Movies Like Hell Is a City (1960)

Hell Is a City is a 1960 crime, thriller film from Val Guest with a MovieMagicScore of 6.5/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with The Violent Years and Obsession.

Crime Thriller

The Violent Years

1956

A newspaper publisher's daughter suffers from neglect by her parents. She and her friends turn to crime by dressing up like men, holding up gas stations, raping young men at gunpoint, and having makeout parties when her parents are away. Their "fence" gets them to trash the school on request of sinister un-American clients, and they run afoul of the law, apple pie, and God himself.

4.3

MagicScore

Obsession

1949

A British psychiatrist devises a devilish revenge plot against his wife's lover.

6.7

MagicScore

The 39 Steps

1935

Richard Hanney has a rude awakening when a glamorous female spy falls into his bed - with a knife in her back. Having a bit of trouble explaining it all to Scotland Yard, he heads for the hills of Scotland to try to clear his name by locating the spy ring known as The 39 Steps.

7.3

MagicScore

Taken 3

2014

Ex-government operative Bryan Mills finds his life is shattered when he's falsely accused of a murder that hits close to home. As he's pursued by a savvy police inspector, Mills employs his particular set of skills to track the real killer and exact his unique brand of justice.

6.3

MagicScore

The Night of the Hunter

1955

In Depression-era West Virginia, a serial-killing preacher hunts two young children who know the whereabouts of a stash of money.

7.9

MagicScore

Les Misérables

1935

In 19th century France, Jean Valjean, a man imprisoned for stealing bread, must flee a relentless policeman named Javert. The pursuit consumes both men's lives, and soon Valjean finds himself in the midst of the student revolutions in France.

7.2

MagicScore

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

Jigsaw

1962

A woman is found murdered in a seaside house along the coast from Brighton in the county of East Sussex, England. Local D.I. Fred Fellows and D.S. Jim Wilks lead an investigation methodically following up leads and clues mostly in Brighton and Hove but also further afield. _-= Based on the novel "Sleep Long My Love" by Hillary Waugh and Inspired by the Brighton Trunk Murders of the late 1930's =-_

7.3

MagicScore

A Hard Day

2014

After trying to cover up a car accident that left a man dead, a crooked homicide detective is stalked by a mysterious man claiming to have witnessed the event.

7.1

MagicScore

#10

The Lodger

1944

In Victorian era London, the inhabitants of a family home with rented rooms upstairs fear the new lodger is Jack the Ripper.

6.4

MagicScore

#11

Gone Baby Gone

2007

When 4 year old Amanda McCready disappears from her home and the police make little headway in solving the case, the girl's aunt, Beatrice McCready hires two private detectives, Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro. The detectives freely admit that they have little experience with this type of case, but the family wants them for two reasons—they're not cops and they know the tough neighborhood in which they all live.

7.3

MagicScore

#12

Scarface

1932

In 1920s Chicago, Italian immigrant and notorious thug, Antonio 'Tony' Camonte, aka Scarface, shoots his way to the top of the mobs while trying to protect his sister from the criminal life.

7.4

MagicScore

#13

Les Misérables

2012

An adaptation of the successful stage musical based on Victor Hugo's classic novel set in 19th-century France. Jean Valjean, a man imprisoned for stealing bread, must flee a relentless policeman named Javert. The pursuit consumes both men's lives, and soon Valjean finds himself in the midst of the student revolutions in France.

7.3

MagicScore

#14

Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw

1976

A young country-star wannabe takes off from her carhop career to join with a young, modern Billy the Kid wannabe for an adventure in theft, murder and mayhem.

4.3

MagicScore

#15

Shadow of a Doubt

1943

In sleepy Santa Rosa, restless young Charlie’s world brightens when her sophisticated Uncle Charlie arrives for a long visit. But as his behavior grows increasingly strange, she begins to suspect that her beloved uncle may be hiding a terrible secret—and that danger has quietly entered her home.

7.5

MagicScore

#16

The Invisible Man's Revenge

1944

A fugitive, dangerous madman reaches an English village where he confronts his former partner who left him for dead in the jungle after their discovery of a diamond mine. When the former partner also claims to have since lost the mine and all its wealth, which he took all for himself, and though the partner is still living in a state of luxury , the madman takes up an offer from a crazed scientist to make him invisible, something the scientist has already done with experimental animals, so that he can take revenge.

5.6

MagicScore

#17

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

#18

Red Riding: The Year of Our Lord 1974

2009

Yorkshire, 1974. Fear, mistrust and institutionalised police corruption are running riot. Rookie journalist Eddie Dunford is determined to search for the truth in an increasingly complex maze of lies and deceit surrounding the police investigation into a series of child abductions. When young Clare Kemplay goes missing, Eddie and his colleague, Barry, persuade their editor to let them investigate links with two similar abductions that draw them into a deadly world of secrecy, intimidation, shocking revelations and police brutality.

6.7

MagicScore

#19

Odds Against Tomorrow

1959

An old-time crook plans a heist. When one of his two partners is found out to be a black man tensions flare.

6.8

MagicScore

#20

11:14

2003

Tells the seemingly random yet vitally connected story of a set of incidents that all converge one evening at 11:14pm. The story follows the chain of events of five different characters and five different storylines that all converge to tell the story of murder and deceit.

6.8

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Hell Is a City?

The top films similar to Hell Is a City by MovieMagicScore are The Violent Years (4.3), Obsession (6.7), The 39 Steps (7.3). Each shares crime/thriller themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Hell Is a City worth watching?

Hell Is a City holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.5/10 from 33 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Hell Is a City?

Hell Is a City (1960) is a crime, thriller film directed by Val Guest, starring Stanley Baker, John Crawford, Donald Pleasence.

Where can I find more recommendations like Hell Is a City?

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 Violent Years Movies like Obsession Movies like The 39 Steps Movies like Taken 3 Movies like The Night of the Hunter Movies like Les Misérables

About movies like Hell Is a City

This ranked list pairs Hell Is a City (1960), a crime and thriller film from Val Guest, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Stanley Baker 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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