Movies like Running on Empty (1991)
The best movies like Running on Empty (1991) are The Newton Boys (1998), Heat (1995) and The Getaway (1972). If Running on Empty 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 ratedHeat (1995)7.9/10 from 8,875 votes
- NewestThe Order (2024)Released 2024
The Newton Boys (1998)
The story of the Newton gang, the most successful bank robbers in history, owing to their good planning and minimal violence.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHeat (1995)
Obsessive master thief Neil McCauley leads a top-notch crew on various daring heists throughout Los Angeles while determined detective Vincent Hanna pursues him without rest. Each man recognizes and respects the ability and the dedication of the other even though they are aware their cat-and-mouse game may end in violence.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Getaway (1972)
A recently released ex-convict and his loyal wife go on the run after a heist goes wrong.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCradle 2 the Grave (2003)
Gang leader Tony pulls off a major diamond heist with his crew, but cop-turned-criminal Ling knows who has the loot and responds by kidnapping Tony's daughter and holding her for ransom. Unfortunately, Tony's lost the diamonds as well. As he frantically searches for his daughter and the jewels, Tony pairs with a high-kicking government agent who once worked with Ling and seeks revenge on him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPublic Enemies (2009)
Depression-era bank robber John Dillinger's charm and audacity endear him to much of America's downtrodden public, but he's also a thorn in the side of J. Edgar Hoover and the fledgling FBI. Desperate to capture the elusive outlaw, Hoover makes Dillinger his first Public Enemy Number One and assigns his top agent, Melvin Purvis, the task of bringing him in dead or alive.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTakers (2010)
A seasoned team of bank robbers, including Gordon Jennings, John Rahway, A.J., and brothers Jake and Jesse Attica successfully complete their latest heist and lead a life of luxury while planning their next job. When Ghost, a former member of their team, is released from prison he convinces the group to strike an armored car carrying $20 million. As the "Takers" carefully plot out their strategy and draw nearer to exacting the grand heist, a reckless police officer inches closer to apprehending the criminals.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSilverton Siege (2022)
After a failed sabotage mission, a trio of anti-apartheid freedom fighters ends up in a tense bank hostage situation. Based on a true story.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Town (2010)
A proficient group of thieves rob a bank and hold the manager hostage. Things begin to get complicated when one of the crew members falls in love with her.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
Worth the HypeMovies 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 thisHeist 88 (2023)
A criminal mastermind recruits a group of young bank employees to steal 80 million dollars in one of the largest bank heist in US history.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisParker (2013)
A thief with a unique code of professional ethics is double-crossed by his crew and left for dead. Assuming a new disguise and forming an unlikely alliance with a woman on the inside, he looks to hijack the score of the crew's latest heist.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDog Day Afternoon (1975)
Based on the true story of would-be Brooklyn bank robbers John Wojtowicz and Salvatore Naturile. Sonny and Sal attempt a bank heist which quickly turns sour and escalates into a hostage situation and stand-off with the police. As Sonny's motives for the robbery are slowly revealed and things become more complicated, the heist turns into a media circus.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisFace (1997)
Ray is an aging ex-socialist who has become a bankrobber after seeing the demise of socialism in 1980s Britain. Teaming up with a gang of other has-beenish crims, he commits one bank job too many. The gang dissolves in a murderous flurry of recriminations.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRobbery (1967)
In this fictionalised account of the Great Train Robbery, career criminal Paul Clifton plans an audacious crime: the robbery of a mail train carrying millions in cash.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Highwaymen (2019)
In 1934, Frank Hamer and Manny Gault, two former Texas Rangers, are commissioned to put an end to the wave of vicious crimes perpetrated by Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, a notorious duo of infamous robbers and cold-blooded killers who nevertheless are worshiped by the public.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Order (2024)
A string of violent robberies in the Pacific Northwest leads veteran FBI agent Terry Husk into a white supremacist plot to overthrow the federal government.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLittle Caesar (1931)
A small-time hood shoots his way to the top, but how long can he stay there?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLife Without Principle (2011)
A criminal, a bank clerk and a police officer find their destinies entwined when a loan shark gets assaulted after having withdrawn $10 million from the bank in the midst of the world financial crisis.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like this5 Against the House (1955)
Former war-time Army buddies now students in college decide to rip off a Reno casino.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisDriven (2019)
FBI informant Jim Hoffman lures troubled automobile magnate John DeLorean to an undercover sting for cocaine trafficking.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Swedish Torpedo (2024)
World War II is around the corner, but the only thing Sally Bauer can think of is the ocean. Her dream is to swim across the English Channel.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both history & drama
Kasoombo (2024)
Set amidst the picturesque landscapes of 14th-century Gujarat's Shetrunjay Hills, against the backdrop of Allauddin Khilji's menacing intent to pillage the sacred temples and cultural heritage of Shetrunjay, Dadu Barot stands resolute, leading a meager band against overwhelming opposition.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both history & drama
A Murderous Affair: The Carolyn Warmus Story (1992)
A married man meets a beautiful woman and they begin an affair.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime & drama
Kidnapped: The Hannah Anderson Story (2015)
On the afternoon of August 3, 2013, 16-year-old Hannah Anderson was abducted after finishing cheerleading practice in a San Diego suburb. When the bodies of her mother and brother were found in the burned home of family friend James DiMaggio later that day, an AMBER Alert was issued, and a frantic multi-state manhunt for Hannah began. For a week she was kept prisoner by the increasingly unstable DiMaggio as they made their way across the state. One week later, the two were found in Idaho and DiMaggio was killed in a shootout with FBI agents, leaving Hannah as the sole survivor. As the dust settled, questions began to emerge about the nature of the relationship between Hannah and her kidnapper...and what really happened?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime & drama
22 Minutes (2018)
Events happening in the 22 minutes before, during and after the explosions of the Thamrin bombings. Based on a true story.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & drama
The Night Stalker (2016)
An account of serial killer Richard Ramírez and his rampage in California during the mid-1980s.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime & drama
Play (2011)
In central Gothenburg, Sweden, a group of boys, aged 12-14, robbed other children on about 40 occasions between 2006 and 2008. The thieves used an elaborate scheme called the 'little brother number' or 'brother trick', involving advanced role-play and gang rhetoric rather than physical violence.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOperation Plazma in Osaka (1976)
Amidst Japan's postwar economic boom, yakuza factions in Osaka fight for survival when Japan's largest crime syndicate plans a hostile takeover.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & crime
Kleingeistganoven (2016)
Two friends are trying to plan the perfect crime, but they need more than an obsession with gangster movies to succeed.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime
Ted 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: Similar story and style · both crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Running on Empty?
The closest matches to Running on Empty are The Newton Boys (1998), Heat (1995) and The Getaway (1972). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Running on Empty?
Start with The Newton Boys (1998), the closest match to Running on Empty.
What is the highest-rated movie like Running on Empty?
Heat (1995), rated 7.9/10 by 8,875 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Running on Empty?
The Order (2024) is the most recent release on this list.
How are movies similar to Running on Empty chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Running on Empty, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.