Movies like Down by Law
If you like "Down by Law" you are looking for independent film, road movie and black and white movies about / with prison, friendship, prison escape, on the road, pimp, swamp and misfit themes of Comedy, Crime and Drama genre shot in USA or West Germany.
Find your next favorite and similar movies in two steps:
1. Identify all themes of interest from this film (block below).
2. Look for them in the presented list.
Down by Law (1986)
55K
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama
Country: USA, West Germany
Duration: 107 min.
Story:
A disc jockey, a pimp and an Italian tourist escape from jail in New Orleans.
Style:
independent film, road movie, black and white, atmospheric, humorous, art house, meditative, harsh, sincere, cult classic ...
Plot:
prison, friendship, prison escape, on the road, pimp, swamp, misfit, fight, character study, gangster, crime gone awry, escape, partner, prison life, unlikely criminals, serendipity, language barrier, boredom, down on your luck, dishonesty, jail, melancholy, female nudity, culture clash, prostitute ...
Time:
20th century, year 1986, 80s
Place:
new orleans, louisiana, usa
Keyword:
gangsters, partners, oldies, eye candy
Most similar movies to Down by Law
The list contains related movies ordered by similarity. Recommendation engine sorted out realistic, humorous, semi serious and witty films with plots about friends, friendship, profanity, disorder, partner, buddies and misfit mostly in Comedy, Drama and Crime genres. Some movies like Down by Law: Stranger Than Paradise (1984), Mystery Train (1989), Night on Earth (1991), Dead Man (1995), Life (1999). The matching attributes are highlighted in bold.
Watch Trailers From This List to Choose a Movie
Subscribe for New and Better Recommendations
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA, West Germany
Duration: 89 min.
Story:
Rootless Hungarian émigré Willie, his pal Eddie, and visiting sixteen-year-old cousin Eva always manage to make the least of any situation, whether aimlessly traversing the drab interiors and environs of New York City, Cleveland, or an anonymous ...
Style:
independent film, road movie, black and white, art house, contemplative ...
Plot:
minimalism, immigrant, road trip, on the road, snow, existentialism, dialogue, coming of age, melancholy, jazz, culture clash, loneliness ...
Time:
year 1984, 20th century, 80s
Place:
florida, new york, ohio, cleveland ohio, hungary ...
⇓ similarity ⇓
100%
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama
Country: Japan, USA
Duration: 110 min.
Story:
Three stories are connected by a Memphis hotel and the spirit of Elvis Presley.
Style:
independent film, anthology, humorous, stylized, atmospheric ...
Plot:
hotel, tourist, train, hotel room, ghost, rock and roll, robbery, cafe, recording studio, hotel desk clerk, boyfriend girlfriend relationship, armed robbery ...
Time:
year 1989, 80s, 20th century
Place:
memphis, tennessee, usa
⇓ similarity ⇓
100%
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: UK, France, Germany, Japan, USA
Duration: 129 min.
Story:
An anthology of 5 different cab drivers in 5 American and European cities and their remarkable fares on the same eventful night.
Style:
anthology, intellectual, independent film, dark comedy, melancholic ...
Plot:
taxi, culture clash, night, taxi driver, storytelling, immigration, multiple storylines, blindness, cigarette smoking, nightlife, conversation, friendship ...
Time:
90s, year 1991, 20th century
Place:
paris france, rome italy, new york, helsinki finland, los angeles ...
⇓ similarity ⇓
100%
103K
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Western
Country: USA, Germany, Japan
Duration: 121 min.
Story:
On the run after murdering a man, accountant William Blake encounters a strange North American man named Nobody who prepares him for his journey into the spiritual world.
Style:
bleak, atmospheric, black and white, gloomy, captivating ...
Plot:
journey, native american, cowboy, gunfight, wilderness, murder, indians, on the road, accountant, existentialism, culture clash, modern western ...
Time:
19th century, year 1995, 90s, 1870s, victorian era
Place:
usa, pacific ocean, cleveland ohio, england
⇓ similarity ⇓
100%
54K
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 108 min.
Story:
Two men in 1930s Mississippi become friends after being sentenced to life in prison together for a crime they did not commit.
Style:
funny, humorous, entertaining, semi serious, hilarious ...
Audience:
adult
Plot:
prison, twists and turns, life sentence, prison escape, prison life, redemption, african american, friendship, black, adaptation, criminal, escape attempt ...
Time:
1930s, 90s, 20th century, year 1932
Place:
mississippi, new york, usa, southern usa
⇓ similarity ⇓
34%
Also search:
The Grand Budapest Hotel related movies
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 75 min.
Story:
In downtown Manhattan, a twenty-something boy whose Father is not around and whose Mother is institutionalized, is a big Charlie Parker fan. He almost subconsciously searches for more meaning in his life and meets a few characters along the way.
Style:
independent film, art house, artsy, contemplative, surreal ...
Plot:
slacker, dialogue, solitude, drifter, coming of age, jazz, mental illness, hipster, teen angst, youth culture, alienation, misfit ...
Time:
20th century, 80s
Place:
new york, manhattan new york city, usa
⇓ similarity ⇓
34%
Genre: Comedy, Crime
Country: USA
Duration: 111 min.
Story:
New Yorkers, Skip Donahue and Harry Monroe, have no jobs and no prospects. They decide to flee the city and find work elsewhere, and land jobs as woodpeckers to promote the opening of a bank. When their feathery costumes are stolen and used in a ...
Style:
funny, humorous, witty, feel good, laugh out loud ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
prison, buddy, wrongful conviction, injustice, convict, cell mate, prison escape, lawyer, partner, on the road, jail, black ...
Time:
20th century, 70s
Place:
new york, arizona
⇓ similarity ⇓
33%
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 91 min.
Story:
Upon his release from a mental hospital following a nervous breakdown, the directionless Anthony joins his friend Dignan, who seems far less sane than the former. Dignan has hatched a hair-brained scheme for an as-yet-unspecified crime spree that ...
Style:
road movie, witty, humorous, talky, funny ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
robbery, on the run, love, heist, motel, psychiatric hospital, road trip, gangster, bookstore, sibling relationship, disorder, self discovery ...
Time:
90s, 20th century, year 1996
Place:
texas, austin texas, usa
⇓ similarity ⇓
33%
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 91 min.
Story:
After a friend overdoses, Spoon and Stretch decide to kick their drug habits and attempt to enroll in a government detox program. Their efforts are hampered by seemingly endless red tape, as they are shuffled from one office to another while being ...
Style:
dark comedy, hood, stylized, harsh, talky ...
Plot:
addiction, hip hop, drug addiction, drug, urban, drug abuse, murder, heroin, gangster, justice, crime gone awry, culture clash ...
Time:
20th century, year 1997, 90s
Place:
usa, detroit, new york
⇓ similarity ⇓
31%
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 103 min.
Story:
At long last, Madea returns to the big screen in TYLER PERRY'S MADEA GOES TO JAIL. This time America's favorite irreverent, pistol-packin' grandmomma is raising hell behind bars and lobbying for her freedom...Hallelujer!
Style:
semi serious, humorous, realistic, witty, black comedy ...
Audience:
teens
Plot:
prison, madea, farce, prison life, criminal, disorder, nothing goes right, goofy hero, elderly, fish out of water, friendship, black ...
Time:
year 2009, 2000s, 21st century
Place:
usa, georgia
⇓ similarity ⇓
30%
Also search:
Pulp Fiction related movies
Genre: Crime, Drama
Country: France, Germany, USA, Japan
Duration: 116 min.
Story:
An African-American Mafia hit man who models himself after the samurai of old finds himself targeted for death by the mob.
Style:
art house, stylized, atmospheric, cult classic, hood ...
Plot:
african american, mafia, samurai, hitman, hip hop, loneliness, loner, racial slur, friendship, assassin, martial arts, lone wolves ...
Time:
90s, year 1999, future, 20th century
Place:
new york, usa, new jersey, brooklyn new york city, japan
⇓ similarity ⇓
30%
12K
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 107 min.
Story:
After being thrown away from home, pregnant high school dropout Maria meets Matthew, a highly educated and extremely moody electronics repairman. The two begin an unusual romance built on their sense of mutual admiration and trust.
Style:
independent film, dark comedy, surreal, cult classic, talky ...
Plot:
dysfunctional family, love and romance, age difference, coming of age, bittersweet, dark humor, redemption, age-gap relationship, women, young heroes, drifter, troubled youth ...
Time:
90s, year 1990, 80s, 20th century
Place:
long island, usa, new york
⇓ similarity ⇓
30%
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 108 min.
Story:
A hippie radical, Huey Walker has been a fugitive for decades, accused of a crime that he may not have committed. Finally apprehended, Walker is escorted to trial by uptight 20-something FBI agent John Buckner. While the two seem to be polar ...
Style:
entertaining, emotional, light, witty, humorous ...
Plot:
lsd, friendship, train, chase, on the road, fbi, hippie, unlikely friendships, prison, criminal heroes, partner, mistaken identity ...
Time:
20th century, 60s, 90s
Place:
oregon, usa
⇓ similarity ⇓
30%
451
Genre: Comedy, Crime
Country: USA
Duration: 94 min.
Story:
The leader of a group of misfits, his girlfriend and an assassin have devised a bizarre plan to smuggle stolen jewelry over the US/Mexican border. They implant the jewelry in a racing horse.
Style:
independent film, cynical, realistic, semi serious, humorous ...
Plot:
rock, hitman, psychopath, disorder, down on your luck, cons and scams, dishonesty, on the run, nothing goes right, criminal heroes, partner, criminal ...
Time:
year 1989, 80s
Place:
latin america, mexico
⇓ similarity ⇓
29%
Genre: Comedy, Crime
Country: USA
Duration: 106 min.
Story:
Two escaped cons only prayer to escape is to pass themselves off as priests and pass by the police blockade at the border into the safety of Canada.
Style:
humorous, feel good, clever, captivating, exciting ...
Plot:
mistaken identity, prison, clergy, small town, religion, fake priest, priest, monk, fish out of water, buddies, on the run, disorder ...
Time:
20th century, year 1989, 80s
⇓ similarity ⇓
29%
Also search:
Films like Snatch
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 102 min.
Story:
During the Great Depression, a con man finds himself saddled with a young girl who may or may not be his daughter, and the two forge an unlikely partnership.
Style:
road movie, sentimental, black and white, touching, humorous ...
Audience:
family outing, teens
Plot:
father daughter relationship, friendship, great depression, mischievous children, orphan, girl, road trip, tomboy, con men, on the road, con man, bible ...
Time:
1930s, 20th century, year 1973
Place:
missouri, kansas, usa
⇓ similarity ⇓
29%
35K
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 88 min.
Story:
It's Christmas Eve in Tinseltown and Sin-Dee is back on the block. Upon hearing that her pimp boyfriend hasn't been faithful during the 28 days she was locked up, the working girl and her best friend, Alexandra, embark on a mission to get ...
Style:
harsh, disturbing, talky, dark comedy, grindhouse ...
Audience:
chick flick, date night, adult
Plot:
lgbt, prostitute, christmas, transgender, friendship, transsexual, christmas eve, transsexuality, infidelity, unfaithful boyfriend, hollywood, taxi ...
Time:
year 2015, near future, 2010s
Place:
los angeles, california, indiana
⇓ similarity ⇓
29%
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Crime, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 120 min.
Story:
After discovering a hole in their crowded cell, nine prisoners escape their confinement to track down the key of the universe, which a fellow prisoner known as the Counterfeit King said he had hidden.
Style:
serious, realistic, surreal, uplifting, crime drama ...
Plot:
prison, on the run, treasure hunt, criminal heroes, society, social misfits, misfit, friendship, chase, escaped prisoner, convict, boyfriend girlfriend relationship ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
japan, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
29%
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama, Sport
Country: USA
Duration: 121 min.
Story:
In this rough-and-tumble yarn, actually filmed on-location at the Georgia State Prision, the cons are the heroes and the guards are the heavies. Eddie Albert is the sadistic warden who'll gladly make any sacrifice to push his guards' ...
Style:
inspirational, intense, suspense, talky, witty ...
Audience:
boys' night, manly
Plot:
prison, american football, football, underdog, prison escape, cheerleader, farce, greed, crime gone awry, unlikely friendships, prison life, contests and competitions ...
Time:
20th century, 70s
Place:
florida, usa, america, georgia
⇓ similarity ⇓
29%
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama, Romance
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 91 min.
Story:
Clive Owen stars as a prison inmate who goes into an experimental "open" prison where the inmates walk around freely and get job training for their impending releases. While there, he discovers he has a talent for growing flowers. His ...
Style:
feel good, touching, compassionate, inspirational, witty ...
Audience:
date night
Plot:
prison, friendship, adaptation, unlikely friendships, happy ending, solitude, going straight, starting over, hopes, fish out of water, misfit, criminal heroes ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
england, europe
⇓ similarity ⇓
28%
Also search:
Lost in Translation similar movies
155K
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama
Country: Germany, USA
Duration: 92 min.
Story:
A miserable conman and his partner pose as Santa and his Little Helper to rob department stores on Christmas Eve. But they run into problems when the conman befriends a troubled kid, and the security boss discovers the plot.
Style:
dark comedy, hilarious, funny, humorous, black comedy ...
Audience:
girls' night, adult
Plot:
dark humor, profanity, christmas, heist, robbery, bully, alcohol abuse, christmas eve, holiday, misfit, bullying, anti hero ...
Time:
year 2003, 2000s, 21st century
Place:
usa, arizona, miami, milwaukee wisconsin, phoenix arizona
⇓ similarity ⇓
28%
Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 115 min.
Story:
With the help of an irreverent young sidekick, a bank robber gets his old gang back together to organise a daring new heist.
Style:
road movie, humorous, action thriller, light, captivating ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
friendship, heist, chase, treasure hunt, on the road, car chase, buddy, robbery, bank robbery, rivalry, preacher, homosexual subtext ...
Time:
20th century, 70s, year 1974, year 1972
Place:
montana, usa
⇓ similarity ⇓
28%
Genre: Crime, Drama
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 116 min.
Story:
A tale of passion, crime and punishment set in the summer of 1949. Ed Crane, a barber in a small California town, is dissatisfied with his life, but his wife Doris' infidelity presents him with a chance to change it.
Style:
neo noir, black and white, atmospheric, psychological, surreal ...
Plot:
murder, misfit, twists and turns, blackmail, infidelity, trial, eccentricity, deception, false accusation, life is a bitch, self discovery, couples ...
Time:
1940s, year 2001, y2k, 2000s, 20th century
Place:
california, usa
⇓ similarity ⇓
28%
19K
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min.
Story:
Two aspiring boxers lifelong friends get involved in a money-laundering scheme through a low-level organized crime group.
Style:
funny, humorous, dark comedy, realistic, clever ...
Plot:
friendship, organized crime, crime gone awry, dark humor, boxing, nothing goes right, partner, buddies, cons and scams, disorder, dishonesty, mafia ...
Time:
year 2001, 2000s
Place:
los angeles, new york, usa, california, harlem ...
⇓ similarity ⇓
28%
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA, Mexico
Duration: 97 min.
Story:
After escaping from jail, two teens flee to Tijuana and stay with one's childhood protector, a man masquerading as a nun.
Style:
disturbing, intense, controversial, cult classic, independent film ...
Audience:
chick flick
Plot:
serial killer, lesbian, prostitute, escape, violent, lgbt, hardcore, woman with a gun, coming of age, monster, eating disorder, prison life ...
Time:
90s
Place:
mexico, latin america, tijuana mexico
⇓ similarity ⇓
28%
Also search:
Films like The Big Lebowski
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 104 min.
Story:
Two Navy men are ordered to bring a young offender to prison but decide to show him one last good time along the way.
Style:
road movie, atmospheric, cult classic, realistic, witty ...
Plot:
u.s. navy, road trip, sailor, profanity, male bonding, beer, buddy, fighting the system, society, on the road, travel, female nudity ...
Time:
70s, 20th century, year 1973
Place:
new york, maine, philadelphia, massachusetts, virginia ...
⇓ similarity ⇓
28%
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: West Germany
Duration: 95 min.
Story:
A surreal comedy depicting a diverse cast of characters and the changes they undergo as the German tourist Jasmin interacts with each of them at a remote truck stop in the middle of the Mojave desert.
Style:
touching, surreal, meditative, emotional, semi serious ...
Plot:
desert, friendship, character study, motel, transformation, magic realism, food, life philosophy, restaurant, starting over, gas station, wilderness ...
Time:
80s, year 1987
Place:
utah, nevada
⇓ similarity ⇓
28%
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama
Country: France
Duration: 95 min.
Story:
Cinephile slackers Franz and Arthur spend their days mimicking the antiheroes of Hollywood noirs and Westerns while pursuing the lovely Odile. The misfit trio upends convention at every turn, be it through choreographed dances in cafés or ...
Style:
black and white, cult classic, neo noir, postmodern, talky ...
Plot:
robbery, love triangle, gunfight, alienation, caper, crime gone awry, danger, louvre, teenage girl, modernism, isolation, time travel ...
Time:
60s, 20th century
Place:
paris france, france, europe
⇓ similarity ⇓
28%
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 116 min.
Story:
"Sugar" Ray is the owner of an illegal casino, who contend with the pressures of vicious gangster and corrupt policemen who want to see him go out of business. In the world of organized crime and police corruption in the 1920s, any ...
Style:
hood, funny, black comedy, stylized, humorous ...
Audience:
boys' night, adult
Plot:
nightclub, gangster, urban, black, organized crime, fight scenes, african american, mobster, corruption, gang, hip hop, blaxploitation ...
Time:
1930s, 1920s, year 1989, 20th century
Place:
new york, harlem, new york city, usa, manhattan new york city, harlem
⇓ similarity ⇓
28%
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama, Sport
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 99 min.
Story:
Disgraced ex-England captain (Danny 'Mean Machine' Meehan) is thrown in jail for assaulting two police officers. He keeps his head down and has the opportunity to forget everything and change the lives of the prisoners. These prisoners ...
Style:
funny, sexy, entertaining, witty, inspirational ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
soccer, prison, underdog, soccer match, justice, redemption, fixed match, prison life, corruption, brutality, prison gang, ex athlete ...
Time:
year 2001, 21st century
Place:
england, britain, europe
⇓ similarity ⇓
28%
Watch Trailers From This List to Choose a Movie
Subscribe for New and Better Recommendations