Movies Like Thieves' Highway (1949)

Thieves' Highway is a 1949 crime, drama, thriller film from Jules Dassin with a MovieMagicScore of 7.2/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Black Dog and They Drive by Night.

Crime Drama Thriller

Black Dog

1998

An ex-con takes a job driving a truck cross country. What he doesn't know is that the truck is filled with illegal weapons and now he must fight to survive and save his family.

6.4

MagicScore

They Drive by Night

1940

Joe and Paul Fabrini are Wildcat, or independent, truck drivers who have their own small one-truck business. The Fabrini boys constantly battle distributors, rivals and loan collectors, while trying to make a success of their transport company.

6.9

MagicScore

Hell Drivers

1957

An ex-con trying to go clean ends up working for a crooked trucking company swindling money.

6.7

MagicScore

Big Trouble in Little China

1986

Truck driver Jack Burton gets embroiled in a supernatural battle when his best friend Wang Chi's green-eyed fiancée is kidnapped by henchmen of the sorcerer Lo Pan, who must marry a girl with green eyes in order to return to the human realm.

7.2

MagicScore

Born to Kill

1947

A calculating divorcée risks her chances at wealth and security with a man she doesn't love by getting involved with a hotheaded murderer.

6.7

MagicScore

Shakedown

1950

Jack Early is a photographer who will stop at nothing to climb his way to the very top of the success ladder. On the strength of his sheer tenacity, he gets a job with a major newspaper, and it's not long before he's made a name for himself by charming a notorious crime boss, Nick Palmer, into allowing himself to be photographed. Palmer takes him under his wing, but Early decides to bite the hand that feeds him and sets Palmer and another crime boss, Colton, against one another.

6.2

MagicScore

The Maltese Falcon

1941

A private detective takes on a case that involves him with three eccentric criminals, a beautiful liar, and their quest for a priceless statuette.

7.7

MagicScore

The Lady from Shanghai

1947

A romantic drifter gets caught between a corrupt tycoon and his voluptuous wife.

7.3

MagicScore

Sudden Fear

1952

Actor Lester Blaine has all but landed the lead in Myra Hudson's new play when Myra vetoes him because, to her, he doesn't look like a romantic leading man. On a train from New York to San Francisco, Blaine sets out to prove Myra wrong...by romancing her. Is he sincere, or does he have a dark ulterior motive?

7.3

MagicScore

#10

Woman on the Run

1950

Frank Johnson, a sole witness to a gangland murder, goes into hiding and is trailed by Police Inspector Ferris, on the theory that Frank is trying to escape from possible retaliation. Frank's wife, Eleanor, suspects he is actually running away from their unsuccessful marriage. Aided by a newspaperman, Danny Leggett, Eleanor sets out to locate her husband. The killer is also looking for him, and keeps close tabs on Eleanor.

6.7

MagicScore

#11

The Sniper

1952

Eddie Miller struggles with his hatred of women, he's especially bothered by seeing women with their lovers. He starts a killing spree as a sniper by shooting women from far distances. In an attempt to get caught, he writes an anonymous letter to the police begging them to stop him.

6.6

MagicScore

#12

The House on Telegraph Hill

1951

Concentration camp survivor Victoria Kowelska finds herself involved in mystery, greed, and murder when she assumes the identity of a dead friend in order to gain passage to America.

6.4

MagicScore

#13

Moontide

1942

After a drunken night out, a longshoreman thinks he may have killed a man.

6.3

MagicScore

#14

The Man Who Cheated Himself

1950

A veteran homicide detective who has witnessed his socialite girlfriend kill her husband sees his inexperienced brother assigned to the case.

6.1

MagicScore

#15

Blonde Ice

1948

A golddigging femme fatale leaves a trail of men behind her, rich and poor, alive and dead.

5.7

MagicScore

#16

Escape in the Fog

1945

A military nurse recovering at an inn from a nervous breakdown keeps having dreams where she sees two men trying to murder a third. When she meets a man who is a federal agent at the inn, she is astounded to discover that he is the man in her dream who is the intended murder victim.

5.3

MagicScore

#17

Vertigo

1958

A retired San Francisco detective suffering from acrophobia investigates the strange activities of an old friend's wife, all the while becoming dangerously obsessed with her.

8.1

MagicScore

#18

Dark Passage

1947

A man convicted of murdering his wife escapes from prison and works with a woman to try and prove his innocence.

7.3

MagicScore

#19

The Lineup

1958

In San Francisco, a psychopathic gangster and his mentor retrieve heroin packages carried by unsuspecting travelers.

7.1

MagicScore

#20

Sweet as Pie

2022

Tamara Hayes an entrepreneur dealing with the implosion of her startup and her relationship, visits her family’s apple orchard in hopes of taking a break from life. She begins to fall for her childhood best friend and now the farm manager, Will Lewis, and together they go to great lengths to keep the orchard alive. Will’s gentle encouragement reminds Tamara that home is worth fighting for – and when she reveals her secret apple pie recipe she is inspired to make one more go at a “million dollar idea”.

6.3

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Thieves' Highway?

The top films similar to Thieves' Highway by MovieMagicScore are Black Dog (6.4), They Drive by Night (6.9), Hell Drivers (6.7). Each shares crime/drama/thriller themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Thieves' Highway worth watching?

Thieves' Highway holds a MovieMagicScore of 7.2/10 from 109 viewer ratings, putting it among the better-reviewed titles in its genre.

What kind of movie is Thieves' Highway?

Thieves' Highway (1949) is a crime, drama, thriller film directed by Jules Dassin, starring Richard Conte, Valentina Cortese, Lee J. Cobb.

Where can I find more recommendations like Thieves' Highway?

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 Black Dog Movies like They Drive by Night Movies like Hell Drivers Movies like Big Trouble in Little China Movies like Born to Kill Movies like Shakedown

About movies like Thieves' Highway

This ranked list pairs Thieves' Highway (1949), a crime and drama and thriller film from Jules Dassin, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Richard Conte 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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