Movies Like Manhattan Melodrama (1934)

Manhattan Melodrama is a 1934 crime, drama, romance film from W.S. Van Dyke with a MovieMagicScore of 7.0/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Tequila Sunrise and Two Seconds.

Crime Drama Romance

Tequila Sunrise

1988

In a seaside California town, best friends Mac and Nick are on opposite sides of the law. Mac is a former drug dealer trying to clean up his act, while Nick is a high-profile detective trying to take down a Mexican drug lord named Carlos. Soon Nick's loyalties are put to the test when he begins an affair with restaurateur Jo Ann -- a love interest of Mac's -- unwittingly leading his friend into a police-orchestrated trap.

6.1

MagicScore

Two Seconds

1932

A condemned murderer, in the process of being executed, relives the events that led to his being sentenced to die in the electric chair. Told in flashback, we witness a sleazy dancehall girl (Vivienne Osborne) dupe a high rise riveter (Edward G. Robinson) into marriage so she can live off of him. But when he loses his job and his marbles, she ends up supporting him with money from her side man--and misses no opportunity to rub it in his face that she's now supporting him in his emasculated state. As the animosity grows and things get more and more unbearable, he is eventually driven to desperate measures.

6.0

MagicScore

Between Midnight and Dawn

1950

Rocky and Dan, war buddies, are prowl car cops on night duty. Dan is a cynic who views all lawbreakers as scum; Rocky feels more lenient. Both are attracted to the radio voice of communicator Kate Mallory; but in person, Kate proves reluctant to get involved with men who just might stop a bullet. By lucky chance, Rocky and Dan cause big trouble for murderous racketeer Ritchie Garris; but when he swears vengeance, Kate's fears may prove justified.

5.6

MagicScore

Blues Harp

1998

Ambitious yakuza Kenji befriends harmonica-playing bartender Chuji, who moonlights as a part-time drug-dealer for the opposing gang. Their friendship is threatened by Kenji's plans for advancement, as well as by his bodyguards growing jealousy of Chuji.

6.6

MagicScore

The Beast of the City

1932

Police Chief Jim Fitzpatrick is after gangster Sam Belmonte. He uses his own corrupt brother Ed to watch over Daisy who was associated with Belmonte.

5.7

MagicScore

Past Lives

2023

After decades apart, childhood friends Nora and Hae Sung are reunited in New York for one fateful weekend as they confront notions of destiny, love, and the choices that make a life.

7.7

MagicScore

M

1931

In this classic German thriller, Hans Beckert, a serial killer who preys on children, becomes the focus of a massive Berlin police manhunt. Beckert's heinous crimes are so repellant and disruptive to city life that he is even targeted by others in the seedy underworld network. With both cops and criminals in pursuit, the murderer soon realizes that people are on his trail, sending him into a tense, panicked attempt to escape justice.

8.1

MagicScore

The Public Enemy

1931

Two young Chicago hoodlums, Tom Powers and Matt Doyle, rise up from their poverty-stricken slum life to become petty thieves, bootleggers and cold-blooded killers. But with street notoriety and newfound wealth, the duo feels the heat from the cops and rival gangsters both. Despite his ruthless criminal reputation, Tom tries to remain connected to his family, however, gang warfare and the need for revenge eventually pull him away.

7.2

MagicScore

Little Caesar

1931

A small-time hood shoots his way to the top, but how long can he stay there?

6.9

MagicScore

#10

Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)

2020

Harley Quinn joins forces with a singer, an assassin and a police detective to help a young girl who had a hit placed on her after she stole a rare diamond from a crime lord.

6.9

MagicScore

#11

A Slight Case of Murder

1938

Former bootlegger Remy Marco has a slight problem with foreclosing bankers, a prospective son-in-law, and four hard-to-explain corpses.

6.3

MagicScore

#12

The Mighty Quinn

1989

Police chief Xavier Quinn investigates the gruesome murder of Donald Pater, one of the wealthiest residents on a Caribbean island. He was found decapitated in his Jacuzzi. Although the local political establishment, especially crooked Governor Chalk, insists that small-time thief Maubee is responsible, Xavier has his doubts. This view is complicated by the police chief's personal history with Maubee: The men have been friends since childhood.

6.0

MagicScore

#13

Thalapathi

1991

Surya, a courageous man who was raised in the slums, fights for the rights of the poor and befriends Deva, who hires him as his commander and changes his life completely.

8.0

MagicScore

#14

Jane Eyre

2011

After a bleak childhood, Jane Eyre goes out into the world to become a governess. As she lives happily in her new position at Thornfield Hall, she meets the dark, cold, and abrupt master of the house, Mr. Rochester. Jane and her employer grow close in friendship and she soon finds herself falling in love with him. Happiness seems to have found Jane at last, but could Mr. Rochester's terrible secret be about to destroy it forever?

7.2

MagicScore

#15

This Beautiful Fantastic

2016

Set against the backdrop of a beautiful garden in the heart of London, this contemporary fairy tale revolves around the unlikely friendship between a reclusive young woman and a cantankerous old widower. Bella Brown is a beautifully quirky young woman who dreams of writing and illustrating a successful children’s book. After she is forced by her landlord to deal with her neglected garden or face eviction, she meets her match, nemesis, and unlikely mentor in Alfie Stephenson, a grumpy, loveless, old man who lives next door who happens to be an amazing horticulturalist.

7.1

MagicScore

#16

All Quiet on the Western Front

1930

When a group of idealistic young men join the German Army during the Great War, they are assigned to the Western Front, where their patriotism is destroyed by the harsh realities of combat.

7.8

MagicScore

#17

Heidi

2015

Heidi, is an eight-year-old Swiss orphan who is given by her aunt to her mountain-dwelling grandfather. She is then stolen back by her aunt from her grandfather to live in the wealthy Sesemann household in Frankfurt, Germany as a companion to Klara, a sheltered, disabled girl in a wheelchair. Heidi is unhappy but makes the best of the situation, always longing for her grandfather.

7.2

MagicScore

#18

Standing Up

2013

Based on one of the most beloved Young Adult novels of all time: Two kids are stripped naked and left together on an island in a lake - victims of a vicious summer camp prank; But rather than have to return to camp and face the humiliation, they decide to take off, on the run together. What follows is a three day odyssey of discovery and self-discovery.

6.7

MagicScore

#19

The Lulus

2023

August 1914. While the German army is gaining ground in the North of France, four boys aged 10 to 15, LUcien, LUcas, LUigi and LUdwig are left behind during the evacuation of their orphanage. Without the protection of Abbé Turpin and the schoolteacher Leutellier, the Lulus are now stranded on their own behind the enemy front line. Soon joined by LUce, a pretty young girl separated from her parents, they decide to reach the neutral country of Switzerland by all means possible... they embark on an adventure for which nothing and no one has prepared them!

6.1

MagicScore

#20

Mio in the Land of Faraway

1987

Under the watch of his unkind realtives, lonely Bosse's luck is changed when he is sent to the land where his real father is the King. In that country, he sets out on a quest, together with his new friend, to destroy the evil Knight Kato.

6.0

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Manhattan Melodrama?

The top films similar to Manhattan Melodrama by MovieMagicScore are Tequila Sunrise (6.1), Two Seconds (6.0), Between Midnight and Dawn (5.6). Each shares crime/drama/romance themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Manhattan Melodrama worth watching?

Manhattan Melodrama holds a MovieMagicScore of 7.0/10 from 75 viewer ratings, putting it among the better-reviewed titles in its genre.

What kind of movie is Manhattan Melodrama?

Manhattan Melodrama (1934) is a crime, drama, romance film directed by W.S. Van Dyke, starring Clark Gable, William Powell, Myrna Loy.

Where can I find more recommendations like Manhattan Melodrama?

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 Tequila Sunrise Movies like Two Seconds Movies like Between Midnight and Dawn Movies like Blues Harp Movies like The Beast of the City Movies like Past Lives

About movies like Manhattan Melodrama

This ranked list pairs Manhattan Melodrama (1934), a crime and drama and romance film from W.S. Van Dyke, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Clark Gable 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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