10 Best Movies Like No Sudden Move

One of the most underrated movies of last year was Steven Soderbergh’s No Sudden Move. The star-studded period crime thriller was set in Detroit in the 1950s with Don Cheadle and Benicio Del Toro as two blue-collar criminals brought into a conspiracy where they are set up to take the fall.

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As more viewers begin to discover the movie and are pulled it by the twisting plot and slick style, they will likely seek out more movies of this kind. Luckily, there are plenty of other projects that share the best aspects of No Sudden Move.

10 The Usual Suspects (1995)

Cheadle and Del Toro make for a great pair to lead the movie and their relationship is a lot of fun. While they find themselves stuck in the same situation, they are both distrusting and distrustful criminals who form this reluctant partnership and they attempt to get out from under the thumb of their more powerful enemies.

The Usual Suspects features a similar collection of bad guys brought together despite not trusting each other. As they attempt to pull off their own score, they find that they might be in over their heads.

9 Widows (2018)

Cheadle’s character of Curt is a more sympathetic criminal as he is drawn into this plot while trying to start a new life. once inside the scheme, he finds that he does not know who to trust and faces danger around every corner.

Steve McQueen’s Widows features a similarly star-studded heist team headed by Viola Davis as the wife of a criminal who dies while carrying out a score and she is forced to complete the job. The movie also features plenty of surprises and double-crosses that keep viewers on their feet.

8 The Sting (1973)

While some viewers might have a hard time keeping track of the various characters and determining who is playing who and which of these schemers are on the same side, that element also gives the movie unique and unpredictable energy.

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The Sting also uses a similarly chaotic story of backstabbing and fake-outs to great effect. Robert Redford and Paul Newman play two con men who join forces to rob the gangster who killed their friend.

7 Ronin (1998)

The movie begins with the intrigue of various criminal strangers being brought together for a job. As they deal with the tension in the group, they also realize they are being kept in the dark about the true game being played.

The underrated spy thriller Ronin begins in a similar way with the likes of Robert De Niro, Jean Reno, and Sean Bean playing international criminals hired to carry out a job only to learn that they are pawns in a bigger picture.

6 The Friends Of Eddie Coyle (1973)

Soderbergh clearly drew inspiration from a lot of past crime movies in order to make No Sudden Move. However, one of the most overt influences seems to be the excellent thriller, The Friends of Eddie Coyle.

The movie deals with the blue-collar aspects of organized crime, similar to the two lead characters in Soderbergh’s movie. It tells the story of a career criminal facing a long prison sentence and looking for a way out. The early kidnapping/robbery scene seems lifted directly from The Friends of Eddie Coyle.

5 Miller’s Crossing (1990)

While Curt finds himself stepping into a situation in which he is in over his head, he proves to be a more intelligent criminal than people give him credit for. By the end of the movie, it is revealed he has some plays of his own.

The Coen Brothers’ gangster story Miller’s Crossing stars Gabriel Byrne as Tom, the right-hand man of a mob boss as war with a rival gang begins to break out. However, Tom begins to set a plan in place as everyone else tries to determine what he is up to.

4 The Killing (1956)

No Sudden Move begins with a plan that seems well thought out and a relatively easy thing to pull off. However, when the simple crime quickly turns complicated, the movie kicks into gear as the characters deal with the fallout.

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Stanley Kubrick’s The Killing is a terrific take on this similar story. It follows a criminal who assembles a team to pull off the perfect heist at a racetrack. But when one unexpected problem leads to another, his perfect getaway is threatened.

3 The Nice Guys (2016)

Along with telling a very compelling and rich crime story, No Sudden Move also adds some commentary as it is set against the backdrop of the automotive industry in 1950s Detroit.

Remarkably, the crime comedy The Nice Guys touches on much of the same aspects while also telling a very different kind of movie. Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling make a wonderful buddy action duo stars as private eyes forced to work together when they find themselves in the midst of a conspiracy.

2 Out Of Sight (1998)

Steven Soderbergh is one of the most versatile filmmakers around with everything from slick blockbusters like Ocean’s Eleven to small indies. However, his ultra-cool crime movie Out of Sight feels in the same vein as No Sudden Move.

Based on the novel by Elmore Leonard, the movie stars George Clooney as an escaped convict looking to pull off a score while being hunted by a determined U.S. Marshal (Jennifer Lopez). It is a fun and stylish caper that also features a standout performance from Don Cheadle.

1 Jackie Brown (1997)

Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown is another adaptation of a novel from the great Elmore Leonard. It stars Pam Grier as a flight attendant who is caught smuggling money for an arms dealer (Samuel L. Jackson). As she is forced by the police to become an informant, she decides to set a plan in motion where she can come out on top.

Like No Sudden Move, Jackie Brown is heavily inspired by crime thrillers of the past. It also features a complicated plot of people deceiving and double-crossing one another but also features a collection of entertaining characters.

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