Movies like As Tears Go By (1988)
The best movies like As Tears Go By (1988) are Blue Story (2019), China Girl (1987) and Killer Heat (2024). If As Tears Go By hooked you with its drama and crime, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedElection 2 (2006)7.4/10 from 213 votes
- NewestKowloon Generic Romance (2025)Released 2025
Blue Story (2019)
Blue Story is a tragic tale of a friendship between Timmy and Marco, two young boys from opposing postcodes. Timmy, a shy, smart, naive and timid young boy from Deptford, goes to school in Peckham where he strikes up a friendship with Marco, a charismatic, streetwise kid from the local area. Although from warring postcodes, the two quickly form a firm friendship until it is tested and they wind up on rival sides of a street war. Blue Story depicts elements of Rapman's own personal experiences and aspects of his childhood.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisChina Girl (1987)
Teenage lovers Tony and Tyan-Hwa tip the balance of power in New York's Little Italy and Chinatown.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKiller Heat (2024)
An expat PI is hired to investigate a suspicious death in Crete, Greece, where jealousies run deep amongst the victim's powerful family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisElection 2 (2006)
As election time nears, current Triad chairman Lok faces competition from his godsons. At the same time, Jimmy looks to increase his business relations with mainland China.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMaster Z: Ip Man Legacy (2018)
Following his defeat by Master Ip, Cheung Tin Chi tries to make a life with his young son in Hong Kong, waiting tables at a bar that caters to expats. But it's not long before the mix of foreigners, money, and triad leaders draw him once again to the fight.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Mission (1999)
Triad boss Lung, who has just escaped being killed in an assassination attempt hires the killers Curtis, James, Mike, Roy and Shin for his protection.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisInfernal Affairs III (2003)
Triad gangster turned corrupt cop Lau Kin-ming goes to dangerous lengths to avoid detection.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSpecial ID (2013)
A career-long undercover Hong Kong cop is sent to Mainland China when his former protégé becomes the primary suspect in a murder.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMade in Hong Kong (1997)
After his father abandons the family, Autumn Moon drops out of high school and becomes a debt collector for the Triads. On his rounds, he meets and falls in love with Ping, a daughter of one of the Triads' clients. She is suffering from a fatal kidney disease, and to pay for her medical expenses, Autumn Moon takes an assassination contract, but as he slips deeper into the criminal underworld, he's haunted by a figure from his past.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAl Capone (1959)
In this unusually accurate biography, small-time hood Al Capone comes to Chicago at the dawn of Prohibition to be the bodyguard of racketeer Johnny Torrio. Capone's rise in Chicago gangdom is followed through murder, extortion, and political fraud. He becomes head of Chicago's biggest "business," but moves inexorably toward his downfall and ignominious end.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisElection (2005)
After losing an election to become chairman of the Wo Lin Shing triad, a gang leader lashes out and tries to seize the dragon-head baton, the official symbol of a chairman's authority.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Corruptor (1999)
Danny is a young cop partnered with Nick, a seasoned but ethically tainted veteran. As the two try to stop a gang war in Chinatown, Danny relies on Nick but grows increasingly uncomfortable with the way Nick gets things done.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSPL: Kill Zone (2005)
Chan, an articulate senior detective nearing the end of his career, is taking care of the daughter of a witness killed by ruthless crime lord Po. Martial arts expert Ma is set to take over as head of the crime unit, replacing Chan who wants an early retirement.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisState Property (2002)
A Philadelphia gang member becomes a drug kingpin and starts a feud with vicious rivals in his quest for the American Dream.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Enforcer (2022)
A noir thriller set in Miami, the film follows an enforcer who discovers his femme fatale boss has branched out into cyber sex trafficking, putting a young runaway he’s befriended at risk. He sacrifices everything to save the young girl from the deadly organization he’s spent his life building.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEl padrino: The Latin Godfather (2004)
In the streets of East Los Angeles, Manny is a formidable drug dealer. Impressed by his extravagant lifestyle and prowess, his young son, Kilo, yearns to follow in his footsteps. Kilo resolves to learn how to prosper in the drug world, and his new life as a dealer begins. In a world where a man wants everything, he may end up with nothing.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Grissom Gang (1971)
Violent crime caper set in 1930s Kansas in which a gang kidnap an heiress and attempt to recover a ransom. However, the scheme is jeopardised when the leader falls in love with their beautiful captive.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Crew (2008)
Hoping to raise enough capital to finance a legitimate business and leave behind his life of crime, Liverpool underworld boss Ged Brennan sends his brother Ratter and a crew to pull a daring final heist. But when Ratter kills a drug kingpin during the job, Brennan must turn to rival crook Franner to avert an all-out gangland war.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & 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 & drama
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 & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLung Fung Restaurant (1990)
Dragon, an ex-triad member, gets out jail and decides to go straight. However, his old friend Rubbish Pool and old boss Kent usually settles disputes with other gang leaders there, so Dragon has a hard time getting pass his old ways.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime & drama
Under-Cover Man (1932)
When his father is murdered, erstwhile conman Nick Darrow asks the cops if he can go undercover to find the killers, and maybe even stop a crime ring that has been plaguing the police. The sister of another innocent victim joins him as they infiltrate the syndicate. Any wrong move could lead to instant death.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & crime
We Are Faheem & Karun (2024)
Karun, a young security officer from South India, is stationed in Gurez, a remote village in Kashmir. One day, a charming man named Faheem comes to the check post and meets Karun. This marks the beginning of a romance, which, from the outset, is doomed – Faheem, bound by the societal taboos surrounding homosexuality in the context of his religion, cannot live openly, while Karun, due to the constraints of his profession, must also hide his true self. The film explores the intersection of love, identity, and repression in a region steeped in conflict.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
Gray Wall Gear (2022)
The stage of this work is Saitama, a suburb of Tokyo in the early Heisei period. Immediately after the bubble burst gangster countermeasures law, there were gangsters who defended the last territory and young people who freely controlled the city. The youth conflict escalated day by day and became a force that surpassed the yakuza, and the runaways were sent to juvenile prisons one after another, where exclusive rules awaited.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & crime
8 Vasantalu (2025)
A talented karate student embarks on a journey of self-discovery where she experiences both love and loss.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
Kowloon Generic Romance (2025)
Welcome to Kowloon Walled City: a dystopian townscape where the people are brimming with nostalgia, and where the past, present, and future converge. Amid the hidden emotions and extraordinary daily lives of the men and women working in its confines, a tale of romance begins to unfold for real estate agent Reiko Kujirai―one that feels as familiar as Kowloon itself…
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance & drama
They Gave Him a Gun (1937)
With no other prospects, a World War I veteran puts the skills they taught him in the War to use.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime & drama
I've Got Your Number (1934)
Two telephone repairmen have many adventures and romance a pair of blondes.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance & crime
Dr. Broadway (1942)
A New York doctor saves a chorus girl from a window ledge, twice, and rounds up racketeers.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime & drama
Good Grief (2023)
When his husband unexpectedly dies, Marc's world shatters, sending him and his two best friends on a soul-searching trip to Paris that reveals some hard truths they each needed to face.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like As Tears Go By?
The closest matches to As Tears Go By are Blue Story (2019), China Girl (1987) and Killer Heat (2024). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after As Tears Go By?
Start with Blue Story (2019), the closest match to As Tears Go By.
What is the highest-rated movie like As Tears Go By?
Election 2 (2006), rated 7.4/10 by 213 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like As Tears Go By?
Kowloon Generic Romance (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
How are movies similar to As Tears Go By chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside As Tears Go By, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.