Movies like The Liberation of L.B. Jones (1970)
The best movies like The Liberation of L.B. Jones (1970) are In the Heat of the Night (1967), Violent Saturday (1955) and Blindfire (2020). If The Liberation of L.B. Jones hooked you with its drama and crime, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Hate U Give (2018)8.1/10 from 2,266 votes
- NewestTyler Perry's Divorce in the Black (2024)Released 2024
In the Heat of the Night (1967)
African-American Philadelphia police detective Virgil Tibbs is arrested on suspicion of murder by Bill Gillespie, the racist police chief of tiny Sparta, Mississippi. After Tibbs proves not only his own innocence but that of another man, he joins forces with Gillespie to track down the real killer. Their investigation takes them through every social level of the town, with Tibbs making enemies as well as unlikely friends as he hunts for the truth.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisViolent Saturday (1955)
Three men case a small town very carefully, with plans to rob the bank on the upcoming Saturday, which turns violent and deadly.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBlindfire (2020)
A police officer who while responding to a violent hostage call, kills the African American suspect only to later learn of his innocence. Sensing this was a set-up, and facing repercussions, he must track down the person responsible while examining his own accountability and the ingrained racism which brought him to this point.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLakeview Terrace (2008)
A young interracial couple has just moved into their California dream home when they become the target of their next-door neighbor, who disapproves of their relationship. A tightly wound LAPD officer has appointed himself the watchdog of the neighborhood. His nightly foot patrols and overly watchful eyes bring comfort to some, but he becomes increasingly aggressive to the newlyweds. These persistent intrusions into their lives cause the couple to fight back.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJoe (1970)
After murdering his daughter's drug-dealing boyfriend, a wealthy ad executive stumbles into a bar and strikes up an uneasy alliance with Joe Curran, a drunken bigot with a bloodlust who works at a local factory.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHigher Learning (1995)
African-American student Malik is on a track scholarship; academics are not his strong suit, and he goes in thinking that his athletic abilities will earn him a free ride through college. Fudge, a "professional student" who has been at Columbus for six years so far, becomes friendly with Malik and challenges his views about race and politics in America.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisButterfly on a Wheel (2007)
A sociopathic kidnapper methodically pushes a desperate pair of parents to their absolute breaking point.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWinged Creatures (2009)
A psychotic man opens fire in a diner, murdering numerous people before killing himself. The survivors struggle in different ways following this horrendous event: a doctor doubts his own instincts and elects to use an experimental medical procedure on his wife, while a gambler believes he's on a lucky streak. A waitress begins engaging in promiscuous sex, and a young girl whose father is among the dead gains unexpected fame.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisBomb City (2017)
An ongoing feud between punk rockers and a more affluent clique in a small Texas town leads to a hate crime.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisKiller's Kiss (1955)
Davey Gordon, a New York City boxer at the end of his career, falls for dancer Gloria Price. However, their budding relationship is interrupted by Gloria's violent boss, Vincent Rapallo, who has eyes for Gloria. The two decide to skip town, but before they can, Vincent and his thugs abduct Gloria, and Davey is forced to search for her among the most squalid corners of the city, with his enemy hiding in the shadows.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAmerican Son (2019)
Time passes and tension mounts in a Florida police station as an estranged interracial couple awaits news of their missing teenage son.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPinky (1949)
Pinky, a light skinned black woman, returns to her grandmother's house in the South after graduating from a Northern nursing school. Pinky tells her grandmother that she has been "passing" for white while at school in the North. In addition, she has fallen in love with a young white doctor, who knows nothing about her black heritage.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisStraw Dogs (2011)
A young couple moves to a quaint southern town. Soon their perfect getaway turns out to become a living hell when dark secrets and lethal passions spiral out of control.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisMarshall (2017)
Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American Supreme Court Justice, battles through one of his career-defining cases.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLook Back in Anger (1959)
A disillusioned, angry university graduate comes to terms with his grudge against middle-class life and values.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSeberg (2019)
An ambitious young FBI agent is assigned to investigate iconic actress Jean Seberg when she becomes embroiled in the tumultuous civil rights movement in late 1960s Los Angeles.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Lords of Discipline (1983)
Will arrives for his last year at Military Academy, in the Deep South USA, in the 1960's. A black student, Pearce, has been accepted, for the first time and Will is asked to keep an eye out for the inevitable racism. The racists come in the form of The Ten, a secret group of the elite students. They want Pearce to leave on his own free will, but are prepared to torture him to make it 'his free will'. Will is forced to help Pearce and he is prepared to risk his own career to do so.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTyler Perry's Divorce in the Black (2024)
Ava, a young bank professional is devastated when her husband Dallas abandons a marriage she is determined to fight for until fate intervenes, revealing Dallas' wicked deeds that have trashed their marriage, and once upon a time sabotaged Ava's destiny to be loved by her true soulmate.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBroken (2012)
Three suburban English families' lives intertwine with tragic consequences.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain (2021)
Based on the true story of the events that led to the death of Kenneth Chamberlain Sr., an elderly African American veteran with bipolar disorder, who was killed during a conflict with police officers who were dispatched to check on him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOff Limits (1988)
McGriff and Albaby are probably doing the worst law enforcement job in the world - they are plain clothes U.S. military policemen on duty in war-time Saigon. However, their job becomes even harder when they start investigating the serial killings of local prostitutes. Their prime suspect is high ranking U.S. Army officer which brings their lives in danger.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime & drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisWinter Bay (1996)
John-John is young and black, growing up with his mother and stepfather in a boring suburb south of Stockholm. On one of the last days of the summer vacation, they rescue 10-year old Patricia from drowning at a public bath in Vinterviken in Lake Mälaren. Her father shows his gratitude by taking them home to the wealthy neighborhood, Bromma, where he and his family lives. John-John meets his daughter Elisabeth, and instantly fall in love with her. But it's a long way to go before he wins her love and her father's consent.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime & drama
Skin (2008)
In the late Seventies, a Dutch teenager named Frankie, who is the son of a holocaust survivor, lives in a working class area in Holland. Frankie’s mother is taken to hospital in a terminal condition, causing a bigger rift between him and his father. This leads to Frankie becoming the interest of the local Nazi skinhead group.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & crime
The Hate U Give (2018)
Raised in a poverty-stricken slum, a 16-year-old girl named Starr now attends a suburban prep school. After she witnesses a police officer shoot her unarmed best friend, she's torn between her two very different worlds as she tries to speak her truth.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime & drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisLilies of the Field (1963)
An unemployed construction worker heading out west stops at a remote farm in the desert to get water when his car overheats. The farm is being worked by a group of East European Catholic nuns, headed by the strict mother superior, who believes the man has been sent by God to build a much needed church in the desert.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Neon Bible (1995)
During a train ride, a teenager recalls his upbringing in 1940s small-town Georgia and the events that have led to this point.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Hate from a Distance (2014)
Reflects the injustices of a painful chapter of American History, while honoring the 50th anniversary (July 2, 1964) of the Civil Rights Act abolishing segregation.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
The Tracker (2002)
Somewhere in Australia in the early 20th century outback, an Aboriginal man is accused of murdering a white woman. Three white men are on a mission to capture him with the help of an experienced Indigenous man.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisULIM (2021)
Korean student Jean, who moved to New York during the COVID-19 pandemic, has struggled to mingle with people in this society. The rise in anti-Asian hate crimes has contributed to her feeling unwelcome. Through her Korean-American classmate Isaac, she reexamines her life and embraces her new home.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
The Off-Road Girl (1973)
A successful advertising journalist, embarks on a journey to Egypt where he encounters Maryam, a striking Eritrean woman whose beauty is matched only by her enigmatic presence. What begins as a chance meeting gradually evolves into a layered emotional connection that challenges Giorgio’s worldview and highlights cultural and racial divides.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Liberation of L.B. Jones?
The closest matches to The Liberation of L.B. Jones are In the Heat of the Night (1967), Violent Saturday (1955) and Blindfire (2020). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Liberation of L.B. Jones?
Start with In the Heat of the Night (1967), the closest match to The Liberation of L.B. Jones.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Liberation of L.B. Jones?
The Hate U Give (2018), rated 8.1/10 by 2,266 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Liberation of L.B. Jones?
Tyler Perry's Divorce in the Black (2024) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Liberation of L.B. Jones?
Yes: In the Heat of the Night (1967), Violent Saturday (1955) and Blindfire (2020).
How are movies similar to The Liberation of L.B. Jones chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Liberation of L.B. Jones, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.