Movies Like The River Rat (1984)

The River Rat is a 1984 adventure, crime, drama, family film from Thomas Rickman with a MovieMagicScore of 6.2/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with The Kid Brother and Low Tide.

Adventure Crime Drama Family

The Kid Brother

1927

The timid youngest son of the most important family in town must use his wits to win the respect of his strong father and the love of a beautiful new woman in town.

6.9

MagicScore

Low Tide

2019

In the long days of summer in a beach town on the New Jersey shore, high schooler Alan and his friends Red and Smitty break into vacation homes to steal valuables, funding dates at the boardwalk and lunches at the burger stand. When Alan and his younger brother Peter find a bag of gold coins, they try to hide them from the others — but Red, suspicious and violently unpredictable, seems willing to do anything to get the money.

6.2

MagicScore

Out of the Fog

1941

A Brooklyn pier racketeer bullies boat-owners into paying protection money but two fed-up fishermen decide to eliminate the gangster themselves rather than complain to the police.

6.2

MagicScore

Unknown Island

1948

Adventure-seeker Ted Osborne has convinced his finacee Carole to finance his expedition to an uncharted South Pacific island supposedly populated with dinosaurs...

5.0

MagicScore

The Bob's Burgers Movie

2022

When a ruptured water main creates an enormous sinkhole right in front of Bob's Burgers, it blocks the entrance indefinitely and ruins the Belchers’ plans for a successful summer. While Bob and Linda struggle to keep the business afloat, the kids try to solve a mystery that could save their family's restaurant. As the dangers mount, these underdogs help each other find hope and fight to get back behind the counter, where they belong.

7.0

MagicScore

The Defiant Ones

1958

Two convicts—one white, one black—escape while chained to each other.

7.1

MagicScore

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

1939

Huckleberry Finn, a rambunctious boy adventurer chafing under the bonds of civilization, escapes his humdrum world and his selfish, plotting father by sailing a raft down the Mississippi River.

6.6

MagicScore

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

1960

From chicken thief to cabin boy, riverboat pilot to circus performer, Huck Finn outsmarts everyone on his way down the muddy Mississippi.

5.8

MagicScore

Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry Finn

2014

Tom Sawyer and his pal Huckleberry Finn have great adventures on the Mississippi River, pretending to be pirates, attending their own funeral and witnessing a murder.

5.5

MagicScore

#10

Tom and Huck

1995

A mischievous young boy, Tom Sawyer, witnesses a murder by the deadly Injun Joe. Tom becomes friends with Huckleberry Finn, a boy with no future and no family. Tom has to choose between honoring a friendship or honoring an oath because the town alcoholic is accused of the murder. Tom and Huck go through several adventures trying to retrieve evidence.

5.2

MagicScore

#11

The Little Mermaid

2018

A young reporter and his niece discover a beautiful and enchanting creature they believe to be the real little mermaid.

5.0

MagicScore

#12

Millions

2004

Two boys, still grieving the death of their mother, find themselves the unwitting benefactors of a bag of bank robbery loot in the week before the United Kingdom switches its official currency to the Euro. What's a kid to do?

6.4

MagicScore

#13

Nightcrawler

2014

When Lou Bloom, desperate for work, muscles into the world of L.A. crime journalism, he blurs the line between observer and participant to become the star of his own story. Aiding him in his effort is Nina, a TV-news veteran.

7.7

MagicScore

#14

The Lincoln Lawyer

2011

Mick Haller is a charismatic defense attorney who does business out of his Lincoln Continental sedan. Mick spends most of his time defending petty crooks and other bottom-feeders, so it comes as quite a surprise when he lands the case of a lifetime: defending a Beverly Hills playboy who is accused of attempted murder. However, what Mick initially thinks is an open-and-shut case with a big monetary reward develops into something more sinister.

7.2

MagicScore

#15

Deewana

1992

A singer marries his biggest fan, but his uncle plans to kill him in order to gain his money.

6.8

MagicScore

#16

The Bone Collector

1999

Lincoln Rhyme was the department's top homicide detective and leading expert in criminal forensics until an injury left him paralyzed, depressed, and incapable of working. But when a gruesome murder in Manhattan leaves detectives baffled, they call on Rhyme to help solve the mystery. Amelia Donaghy, a rookie cop whose quick thinking preserved a gruesome murder scene, is enlisted by Rhyme to be his on-the-scene forensics expert. With Amelia reluctantly acting as Rhyme's able-bodied go-between, the pair piece together cryptic clues the killer leaves behind at the scene of the crime, hoping to catch the grisly serial killer.

6.8

MagicScore

#17

Beck 08 - Trails in Darkness

1998

A serial killer that decapitates people is on the loose in the Stockholm subway. Martin Beck and his colleagues try to catch the killer, while the panic in the city increases.

6.7

MagicScore

#18

The Little Things

2021

Deputy Sheriff Joe "Deke" Deacon joins forces with Sgt. Jim Baxter to search for a serial killer who's terrorizing Los Angeles. As they track the culprit, Baxter is unaware that the investigation is dredging up echoes of Deke's past, uncovering disturbing secrets that could threaten more than his case.

6.3

MagicScore

#19

Cop

1988

An obsessive, insubordinate homicide cop is convinced a serial killer is loose in the Hollywood area and disobeys orders in order to catch him.

6.2

MagicScore

#20

Devil's Knot

2013

The savage murders of three young children sparks a controversial trial of three teenagers accused of killing the kids as part of a satanic ritual.

6.2

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like The River Rat?

The top films similar to The River Rat by MovieMagicScore are The Kid Brother (6.9), Low Tide (6.2), Out of the Fog (6.2). Each shares adventure/crime/drama/family themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is The River Rat worth watching?

The River Rat holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.2/10 from 22 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is The River Rat?

The River Rat (1984) is a adventure, crime, drama, family film directed by Thomas Rickman, starring Tommy Lee Jones, Martha Plimpton, Brian Dennehy.

Where can I find more recommendations like The River Rat?

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

Keep exploring

Movies like The Kid Brother Movies like Low Tide Movies like Out of the Fog Movies like Unknown Island Movies like The Bob's Burgers Movie Movies like The Defiant Ones

About movies like The River Rat

This ranked list pairs The River Rat (1984), a adventure and crime and drama and family film from Thomas Rickman, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Tommy Lee Jones 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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