Movies like Underworld U.S.A. (1961)
The best movies like Underworld U.S.A. (1961) are Quicksand (1950), Crime Wave (1953) and The Sniper (1952). If Underworld U.S.A. hooked you with its crime and thriller, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedGun Crazy (1950)7.4/10 from 323 votes
- Newest180 (2026)Released 2026
Quicksand (1950)
Young auto mechanic Dan Brady takes $20 from a cash register at work to go on a date with blonde femme fatale Vera Novak. Brady intends to put the money back before it is missed, but the garage's bookkeeper shows up earlier than scheduled. As Brady scrambles to cover evidence of his petty theft, he fast finds himself drawn into an ever worsening "quicksand" of crime.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCrime Wave (1953)
Reformed parolee Steve Lacey is caught in the middle when a wounded former cellmate seeks him out for shelter. The other two former cellmates then attempt to force him into doing a bank job.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Sniper (1952)
Eddie Miller struggles with his hatred of women, he's especially bothered by seeing women with their lovers. He starts a killing spree as a sniper by shooting women from far distances. In an attempt to get caught, he writes an anonymous letter to the police begging them to stop him.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Good Die Young (1954)
An amoral, psychotic playboy incites three men who are down on their luck to commit a mail van robbery, which goes badly wrong.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller & crime
Undertow (1949)
Undertow stars Scott Brady as a gambler just out of wartime military service. No longer interested in wagers and speculations, Brady wants only to open up a mountain vacation lodge. Before this can take place, Brady is framed for murder, and forced to hide out in the home of Peggy Dow. With the help of Dow and a policeman friend, Brady searches for the real murderer. Watch carefully in Undertow and you'll spot new Universal contractee "Roc" Hudson as a plainclothes detective.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller
The Big Steal (1949)
Army Lieutenant Halliday, accused of stealing the Army payroll, pursues the real thief on a frantic chase through Mexico aided by the thief's ex-girlfriend and is in turn being chased by his accuser, Capt. Blake.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSide Street (1950)
A struggling young father-to-be gives in to temptation and impulsively steals an envelope of money from the office of a corrupt attorney. Instead of a few hundred dollars, it contains $30,000. When he decides to return the money, things go wrong - and that is only the beginning of his troubles.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies 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: Fans watch both · both crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBodyguard (1948)
A cop on suspension is framed for murder when he noses in on a murder investigation.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller & crime
Inflatable Sex Doll of the Wastelands (1967)
A wealthy real estate investor is forced to watch the rape of his girlfriend and then is sent a film showing the fact. He hires a hitman, Sho, and shows him the film, so that the detective can get rid of the criminals. But the boss of the criminal band is Ko, Sho's archnemesis, who raped and murdered his girlfriend.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime
Cry Danger (1951)
After serving five years of a life sentence, Rocky Mulloy hopes to clear his friend who's still in prison for the same crime.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNaked Alibi (1954)
Questioned as a murder suspect, solid (but drunk) citizen Al Willis attacks his police questioners, is beaten, and swears vengeance against them. Next night, Lieut. Parks is murdered; Willis is the only suspect in the eyes of tough Chief Conroy, who pursues him doggedly despite lack of evidence. The obsessed Conroy is dismissed from the force, but continues to harass Willis, who flees to a sleazy town on the Mexican border. Of course, Conroy follows. But which is crazy, Conroy or Willis?
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisArmored Car Robbery (1950)
While executing an armored car heist in Los Angeles, icy crook Dave Purvis shoots policeman Lt. Phillips before he and his cronies make off with the loot. Thinking he got away scot-free, Purvis collects his money-crazy mistress, Yvonne, then disposes of his partners and heads out of town. What Purvis doesn't know is that Phillips' partner, tough-as-nails Lt. Cordell, is wise to the criminal's plans and is closing in on his prey.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThieves' Highway (1949)
Nick Garcos comes back from his tour of duty in World War II planning to settle down with his girlfriend, Polly Faber. He learns, however, that his father was recently beaten and burglarized by mob-connected trucker Mike Figlia, and Nick resolves to get even. He partners with prostitute Rica, and together they go after Mike, all the while getting pulled further into the local crime underworld.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBorderline (1950)
The Los Angeles police know that Pete Ritchie has been bringing drugs into the city, but they can't pin a single piece of evidence on him. After many botched attempts to get at the crook, they resort to having cop Madeleine go undercover and seduce her way into Ritchie's circle. Before she can get anywhere, she's abducted by Johnny, a government agent posing as a thug. But Johnny and Madeleine have no idea they're on the same side of the law.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & thriller
The Price of Fear (1956)
A co-owner of a race track goes on the run after witnessing something he shouldn't have at the track.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & thriller
Edge of Doom (1950)
A Catholic priest finds himself investigating the murder of his colleague.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & thriller
Dark City (1950)
War hero Danny Haley fleeces out-of-town dupes in a rigged poker game. He and his pals see Arthur Winant as an easy mark, but they've reckoned without Winant's homicidal brother, who wants revenge after Arthur commits suicide.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Web (1947)
A brash young lawyer takes a short-term, high-paying job as bodyguard for a slick business exec being threatened by a former partner, and quickly realizes he may be in over his head.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGun Crazy (1950)
Bart Tare, an ex-Army man who has a lifelong fixation with guns, meets a kindred spirit in sharpshooter Annie Starr and goes to work at a carnival alongside her. After upsetting the carnival owner who lusts after Starr, they both get fired. Soon, at Starr's behest, the couple embarks on a crime spree for cash.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisNew York Confidential (1955)
Story follows the rise and subsequent fall of the notorious head of a New York crime family, who decides to testify against his pals in order to avoid being killed by his fellow cohorts.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime
Detour (1945)
The life of Al Roberts, a pianist in a New York nightclub, turns into a nightmare when he decides to hitchhike to Los Angeles to visit his girlfriend.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisInterpol (1957)
Spurred on by the death of his drug-addicted sister at the hands of ruthless narcotics kingpin Frank McNally, U.S. drug enforcement agent Charles Sturgis embarks on an investigation that takes him from New York to London, Lisbon, Rome, Naples and finally Athens in pursuit of McNally's shapely associate, Gina Broger.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime
The Lineup (1958)
In San Francisco, a psychopathic gangster and his mentor retrieve heroin packages carried by unsuspecting travelers.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMurder by Contract (1958)
Claude is a ruthless and efficient contract killer. His next target, a woman, is the most difficult.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTokyo Joe (1949)
An American veteran returns to Tokyo to try to pick up the threads of his pre-World War II life there, but finds himself squeezed between criminals and the authorities.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHe Ran All the Way (1951)
A crook on the run hides out in an innocent girl's apartment.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like this180 (2026)
When an unexpected road rage incident puts his son in critical condition, an enraged father spirals down a dark path of emotional turmoil and vengeance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & crime
SnoozefestMovies like thisM (1951)
In the city, someone is murdering children. The police search is so intense, it is disturbing the 'normal' criminals, and the local hoods decide to help find the murderer as quickly as possible.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & thriller
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 thriller & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Underworld U.S.A.?
The closest matches to Underworld U.S.A. are Quicksand (1950), Crime Wave (1953) and The Sniper (1952). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Underworld U.S.A.?
People who watched Underworld U.S.A. most often go on to Quicksand (1950), Crime Wave (1953) and The Sniper (1952).
What is the highest-rated movie like Underworld U.S.A.?
Gun Crazy (1950), rated 7.4/10 by 323 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Underworld U.S.A.?
180 (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Underworld U.S.A.?
Yes: Quicksand (1950), Crime Wave (1953) and The Sniper (1952).
How are movies similar to Underworld U.S.A. chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Underworld U.S.A., then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.