Movies like Down River (1931)
The best movies like Down River (1931) are The Public Enemy (1931), The Black Hole (1979) and The Lineup (1958). If Down River hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedMutiny on the Bounty (1935)7.4/10 from 417 votes
- NewestSpace/Time (2025)Released 2025
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
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Black Hole (1979)
The explorer craft USS Palomino is returning to Earth after a fruitless 18-month search for extra-terrestrial life when the crew comes upon a supposedly lost ship, the USS Cygnus, hovering near a black hole. The ship is controlled by Dr. Hans Reinhardt and his monstrous robot companion, but the initial wonderment and awe the Palomino crew feel for the ship and its resistance to the power of the black hole turn to horror as they uncover Reinhardt's plans.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe 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
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Man with the Golden Arm (1955)
When illegal card dealer and recovering heroin addict Frankie Machine gets out of prison, he decides to straighten up. Armed with nothing but an old drum set, Frankie tries to get honest work as a drummer. But when his former employer and his old drug dealer re-enter his life, Frankie finds it hard to stay clean and eventually finds himself succumbing to his old habits.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Set-Up (1949)
Expecting the usual loss, a boxing manager takes bribes from a betting gangster without telling his fighter.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAfter the Fox (1966)
A criminal mastermind sets up a phony film production as part of a plan to smuggle stolen gold.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMutiny on the Bounty (1935)
Fletcher Christian successfully leads a revolt against the ruthless Captain Bligh on the HMS Bounty. However, Bligh returns one year later, hell bent on revenge.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCutthroat Island (1995)
Morgan Adams and her slave, William Shaw, are on a quest to recover the three portions of a treasure map. Unfortunately, the final portion is held by her murderous uncle, Dawg. Her crew is skeptical of her leadership abilities, so she must complete her quest before they mutiny against her. This is made yet more difficult by the efforts of the British crown to end her pirate raids.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisSmokey and the Bandit (1977)
A race car driver tries to transport an illegal beer shipment from Texas to Atlanta in under 28 hours, picking up a reluctant bride-to-be on the way.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe 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
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCaptain Blood (1935)
Dr. Peter Blood, unjustly convicted of treason and exiled from England, becomes a notorious pirate.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Wild One (1953)
The Black Rebels Motorcycle Club ride into the small California town of Wrightsville, eager to raise hell. Brooding gang leader Johnny Strabler takes a liking to Kathie, the daughter of the local lawman, as another club rolls into town.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Bravados (1958)
Jim Douglass arrives in the small town of Rio Arriba in order to witness the hanging of the four men he believes murdered his wife. When the convicts escape, Jim tracks them into Mexico, determined to see that justice is done. But the farther Jim goes in his quest for vengeance, the more merciless he becomes, losing himself in an unrelenting spiral of hatred and violence.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhile the City Sleeps (1956)
Newspaper men compete against each other to find a serial killer dubbed "The Lipstick Killer".
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDark 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: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies 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
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSpace/Time (2025)
After a fatal test shuts down their project, a disgraced team of scientists enters the criminal underworld to rebuild a forbidden space-bending engine that could rescue humanity or annihilate it entirely.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Crimson Pirate (1952)
Burt Lancaster plays a pirate with a taste for intrigue and acrobatics who involves himself in the goings on of a revolution in the Caribbean in the late 1700s. A light hearted adventure involving prison breaks, an oddball scientist, sailing ships, naval fights and tons of swordplay.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies 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
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Breaking Point (1950)
A fisherman with money problems hires out his boat to transport criminals.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Down River?
The closest matches to Down River are The Public Enemy (1931), The Black Hole (1979) and The Lineup (1958). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Down River?
Start with The Public Enemy (1931), the closest match to Down River.
What is the highest-rated movie like Down River?
Mutiny on the Bounty (1935), rated 7.4/10 by 417 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Down River?
Space/Time (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Down River?
Yes: The Public Enemy (1931), The Black Hole (1979) and The Lineup (1958).
How are movies similar to Down River chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Down River, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.