MesmeroWatch list, 0 saved

Movie
Poster for The Crooked Way

The Crooked Way

1949 · 90 min

A tense, shadowy noir where a man's search for identity pulls him into a criminal underworld, keeping you uneasy and gripped.

Directed by
Robert Florey
Genres
Crime, Drama, Thriller
Starring
John Payne, Sonny Tufts, Ellen Drew
Tagline
He's got a date ...with DEATH!
Overview
A war veteran suffering from amnesia, returns to Los Angeles from a San Francisco veterans hospital hoping to learn who he is and discovers his criminal past.

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

Free in the UK
  • Artiflix
More options Data from JustWatch
Directed by
Robert Florey
Genres
Crime, Drama, Thriller
Starring
John Payne, Sonny Tufts, Ellen Drew
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • darkstrength 3 of 3
  • tensestrength 2 of 3
  • melancholicstrength 2 of 3
  • cynicalstrength 1 of 3
Pacing
brisk, 3 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • identity
  • crime
  • betrayal
  • memory
  • redemption
Places
  • big city
Era
contemporary
Audience
adult
Form
  • twist ending
Content intensity
  • Gore mild
  • Language mild
  • Violence strong
  • Sex mild
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action5
Horror2
Humour1
Realism7
Romance3
Tension7
Darkness8
Complexity6
Emotional weight6

More like this

Titles like The Crooked Way

Movie

Somewhere in the Night

1946

A brooding, twisty amnesia noir that keeps you piecing together a fractured past alongside its haunted protagonist.

Dark, tense · about identity and crime · twist ending

Via
  • dark
  • tense
  • identity
  • crime
  • twist ending
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
110 min
Details
Somewhere in the NightHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

The Departed

2006

A tense, grim cat-and-mouse game where every conversation feels like a trap and trust is impossible.

Dark, tense, brisk · about identity and crime · twist ending

Via
  • dark
  • tense
  • identity
  • crime
  • twist ending
Pacing
brisk
Attention
engaged
Runtime
151 min
Details
The DepartedHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Model Citizen

2026

A tense, disorienting puzzle that keeps you uneasy as reality keeps slipping.

Tense · about identity and memory · twist ending

Via
  • tense
  • identity
  • memory
  • twist ending
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
93 min
Details
Model CitizenHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Gajab Raat

2026

A sweaty, restless night that tightens around a flawed cop as mercy drags him deeper into danger.

Dark, tense, brisk · about crime and redemption

Via
  • dark
  • tense
  • crime
  • redemption
Pacing
brisk
Attention
engaged
Runtime
124 min
Details
Gajab RaatHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Memento

2000

A disorienting puzzle that puts you inside a fractured mind, demanding constant vigilance and rewarding it with chilling revelations.

Dark, tense · about identity and memory · twist ending

Via
  • dark
  • tense
  • identity
  • memory
  • twist ending
Pacing
measured
Attention
demanding
Runtime
113 min
Details
MementoHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Infernal Affairs

2002

A taut, brooding cat-and-mouse thriller that keeps you on edge with its moral ambiguity and emotional weight.

Dark, tense, brisk · about identity and betrayal · twist ending

Via
  • dark
  • tense
  • identity
  • betrayal
  • twist ending
Pacing
brisk
Attention
engaged
Runtime
101 min
Details
Infernal AffairsHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

The Man Who Cheated Himself

1950

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

Same composer: Louis Forbes · Dark, tense · about crime and betrayal · twist ending

Also
Same composer: Louis Forbes
Via
  • dark
  • tense
  • crime
  • betrayal
  • twist ending
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
81 min
Details
The Man Who Cheated HimselfHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Man in the Dark

1953

A tight, shadowy noir that keeps you on edge as a man races to piece together his shattered past before the wrong people do.

Dark, tense, brisk · about identity and crime · twist ending

Via
  • dark
  • tense
  • identity
  • crime
  • twist ending
Pacing
brisk
Attention
engaged
Runtime
70 min
Details
Man in the DarkHidden 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.

Dark, tense · about crime and betrayal

Via
  • dark
  • tense
  • crime
  • betrayal
Pacing
measured
Attention
demanding
Runtime
170 min
Details
HeatHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

The Lookout

2007

A somber, character-driven crime drama that keeps you tense and emotionally invested in a damaged protagonist's struggle for redemption.

Dark, tense · about identity and crime · twist ending

Via
  • dark
  • tense
  • identity
  • crime
  • twist ending
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
99 min
Details
The LookoutHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

The Bourne Identity

2002

A tense, propulsive chase that keeps you leaning forward, blending visceral fights with a quiet search for self.

Dark, tense, brisk · about identity and betrayal · twist ending

Via
  • dark
  • tense
  • identity
  • betrayal
  • twist ending
Pacing
brisk
Attention
engaged
Runtime
119 min
Details
The Bourne IdentityHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

The Killing

1956

A taut, fatalistic heist thriller that tightens like a noose, its clockwork plot and doomed characters leaving a bitter aftertaste.

Dark, tense, brisk · about crime and betrayal

Via
  • dark
  • tense
  • crime
  • betrayal
Pacing
brisk
Attention
engaged
Runtime
85 min
Details
The KillingHidden from your suggestions.

Where to watch in the UK

Free
  • Artiflix

Streaming data from JustWatch.All options on TMDB

Details

Genres
crime, drama, thriller
Directed by
Robert Florey
Written by
Richard H. Landau
Starring
John Payne, Sonny Tufts, Ellen Drew, Rhys Williams, Percy Helton, John Doucette, Charles Evans, Greta Granstedt
Music
Louis Forbes
Cinematography
John Alton
Runtime
90 min
Country
United States of America
Languages
English

TMDBIMDbLetterboxdWikipediaWikidata