Movies Like The Grifters (1990)

The Grifters is a 1990 crime, drama film from Stephen Frears with a MovieMagicScore of 6.5/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Nightmare Alley and House of Games.

Crime Drama

Nightmare Alley

2021

An ambitious carnival man with a talent for manipulating people with a few well-chosen words hooks up with a female psychologist who is even more dangerous than he is.

7.0

MagicScore

House of Games

1987

A psychiatrist comes to the aid of a compulsive gambler and is led by a smooth-talking grifter into the shadowy but compelling world of stings, scams, and con men.

6.8

MagicScore

The Brothers Bloom

2008

The Brothers Bloom are the best con men in the world, swindling millionaires with complex scenarios of lust and intrigue. Now they've decided to take on one last job – showing a beautiful and eccentric heiress the time of her life with a romantic adventure that takes them around the world.

6.6

MagicScore

The Wolf of Wall Street

2013

A New York stockbroker refuses to cooperate in a large securities fraud case involving corruption on Wall Street, corporate banking world and mob infiltration. Based on Jordan Belfort's autobiography.

8.0

MagicScore

Nine Queens

2000

Two con artists try to swindle a stamp collector by selling him a sheet of counterfeit rare stamps, the "nine queens".

7.8

MagicScore

The Sting II

1983

Hooker and Gondorf pull a con on Macalinski, an especially nasty mob boss with the help of Veronica, a new grifter. They convince this new victim that Hooker is a somewhat dull boxer who is tired of taking dives for Gondorf. There is a ringer. Lonigan, their victim from the first movie, is setting them up to take the fall.

4.7

MagicScore

The Getaway

1972

A recently released ex-convict and his loyal wife go on the run after a heist goes wrong.

7.1

MagicScore

Catch Me If You Can

2002

A true story about Frank Abagnale Jr. who, before his 19th birthday, successfully conned millions of dollars worth of checks as a Pan Am pilot, doctor, and legal prosecutor. An FBI agent makes it his mission to put him behind bars. But Frank not only eludes capture, he revels in the pursuit.

8.0

MagicScore

The Big Caper

1957

A con artist moves into a small town to spearhead a payroll robbery.

6.2

MagicScore

#10

Private Hell 36

1954

In New York City, a bank robbery of $300,000 goes unsolved for a year, until some of the marked bills are found in a Los Angeles drugstore theft. Police detectives Cal Bruner and Jack Farnham investigate and are led from the drugstore to a nightclub, where singer Lilli is another recipient of a stolen bill. With Lilli's help, the partners track down the remaining money, but both Lilli and Jack are dismayed when Cal decides he wants to keep part of it.

6.2

MagicScore

#11

Focus

2015

Nicky, an accomplished con artist, gets romantically involved with his disciple Jess but later ends their relationship. Years later, she returns as a femme fatale to spoil his plans.

6.9

MagicScore

#12

The Lemon Drop Kid

1951

When the Lemon Drop Kid accidentally cheats gangster Moose Moran out of his track winnings, the Kid promises to repay Moose the money by Christmas. Creating a fake charity for "Apple Annie" Nellie Thursday, the Kid tricks his gang into donning Santa suits and "collecting dough for old dolls" like Nellie who have nowhere to live.

6.5

MagicScore

#13

Ladies VS. Ricky Bahl

2011

A smooth and charming conman, Ricky Bahl, cons girls for a living but finally meets his match is this fun-filled "ROM-CON."

6.0

MagicScore

#14

Beverly Hills Cop II

1987

Axel Foley returns to the land of sunshine and palm trees to investigate the near-fatal shooting of police Captain Andrew Bogomil. With the help of Sgt. Taggart and Det. Rosewood, they soon uncover that the shooting is associated with a series of "alphabet" robberies masterminded by a heartless weapons kingpin—and the chase is on.

6.5

MagicScore

#15

Bride of the Year

2026

When Lienkie's dream of budding a family of her own come crashing down, she hatches a devious plan to win "Bride of the Year" and get back at her ex.

7.3

MagicScore

#16

Love and Larceny

1960

Gerardo, an aspiring actor, trying unsuccessfully to cross over from comedy to tragedy, is involved, due to his ability to mimic dialects of Italy, in a scam concocted by Lallo against a rich cloth-merchant.

7.2

MagicScore

#17

Criminal

2004

Needing a new partner capable of intricate cons, Richard Gaddis, recruits Rodrigo, a crook with a perfect poker face. The two plan a big-time scam: selling a fake Silver Certificate to currency collector William Hannigan. Rodrigo distrusts his new associate, but needs money to help out his ill father. The situation becomes more complicated when Rodrigo falls for Gaddis' sister, Valerie, drawing another player into the game.

6.2

MagicScore

#18

Bedtime Story

1964

Benson is a Casanova who tricks women into having sex with him before leaving them. He is content with this game until he meets Jamison, a real operator who poses as an exiled prince and not only gets women to share his bed but also to give him money to help him fund his supposed counter-revolution.

6.2

MagicScore

#19

Abbott and Costello Meet the Keystone Kops

1955

Harry and Willie are scammed into buying the Thomas Edison studio lot by a man named Gorman. They decide to follow Gorman's trail to Hollywood where, unbeknownst to them, he has taken the identity of a foreign film director. The lads wind up as stunt doubles in film the which Gorman is now shooting, while the conman tries to have the bungling pair done away with before they realize who he really is.

6.1

MagicScore

#20

Jackie Brown

1997

Jackie Brown is a flight attendant who gets caught in the middle of smuggling cash into the country for her gunrunner boss. When the cops try to use Jackie to get to her boss, she hatches a plan — with help from a bail bondsman — to keep the money for herself.

7.4

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like The Grifters?

The top films similar to The Grifters by MovieMagicScore are Nightmare Alley (7.0), House of Games (6.8), The Brothers Bloom (6.6). Each shares crime/drama themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is The Grifters worth watching?

The Grifters holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.5/10 from 448 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is The Grifters?

The Grifters (1990) is a crime, drama film directed by Stephen Frears, starring Anjelica Huston, John Cusack, Annette Bening.

Where can I find more recommendations like The Grifters?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more crime recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like Nightmare Alley Movies like House of Games Movies like The Brothers Bloom Movies like The Wolf of Wall Street Movies like Nine Queens Movies like The Sting II

About movies like The Grifters

This ranked list pairs The Grifters (1990), a crime and drama film from Stephen Frears, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Anjelica Huston take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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