Movies like Ben Johnson (2005)
The best movies like Ben Johnson (2005) are The Blue Lamp (1950), No Name on the Bullet (1959) and Oscar Shaw (2026). If Ben Johnson hooked you with its thriller and action, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedLaRoy, Texas (2024)6.8/10 from 200 votes
- NewestOscar Shaw (2026)Released 2026
- In MalayalamAyyappanum Koshiyum (2020)Also in Malayalam
The Blue Lamp (1950)
P.C. George Dixon is a long-serving traditional copper who is due to retire shortly. He takes a new recruit under his aegis and introduces him to the easy-going night beat. Dixon is a classic ordinary hero but also anachronistic, unprepared and unable to answer the violence of the 1950s.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNo Name on the Bullet (1959)
When hired killer John Gant rides into Lordsburg, the town's folk become paranoid as each leading citizen has enemies capable of using the services of a professional killer for personal revenge.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOscar Shaw (2026)
After retiring from the police force, a relentless detective haunted by the tragic loss of his closest friend sets out on a perilous quest for vengeance, seeking redemption and fighting to restore justice to the streets he once swore to protect.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAyyappanum Koshiyum (2020)
Ayyappan, a police officer, is an upright man who always strives to do the right thing. However, things change when a retired army havildar, Koshy, settles in his village and the two egos clash.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisChief of Station (2024)
After learning that the death of his wife was not an accident, a former CIA Station Chief is forced back into the espionage underworld, teaming up with an adversary to unravel a conspiracy that challenges everything he thought he knew.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIndemnity (2022)
An ex-fireman with PTSD goes on the run when accused of a crime he doesn't even remember committing, leading him down a rabbit hole of conspiracy to the highest degree.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRace with the Devil (1975)
Two couples vacationing together in an R.V. from Texas to Colorado are terrorized after they witness a murder during a Satanic ritual.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Quiller Memorandum (1966)
After two British Secret Intelligence Service agents are murdered at the hands of a cryptic neo-Nazi group known as Phoenix, the suave agent Quiller is sent to Berlin to investigate.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
SnoozefestMovies 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 thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Lady Vanishes (2013)
Young socialite Iris Carr befriends an older woman while traveling solo by train. When Iris wakes from a nap, the woman is gone and other passengers claim she never existed.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
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 thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisManiac (1963)
When a stranger enters a quiet, country town and is seduced by a sensuous married woman he unwittingly finds himself at the centre of a storm of sexual guilt and murder.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRorschach (2022)
When Luke Antony's wife goes missing, he sets off to search for her and stumbles upon the Balan family. However, terrorising events start occurring as Luke grows closer to them.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Truth About Emanuel (2013)
A troubled young woman becomes obsessed with her mysterious new neighbor, who bears a striking resemblance to the girl's dead mother.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDouble Threat (2022)
With ruthless mobsters on her tail, a young woman with a split personality becomes entangled with a man on a pilgrimage across the country to scatter his brother's ashes.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLaRoy, Texas (2024)
Broke and depressed, Ray is mistaken for a dangerous hitman and given an envelope of cash. Along with his P.I. friend Skip, he must escape the actual hitman to make it out of LaRoy alive.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
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 thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBlack Widow (1987)
Federal agent Alexandra Barnes believes that Catherine Petersen is a serial killer who marries rich men and then murders them for their money. But since Catherine is seemingly a master of disguise and has multiple identities, Alexandra can't prove anything with conventional detective work. With no other option, she goes undercover, pursuing the same man as Catherine, and hoping that Catherine will slip up and reveal her true identity.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRDX: Robert Dony Xavier (2023)
Once-menacing, anger fueled, trained martial arts fighters Robert, Dony and Xavier settle down to peaceful lives, after a significant event prompts them. Fate orchestrates their reunion and return from exile to their fighting ways, when their history linger ominously and one of them faces a violent attack.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRekhachithram (2025)
Having recently served a suspension for gambling online while on duty, Circle Inspector Vivek Gopinath rejoins the police force and is looking to reclaim his lost honour. Awaiting him is a 40-year-old, unresolved murder mystery with a faceless victim.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPasivadi Pranam (1987)
After his wife's death, Madhu lives in a drunken stupor until Raja, a child with hearing and speech impairment, enters his life. But Raja's parents' murderers are searching for him to hide the truth.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & thriller
Gudachari No.1 (1983)
Gudachari No.1 is action drama based movie in which, Vijay (Chiranjeevi) is a CBI agent who lives in Delhi. On a special operation, Vijay is sent a place where a gang involves in every illegal activity. Vijay job is to gain proofs against them and bring them to justice. Vijay succeeds in bursting the gang and in the due process, he meets Rekha (Radhika) and falls for her. Vijay manages to liquidate the boss of that gang and returns to Delhi with Rekha as his wife.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & thriller
C.B.I Shiva (1991)
Three educated but unemployed youths campaign for a politician and help him win an election. When the politician does not give them a job as promised, they hatch a plan to make him toe the line.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
Chanakya Shapadham (1986)
Chanakya Shapadham is action oriented movie in which, Chanakya (Chiranjeevi), a Customs officer at airport is the son of a Military Major (Kaikala Satyanarayana) who is about to be awarded Padmasree for his services. Chanakya catches the smuggling ring of Raogopal rao and in retaliation they prove that Chanakya
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
Kondaveeti Raja (1986)
Kondaveeti Raja is action drama based movie in which, Chiranjeevi played a role of archeologist in disguise of a village youth in this movie. Kondaveeti Raja In kondaveedu, there is an old fort and every one in that village believes that there is a hidden treasure inside.Raogopalrao, a rich man in the village, tries every possible way to explore that treasure. An archeological assistant ,Raja (Chiru) comes to this village in disguise as an ordinary youth in search of a job. He unearths the secret of this hidden treasure.Now Raja, becomes a problem for Raogopalrao by interfering in all his misdeeds.Unexpectedly Raja
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
Coolie No. 1 (1991)
Raju, a hardworking coolie who seeks revenge on an arrogant heiress, Ranjani, after she wrongly accuses him of rape and sends him to jail, leading to a clash between them.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
Thrimoorthulu (1987)
Thrimoorthulu is a 1987 Telugu film directed by K Murali Mohan Rao. The film stars Venkatesh, Arjun Sarja, Rajendra Prasad and Shobana in lead roles.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
Rakshakan (2007)
Mukundan faces many challenges when he has to solve all his financial liabilities just with the income he gets by running a garage.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
Evadaithe Nakenti (2007)
Major Surya, an honest army officer, returns home on leave only to discover that his father, a state minister, and corrupt family members are deeply entrenched in political crimes. Disgusted by the systemic rot, Surya enters politics to fight the corrupt establishment head-on, pitting father against son in a ruthless battle for justice.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
Ravanan (2007)
Ravanan movie tells the story of Varghese John (Kalabhavan Mani), who is a senior I P S officer of the Crime Branch and who has been specially deputed to solve two high profile murders.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
Like Ben Johnson and something else?
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Ben Johnson?
The closest matches to Ben Johnson are The Blue Lamp (1950), No Name on the Bullet (1959) and Oscar Shaw (2026). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Ben Johnson?
Start with The Blue Lamp (1950), the closest match to Ben Johnson.
What is the highest-rated movie like Ben Johnson?
LaRoy, Texas (2024), rated 6.8/10 by 200 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Ben Johnson?
Oscar Shaw (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Malayalam movies like Ben Johnson?
Yes: Ayyappanum Koshiyum (2020), Rorschach (2022) and RDX: Robert Dony Xavier (2023).
How are movies similar to Ben Johnson chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Ben Johnson, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.