20 movies like On the Waterfront, ordered by similarity : Edge of the City(1957), On Dangerous Ground(1951), Northwest(2013), Erin Brockovich(2000), The Untouchables(1987), F.I.S.T.(1978), Hell Drivers(1957), Tea in the Harem(1985), The Turning Point(1952), No Questions Asked(1951), Count the Hours(1953), Man in the Vault(1956) ...
Drama
USA
1954
108 Minutes
Marlon Brando Eva Marie Saint Karl Malden Lee J. Cobb Rod Steiger Leif Erickson Pat Henning James Westerfield Tony Galento Tami Mauriello John Hamilton
dockworker mobster lawyer priest sister brooding gritty powerful port hoboken, n.j. organized crime corruption justice transformation underdog rivalry 1950s
An ex-prize fighter turned longshoreman struggles to stand up to his corrupt union bosses.
Drama
USA
1957
85 Minutes
John Cassavetes Sidney Poitier Jack Warden Kathleen Maguire Ruby Dee Robert F. Simon Ruth White William A. Lee Val Avery John Kellogg David Clarke
dockworker boss friend wife manager gritty rousing manhattan docks racism labor union self-respect corruption secret awol underdog rivalry transformation 1950s
Two New York City longshoremen Axel Nordmann, an Army deserter and Tommy Tyler, an easy-going freight car loader whose growing friendship is threatened by Charles Malik, a notably repellent punk.
Crime, Drama
USA
1951
82 Minutes
Ida Lupino Robert Ryan Ward Bond Charles Kemper Anthony Ross Ed Begley Ian Wolfe Sumner Williams Gus Schilling Frank Ferguson Cleo Moore
police detective sister killer father partner captain dark gritty brooding new york city police station apartment countryside cabin investigation brother/sister relationship murder mental breakdown blindness redemption
Rough city cop Jim Wilson is disciplined by his captain and is sent upstate, to a snowy mountain town, to help the local sheriff solve a murder case.
Crime, Drama, Action
2013
91 Minutes
Lene Maria Christensen Roland Møller Dulfi Al-Jabouri Gustav Dyekjær Giese Oscar Dyekjær Giese Annemieke Bredahl Peppink Nicholas Westwood Kidd Sandra El-Hussein Clement Black Petersen Marina Vorobyeva Jelena Bundalovic
young man brother gang member friend brooding brutal dark disturbing gritty raw tense copenhagen inner city crime poverty ambition violence power underdog rivalry
Casper lives in one of Copenhagen's most impoverished areas and does what it takes to survive. When organized crime moves into the community, Casper digs in to resist being run out.
Drama
USA
2000
131 Minutes
Julia Roberts Albert Finney Aaron Eckhart Marg Helgenberger Cherry Jones Veanne Cox Conchata Ferrell Tracey Walter Peter Coyote Scotty Leavenworth Gemmenne de la Peña
attorney single mother businessman judge heroine lawyer powerful inspiring gripping disturbing gritty california office family home courtroom small town law firm corruption betrayal lawsuit
An unemployed single mother becomes a legal assistant and almost single-handedly brings down a California power company accused of polluting a city's water supply.
Crime, Drama
USA
1987
119 Minutes
Kevin Costner Sean Connery Robert De Niro Andy Garcia Charles Martin Smith Billy Drago Richard Bradford Jack Kehoe
al capone eliot ness cop gangster accountant bootlegger engaging gutsy spirited suspenseful gritty chicago office train station courtroom police station border crooked cops corruption organized crime
During the era of Prohibition in the United States, Federal Agent Eliot Ness sets out to stop ruthless Chicago gangster Al Capone and, because of rampant corruption, assembles a small, hand-picked team to help him.
Drama
USA
1978
145 Minutes
Sylvester Stallone Rod Steiger Peter Boyle Melinda Dillon David Huffman Tony Lo Bianco Kevin Conway Cassie Yates Peter Donat Henry Wilcoxon John Lehne
union boss blue-collar worker mobster senator intense brooding cleveland warehouse labor union organized crime aspirations justice underdog rise rivalry fall 1930s
A rebellious Cleveland warehouse worker rises through the ranks of a trucking industry union to become union president but his organized crime links cause his eventual downfall.
Drama
UK
1957
91 Minutes
Stanley Baker Herbert Lom Peggy Cummins Patrick McGoohan Jill Ireland Gordon Jackson David McCallum Sean Connery
ex-convict truck driver foreman secretary friend gritty raw intense england construction site country road truck office corruption dangerous job moral dilemma truck driving crime discovery rivalry
A rookie trucker tries to expose his boss' rackets.
Drama
France
1985
110 Minutes
Kader Boukhanef Rémi Martin Laure Duthilleul Saida Bekkouche Nicole Hiss Sandrine Dumas Nathalie Jadot Frederic Ayivi Pascal Dewaeme Jean-Pierre Sobeaux Nicolas Wostrikoff
algerian teen boy sister prostitute single mother junkie gritty powerful paris housing project red-light district beach racism outsider friendship crime alcoholism downward spiral transformation underdog
In a depressing concrete Parisian suburb in the seventies two friends are keeping boredom at bay with loitering and petty crime.
Crime, Drama
USA
1952
85 Minutes
William Holden Edmond O'Brien Alexis Smith Tom Tully Ed Begley Dan Dayton Adele Longmire Ray Teal Ted de Corsia Don Porter Howard Freeman
prosecutor police officer mobster journalist father girlfriend brooding crafty emotional tense midwest courtroom house police station corruption love triangle investigation trial spying organized crime
Jerry McKibbon is a tough, no nonsense reporter, mentoring special prosecutor John Conroy in routing out corrupt officials in the city, which may even include Conroy's own police detective father as a suspect.
Crime, Drama
USA
1951
81 Minutes
Barry Sullivan Arlene Dahl Jean Hagen George Murphy Richard Anderson Moroni Olsen Dan Dayton Dick Simmons Howard Petrie William Reynolds Mauritz Hugo
lawyer boss fiancée girlfriend detective gangster suspenseful gritty intricate thrilling new york city hotel apartment nightclub courtroom betrayal frame-ups mob law second chance
An insurance lawyer unhappy with his rate of company advancement becomes a middleman in deals to recover stolen property from the Mob, thus earning a nice living. But his actions attract police attention and set him up for a double-cross.
Crime, Drama
USA
1953
76 Minutes
Teresa Wright Macdonald Carey Dolores Moran Adele Mara Edgar Barrier Jack Elam
murder victim immigrant wrongly accused couple worker lawyer intense suspenseful dark gritty courtroom ranch home room struggle justice crime prevention law motivation helping others
Lawyer defends migrant worker falsely accused of two murders.
Mystery & Thriller, Crime, Drama
USA
1956
72 Minutes
William Campbell Karen Sharpe Anita Ekberg Berry Kroeger Paul Fix James Seay Mike Mazurki Robert Keyes Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez Nancy Duke Vivianne Lloyd
locksmith mobster corrupt businessman lawyer girlfriend dark tense los angeles bank office hideout robbery love triangle organized crime double-cross corruption transformation 1950s
A locksmith gets caught up in a bank robbery.
Drama, History
UK|Spain|Switzerland
1972
160 Minutes
Charlton Heston Hildegard Neil Eric Porter John Castle Fernando Rey Juan Luis Galiardo
queen egyptian lover rival roman seducer brooding emotional gripping intense moving powerful egypt kingdom chamber desert love sacrifice rivalry power
After the murder of her lover Caesar, Egypt's queen Cleopatra needs a new ally. She seduces his probable successor Mark Antony. This develops into real love and slowly leads to a war with the other possible successor: Octavius.
Crime, Drama
USA
1938
97 Minutes
James Cagney Pat O'Brien Humphrey Bogart Ann Sheridan George Bancroft William Pawley John Hamilton Earle Dwire William Worthington
gangster priest child lawyer gritty emotional hell's kitchen street friendship crime corruption gangs sacrifice growing up rise 1930s
A priest tries to stop a gangster from corrupting a group of street kids.
Drama
USA
1937
101 Minutes
Edward G. Robinson Bette Davis Humphrey Bogart Wayne Morris Jane Bryan Harry Carey Veda Ann Borg
boxer gangster mistress sister manager brooding gripping confident boxing ring farm nightclub boxing unrequited love mob fame rivalry revenge underdog 1930s
Fight promoter Nick Donati grooms a bellhop as a future champ, but has second thoughts when the 'kid' falls for his sister.
Crime, Drama
USA
1937
96 Minutes
Bette Davis Humphrey Bogart Lola Lane Jane Bryan Edward Ciannelli Isabel Jewell Allen Jenkins Mayo Methot Ben Welden Henry O'Neill Rosalind Marquis
prostitute mobster sister henchman attorney fiery rousing big city nightclub courtroom injustice abuse shady dealings murder court battles underdog transformation revenge 1930s
A crusading district attorney persuades a clip joint hostess to testify against her mobster boss after her innocent sister is accidentally murdered during one of his unsavory parties.
Crime, Drama
USA
1997
136 Minutes
Kevin Spacey Russell Crowe Guy Pearce James Cromwell David Strathairn Kim Basinger Danny DeVito Graham Beckel Simon Baker-Denny Matt McCoy John Mahon
police officer detective journalist mobster prostitute actor dark chilling suspenseful emotional coffee shop police station los angeles government building street big city corruption murder prostitution organized crime
As corruption grows in 1950s Los Angeles, three policemen - one strait-laced, one brutal, and one sleazy - investigate a series of murders with their own brand of justice.
Drama
USA
1953
69 Minutes
daughter boyfriend gangster lawyer father tense melodramatic courtroom house unlikely romance mobsters crime father/daughter relationship marriage love triangle forbidden love temptation rivalry transformation 1950s
Attorney's daughter falls for one of his gangster clients.
Drama
USA
2015
128 Minutes
Mark Ruffalo Michael Keaton Rachel McAdams Liev Schreiber John Slattery Brian d'Arcy James Stanley Tucci Billy Crudup Paul Guilfoyle Jamey Sheridan Len Cariou
editor journalist priest reporter family member victim brooding emotional intense gripping boston newsroom church office car street sexual abuse reporting investigation cover-up
The true story of how the Boston Globe uncovered the massive scandal of child molestation and cover-up within the local Catholic Archdiocese, shaking the entire Catholic Church to its core.
Drama
USA
1991
99 Minutes
Sam Waterston Tess Harper Gail Strickland Reese Witherspoon Jason London Emily Warfield Bentley Mitchum Ernie Lively
teen girl sister teen boy father mother endearing tender emotional louisiana farm family home field first love love triangle sibling rivalry sister relationship accident betrayal growing up love
A coming of age story set in the south of the U.S. when Elvis was King.