7 Best Peter Lorre Movies

By Vlad Zakh · January 16, 2026

Peter Lorre’s unsettling, distinctive presence made him one of cinema’s most memorable character actors, equally effective as a sympathetic villain or comic relief. M, The Maltese Falcon and Casablanca are the cornerstones, Arsenic and Old Lace discovers a newlywed’s murderous aunts, Beat the Devil schemes among con artists, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea captures sailors aboard a mysterious submarine, and The Man Who Knew Too Much rounds out the list.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954)

TMDB ★ 7.2

Sailors captured by a mysterious submarine captain learn the secrets of his vessel and his dark past.

Directed by Richard Fleischer · 2h 07m · Rated G

Where to watch

Stream: Disney Plus · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Beat the Devil (1953)

TMDB ★ 6.7

A group of con artists and swindlers scheme against each other while waiting for a ship in an Italian coastal town.

Directed by John Huston · 1h 35m

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, Brew, YouTube TV · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Fandango At Home, FlixFling

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)

TMDB ★ 7.8

A newlywed discovers his sweet elderly aunts have been secretly murdering lonely old men.

Directed by Frank Capra · 1h 58m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Casablanca (1942)

IMDb ★ 8.5 RT 99% Metacritic 100

A cynical nightclub owner has to choose between the woman he loves and doing the right thing during the Second World War.

Directed by Michael Curtiz · 1h 42m · Rated PG

Won 3 Oscars18 wins & 12 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Maltese Falcon (1941)

TMDB ★ 8.0

A private detective is pulled into a deadly hunt for a priceless statuette by a cast of liars.

Directed by John Huston · 1h 40m · Rated PG

Where to watch

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934)

TMDB ★ 7.0

Leslie Banks features in this thriller where a British couple's holiday is upended when their daughter is kidnapped to silence them.

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock · 1h 16m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, HBO Max Amazon Channel, YouTube TV, Criterion Channel, HBO Max · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

M (1931)

IMDb ★ 8.3 RT 100%

A child murderer is hunted by both the police and Berlin's own criminal underworld.

Directed by Fritz Lang · 1h 50m

2 wins

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, HBO Max, IndieFlix Shorts Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

7 Best Peter Lorre Movies

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954)

Beat the Devil (1953)

Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)

Casablanca (1942)

The Maltese Falcon (1941)

The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934)

M (1931)

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