Movies Like Payback (1999)

Payback is a 1999 action, crime, drama, thriller film from Brian Helgeland with a MovieMagicScore of 6.8/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Killing Them Softly and Point Blank.

Action Crime Drama Thriller

Killing Them Softly

2012

Jackie Cogan is an enforcer hired to restore order after three dumb guys rob a Mob protected card game, causing the local criminal economy to collapse.

6.0

MagicScore

Point Blank

1967

After being double-crossed and left for dead, a mysterious man named Walker single-mindedly tries to retrieve the rather inconsequential sum of money that was stolen from him.

7.0

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

An Eye for an Eye

1981

Sean Kane is forced to resign from the San Francisco Police Department's Narcotics Division when he goes berserk after his partner is murdered. He decides to fight alone and follows a trail of drug traffickers into unexpected high places.

5.1

MagicScore

The Driver

1978

The Driver specializes in driving getaway cars for robberies. His exceptional talent has prevented him from being caught yet. After another successful flight from the police a self-assured detective makes it his primary goal to catch the Driver. He promises pardons to a gang if they help to convict him in a set-up robbery. The Driver seeks help from The Player to mislead the detective.

7.2

MagicScore

You Were Never Really Here

2017

A traumatized veteran, unafraid of violence, tracks down missing girls for a living. When a job spins out of control, his nightmares begin to overtake him, and a conspiracy is uncovered—leading to what may be his death trip or his awakening.

6.5

MagicScore

Party Monster

2003

The New York club scene of the 80s and 90s was a world like no other. Into this candy-colored, mirror ball playground stepped Michael Alig, a wannabe from nowhere special. Under the watchful eye of veteran club kid James St. James, Alig quickly rose to the top... and there was no place to go but down.

5.8

MagicScore

Killing Zoe

1993

Zed is an American vault-cracker who travels to Paris to meet up with his old friend Eric. Eric and his gang have planned to raid the only bank in the city which is open on Bastille day. After offering his services, Zed soon finds himself trapped in a situation beyond his control when heroin abuse, poor planning and a call-girl named Zoe all conspire to turn the robbery into a very bloody siege.

6.2

MagicScore

Death Wish

1974

After his wife is murdered by street punks, a pacifistic New York City architect becomes a one-man vigilante squad, prowling the streets for would-be muggers after dark.

6.9

MagicScore

#10

Death Wish V: The Face of Death

1994

Paul Kersey is back at working vigilante justice when his fiancée, Olivia, has her business threatened by mobsters.

5.5

MagicScore

#11

Extreme Prejudice

1987

Directed by the legendary Walter Hill, this gritty, modern Western is regarded as a classic and features an all-star cast with Nick Nolte, Powers Boothe, Maria Conchita Alonso, Rip Torn, and Michael Ironside. Lean, mean Texas Ranger Jack Benteen (Nolte) locks horns with a former friend, Cash Bailey (Boothe), now a ruthless drug kingpin. Though they're on opposite sides of the law, they share a love interest in the sensual Sarita (Alonso). When a crew of rogue soldiers descends upon the border town for an off-the-books mission, all roads lead to a bloody, to-the-death showdown, as loyalties shift and the lines between good and evil are blurred.

6.2

MagicScore

#12

What Josiah Saw

2021

A family with buried secrets reunite at a farmhouse after two decades to pay for their past sins.

5.8

MagicScore

#13

Not For, or Against (Quite the Contrary)

2003

"Ni Pour, Ni Contre" tracks the fall of a young TV camerawoman, Caty, after she becomes involved with a group of petty criminals and their enigmatic leader, Jean. The gang lives hand-to-mouth until the day Jean plans a daring bank robbery. Although other gang members feel out of their league, Jean persuades them to take part and Caty finds herself in a hellish world of betrayal, violence and murder.

5.9

MagicScore

#14

Knockaround Guys

2001

Four sons of well-known New York mobsters must retrieve a bag of cash from a small Montana town ruled by a corrupt sheriff.

6.0

MagicScore

#15

Irreversible

2002

A woman’s lover and her ex-boyfriend take justice into their own hands after she becomes the victim of a rapist. Because some acts can’t be undone. Because man is an animal. Because the desire for vengeance is a natural impulse. Because most crimes remain unpunished.

7.2

MagicScore

#16

Out for a Kill

2003

An unsuspecting university professor is an unwitting accomplice in a foiled Chinese cocaine deal. Wrongly imprisoned, he escapes to take his revenge and prove his innocence.

4.0

MagicScore

#17

Trainspotting

1996

Heroin addict Mark Renton stumbles through bad ideas and sobriety attempts with his unreliable friends --Sick Boy, Begbie, Spud and Tommy. He also has an underage girlfriend, Diane, along for the ride. After cleaning up and moving from Edinburgh to London, Mark finds he can't escape the life he left behind as Begbie and Sick Boy come knocking.

8.0

MagicScore

#18

Drive

2011

Driver is a skilled Hollywood stuntman who moonlights as a getaway driver for criminals. Though he projects an icy exterior, lately he's been warming up to a pretty neighbor named Irene and her young son, Benicio. When Irene's husband gets out of jail, he enlists Driver's help in a million-dollar heist. The job goes horribly wrong, and Driver must risk his life to protect Irene and Benicio from the vengeful masterminds behind the robbery.

7.6

MagicScore

#19

The Usual Suspects

1995

Held in an L.A. interrogation room, Verbal Kint attempts to convince the feds that a mythic crime lord, Keyser Soze, not only exists, but was also responsible for drawing him and his four partners into a multi-million dollar heist that ended with an explosion in San Pedro harbor – leaving few survivors. Verbal lures his interrogators with an incredible story of the crime lord's almost supernatural prowess.

8.2

MagicScore

#20

Casino

1995

In early-1970s Las Vegas, Sam "Ace" Rothstein gets tapped by his bosses to head the Tangiers Casino. At first, he's a great success in the job, but over the years, problems with his loose-cannon enforcer Nicky Santoro, his ex-hustler wife Ginger, her con-artist ex Lester Diamond and a handful of corrupt politicians put Sam in ever-increasing danger.

8.0

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Payback?

The top films similar to Payback by MovieMagicScore are Killing Them Softly (6.0), Point Blank (7.0), The Getaway (7.1). Each shares action/crime/drama/thriller themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Payback worth watching?

Payback holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.8/10 from 1,917 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Payback?

Payback (1999) is a action, crime, drama, thriller film directed by Brian Helgeland, starring Mel Gibson, Gregg Henry, Maria Bello.

Where can I find more recommendations like Payback?

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

Keep exploring

Movies like Killing Them Softly Movies like Point Blank Movies like The Getaway Movies like An Eye for an Eye Movies like The Driver Movies like You Were Never Really Here

About movies like Payback

This ranked list pairs Payback (1999), a action and crime and drama and thriller film from Brian Helgeland, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Mel Gibson 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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