Movies Like You Only Live Once (1937)

You Only Live Once is a 1937 crime, drama, romance film from Fritz Lang with a MovieMagicScore of 7.1/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Shockproof and Lost in the Sun.

Crime Drama Romance

Shockproof

1949

Jenny Marsh, recently released from prison for killing a man, finds herself under the watchful eye of her parole officer, Griff Marat, who helps her secure a job caring for his ailing mother.

6.4

MagicScore

Lost in the Sun

2015

A small time crook and a newly-orphaned teenage boy team up to perform a string of robberies.

5.9

MagicScore

Stranger on the Third Floor

1940

Newspaper reporter Michael Ward plunges into a nightmare of guilt, fearing that his "evidence" has sentenced the wrong man to death.

6.5

MagicScore

Papillon

2017

Henri “Papillon” Charrière, a safecracker from the Parisian underworld, is wrongfully convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in the penal colony of French Guiana, where he forges a strong friendship with Louis Dega, a counterfeiter who needs his protection.

7.3

MagicScore

The Prosecutor

2024

A poor young man is wrongly charged with drug trafficking after being deceived. An ex-prosecutor investigates the case, uncovers a corrupt lawyer team's scheme, and restores justice despite obstruction from evil forces.

6.9

MagicScore

Call Northside 777

1948

In 1932, a cop is killed and Frank Wiecek sentenced to life. Eleven years later, a newspaper ad by Frank's mother leads Chicago reporter P.J. O'Neal to look into the case. For some time, O'Neal continues to believe Frank guilty. But when he starts to change his mind, he meets increased resistance from authorities unwilling to be proved wrong.

6.7

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

Hell Drivers

1957

An ex-con trying to go clean ends up working for a crooked trucking company swindling money.

6.7

MagicScore

Tomorrow Is Another Day

1951

A man who spent his formative years in prison for murder is released, and struggles to adjust to the outside world and escape his lurid past. He gets involved with a cheap dancehall girl, and when her protector is accidentally killed, they go on the lam together, getting jobs as farm labourers. But some fellow workers get wise to them.

6.5

MagicScore

#10

Frances

1982

The true story of Frances Farmer's meteoric rise to fame in Hollywood and the tragic turn her life took when she was blacklisted.

6.9

MagicScore

#11

Slightly Scarlet

1956

Kleptomaniac Dorothy Lyons is paroled from prison into the custody of her sister June, secretary to "reform" politician Frank Jansen. Ben Grace, associate of crime boss Sol "Solly" Caspar, sees this as a way to smear Jansen's campaign. Seductive Dorothy will do anything to get what she wants, which includes having a good time with Ben-- whom June is now in love with.

6.2

MagicScore

#12

Nickel Boys

2024

Chronicles the powerful friendship between two young Black teenagers navigating the harrowing trials of reform school together in Florida.

6.6

MagicScore

#13

Crown Heights

2017

When Colin Warner was wrongfully convicted of murder, his best friend Carl King devoted his life to proving his innocence.

6.6

MagicScore

#14

Johnny Eager

1941

A charming racketeer seduces the DA's stepdaughter for revenge, then falls in love.

6.1

MagicScore

#15

Crime Wave

1953

Reformed parolee Steve Lacey is caught in the middle when a wounded former cellmate seeks him out for shelter. The other two former cellmates then attempt to force him into doing a bank job.

7.1

MagicScore

#16

Kiss of Death

1947

An ex-con trying to go straight must face a crazed criminal out for revenge.

7.0

MagicScore

#17

Cry Danger

1951

After serving five years of a life sentence, Rocky Mulloy hopes to clear his friend who's still in prison for the same crime.

6.6

MagicScore

#18

Mississippi Mermaid

1969

A tobacco planter on Réunion island in the Indian Ocean becomes engaged through correspondence to a French woman he does not know. The woman that arrives does not look like the picture he received, but he marries her anyway.

6.6

MagicScore

#19

Young and Innocent

1937

When a young writer is falsely accused of murdering a famous actress, he escapes custody and joins forces with the daughter of a police constable to prove his innocence.

6.6

MagicScore

#20

Monsieur Verdoux

1947

The film is about an unemployed banker, Henri Verdoux, and his sociopathic methods of attaining income. While being both loyal and competent in his work, Verdoux has been laid-off. To make money for his wife and child, he marries wealthy widows and then murders them. His crime spree eventually works against him when two particular widows break his normal routine.

7.7

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like You Only Live Once?

The top films similar to You Only Live Once by MovieMagicScore are Shockproof (6.4), Lost in the Sun (5.9), Stranger on the Third Floor (6.5). Each shares crime/drama/romance themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is You Only Live Once worth watching?

You Only Live Once holds a MovieMagicScore of 7.1/10 from 185 viewer ratings, putting it among the better-reviewed titles in its genre.

What kind of movie is You Only Live Once?

You Only Live Once (1937) is a crime, drama, romance film directed by Fritz Lang, starring Sylvia Sidney, Henry Fonda, Barton MacLane.

Where can I find more recommendations like You Only Live Once?

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 Shockproof Movies like Lost in the Sun Movies like Stranger on the Third Floor Movies like Papillon Movies like The Prosecutor Movies like Call Northside 777

About movies like You Only Live Once

This ranked list pairs You Only Live Once (1937), a crime and drama and romance film from Fritz Lang, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Sylvia Sidney 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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