Boss (1973)
A hitman finds himself embroiled in the middle of a Mafia war between the Sicilians and the Calabrians.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSuburra (2015)
A gangster known as "Samurai" wants to turn the waterfront of Rome into a new Las Vegas. All the local mob bosses have agreed to work for this common goal. But peace is not to last long.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe 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 · both crime
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 thisThe Traitor (2019)
Palermo, Sicily, 1980. Mafia member Tommaso Buscetta decides to move to Brazil with his family fleeing the constant war between the different clans of the criminal organization. But when, after living several misfortunes, he is forced to return to Italy, he makes a bold decision that will change his life and the destiny of Cosa Nostra forever.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRulers of the City (1976)
Tony, a mob loan collector, is dissatisfied with his station in life. Though he dreams of one day being rich, he is stuck with the dead-end job of beating up borrowers who fall behind in their payments. After meeting up with Napoli, another mob enforcer who's just been fired from his job, the two hatch a plan. Together, they will con mob boss Manzari out of a fortune, after which they can retire and live in luxury. Manzari, however, is not about to let them go so easily.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCome Into the Light (2005)
In 1990s Palermo, Pino Puglisi is a priest from the neglected Brancaccio neighborhood dedicated in helping kids to get off the streets and creating an embracing place of hope and solidarity in his church, which means trouble for the local Mafia. He continues his solitary fight until the bitter end.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPiranhas (2019)
A gang of teenage boys stalk the streets of Naples armed with hand guns and AK-47s to do their mob bosses' bidding – until they decide to be the bosses themselves.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Big Fake (2025)
Toni Chichiarelli arrives in Rome with the dream of becoming a painter, but his talent leads him elsewhere — from art galleries to state secrets. Between art, crime, and power, his signature ends up everywhere — even in the history of Italy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIn the Name of the Italian People (1971)
An obscure Italian magistrate suspects that a well-known industrialist commited murder, and decides to investigate him, and bring him to court, whatever it takes. But - will the magistrate have it in him to go against impossible odds, in the name of the Italian people he represents?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBangkok Dangerous (2000)
Kong, a deaf-mute, lives a life of quiet desperation working for Bangkok mobsters. Despite his disability, Kong's mentor Joe trains him to be a stone-cold assassin. After a brutal hit abroad, Kong returns to Bangkok and falls in love with young pharmacy clerk.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime
SnoozefestMovies like thisRoad to Perdition (2002)
Mike Sullivan works as a hit man for crime boss John Rooney. Sullivan views Rooney as a father figure, however after his son is witness to a killing, Mike Sullivan finds himself on the run in attempt to save the life of his son and at the same time looking for revenge on those who wronged him.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPickings (2018)
When a short-tempered mobster and his gang of thugs try to shake down a neighborhood bar, they're soon confronted with the wrath of its owner - a mysterious southern mother with a dangerous past.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime
Lottie (2024)
Two mob guys have to take out one of the boss's mistresses.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime
Quite Like Paradise (2024)
Ugo Conti, charismatic Italian aristocrat and influencer, arrives in Mexico where he seduces the Mexican high society. When he meets Frida Becker again, the love of his past, he will end up in the center of a struggle for political power.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime
Mickey Blue Eyes (1999)
An English auctioneer proposes to the daughter of a mafia kingpin, only to realize that certain "favors" would be asked of him.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime
SnoozefestMovies like thisCamorra (1972)
The fast career of a young Neapolitan among contraband, gambling dens, bribes and illegality. He will upgrade its rank till the maximum level of the "Family".
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime
Satya (1998)
A young man named Satya comes to Mumbai from South India in search of a job. Jailed for something he did not do, the once-honest young man meets an underworld boss, Bhiku Mhatre in jail and joins his gang.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCode of Silence (1985)
A Chicago cop is caught in the middle of a gang war while his own comrades shun him because he wants to take an irresponsible cop down.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Nest (2002)
Laborie is a high-flying officer in the French special forces. Her mission is to escort Abedin Nexhep, a godfather of the Albanian mafia. Charged with heading a wide-reaching prostitution network, this formidable criminal is due to stand trial before a European court. During the transfer, killers hired by Nexhep set up an ambush to free their boss but Laborie and her men manage to escape...
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Sicilian Checkmate?
The closest matches to The Sicilian Checkmate are The Day of the Owl (1968), Lucky Luciano (1973) and Mafioso (1962). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Sicilian Checkmate?
Start with The Day of the Owl (1968), the closest match to The Sicilian Checkmate.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Sicilian Checkmate?
The Traitor (2019), rated 7.6/10 by 1,452 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Sicilian Checkmate?
The Big Fake (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Italian movies like The Sicilian Checkmate?
Yes: The Day of the Owl (1968), Lucky Luciano (1973) and Mafioso (1962).
How are movies similar to The Sicilian Checkmate chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Sicilian Checkmate, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.