MovieMagicScore

Stories Best Of

Sign In Sign Up

Feed Movies TV World Cinema Stories Best Of Top Rated In Theaters

Weekly Movie Picks, every Friday to your inbox

Discover

Home
Movies
TV Shows
World Cinema
Best TV Shows
Top Rated
In Theaters
Upcoming

Best Of

Best Movies
Best Action
Best Comedy
Best Drama
Best Horror
Top Actors
Top Directors

Tools

Getting Started
Taste Card
Movie Night Poll
Import from Letterboxd
Import from TV Time
How Ranking Works

Community

Community
Stories
Users

About Us

About Us
Contact
Feedback
Terms of Service
Privacy Policy

Download on the

© 2026 MovieMagicScore. All rights reserved.

Movie data by TMDb|Some links may earn us a commission

Home/Tough Guys Don't Dance/Similar Movies

Tough Guys Don't Dance

Movies Like Tough Guys Don't Dance (1987)

Tough Guys Don't Dance is a 1987 comedy, crime, drama film from Norman Mailer with a MovieMagicScore of 4.6/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Jesse Stone: Night Passage and Layer Cake.

Comedy Crime Drama

Jesse Stone: Night Passage poster

Jesse Stone: Night Passage

2006

A prequel to "Stone Cold", the story picks up after Jesse Stone is fired from the Los Angeles Police Department. He becomes an unlikely candidate recruited by a town council to become police chief of Paradise, MA, a small fishing town on Boston's North Shore. The board hopes his failed experience will keep him from digging too deep into the town's secrets. His first assignment is to investigate the murder of his predecessor whose death may be tied to a local domestic disturbance case, with connections to money laundering and murder involving some of the town's most affluent names as possible suspects.

Layer Cake poster

Layer Cake

2004

When a seemingly straight-forward drug deal goes awry, XXXX has to break his die-hard rules and turn up the heat, not only to outwit the old regime and come out on top, but to save his own skin...

We Own the Night poster

We Own the Night

2007

A New York nightclub manager tries to save his brother and father from Russian mafia hitmen.

Killing Them Softly poster

Killing Them Softly

2012

Jackie Cogan is an enforcer hired to restore order after three dumb guys rob a Mob protected card game, causing the local criminal economy to collapse.

Cure poster

Cure

1997

A detective starts spiraling out of control when a wave of gruesome murders with seemingly similar bizarre circumstances is sweeping Tokyo.

Hot Summer Nights poster

Hot Summer Nights

2018

In 1991, a sheltered teenager comes of age during a wild summer on Cape Cod, getting rich from selling pot to gangsters, falling in love for the first time, partying, and eventually realizing that he's in way over his head.

Dolemite poster

Dolemite

1975

Dolemite is a pimp who was set up by Willie Greene and the cops, who have planted drugs, stolen furs, and guns in his trunk and got him sentenced to 20 years in jail. One day, Queen B and a warden planned to get him out of Jail and get Willie Green and Mitchell busted for what they did to him.

Red Rock West poster

Red Rock West

1993

When a promised job for Texan Michael fails to materialize in Wyoming, Mike is mistaken by Wayne to be the hitman he hired to kill his unfaithful wife, Suzanne. Mike takes full advantage of the situation, collects the money, and runs. During his getaway, things go wrong, and soon get worse when he runs into the real hitman, Lyle.

Patriots Day poster

Patriots Day

2016

In the aftermath of an unspeakable act of terror, Police Sergeant Tommy Saunders joins courageous survivors, first responders and investigators in a race against the clock to hunt down the Boston Marathon bombers before they strike again.

Heat poster

Heat

1995

Obsessive master thief Neil McCauley leads a top-notch crew on various daring heists throughout Los Angeles while determined detective Vincent Hanna pursues him without rest. Each man recognizes and respects the ability and the dedication of the other even though they are aware their cat-and-mouse game may end in violence.

Lake George poster

Lake George

2024

Newly released from prison, a white-collar criminal, used to dealing with numbers, is tasked with one last job by his boss: kill the boss’ girlfriend before she talks.

Hammer poster

Hammer

2019

A father faces a personal crisis when he discovers his estranged son fleeing a botched drug deal. The two men embark on a violent odyssey that grapples with themes of fatherhood, family and fate.

Seven Psychopaths poster

Seven Psychopaths

2012

A struggling screenwriter inadvertently becomes entangled in the Los Angeles criminal underworld after his oddball friends kidnap a gangster's beloved Shih Tzu.

Carlito's Way poster

Carlito's Way

1993

Free after years in prison, Carlito Brigante intends to give up his criminal ways, but it's not long before the ex-con is sucked back into the New York City underworld. Reconnecting with his dancer girlfriend, Carlito gets entangled in the shady dealings of his friend Dave Kleinfeld, who also serves as his lawyer. An encounter with shifty gangster Benny Blanco sets the duo on a dangerous path.

Sea of Love poster

Sea of Love

1989

Seen-it-all New York detective Frank Keller is unsettled - he has done twenty years on the force and could retire, and he hasn't come to terms with his wife leaving him for a colleague. Joining up with an officer from another part of town to investigate a series of murders linked by the lonely hearts columns he finds he is getting seriously and possibly dangerously involved with Helen, one of the main suspects.

Cutter's Way poster

Cutter's Way

1981

Alex Cutter is a boozy, belligerent and deeply cynical Vietnam veteran whose encounter with a landmine during the war has left him minus an eye, a leg and an arm. When his drifter playboy friend Richard Bone is falsely accused of murder, Cutter sets out for revenge in his own inimitable style.

No Country for Old Men poster

No Country for Old Men

2007

Llewelyn Moss stumbles upon dead bodies, $2 million and a hoard of heroin in a Texas desert, but methodical killer Anton Chigurh comes looking for it, with local sheriff Ed Tom Bell hot on his trail. The roles of prey and predator blur as the violent pursuit of money and justice collide.

Jackie Brown poster

Jackie Brown

1997

Jackie Brown is a flight attendant who gets caught in the middle of smuggling cash into the country for her gunrunner boss. When the cops try to use Jackie to get to her boss, she hatches a plan — with help from a bail bondsman — to keep the money for herself.

True Romance poster

True Romance

1993

Clarence marries hooker Alabama, steals cocaine from her pimp, and tries to sell it in Hollywood, while the owners of the coke try to reclaim it.

Thief poster

Thief

1981

Frank is an expert professional safecracker, specialized in high-profile diamond heists. He plans to use his ill-gotten income to retire from crime and build a nice life for himself complete with a home, wife and kids. To accelerate the process, he signs on with a top gangster for a big score.

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Tough Guys Don't Dance?

The top films similar to Tough Guys Don't Dance by MovieMagicScore are Jesse Stone: Night Passage (6.9), Layer Cake (6.9), We Own the Night (6.7). Each shares comedy/crime/drama themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Tough Guys Don't Dance worth watching?

Tough Guys Don't Dance holds a MovieMagicScore of 4.6/10 from 46 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Tough Guys Don't Dance?

Tough Guys Don't Dance (1987) is a comedy, crime, drama film directed by Norman Mailer, starring Ryan O'Neal, Isabella Rossellini, Debra Stipe.

Where can I find more recommendations like Tough Guys Don't Dance?

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

Keep exploring

Movies like Jesse Stone: Night Passage Movies like Layer Cake Movies like We Own the Night Movies like Killing Them Softly Movies like Cure Movies like Hot Summer Nights

About movies like Tough Guys Don't Dance

This ranked list pairs Tough Guys Don't Dance (1987), a comedy and crime and drama film from Norman Mailer, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Ryan O'Neal 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 Tough Guys Don't Dance