Movie

Drive a Crooked Road

1954 · 83 min

A tense, melancholic noir where a lonely man's dreams are twisted into a trap, leaving a lingering sense of betrayal.

Directed by: Richard Quine
Genres: Crime, Thriller
Starring: Mickey Rooney, Dianne Foster, Kevin McCarthy

Tagline: Why would a dame like her go for a guy like me?
Overview: A mechanic gets caught up with the mob when he falls for a gangster's girlfriend.

Your rating is saved. See your suggestions, or find titles like this one below.

Rate it, and Mesmero finds titles that feel like it. You do not need an account.

Search YouTube for a trailer

In the UKNo streaming, rental or purchase options known.

Directed by: Richard Quine
Genres: Crime, Thriller
Starring: Mickey Rooney, Dianne Foster, Kevin McCarthy

In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone: melancholicstrength 2 of 3
tensestrength 2 of 3
darkstrength 1 of 3
romanticstrength 1 of 3
Pacing: measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention: engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes: betrayal
obsession
loneliness
crime
guilt
Places: big city
road trip
Era: contemporary
Audience: adult
Form: None
Content intensity: Gore mild
Language mild
Violence mild
Sex mild

All scales, 0 to 10

Scales, 0 to 10
Scale	Value	0 to 10
Action	4
Horror	1
Humour	2
Realism	7
Romance	5
Tension	6
Darkness	6
Complexity	5
Emotional weight	6

Titles like Drive a Crooked Road

Movie

Pushover

1954

A sleek, shadowy noir that tightens like a wire, drawing you into a slow, doomed spiral of desire and betrayal.

Same director: Richard Quine · Melancholic, tense · about betrayal and obsession

Also: Same director: Richard Quine
Via: melancholic
tense
betrayal
obsession
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 88 min

Details

PushoverHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Collision Course

2026

A tense, talky heist that turns inward after the crash, letting suspicion and old lies do the damage.

Tense · about betrayal and crime

Via: tense
betrayal
crime
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 122 min

Details

Collision CourseHidden from your suggestions.

TV series

Columbo

1968–2003

A shabby detective quietly outsmarts wealthy suspects while you enjoy the cat-and-mouse game rather than the mystery.

Same director: Richard Quine · Tense · about obsession and crime

Also: Same director: Richard Quine
Via: tense
obsession
crime
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Seasons: 10

Details

ColumboHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Heat

1995

A cool, controlled crime epic that builds tension through meticulous detail and quiet character moments, culminating in explosive set pieces and a haunting sense of inevitability.

Melancholic, tense · about betrayal and obsession

Via: melancholic
tense
betrayal
obsession
Pacing: measured
Attention: demanding
Runtime: 170 min

Details

HeatHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Criss Cross

1949

A fatalistic noir that tightens like a vise, its doomed romance and inevitable betrayal leaving a lingering ache.

Melancholic, tense · about betrayal and obsession

Via: melancholic
tense
betrayal
obsession
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 88 min

Details

Criss CrossHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Crime 101

2026

A sleek, sun-bleached cat-and-mouse game that glides along freeways, cool and controlled, with quiet loneliness humming under the polished heist mechanics.

Tense · about betrayal and obsession

Via: tense
betrayal
obsession
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 141 min

Details

Crime 101Hidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Elevator to the Gallows

1958

A cool, jazz-soaked descent into fatalistic longing, where small mistakes spiral into tragedy with quiet, hypnotic inevitability.

Melancholic, tense · about betrayal and obsession

Via: melancholic
tense
betrayal
obsession
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 92 min

Details

Elevator to the GallowsHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

I Died a Thousand Times

1955

A somber, fatalistic noir that follows a doomed criminal's last desperate bid for redemption, with a slow-burning tension and a bittersweet romantic undercurrent.

Melancholic, tense · about betrayal and crime

Via: melancholic
tense
betrayal
crime
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 109 min

Details

I Died a Thousand TimesHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Drive

2011

A stylish, brooding neo-noir that blends tender romance with shocking bursts of violence, demanding your full attention.

Melancholic, tense · about betrayal and crime

Via: melancholic
tense
betrayal
crime
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 100 min

Details

DriveHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

The Man Who Cheated Himself

1950

A tense, shadowy noir that tightens like a vise as loyalty and guilt collide.

Melancholic, tense · about betrayal and crime

Via: melancholic
tense
betrayal
crime
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 81 min

Details

The Man Who Cheated HimselfHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

The Postman Always Rings Twice

1981

A sweaty, sun-bleached descent into lust and murder, where every glance feels dangerous and the heat never breaks.

Tense · about betrayal and obsession

Via: tense
betrayal
obsession
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 122 min

Details

The Postman Always Rings TwiceHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Angela

1954

A smoky, fatalistic noir that pulls you into a doomed romance and a tightening web of bad choices.

Tense · about betrayal and obsession

Via: tense
betrayal
obsession
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 81 min

Details

AngelaHidden from your suggestions.

Where to watch in the UK

No UK streaming, rental or purchase options are known.

Streaming data from JustWatch.TMDB

Details

Genres: crime, thriller
Directed by: Richard Quine
Written by: Blake Edwards, Richard Quine
Starring: Mickey Rooney, Dianne Foster, Kevin McCarthy, Jack Kelly, Harry Landers, Jerry Paris, Paul Picerni, Dick Crockett
Music: Will Beitel, George Duning
Cinematography: Charles Lawton Jr.
Runtime: 83 min
Country: United States of America
Languages: English

TMDB IMDb Letterboxd Wikipedia Wikidata

Something wrong on this page? Tell us.

Drive a Crooked Road

How it feels

More like this

Titles like Drive a Crooked Road

Where to watch in the UK

Details