Movies like Painted Faces (1929)
The best movies like Painted Faces (1929) are Black Angel (1946), The Glass Key (1942) and Absolution (2024). If Painted Faces 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 ratedBatman: The Long Halloween, Part One (2021)7.4/10 from 741 votes
- NewestAbsolution (2024)Released 2024
Black Angel (1946)
A falsely convicted man's wife, Catherine, and an alcoholic composer and pianist, Martin, team up in an attempt to clear her husband of the murder of a blonde singer, who is Martin's wife.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Glass Key (1942)
A crooked politician finds himself being accused of murder by a gangster from whom he refused help during a re-election campaign.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAbsolution (2024)
An aging ex-boxer gangster working as muscle for a Boston crime boss receives an upsetting diagnosis. Despite a faltering memory, he attempts to rectify the sins of his past and reconnect with his estranged children. He is determined to leave a positive legacy for his grandson, but the criminal underworld isn’t done with him and won’t loosen their grip willingly.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & mystery
SnoozefestMovies like thisNancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase (2019)
Nancy Drew, a smart high schooler with a penchant for keen observation and deduction, stumbles upon the haunting of a local home. A bit of an outsider struggling to fit into her new surroundings, Nancy and her pals set out to solve the mystery, make new friends, and establish their place in the community
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisI Wake Up Screaming (1941)
A young promoter is accused of the murder of Vicky Lynn, a young actress he "discovered" as a waitress while out with ex-actor Robin Ray and gossip columnist Larry Evans.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBatman: The Long Halloween, Part One (2021)
Following a brutal series of murders taking place on Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, Gotham City's young vigilante known as the Batman sets out to pursue the mysterious serial killer alongside police officer James Gordon and district attorney Harvey Dent.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBatman: The Long Halloween, Part Two (2021)
As Gotham City's young vigilante, the Batman, struggles to pursue a brutal serial killer, district attorney Harvey Dent gets caught in a feud involving the criminal family of the Falcones.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAurora Teagarden Mysteries: How to Con A Con (2021)
When Aida Teagarden's real estate client is found murdered, her sleuthing daughter Aurora sets out with her fiancé Nick and the Real Murders Club to solve the murder.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Blue Gardenia (1953)
Upon waking up to the news that the man she’d gone on a date with the previous night has been murdered, a young woman with only a faint memory of the night’s events begins to suspect that she murdered him while attempting to resist his advances.
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 & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMurder! (1930)
When actress Diana Baring is found in a daze beside her colleague’s murdered body, all evidence points to her guilt. During the trial, juror Sir John Menier doubts the verdict, but yields to pressure. Haunted by remorse, he launches his own investigation.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & crime
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939)
Having once again avoided criminal conviction, Professor Moriarity develops a murderous plan to “finish off” his last major nemesis, Sherlock Holmes, by making him fail to prevent the perfect crime. Does it involve a family curse, the crown jewels of England, or something else…
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisYoung and Innocent (1937)
When a young writer is falsely accused of murdering a famous actress, he escapes custody and joins forces with the daughter of a police constable to prove his innocence.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBatman: The Long Halloween Deluxe Edition (2022)
Atrocious serial killings on holidays in Gotham City send The World's Greatest Detective into action - confronting both organized crime and a unified front of classic DC Super-Villains - while attempting to stop the mysterious murderer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLady in the Lake (1946)
Private eye Phillip Marlowe wants to get out of the detective racket and into crime writing. But when he's called to the office of editor Adrienne Fromsett, it's not to talk about his story ideas — she wants him to locate the missing wife of her boss, Mr. Kingsby. The assignment quickly becomes complicated when bodies start turning up.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Mirror Crack'd (1980)
Jane Marple solves the mystery when a local woman is poisoned and a visiting movie star seems to have been the intended victim.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Limits of Control (2009)
A mysterious stranger works outside the law and keeps his objectives hidden, trusting no one. While his demeanor is paradoxically focused and dreamlike all at once, he embarks on a journey that not only takes him across Spain, but also through his own consciousness.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAurora Teagarden Mysteries: Heist and Seek (2020)
When a priceless crown is stolen during a benefit gala held by the Lawrenceton library, Aurora and the Real Murders Club must investigate who would kill to get their hands on it.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like this8MM (1999)
A small, seemingly innocuous plastic reel of film leads surveillance specialist Tom Welles down an increasingly dark and frightening path. With the help of the streetwise Max, he relentlessly follows a bizarre trail of evidence to determine the fate of a complete stranger. As his work turns into obsession, he drifts farther and farther away from his wife, family and simple life as a small-town PI.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisInvisible Man (1954)
When an invisible man is run down by a car it’s up to an eager young reporter and a strange clown to bring a dangerous gang to justice.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery & crime
12 (2007)
A loose remake of “12 Angry Men”, “12” is set in contemporary Moscow where 12 very different men must unanimously decide the fate of a young Chechen accused of murdering his step-father, a Russian army officer. Consigned to a makeshift jury room in a school gymnasium, one by one each man takes center stage to confront, connect, and confess while the accused awaits a verdict and revisits his heartbreaking journey through war in flashbacks.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAll the Real Girls (2003)
In a sleepy little mill town in North Carolina, Paul is the town Romeo. But when his best friend's sister returns home from boarding school, he finds himself falling for her innocent charm. In spite of her lack of experience and the violent protests of her brother, the two find themselves in a sweet, dreamy and all-consuming love.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
SnoozefestMovies like thisSomething Wicked This Way Comes (1983)
In a small American town, a diabolical circus arrives, granting wishes for the townsfolk, but twisted as only the esteemed Mr. Dark can make them. Can two young boys overcome the worst the devil himself can deal out?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRestless Natives (1985)
Two lads in Edinburgh embark on a non-violent spree of robberies. They dress up in clown masks and act as modern highwaymen, robbing coach loads of tourists in the highlands. In the process they become folk heroes to the locals.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime
He Who Gets Slapped (1924)
After a baron steals his scientific discoveries, runs away with his wife, and slaps him in public, a man joins a Parisian circus sideshow as a clown whose act consists of being slapped repeatedly and becomes infatuated with a showgirl colleague whose father intends to marry her off to the baron.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Man Who Laughs (1928)
When a proud noble refuses to kiss the hand of the despotic King James in 1690, he is cruelly executed and his son surgically disfigured.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBruges-La-Morte (1978)
The story of Paul who one day meets a young dancer who is the double of the dead wife he worships. Their meeting triggers a nightmare that takes him on a midnight journey through dark canals, memories, to a theater performance in a graveyard where he learns darker truths. Filmed on location in historic Bruges.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Meet Bitsy (TBA)
After inheriting a mysterious old clown doll from her late grandmother, a drifting twenty-something conducts a late-night ritual with friends and discovers that one of them is not who they seem.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery
Hide and Seek (2016)
In the film, a series of interesting events take place against the backdrop of the love between two young people in love - Farid and Gunel.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Painted Faces?
The closest matches to Painted Faces are Black Angel (1946), The Glass Key (1942) and Absolution (2024). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Painted Faces?
Start with Black Angel (1946), the closest match to Painted Faces.
What is the highest-rated movie like Painted Faces?
Batman: The Long Halloween, Part One (2021), rated 7.4/10 by 741 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Painted Faces?
Absolution (2024) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Painted Faces?
Yes: Black Angel (1946), The Glass Key (1942) and Absolution (2024).
How are movies similar to Painted Faces chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Painted Faces, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.