Movies Like Act of Violence (1949)

Act of Violence is a 1949 thriller film from Fred Zinnemann with a MovieMagicScore of 6.9/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with The Killer Is Loose and The Veteran.

Thriller

The Killer Is Loose

1956

A savings-and-loan bank is robbed; later, a police wiretap identifies meek bank teller Leon Poole as the inside man. In capturing him, detective Sam Wagner accidentally kills Poole's young wife, and at his trial Poole swears vengeance against Wagner. Poole begins his plans to get revenge when he escapes his captors.

6.6

MagicScore

The Veteran

2011

Soldier Robert Miller returns home from Afghanistan unable to fit back into society. Living on a violent council estate and finding work in undercover surveillance, he becomes obsessed with taking down a group of local gangsters who are intrinsically tied to a suspected terrorist cell. Taking the situation into his own hands, Robert embarks on a brutal quest for justice, with devastating consequences.

5.8

MagicScore

Hunted

1952

An unexpected bond develops between a fugitive killer and a runaway orphan on an odyssey across England.

6.8

MagicScore

The Murderers Are Among Us

1946

After returning from a concentration camp, Susanne finds a traumatized ex-soldier living in her apartment in bombed out Berlin. Together the two try to move past their experiences during WWII.

6.9

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

The Undercover Man

1949

Frank Warren is a treasury agent assigned to put an end to the activities of a powerful mob crime boss. Frank works undercover, posing as a criminal to seek information, but is frustrated when all he finds are terrified witnesses and corrupt police officers.

6.1

MagicScore

Detective Story

1951

Tells the story of one day in the lives of the various people who populate a police detective squad. An embittered cop, Det. Jim McLeod, leads a precinct of characters in their grim daily battle with the city's lowlife. The characters who pass through the precinct over the course of the day include a young petty embezzler, a pair of burglars, and a naive shoplifter.

7.0

MagicScore

Mudbound

2017

In the post–World War II South, two families are pitted against a barbaric social hierarchy and an unrelenting landscape as they simultaneously fight the battle at home and the battle abroad.

7.4

MagicScore

Thelma & Louise

1991

Taking a break from their dreary lives, close friends Thelma and Louise embark on a short weekend trip that ends in unforeseen incriminating circumstances. As fugitives, both women rediscover the strength of their bond and their newfound resilience.

7.6

MagicScore

#10

Hearts and Minds

1974

Many times during his presidency, Lyndon B. Johnson said that ultimate victory in the Vietnam War depended upon the U.S. military winning the "hearts and minds" of the Vietnamese people. Filmmaker Peter Davis uses Johnson's phrase in an ironic context in this anti-war documentary, filmed and released while the Vietnam War was still under way, juxtaposing interviews with military figures like U.S. Army Chief of Staff William C. Westmoreland with shocking scenes of violence and brutality.

7.6

MagicScore

#11

Why We Fight

2005

Is American foreign policy dominated by the idea of military supremacy? Has the military become too important in American life? Jarecki's shrewd and intelligent polemic would seem to give an affirmative answer to each of these questions.

7.5

MagicScore

#12

Black Mass

2015

The true story of Whitey Bulger, the brother of a state senator and the most infamous violent criminal in the history of South Boston, who became an FBI informant to take down a Mafia family invading his turf.

6.5

MagicScore

#13

Lemming

2005

After the death of his boss's wife, a young engineer faces the sudden psychological metamorphosis of his own wife, seemingly possessed by the soul of the deceased...

6.6

MagicScore

#14

Double Indemnity

1944

An insurance representative is seduced by a dissatisfied housewife into a scheme of insurance fraud and murder that arouses the suspicion of his colleague, a claims investigator.

8.1

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

What Have I Done to Deserve This?

1984

A henpecked housewife ekes out a meager existence, surrounded by a host of colorful characters: her ungrateful husband, her delinquent sons, her headstrong mother-in-law, and her sex worker neighbor, among others.

7.1

MagicScore

#17

2 or 3 Things I Know About Her

1967

As the city of Paris and the French people grow in consumer culture, a housewife living in a high-rise apartment with her husband and two children takes to prostitution to help pay the bills.

6.2

MagicScore

#18

Jethica

2023

While hiding out in New Mexico after a freak accident, Elena runs into Jessica, an old friend from high school. When Jessica's stalker suddenly shows up at their door, they must seek help from beyond the grave to get rid of him, for good.

5.5

MagicScore

#19

The Fallen Sparrow

1943

Imprisoned during the Spanish Civil War, John "Kit" McKittrick is released when a New York City policeman pulls some strings. Upon returning to America, McKittrick hears that a friend has committed suicide, and he begins to smell a rat. During his investigation, McKittrick questions three beautiful women, one of whom has a tie to his refugee past. Pursued by Nazi operatives, McKittrick learns of the death of another friend, and begins to suspect the dark Dr. Skaas.

5.7

MagicScore

#20

Key Largo

1948

A hurricane swells outside, but it's nothing compared to the storm within the hotel at Key Largo. There, sadistic mobster Johnny Rocco holes up - and holds at gunpoint hotel owner James Temple, his widowed daughter-in-law Nora, and ex-GI Frank McCloud.

7.5

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Act of Violence?

The top films similar to Act of Violence by MovieMagicScore are The Killer Is Loose (6.6), The Veteran (5.8), Hunted (6.8). Each shares thriller themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Act of Violence worth watching?

Act of Violence holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.9/10 from 101 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Act of Violence?

Act of Violence (1949) is a thriller film directed by Fred Zinnemann, starring Van Heflin, Robert Ryan, Janet Leigh.

Where can I find more recommendations like Act of Violence?

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

Keep exploring

Movies like The Killer Is Loose Movies like The Veteran Movies like Hunted Movies like The Murderers Are Among Us Movies like Sudden Fear Movies like The Undercover Man

About movies like Act of Violence

This ranked list pairs Act of Violence (1949), a thriller film from Fred Zinnemann, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Van Heflin 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.

← Back to Act of Violence