Movies like The Brain (1969)
The best movies like The Brain (1969) are Hold-up (1985), That Darn Cat! (1965) and Tough Guys (1986). If The Brain hooked you with its crime and comedy, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Sting (1973)8.0/10 from 3,173 votes
- NewestWho Did It? (2026)Released 2026
- In FrenchHold-up (1985)Also in French
Hold-up (1985)
Dressed as a clown, the clever rascal Grimm holds up the most secure bank of Montreal and takes 30 hostages. While confusing and ridiculing the police with his strange behavior, he calmly manages to rid the bank of a fortune. But then an unsatisfied companion arouses trouble...
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThat Darn Cat! (1965)
A young woman suspects foul play when her cat comes home wearing a wristwatch. Convincing the FBI, though, and catching the bad guys is tougher than she imagined.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTough Guys (1986)
Harry Doyle and Archie Lang are two old-time train robbers, who held up a train in 1956 and have been incarcerated for thirty years. After serving their time, they are released from jail and have to adjust to a new life of freedom. and soon realize that they still have the pizzazz when, picking up their prison checks at a bank, they foil a robbery attempt.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisQuick Change (1990)
With the aid of his girlfriend, Phyllis Potter, and best friend, Loomis, Grimm enters a Manhattan bank dressed as a clown, creates a hostage situation and executes a flawless robbery. The only thing left for the trio to do is make their getaway out of the city and to the airport. It sounds simple enough, but it seems that fate deserts them immediately after the bank heist. One mishap after another conspires to keep these robbers from reaching freedom.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBandits (2001)
After escaping from prison, Joe and Terry go on a crime spree, robbing banks through Oregon and California in order to finance their scheme for a new life south of the border. Unfortunately, things get more complicated when they meet Kate, who runs into them with her car. She joins the bandits on their cross-country spree, and eventually she steals something, too: their hearts.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Lavender Hill Mob (1951)
A meek bank clerk who oversees the shipments of bullion joins with an eccentric neighbor to steal gold bars and smuggle them out of the country.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTaxi 2 (2000)
A cabdriver and a cop race to Paris to rescue a love interest and the Japanese minister of defense from kidnappers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMad Money (2008)
Three female employees of the Federal Reserve plot to steal money that is about to be destroyed.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGuardian Angels (1995)
A sleazy Paris nightclub owner and ex-detective flies to Hong Kong to rescue the young son of a friend murdered by the Chinese mob.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTaxi (1998)
In Marseilles a skilled pizza delivery boy Daniel who drives a scooter finally has his dreams come true. He gets a taxi license. Caught by the police for a huge speed infraction, he will help Emilien, a loser inspector who can't drive, on the track of German bank robbers, so he doesn't lose his license and his dream job.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLift (2024)
An international heist crew, led by Cyrus Whitaker, race to lift $500 million in gold from a passenger plane at 40,000 feet.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBuffet Froid (1979)
Alphonse Tram is unwittingly involved in several murders despite having no memory of committing the crimes. His confusion lead him to confess to his neighbour, Inspector Morvandieu. Alphonse and Morvandieu become the axis around which murders occur.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Pink Panther (2006)
When the coach of the France football team is killed by a poisoned dart in the stadium at the end of a game, and his huge, expensive ring with the Pink Panther diamond disappears, the ambitious Chief Inspector Dreyfus assigns the worst police inspector – Jacques Clouseau – to the case.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & crime
SnoozefestMovies like thisBandidas (2006)
When a ruthless robber baron takes away everything they cherish, a rough-and-tumble, idealistic peasant and a sophisticated heiress embark on a quest for justice, vengeance…and a few good heists.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNow You See Me (2013)
An FBI agent and an Interpol detective track a team of illusionists who pull off bank heists during their performances and reward their audiences with the money.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Cat in Paris (2010)
A thrilling mystery that unfurls in the alleys and on the rooftops of the French capital, Paris, over the course of one adventurous evening.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOcean's Twelve (2004)
Despite pulling off one of the biggest heists in Las Vegas history and splitting the $160 million take, each of the infamous Ocean's crew have tried to go straight, lay low and live a legit life... but that's proven to be a challenge. Casino owner Terry Benedict demands that Danny Ocean return the money, plus millions more in interest. Unable to come up the cash, the crew is forced to come together to pull off another series of heists, this time in Rome, Paris, and Amsterdam – but a Europol agent is hot on their heels.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDog Gone (2008)
A courageous boy battles a gang of bumbling thieves to rescue a dog carrying a fortune in stolen diamonds.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Big Risk (1960)
Two men pull off a daring daylight payroll heist in Milan, making a fast getaway. One is returning to France after years in hiding, needing money to start fresh with his family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisUnion Station (1950)
Police catch a break when suspected kidnappers are spotted on a train heading towards Union Station. Police, train station security and a witness try to piece together the crime and get back the blind daughter of a rich business man.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGigli (2003)
Gigli is ordered to kidnap the psychologically challenged younger brother of a powerful federal prosecutor. When plans go awry, Gigli's boss sends in Ricki, a gorgeous free-spirited female gangster who has her own set of orders to assist with the kidnapping. But Gigli begins falling for the decidedly unavailable Ricki, which could be a hazard to his occupation.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & crime
SnoozefestMovies like thisBand of Outsiders (1964)
Cinephile slackers Franz and Arthur spend their days mimicking the antiheroes of Hollywood noirs and Westerns while pursuing the lovely Odile. The misfit trio upends convention at every turn, be it through choreographed dances in cafés or frolicsome romps through the Louvre. Eventually, their romantic view of outlaws pushes them to plan their own heist, but their inexperience may send them out in a blaze of glory -- which could be just what they want.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWelcome to Collinwood (2002)
Five hapless inner-city low-lifes attempt to burgle a pawnbroker's safe, but end up being plagued by bad luck.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMy Mom's New Boyfriend (2008)
After several years away, FBI agent Henry Durand returns to find his mother, Marty, a much different person: Having long mourned for Henry's father, she is now embracing single life. One day, while Marty, Henry and his new fiancée, Emily, are out for a walk, they meet Tommy, a mysterious stranger with whom Marty then becomes involved. However, through his FBI contacts, Henry learns that Tommy is suspected of being an art thief. As a young federal agent, Henry is given a difficult assignment: spy on his mother and her boyfriend who is suspected of leading a gang of art thieves.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & crime
SnoozefestMovies like thisWho Did It? (2026)
A group of criminals meet to organise a heist. The meeting goes wrong and now it's every man for himself...
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & crime
The Sting (1973)
A novice con man teams up with an acknowledged master to avenge the murder of a mutual friend by pulling off the ultimate big con and swindling a fortune from a big-time mobster.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & crime
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisMy Super Ex-Girlfriend (2006)
When New York architect Matt Saunders dumps his new girlfriend Jenny Johnson—a smart, sexy, and reluctant superhero known as G-Girl—she uses her powers to make his life a living hell.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Devil's Own (1997)
Frankie McGuire, one of the IRA's deadliest assassins, draws an American family into the crossfire of terrorism. But when he is sent to the U.S. to buy weapons, Frankie is housed with the family of Tom O'Meara, a New York cop who knows nothing about Frankie's real identity. Their surprising friendship, and Tom's growing suspicions, forces Frankie to choose between the promise of peace or a lifetime of murder.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPanic Room (2002)
Trapped in their New York brownstone's panic room, a hidden chamber built as a sanctuary in the event of break-ins, newly divorced Meg Altman and her young daughter Sarah play a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with three intruders - Burnham, Raoul and Junior - during a brutal home invasion. But the room itself is the focal point because what the intruders really want is inside it.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisManhattan Night of Murder (1965)
Second Jerry Cotton movie. A ring of gangsters has been terrorizing New York City. Special agent Jerry Cotton is summoned by the FBI to help crack down on the Criminals and put them out of business. He doesnt pull any punches either.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime
Like The Brain and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Brain?
The closest matches to The Brain are Hold-up (1985), That Darn Cat! (1965) and Tough Guys (1986). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Brain?
Start with Hold-up (1985), the closest match to The Brain.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Brain?
The Sting (1973), rated 8.0/10 by 3,173 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Brain?
Who Did It? (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there French movies like The Brain?
Yes: Hold-up (1985), Taxi 2 (2000) and Guardian Angels (1995).
How are movies similar to The Brain chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Brain, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.