Skip to content

Movies like Illegal Traffic (1938)

The best movies like Illegal Traffic (1938) are The Asphalt Jungle (1950), Plunder Road (1957) and Each Dawn I Die (1939). If Illegal Traffic hooked you with its drama and action, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.

Quick picks

  1. The 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 this
  2. Plunder Road (1957)

    A spectacular heist starts to unravel as the crooks take it on the lam.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  3. Each 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 crime & drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  4. Little 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 this
  5. Pushover (1954)

    A police detective falls for the bank robber's girlfriend he is supposed to be tailing.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  6. They 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 drama & crime

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  7. 5 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

  8. The 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 drama & crime

  9. The Rise (2012)

    After being released from prison for a crime he didn't commit, Harvey Miller has revenge on his mind. He recruits his three best friends to help him rob the local drug kingpin whose betrayal put him away in the first place.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & crime

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  10. The Roaring Twenties (1939)

    After World War I, Armistice Lloyd Hart goes back to practice law, former saloon keeper George Hally turns to bootlegging, and out-of-work Eddie Bartlett becomes a cab driver. Eddie builds a fleet of cabs through delivery of bootleg liquor and hires Lloyd as his lawyer. George becomes Eddie's partner and the rackets flourish until love and rivalry interfere.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  11. The Public Enemy (1931)

    Two young Chicago hoodlums, Tom Powers and Matt Doyle, rise up from their poverty-stricken slum life to become petty thieves, bootleggers and cold-blooded killers. But with street notoriety and newfound wealth, the duo feels the heat from the cops and rival gangsters both. Despite his ruthless criminal reputation, Tom tries to remain connected to his family, however, gang warfare and the need for revenge eventually pull him away.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  12. Batman (1943)

    Japanese master spy Daka operates a covert espionage-sabotage organization located in Gotham City's now-deserted Little Tokyo, which turns American scientists into pliable zombies. The great crime-fighters Batman and Robin, with the help of their allies, are in pursuit.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  13. 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 crime & action

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  14. Cry of the City (1948)

    Petty crook and cop-killer Martin Rome, in bad shape from wounds in the hospital prison ward, still refuses to help slimy lawyer Niles clear his client by confessing to another crime. Police Lt. Candella must check Niles' allegation; a friend of the Rome family, he walks a tightrope between sentiment and cynicism. When Martin fears Candella will implicate his girlfriend Teena, he'll do anything to protect her. How many others will he drag down to disaster with him?

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  15. Benji (2018)

    Two school kids strike up a friendship with an orphaned puppy named Benji. When danger befalls them and they end up kidnapped by robbers who are in over their heads, Benji and his scruffy sidekick come to the rescue.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & crime

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  16. The Mechanic (1972)

    Arthur Bishop is a veteran hit man who, owing to his penchant for making his targets' deaths seem like accidents, thinks himself an artist. It's made him very rich, but as he hits middle age, he's so depressed and lonely that he takes on one of his victim's sons, Steve McKenna, as his apprentice. Arthur puts him through a rigorous training period and brings him on several hits. As Steven improves, Arthur worries that he'll discover who killed his father.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  17. Odd Man Out (1947)

    Belfast police conduct a door-to-door manhunt for an IRA gunman wounded in a daring robbery.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  18. Thunder Road (1958)

    Unrepentant Tennessee moonshine runner Luke Doolin makes dangerous high-speed deliveries for his liquor-producing father, Vernon, but won't let his younger brother Robin join the family business. Under pressure from both out-of-town gangster Kogan, who wants a piece of the local action, and Treasury agent Barrett, who wants to destroy the moonshine business, Luke fights for his fast-fading way of life.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & action

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  19. Point Blank (1967)

    After being double-crossed and left for dead, a mysterious man named Walker single-mindedly tries to retrieve the rather inconsequential sum of money that was stolen from him.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  20. Framed (1947)

    Truck driver Mike Lambert is a down-and-out mining engineer searching for a job. When his rig breaks down in a small town, he happens upon a venomous seductress. When her boyfriend robs a bank, they intend to frame Lambert.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  21. 3:15 the Moment of Truth (1986)

    Violent crime is routine. Organized drug trade runs rampant in the face of powerless authority. And a vicious street gang holds dominion with a savage reign of terror. Welcome to Lincoln High! Here the cobras rule the school and everyone in it. Everyone except for Jeff Hanna.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & crime

  22. The Outsiders (1983)

    In 1960s Tulsa, class divisions ignite a violent rivalry between the working-class Greasers and the privileged Socs. When a deadly encounter forces two Greasers, Ponyboy and Johnny, to flee, their struggle for survival and redemption exposes the fragile innocence and enduring bonds of youth on the wrong side of town.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime & drama

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  23. Rumble Fish (1983)

    Absent-minded street thug Rusty James struggles to live up to his legendary older brother's reputation, and longs for the days of gang warfare.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime & drama

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  24. Torque (2004)

    Biker Cary Ford is framed by an old rival and biker gang leader for the murder of another gang member who happens to be the brother of Trey, leader of the most feared biker gang in the country. Ford is now on the run trying to clear his name from the murder with Trey and his gang looking for his blood.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & crime

  25. Calcutta (1946)

    Neale and Pedro fly cargo between Chungking and Calcutta. When their buddy Bill is murdered they investigate. Neale meets Bill's fiancée Virginia and becomes suspicious of a deeper plot while also falling for her charms.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime & drama

  26. The Salvation (2014)

    In 1870s America, a peaceful American settler kills his family's murderer which unleashes the fury of a notorious gang leader. His cowardly fellow townspeople then betray him, forcing him to hunt down the outlaws alone.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  27. Reservoir Dogs (1992)

    A botched robbery indicates a police informant, and the pressure mounts in the aftermath at a warehouse. Crime begets violence as the survivors -- veteran Mr. White, newcomer Mr. Orange, psychopathic parolee Mr. Blonde, bickering weasel Mr. Pink and Nice Guy Eddie -- unravel.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime

    Absolute CinemaMovies like this
  28. Iron Eagle III (1992)

    Chappy discovers a drug-smuggling scheme at his own air base. It turns out that the lives of some village people in Peru are at stake, and he decides to fly there with ancient airplanes and friends to free them.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action

  29. Best Guy (1990)

    Two pilots compete to be the best jet fighter. A commander with a troublesome past, a female director who wants a good scoop, a competition that is looking for their best guy.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action

  30. Courage Under Fire (1996)

    A US Army officer, who made a "friendly fire" mistake that was covered up, has been reassigned to a desk job. He is tasked to investigate a female chopper commander's worthiness to be awarded the Medal of Honor. At first all seems in order. But then he begins to notice inconsistencies between the testimonies of the witnesses...

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this

Like Illegal Traffic and something else?

Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best movies like Illegal Traffic?

The closest matches to Illegal Traffic are The Asphalt Jungle (1950), Plunder Road (1957) and Each Dawn I Die (1939). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.

What should I watch after Illegal Traffic?

Start with The Asphalt Jungle (1950), the closest match to Illegal Traffic.

What is the highest-rated movie like Illegal Traffic?

Reservoir Dogs (1992), rated 8.1/10 by 16,015 TMDB users.

What is the newest movie like Illegal Traffic?

Benji (2018) is the most recent release on this list.

Are there English movies like Illegal Traffic?

Yes: The Asphalt Jungle (1950), Plunder Road (1957) and Each Dawn I Die (1939).

How are movies similar to Illegal Traffic chosen?

First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Illegal Traffic, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.

↑ ↓ to move · Enter to open · Full search page