Movies Like Johnny Handsome (1989)

Johnny Handsome is a 1989 crime, drama, thriller film from Walter Hill with a MovieMagicScore of 6.3/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Being John Malkovich and Transamerica.

Crime Drama Thriller

Being John Malkovich

1999

One day at work, unsuccessful puppeteer Craig finds a portal into the head of actor John Malkovich. The portal soon becomes a passion for anybody who enters its mad and controlling world of overtaking another human body.

7.4

MagicScore

Transamerica

2005

A transgender woman takes an unexpected journey when she learns that she had a son, now a teenage runaway hustling on the streets of New York.

7.0

MagicScore

The Skin I Live In

2011

A brilliant plastic surgeon creates a synthetic skin that withstands any kind of damage. His guinea pig: a mysterious and volatile woman who holds the key to his obsession.

7.5

MagicScore

The Killing

1956

Career criminal Johnny Clay recruits a sharpshooter, a crooked police officer, a bartender and a betting teller named George, among others, for one last job before he goes straight and gets married. But when George tells his restless wife about the scheme to steal millions from the racetrack where he works, she hatches a plot of her own.

7.6

MagicScore

Wild Seven

2006

In this darkly karmic vision of Arizona, a man who breathes nothing but ill will begins a noxious domino effect as quickly as an uncontrollable virus kills. As he exits Arizona State Penn after twenty-one long years, Wilson has only one thing on the brain, leveling the score with career criminal, Mackey Willis. As eccentric and intuitive as he is vicious, Mackey's own perfected criminal game will play right into the path Wilson has set for him. With the help of a prison bus driver, Lee Marvin, Wilson acts as a catalyst, putting a plan into action that will bring an untimely end to Mackey Willis. The problem is, nothing goes exactly as planned.

4.0

MagicScore

Dancer in the Dark

2000

Selma, a Czech immigrant on the verge of blindness, struggles to make ends meet for herself and her son, who has inherited the same genetic disorder and will suffer the same fate without an expensive operation. When life gets too difficult, Selma learns to cope through her love of musicals, dreaming up little numbers to the rhythmic beats of her surroundings.

7.9

MagicScore

Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!

1990

After being released from a mental hospital, a troubled young man tracks down an actress he once had sex with and forces her into captivity, determined to make her part of his life.

6.8

MagicScore

Bandyta

1997

Shipped off to a Romanian orphanage to finish his sentence, a British criminal finds romance but also discovers corruption inside the facility.

5.6

MagicScore

Distant Lights

2003

Lichter is an episodic tale from Hans-Christian Schmid about the life on the border between Germany and Poland. The film sheds light on the everyday stories of escape and desperateness.

7.4

MagicScore

#10

My Own Private Idaho

1991

In this loose adaptation of Shakespeare's "Henry IV," Mike Waters is a hustler afflicted with narcolepsy. Scott Favor is the rebellious son of a mayor. Together, the two travel from Portland, Oregon to Idaho and finally to the coast of Italy in a quest to find Mike's estranged mother. Along the way they turn tricks for money and drugs, eventually attracting the attention of a wealthy benefactor and sexual deviant.

7.1

MagicScore

#11

Cut Throat City

2020

Four boyhood friends return to New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward after Hurricane Katrina, to find their home decimated and prospects for work swept away. Turning to a local gangster for employment, the crew is hired to pull off a daring casino heist, right in the heart of the city.

6.4

MagicScore

#12

Sugar & Spice

2001

When Jack and Diane find themselves in an unexpected adult situation, the A-Squad comes to their rescue. In order to help their friend Diane, the A-Squad goes where no cheerleader has gone before: taking on a little after-school project known as bank robbery. But the A-Squad does things their way -- with sugar and spice -- forever changing their friendship, their future and the nation's notion of teen spirit.

6.4

MagicScore

#13

Down by Law

1986

A disc jockey, a pimp and an Italian tourist escape from jail in New Orleans.

7.3

MagicScore

#14

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

#15

Son of a Gun

2014

Locked up for a minor crime, 19 year old JR quickly learns the harsh realities of prison life. Protection, if you can get it, is paramount. JR soon finds himself under the watchful eye of Australia's most notorious criminal, Brendan Lynch, but protection comes at a price.

6.4

MagicScore

#16

Le Deuxième Souffle

1966

A gangster escapes jail and quickly makes plans to continue his criminal ways elsewhere, but a determined inspector is closing in.

7.6

MagicScore

#17

High Sierra

1941

Given a pardon from jail, Roy Earle gets back into the swing of things as he robs a swanky resort.

7.1

MagicScore

#18

Straight Time

1978

After being released on parole, a burglar attempts to go straight, get a regular job, and just go by the rules. He soon finds himself back in jail at the hands of a power-hungry parole officer.

7.1

MagicScore

#19

The Italian Job

1969

Charlie's got a 'job' to do. Having just left prison he finds one of his friends has attempted a high-risk job in Torino, Italy, right under the nose of the mafia. Charlie's friend doesn't get very far, so Charlie takes over the 'job'. Using three Mini Coopers, a couple of Jaguars, and a bus, he hopes to bring Torino to a standstill, steal a fortune in gold and escape in the chaos.

7.0

MagicScore

#20

Levity

2003

Manuel Jordan is a man who is free after serving 23 years for killing a teenager during an attempted robbery. After nearly two decades of staring at his victim's face on a newspaper clipping in his cell, the newly paroled man seeks redemption. Instead, redemption—in the form of a mysterious minister and two needy women— finds him.

6.2

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Johnny Handsome?

The top films similar to Johnny Handsome by MovieMagicScore are Being John Malkovich (7.4), Transamerica (7.0), The Skin I Live In (7.5). Each shares crime/drama/thriller themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Johnny Handsome worth watching?

Johnny Handsome holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.3/10 from 277 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Johnny Handsome?

Johnny Handsome (1989) is a crime, drama, thriller film directed by Walter Hill, starring Mickey Rourke, Ellen Barkin, Morgan Freeman.

Where can I find more recommendations like Johnny Handsome?

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 Being John Malkovich Movies like Transamerica Movies like The Skin I Live In Movies like The Killing Movies like Wild Seven Movies like Dancer in the Dark

About movies like Johnny Handsome

This ranked list pairs Johnny Handsome (1989), a crime and drama and thriller film from Walter Hill, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Mickey Rourke 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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