Movies Like I Want to Live! (1958)

I Want to Live! is a 1958 crime, drama film from Robert Wise with a MovieMagicScore of 6.9/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with The Green Mile and The Life of David Gale.

Crime Drama

The Green Mile

1999

A supernatural tale set on death row in a Southern prison, where gentle giant John Coffey possesses the mysterious power to heal people's ailments. When the cell block's head guard, Paul Edgecomb, recognizes Coffey's miraculous gift, he tries desperately to help stave off the condemned man's execution.

8.5

MagicScore

The Life of David Gale

2003

A man against capital punishment is accused of murdering a fellow activist and is sent to death row.

7.4

MagicScore

Yield to the Night

1956

Locked in her cell, a murderer reflects on the events that have led her to death row.

6.9

MagicScore

True Crime

1999

Boozer, skirt chaser, careless father. You could create your own list of reporter Steve Everett's faults but there's no time. A San Quentin Death Row prisoner is slated to die at midnight – a man Everett has suddenly realized is innocent.

6.5

MagicScore

Dead Man Walking

1995

A death row inmate turns for spiritual guidance to a local nun in the days leading up to his scheduled execution for the murders of a young couple.

7.3

MagicScore

Into the Abyss

2011

We do not know when and how we will die. Death Row inmates do. Werner Herzog embarks on a dialogue with Death Row inmates, asks questions about life and death and looks deep into these individuals, their stories, their crimes.

6.9

MagicScore

Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer

2003

British documentarian Nick Broomfield creates a follow-up piece to his 1992 documentary of the serial killer Aileen Wuornos, a highway prostitute who was convicted of killing six men in Florida between 1989 and 1990. Interviewing an increasingly mentally unstable Wuornos, Broomfield captures the distorted mind of a murderer whom the state of Florida deems of sound mind -- and therefore fit to execute. Throughout the film, Broomfield includes footage of his testimony at Wuornos' trial.

6.7

MagicScore

The Letter Room

2020

Richard, a lonely and well-meaning prison officer, is put in charge of reading and censoring the letters received by inmates.

6.7

MagicScore

The Executioner's Song

1982

In this fact-based made-for TV film, Gary Gilmore, an Indiana man who just finished serving a lengthy stay in prison, tries to start anew by moving to Utah. Before long, Gary begins an ill-advised romance with the troubled Nicole Baker, a teenage single mother. As their relationship quickly deteriorates, Gary goes on a murderous rampage, leaving two dead. During his trial, he demands capital punishment; a media circus ensues and outsiders look to profit from his story.

5.7

MagicScore

#10

Infamous

2006

While researching his book In Cold Blood, writer Truman Capote develops a close relationship with convicted murderers Dick Hickock and Perry Smith.

6.5

MagicScore

#11

The Fear of 13

2015

After 23 years on Death Row a convicted murderer petitions the court asking to be executed, but as his story unfolds, it becomes clear that nothing is what it seems.

7.4

MagicScore

#12

Sophie Scholl: The Final Days

2005

In 1943, as Hitler continues to wage war across Europe, a group of college students mount an underground resistance movement in Munich. Dedicated expressly to the downfall of the monolithic Third Reich war machine, they call themselves the White Rose. One of its few female members, Sophie Scholl is captured during a dangerous mission to distribute pamphlets on campus with her brother Hans. Unwavering in her convictions and loyalty to the White Rose, her cross-examination by the Gestapo quickly escalates into a searing test of wills as Scholl delivers a passionate call to freedom and personal responsibility.

7.1

MagicScore

#13

We the Poor

1948

Carpenter Pepe El Toro lives peacefully with his daughter Chachita in an impoverished Mexico City neighborhood. He pursues a romance with the pretty Celia, but tragedy comes knocking on his door when he is falsely accused of having perpetrated a felony.

8.0

MagicScore

#14

Diary of a Lost Girl

1929

Thymian Henning, an innocent young girl, is raped by the clerk of her father's pharmacy. She becomes pregnant, is rejected by her family, and must fend for herself in a harsh, cruel world.

7.3

MagicScore

#15

Blonde Venus

1932

In an effort to be able to afford expensive treatment for her gravely ill American husband, a retired German entertainer returns to the cabaret as Blonde Venus and catches the eye of a wealthy politician.

6.8

MagicScore

#16

Rain

1932

Due to a possible cholera epidemic onboard, passengers on a ship are forced to disembark at Pago Pago, a small village on a Pacific island where it incessantly rains. Among the stranded passengers are Sadie Thompson, a prostitute, and Alfred Davidson, a fanatic missionary who will try to redeem her.

6.6

MagicScore

#17

Sadie Thompson

1928

A young, beautiful prostitute named Sadie Thompson arrives on the South Pacific island of Pago Pago looking for honest work and falls for Timothy O'Hara, an American sailor who is unfazed by her unsavory past. However, Mr. Davidson, a missionary who arrived on the island at the same time, aims to "save" Sadie from her sinful life and petitions to have her separated from her beau and deported back to San Francisco.

6.5

MagicScore

#18

Miss Sadie Thompson

1953

Sadie Thompson winds up stranded on an island and while her boat is being quarantined, she manages to stir up the blood of every marine on the base.

5.3

MagicScore

#19

Doc

1971

Doc Holliday travels to Tombstone, Ariz., with prostitute Katie Elder. Although the trip is difficult because Doc is ill with tuberculosis, they eventually reach their destination, where Holliday is reunited with his old friend Marshal Wyatt Earp, who has been clashing with the Clanton gang. Tensions between Earp and the Clantons rise until their infamous final showdown brings it to a head.

6.0

MagicScore

#20

Murder in the First

1995

A young, inexperienced public defender is assigned to defend an inmate accused of committing murder while behind bars.

7.1

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like I Want to Live!?

The top films similar to I Want to Live! by MovieMagicScore are The Green Mile (8.5), The Life of David Gale (7.4), Yield to the Night (6.9). Each shares crime/drama themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is I Want to Live! worth watching?

I Want to Live! holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.9/10 from 113 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is I Want to Live!?

I Want to Live! (1958) is a crime, drama film directed by Robert Wise, starring Susan Hayward, Simon Oakland, Virginia Vincent.

Where can I find more recommendations like I Want to Live!?

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 The Green Mile Movies like The Life of David Gale Movies like Yield to the Night Movies like True Crime Movies like Dead Man Walking Movies like Into the Abyss

About movies like I Want to Live!

This ranked list pairs I Want to Live! (1958), a crime and drama film from Robert Wise, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Susan Hayward 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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