Movies like Taking Back Detroit (1980)
The best movies like Taking Back Detroit (1980) are Searching for Sugar Man (2012), Hoffa (1992) and Detroit (2017). If Taking Back Detroit hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Taking Back Detroit
Quick picks
- Highest ratedSearching for Sugar Man (2012)7.9/10 from 1,087 votes
- NewestMotor City (2026)Released 2026
Searching for Sugar Man (2012)
Two South Africans set out to discover what happened to their unlikely musical hero, the mysterious 1970s rock 'n' roller, Rodriguez.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisHoffa (1992)
A portrait of union leader James R. Hoffa, as seen through the eyes of his friend, Bobby Ciaro. The film follows Hoffa through his countless battles with the RTA and President Roosevelt.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDetroit (2017)
A police raid in Detroit in 1967 results in one of the largest citizens' uprisings in the history of the United States.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGimme Danger (2016)
No other band in rock'n'roll history has rivaled The Stooges' combination of heavy primal throb, spiked psychedelia, blues-a-billy grind, complete with succinct angst-ridden lyrics, and a snarling, preening leopard of a frontman who somehow embodies Nijinsky, Bruce Lee, Harpo Marx, and Arthur Rimbaud all rolled into one. There is no precedent for The Stooges, while those inspired by them are now legion. The film will present the context of their emergence musically, culturally, politically, historically, and relate their adventures and misadventures while charting their inspirations and the reasons behind their initial commercial challenges, as well as their long-lasting legacy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWidows (2018)
A police shootout leaves four thieves dead during an explosive armed robbery attempt in Chicago. Their widows have nothing in common except a debt left behind by their spouses' criminal activities. Hoping to forge a future on their own terms, they join forces to pull off a heist.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like this8 Mile (2002)
For Jimmy Smith, Jr., life is a daily fight just to keep hope alive. Feeding his dreams in Detroit's vibrant music scene, Jimmy wages an extraordinary personal struggle to find his own voice - and earn a place in a world where rhymes rule, legends are born and every moment… is another chance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMotor City (2026)
In 1970s Detroit, John Miller falls for a local gangster's girl and lands in prison for a crime he didn't commit. With his life ruined, Miller plots revenge against the man who took his girl away.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNo Sudden Move (2021)
A group of criminals are brought together under mysterious circumstances and have to work together to uncover what's really going on when their simple job goes completely sideways.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBrick Mansions (2014)
In a dystopian Detroit, grand houses that once housed the wealthy are now homes of the city's most-dangerous criminals. Surrounding the area is a giant wall to keep the rest of Detroit safe. For undercover cop Damien Collier, every day is a battle against corruption as he struggles to bring his father's killer, Tremaine, to justice. Meanwhile, Damien and an ex-con named Lino work together to save the city from a plot to destroy it.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisFour Brothers (2005)
Four adopted brothers return to their Detroit hometown when their mother is murdered and vow to exact revenge on the killers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Crow (1994)
Exactly one year after young rock guitarist Eric Draven and his fiancée are brutally killed by a ruthless gang of criminals, Draven, watched over by a hypnotic crow, returns from the grave to exact revenge.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisChloe (2010)
Catherine and David Stewart are a well-to-do couple living in a posh area of Toronto, but all is not well in paradise. Catherine suspects that David is cheating on her, so she hires an escort named Chloe to meet David and see if he gives in to temptation — but events spin out of control when Chloe spills the details of her torrid encounters.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRoboCop (2014)
In RoboCop, the year is 2028 and multinational conglomerate OmniCorp is at the center of robot technology. Overseas, their drones have been used by the military for years, but have been forbidden for law enforcement in America. Now OmniCorp wants to bring their controversial technology to the home front, and they see a golden opportunity to do it. When Alex Murphy – a loving husband, father and good cop doing his best to stem the tide of crime and corruption in Detroit – is critically injured, OmniCorp sees their chance to build a part-man, part-robot police officer. OmniCorp envisions a RoboCop in every city and even more billions for their shareholders, but they never counted on one thing: there is still a man inside the machine.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisCity of Ember (2008)
For generations, the people of the City of Ember have flourished in an amazing world of glittering lights. But Ember's once powerful generator is failing and the great lamps that illuminate the city are starting to flicker. Now, two teenagers, in a race against time, must search Ember for clues that will unlock the ancient mystery of the city's existence, before the the lights go out forever.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEscape from Pretoria (2020)
South Africa, 1978. Tim Jenkin and Stephen Lee, two white political activists from the African National Congress imprisoned by the apartheid regime, put a plan in motion to escape from the infamous Pretoria Prison.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTucker: The Man and His Dream (1988)
Ypsilanti, Michigan, 1945. Engineer Preston Tucker dreams of designing the car of future, but his innovative envision will be repeatedly sabotaged by his own unrealistic expectations and the Detroit automobile industry tycoons.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisI Shot Andy Warhol (1996)
The story of Valerie Solanas, a '60s radical who preached misandry in her "SCUM" manifesto. She wrote a screenplay for a film that she wanted Andy Warhol to produce, but he repeatedly ignored her. So she shot him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Batman (2022)
In his second year of fighting crime, Batman uncovers corruption in Gotham City that connects to his own family while facing a serial killer known as the Riddler.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThunderbolts* (2025)
After finding themselves ensnared in a death trap, seven disillusioned castoffs must embark on a dangerous mission that will force them to confront the darkest corners of their pasts.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Walk (2015)
The story of French high-wire artist Philippe Petit's attempt to cross the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in 1974.
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 Taking Back Detroit?
The closest matches to Taking Back Detroit are Searching for Sugar Man (2012), Hoffa (1992) and Detroit (2017). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Taking Back Detroit?
Start with Searching for Sugar Man (2012), the closest match to Taking Back Detroit.
What is the highest-rated movie like Taking Back Detroit?
Searching for Sugar Man (2012), rated 7.9/10 by 1,087 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Taking Back Detroit?
Motor City (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Taking Back Detroit?
Yes: Searching for Sugar Man (2012), Hoffa (1992) and Detroit (2017).
How are movies similar to Taking Back Detroit chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Taking Back Detroit, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.