Movies Like The Dark Past (1948)

The Dark Past is a 1948 crime, drama, thriller film from Rudolph Maté with a MovieMagicScore of 5.8/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with The Desperate Hours and Desperate Hours.

Crime Drama Thriller

The Desperate Hours

1955

Escaped convicts terrorize a suburban family they're holding hostage.

7.0

MagicScore

Desperate Hours

1990

An escaped con, on the run from the law, moves into a married couple's house and takes over their lives.

5.4

MagicScore

Beast of Burden

2018

Sean Haggerty only has an hour to deliver his illegal cargo. An hour to reassure a drug cartel, a hitman, and the DEA that nothing is wrong. An hour to make sure his wife survives. And he must do it all from the cockpit of his Cessna.

4.3

MagicScore

The Long Night

1947

City police surround a building, attempting to capture a suspected murderer. The suspect knows there is no escape but refuses to give in.

5.6

MagicScore

Supremacy

2014

The story centers on paroled white supremacist who has just killed a cop, and takes a black family hostage. Within hours of being released from 14 years of solitary confinement in maximum-security Pelican Bay State Prison, Garrett Tully is on the run again. When he finds a house off a dirt road and takes a family hostage, he thinks the Aryan Brotherhood has his back–and his kidnap victims are black. The family’s patriarch, Mr. Walker, is a jaded ex-con who hates cops so much he disavowed his own son for becoming one. Seeing a familiar desperation in Tully, Walker refuses to call the authorities for help, causing familial tensions to escalate, and soon grave missteps are made.

5.7

MagicScore

The Racket

1951

The big national crime syndicate has moved into town, partnering up with local crime boss Nick Scanlon. McQuigg, the only honest police captain on the force, and his loyal patrolman, Johnson, take on the violent Nick.

6.3

MagicScore

High and Low

1963

A Yokohama shoe executive faces a wrenching choice when kidnappers mistakenly seize his chauffeur’s son but demand the ransom anyway.

8.4

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

The Bad Sleep Well

1960

In this loose adaptation of "Hamlet," illegitimate son Kôichi Nishi climbs to a high position within a Japanese corporation and marries the crippled daughter of company vice president Iwabuchi. At the reception, the wedding cake is a replica of their corporate headquarters, but an aspect of the design reminds the party of the hushed-up death of Nishi's father. It is then that Nishi unleashes his plan to avenge his father's death.

7.7

MagicScore

#10

White Heat

1949

A psychopathic criminal with a mother complex makes a daring break from prison and then leads his old gang in a chemical plant payroll heist. After the heist, events take a crazy turn.

7.6

MagicScore

#11

Elevator to the Gallows

1958

A self-assured businessman murders his employer, the husband of his mistress, which unintentionally provokes an ill-fated chain of events.

7.6

MagicScore

#12

Stray Dog

1949

A bad day gets worse for young detective Murakami when a pickpocket steals his gun on a hot, crowded bus. Desperate to right the wrong, he goes undercover, scavenging Tokyo’s sweltering streets for the stray dog whose desperation has led him to a life of crime. With each step, cop and criminal’s lives become more intertwined and the investigation becomes an examination of Murakami’s own dark side.

7.5

MagicScore

#13

Victim

1961

A web of blackmail and murder attracts the attention of a barrister with a seemingly idyllic life, threatening to derail his career on the path of success.

7.4

MagicScore

#14

The Woman in the Window

1944

A seductive woman gets an innocent professor mixed up in murder.

7.4

MagicScore

#15

Panic

1947

Proud, eccentric, and antisocial, Monsieur Hire has always kept to himself. But after a woman turns up dead in the Paris suburb where he lives, he feels drawn to a pretty young newcomer to town and discovers that his neighbors are only too ready to suspect the worst of him.

7.3

MagicScore

#16

Odd Man Out

1947

Belfast police conduct a door-to-door manhunt for an IRA gunman wounded in a daring robbery.

7.3

MagicScore

#17

Brute Force

1947

Timeworn Joe Collins and his fellow inmates live under the heavy thumb of the sadistic, power-tripping guard Captain Munsey. Only Collins' dreams of escape keep him going, but how can he possibly bust out of Munsey's chains?

7.3

MagicScore

#18

Murder, My Sweet

1944

After being hired to find an ex-con's former girlfriend, Philip Marlowe is drawn into a deeply complex web of mystery and deceit.

7.2

MagicScore

#19

Thieves' Highway

1949

Nick Garcos comes back from his tour of duty in World War II planning to settle down with his girlfriend, Polly Faber. He learns, however, that his father was recently beaten and burglarized by mob-connected trucker Mike Figlia, and Nick resolves to get even. He partners with prostitute Rica, and together they go after Mike, all the while getting pulled further into the local crime underworld.

7.2

MagicScore

#20

Where the Sidewalk Ends

1950

A police detective's violent nature keeps him from being a good cop.

7.2

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like The Dark Past?

The top films similar to The Dark Past by MovieMagicScore are The Desperate Hours (7.0), Desperate Hours (5.4), Beast of Burden (4.3). Each shares crime/drama/thriller themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is The Dark Past worth watching?

The Dark Past holds a MovieMagicScore of 5.8/10 from 38 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is The Dark Past?

The Dark Past (1948) is a crime, drama, thriller film directed by Rudolph Maté, starring William Holden, Nina Foch, Lee J. Cobb.

Where can I find more recommendations like The Dark Past?

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 Desperate Hours Movies like Desperate Hours Movies like Beast of Burden Movies like The Long Night Movies like Supremacy Movies like The Racket

About movies like The Dark Past

This ranked list pairs The Dark Past (1948), a crime and drama and thriller film from Rudolph Maté, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of William Holden 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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