Movies like Crime Wave (2018)
The best movies like Crime Wave (2018) are Porridge (1979), How to Rob a Bank (2007) and Operation Merry Christmas: The Elf Con (2021). If Crime Wave hooked you with its comedy and crime, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Heist of the Century (2020)7.7/10 from 879 votes
- NewestThe Thursday Murder Club (2025)Released 2025
- In SpanishOperation Merry Christmas: The Elf Con (2021)Also in Spanish
Porridge (1979)
Times are hard for habitual guest of Her Majesty Norman Stanley Fletcher. The new prison officer, Beale, makes MacKay look soft and what's more, an escape plan is hatching from the cell of prison godfather Grouty and Fletcher wants no part of it.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHow to Rob a Bank (2007)
Caught in the middle of a bank robbery, a slacker and a bank employee become the ones who arbitrate the intense situation.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & crime
SnoozefestMovies like thisOperation Merry Christmas: The Elf Con (2021)
The plan of three small-time pickpockets to pull the heist of their lives during Christmas, posing as elves in a Christmas show in one of the most exclusive shopping centers in the city where they will collect private information from some wealthy families, then rob their homes while they enjoy their December vacation.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisJohnny Dangerously (1984)
An honest, goodhearted man is forced to turn to a life of crime to finance his neurotic mother's skyrocketing medical bills.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisShadow of the Thin Man (1941)
While attending a major horse race with their young son, Nick Jr., Nick and Nora Charles witnesse a shocking murder from the crowded grandstand. What first appears to be an isolated killing soon leads to a maze of corruption, blackmail, gambling scandals, and criminal intrigue. As Nick investigates, he encounters suspicious bookmakers, dishonest officials, rival gangsters, and a mysterious killer determined to stay ahead of the law. Nora, as always, is never far from the action, bringing her quick wit and fearless curiosity to the case.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Cheap Detective (1978)
A spoof of the entire 1940s detective genre. San Francisco private detective, Lou Pekinpaugh is accused of murdering his partner at the instigation of his mistress—his partner's wife.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOscar (1991)
Angelo "Snaps" Provolone made his dying father a promise on his deathbed: he would leave the world of crime and become an honest businessman. Despite having no experience in making money in a legal fashion, Snaps sets about to keep his promise.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & crime
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 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: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDon't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood (1996)
When Ashtray moves to South Central L.A. to live with his father (who appears to be the same age he is) and grandmother (who likes to talk tough and smoke reefer), he falls in with his gang-banging cousin Loc Dog, who along with the requisite pistols and Uzi carries a thermo-nuclear warhead for self-defense. Will Ashtray be able to keep living the straight life?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisStark Raving Mad (2002)
A crook quietly plots his revenge against the boss who murdered his brother while working for him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBatman and Harley Quinn (2017)
Batman and Nightwing are forced to team with the Joker's sometimes-girlfriend Harley Quinn to stop a global threat brought about by Poison Ivy and Jason Woodrue, the Floronic Man.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Heist of the Century (2020)
In 2006, a group of thieves performed what is considered one of the most famous and smart bank heists in the history of Argentina. How they robbed the Rio bank is as surprising as what happened afterwards. This is their story.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Thursday Murder Club (2025)
A group of senior sleuths passionate about solving cold cases get plunged into a real-life murder mystery in this comic crime caper.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHeroic Losers (2019)
In a town in the Northwest of the province of Buenos Aires, a group of neighbors is organized to recover the economy of the area, but when the corralito is implemented in the country and they suffer a fraud, their hopes disappear. Now, they will unite to recover the lost money and give the blow of their lives to their greatest enemy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGotcha! (1985)
A student on a trip to France is tricked into smuggling secrets across the Iron Curtain by a sexy spy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHomo Argentum (2025)
The film consists of 16 shorts that explore, with humor and social criticism, the characteristics of the Argentine identity.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThunderstruck (2012)
After NBA star Kevin Durant switches talent with 16 year old Brian, the teenager becomes the star of his high school team, but Durant starts struggling and eventually learns an important lesson.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Seven-Ups (1973)
A tough detective who is part of an elite New York City unit is trying to find out who killed his partner, but uncovers a plot to kidnap mobsters for money.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Blue Gardenia (1953)
Upon waking up to the news that the man she’d gone on a date with the previous night has been murdered, a young woman with only a faint memory of the night’s events begins to suspect that she murdered him while attempting to resist his advances.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Crime Wave?
The closest matches to Crime Wave are Porridge (1979), How to Rob a Bank (2007) and Operation Merry Christmas: The Elf Con (2021). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Crime Wave?
Start with Porridge (1979), the closest match to Crime Wave.
What is the highest-rated movie like Crime Wave?
The Heist of the Century (2020), rated 7.7/10 by 879 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Crime Wave?
The Thursday Murder Club (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Spanish movies like Crime Wave?
Yes: Operation Merry Christmas: The Elf Con (2021), The Heist of the Century (2020) and Heroic Losers (2019).
How are movies similar to Crime Wave chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Crime Wave, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.