Movies like Shades (2013)
The best movies like Shades (2013) are The Lineup (1958), The Brotherhood of Justice (1986) and T-Men (1947). If Shades hooked you with its thriller, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedSafety Last! (1923)7.7/10 from 613 votes
- NewestKing of Dope (2026)Released 2026
The Lineup (1958)
In San Francisco, a psychopathic gangster and his mentor retrieve heroin packages carried by unsuspecting travelers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Brotherhood of Justice (1986)
High-school students start a vigilante group in their neighbourhood but, as their power increases, they become more abusive and dangerous.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisT-Men (1947)
Two T-men, U.S. Treasury agents, go undercover in Detroit, and then Los Angeles, in an attempt to break a U.S. currency counterfeiting ring.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhere the Day Takes You (1992)
King is a young man, but he's already a veteran of life on the streets of Los Angeles. The de facto leader of a group of teenage runaways, King acts as a mentor to troubled kids such as gay hustler Little J and junkie Greg. When Heather, a beautiful girl from Chicago, starts hanging out with King and his crew, it changes the dynamic of the gang. However, it seems as though nothing will alter their dangerous lifestyle.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Man Who Cheated Himself (1950)
A veteran homicide detective who has witnessed his socialite girlfriend kill her husband sees his inexperienced brother assigned to the case.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSafety Last! (1923)
When a store clerk organizes a contest to climb the outside of a tall building, circumstances force him to make the perilous climb himself.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBorder Incident (1949)
The story concerns two agents, one Mexican (PJF) and one American, who are tasked to stop the smuggling of Mexican migrant workers across the border to California. The two agents go undercover, one as a poor migrant.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Mirror Crack'd (1980)
Jane Marple solves the mystery when a local woman is poisoned and a visiting movie star seems to have been the intended victim.
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 thisThe Cassandra Crossing (1976)
Passengers on a European train have been exposed to a deadly disease, and nobody will let them off the train.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhat's the Matter with Helen? (1971)
Two middle-aged women move to Hollywood after their sons are convicted of a notorious murder and open a dance school for children eager to tap their way to stardom.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Good Thief (2003)
An aging gambler on a losing streak attempts to rob a casino in Monte Carlo. But someone's already tipped off the cops before he even makes a move.
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 thisThe Naked City (1948)
After a former model is drowned in her bathtub, Detective James Halloran and Lieutenant Dan Muldoon attempt to piece together her murder.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPickup on South Street (1953)
In New York City, an insolent pickpocket, Skip McCoy, inadvertently sets off a chain of events when he targets ex-prostitute Candy and steals her wallet. Unaware that she has been making deliveries of highly classified information to the communists, Candy, who has been trailed by FBI agents for months in hopes of nabbing the spy ringleader, is sent by her ex-boyfriend, Joey, to find Skip and retrieve the valuable microfilm he now holds.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSorry, Wrong Number (1948)
Leona Stevenson is confined to bed and uses her telephone to keep in contact with the outside world. One day she overhears a murder plot on the telephone and is desperate to find out who is the intended victim.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
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 thriller
SnoozefestMovies 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 thisBlack Angel (1946)
A falsely convicted man's wife, Catherine, and an alcoholic composer and pianist, Martin, team up in an attempt to clear her husband of the murder of a blonde singer, who is Martin's wife.
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 thisAttack Force (2006)
Marshall Lawson is the commander of an elite military unit. Marshall Lawson loses his strike-team in a cold-blooded and seemingly random attack, and he takes it upon himself to investigate the attack, with the help of his girlfriend Tia and his friend Dwayne.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisKing of Dope (2026)
Dawid is an ordinary boy who builds a legal drug empire and becomes an overnight millionaire. Sudden fame, beautiful women, fast cars, endless partying, confrontations with gangsters, and dealings at the highest levels of power—this is his new world, where the line between legal and illegal is as thin as the line in a mirror. When an ethical cop arrives, everything is at stake. Will Dawid be able to stop him before it's too late? Will love save him from ultimate collapse?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Toxic Lullaby (2010)
TOXIC LULLABY tells the story of Eloise, who wakes up in a destroyed, life threatening world after a bad drug trip. She joins a group of people, who like her, are motivated by the longing to flee this nightmare, but it's hard to tell who'll carry the day, the survivors or the zombies.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
A Woman Deceived (2017)
It’s been one year since Elizabeth’s husband, Bill, died in a tragic horseback riding accident and she is starting to move on. When she runs into Travis Brown, the cowboy she met the same weekend Bill died, the two immediately hit it off. Travis is just what Elizabeth needed to come into her life and they soon get married. When new evidence surfaces implying that Bill’s death wasn’t an accident, Elizabeth must find a way to protect herself and her son from the man she married.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
419 (2012)
When a New York City actor loses everything to an internet scam based in South Africa, his two best friends take him to Cape Town to track down the scammer. With the help of a charismatic local, their search begins promisingly, leading them into Cape Town's clubs, back alleys, and townships. But as they find themselves moving into darker territory, things prove to be not all that they seem, old rivalries flare up, and the limits of friendship are tested in ways the three men could never have imagined. Designed to look and feel like a documentary, 419 is a unique thriller about the mysteries of male friendship and the true cost of revenge.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Stray Dogs (2020)
After a man's beloved dog passes, he embarks on a backpacking trip with his brother to bury his dog where he found him. Along the way they encounter a stranger on the run who turns their world upside down. The brothers must unite in order to survive and finish the mission.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Embedded (2013)
A seasoned news correspondent and cameraman embed themselves with a posse that set off into the rugged wilderness of the Rocky Mountains to find a missing child who may become the next victim of what is believed to be a rogue grizzly...
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Tattoo (2002)
Marc Schrader, a rookie cop caught red-handed with drugs in a police raid of an illegal rave, joins a homicide investigation conducted by Chief Inspector Minks. The victim is a naked young woman with the skin stripped off her back, killed as she staggered into traffic. As Schrader and Minks investigate the murder, the case is complicated by a finger found in the stomach of the victim. Forensic examination proves the finger belongs to Nobert Günzel, who was previously convicted of rape and assault. The police raid Günzel’s residence, and discover a blood-stained table with restraints and bits of human flesh in his basement. They also find video equipment and preserved, tattooed skin from the victim’s back. Soon, they found dead bodies buried in the garden. Günzel then goes missing.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFinal (2016)
A film student has two days to turn in his thesis project. Find out what happens to him and his best friend Chet once they decide to investigate a haunted mansion for 25 thousand dollars.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Born to Fight (2004)
When a remote Thai village is overrun by terrorists armed with a nuclear missile, an elite undercover operative leads the most unique fighting force ever assembled in a heroic bid to save their nation.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Shades?
The closest matches to Shades are The Lineup (1958), The Brotherhood of Justice (1986) and T-Men (1947). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Shades?
Start with The Lineup (1958), the closest match to Shades.
What is the highest-rated movie like Shades?
Safety Last! (1923), rated 7.7/10 by 613 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Shades?
King of Dope (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Shades?
Yes: The Lineup (1958), The Brotherhood of Justice (1986) and T-Men (1947).
How are movies similar to Shades chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Shades, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.