Movies like Sex the Hard Way (1985)
The best movies like Sex the Hard Way (1985) are On Swift Horses (2025), Indecent Proposal (1993) and The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox (1976). If Sex the Hard Way hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Sex the Hard Way
Quick picks
- Highest ratedCasino (1995)8.0/10 from 6,875 votes
- NewestOn Swift Horses (2025)Released 2025
On Swift Horses (2025)
Returning from the Korean War, Lee wants to begin a new life with his wife Muriel in California. But when his charismatic brother Julius arrives, their lives begin to change. Julius’s rebellious streak rubs off on Muriel, who secretly steps into the world of race horse gambling. Here she meets a new lover, a fellow woman looking to break free from her restrictive life. Meanwhile, Julius travels to Las Vegas, where he falls in love with a young man he meets at the card tables.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIndecent Proposal (1993)
John Gage offers a down-on-his-luck yuppie husband $1 million for the opportunity to spend the night with the man's wife.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox (1976)
A female hustler is chasing after rich men, but becomes repeatedly mixed up with a suave con man and card shark through a series of misadventures before falling in love with him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 thisCalifornia Split (1974)
Carefree single guy Charlie Waters rooms with two lovely prostitutes, Barbara Miller and Susan Peters, and lives to gamble. Along with his glum betting buddy, Bill Denny, Charlie sets out on a gambling streak in search of the ever-elusive big payday. While Charlie and Bill have some lucky moments, they also have to contend with serious setbacks that threaten to derail their hedonistic betting binge.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJohnny O'Clock (1947)
When an employee at an illegal gambling den dies suspiciously, her sister, Nancy, looks into the situation and falls for Johnny O'Clock, a suave partner in the underground casino. Selfish and non-committal by nature, Johnny slowly begins to return Nancy's affection and decides to run away with her, but conflict within his business threatens their plans. As Johnny tries to distance himself from the casino, his shady past comes back to haunt him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTwo for the Money (2005)
A former college athlete joins forces with a sports consultant to handicap football games for high-rolling gamblers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMcCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971)
A gambler and a prostitute become thriving business partners in a remote Old West mining town until a large corporation arrives on the scene.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMississippi Grind (2015)
Gerry is a talented but down-on-his-luck gambler whose fortunes begin to change when he meets Curtis, a younger, highly charismatic poker player. The two strike up an immediate friendship and Gerry quickly persuades his new friend to accompany him on a road trip to a legendary high stakes poker game in New Orleans. As they make their way down the Mississippi River, Gerry and Curtis manage to find themselves in just about every bar, racetrack, casino, and pool hall they can find, experiencing both incredible highs and dispiriting lows, but ultimately forging a deep and genuine bond that will stay with them long after their adventure is over.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Shanghai Gesture (1941)
A gambling queen uses blackmail to stop a British financier from closing her Chinese clip joint.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisVegas Vacation (1997)
The Griswold family hits the road again for a typically ill-fated vacation, this time to the glitzy mecca of slots and showgirls—Las Vegas.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like this711 Ocean Drive (1950)
A telephone repairman in Los Angeles uses his knowledge of electronics to help a bookie set up a betting operation. After the bookie is murdered, the greedy technician takes over his business. He ruthlessly climbs his way to the top of the local crime syndicate, but then gangsters from a big East Coast mob show up wanting a piece of his action.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMolly's Game (2017)
Molly Bloom, a young skier and former Olympic hopeful becomes a successful entrepreneur (and a target of an FBI investigation) when she establishes a high-stakes, international poker game.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Hangover Part III (2013)
This time, there's no wedding. No bachelor party. What could go wrong, right? But when the Wolfpack hits the road, all bets are off.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLet It Ride (1989)
An average kind of guy who has a slight problem with gambling goes to the track, and mystically, it seems as though he can't lose, no matter how he bets; and he has an incredible day.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSwing Time (1936)
Lucky is tricked into missing his own wedding to Margaret and has to make $25,000 so her father will allow him to marry her. He and business partner Pop go to New York where they run into dancing instructor Penny. She and Lucky form a successful dance partnership, but romance is blighted by his old attachment to Margaret and hers for Ricky.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCasino (1995)
In Las Vegas, two best friends-a casino executive and a Mafia enforcer--compete for a gambling empire and a fast-living, fast-loving socialite.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisRat Race (2001)
In an ensemble film about easy money, greed, manipulation and bad driving, a Las Vegas casino tycoon entertains his wealthiest high rollers -- a group that will bet on anything -- by pitting six ordinary people against each other in a wild dash for $2 million jammed into a locker hundreds of miles away. The tycoon and his wealthy friends monitor each racer's every move to keep track of their favorites. The only rule in this race is that there are no rules.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFactotum (2005)
This drama centers on Hank Chinaski, the fictional alter-ego of "Factotum" author Charles Bukowski, who wanders around Los Angeles, CA trying to live off jobs which don't interfere with his primary interest, which is writing. Along the way, he fends off the distractions offered by women, drinking and gambling.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSplendor (1999)
Veronica is a white-bread beauty searching for a good man in Los Angeles. While slam dancing at a Halloween rave, she meets Abel, a sensitive poet. Then she meets Zed, a supersexy tattooed drummer with incredible biceps. Who will she choose? Does she go for true love or cheap sex? She can't decide so she chooses both. But after managing to nurture a picture-perfect threesome, along comes Ernest, a rich movie director with deep baby blues that sweep Veronica off her feet. What's a girl to do now?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
Like Sex the Hard Way and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Sex the Hard Way?
The closest matches to Sex the Hard Way are On Swift Horses (2025), Indecent Proposal (1993) and The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox (1976). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Sex the Hard Way?
Start with On Swift Horses (2025), the closest match to Sex the Hard Way.
What is the highest-rated movie like Sex the Hard Way?
Casino (1995), rated 8.0/10 by 6,875 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Sex the Hard Way?
On Swift Horses (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Sex the Hard Way?
Yes: On Swift Horses (2025), Indecent Proposal (1993) and The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox (1976).
How are movies similar to Sex the Hard Way chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Sex the Hard Way, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.