Recommendations
Senior Film Conservator

After experiencing the cinematic excellence of Chang and the Law (1920), finding other movies that capture that same lightning in a bottle is a top priority. These recommendations provide a deep dive into the same stylistic territory occupied by Chang and the Law.
This 1920 Crime classic stands as a testament to challenge the status quo through its avant-garde structure.
Critics widely regard Chang and the Law as a cult-favorite piece of Crime cinema. Its cinematic excellence is frequently cited as its strongest asset, solidifying its place in United States's film legacy.
Based on the unique cinematic excellence of Chang and the Law, our vault has identified these titles as the most compelling follow-up experiences for fans of Crime cinema:
Dir: Carl Harbaugh
Celeste Hardin wants to set up her brother Henry, a confirmed bachelor, with her college friend Henrietta Downs, believing that she wold be a good wife for him. Henry and Henrietta discover Celeste's scheme and decide to play a trick on her--Henrietta will pose as Myra Haynes, an escaped lunatic and pretend to be in love with Henry. However, the real Myra Haynes attends a political rally, at which Henry declares his intention to run for mayor, and she becomes convinced that he is her long-lost lover, also named Henry. Complications ensue.
View Details
Dir: Eduardo Notari
A crime drama in the Gennariello-series. The police detective in Naples that is confronted with modern gangsters and crime events.
View Details
Dir: Carl Harbaugh
Hezekiah Dill is a meek clerk in a store in a small town. One day a pair of criminals robs the store safe, but Hezekiah manages to lock them in the safe, and begins to pick up their intended loot. He suddenly realizes that all this money would enable him to become the "Broadway Sport" he's always wanted to be, so he goes for it. Complications ensue.
View Details
Dir: Unknown Director
A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.
View Details
Dir: Carl Harbaugh
Shirley Reynolds returns home from boarding school to find that her mother, weary of her husband's philandering, has filed for divorce. Hoping to effect a reconciliation, Shirley visits her father's apartment, where she interrupts a riotous party held in honor of his new mistress, Lola Wayne. Shirley prevents Lola's outraged father from killing her own father, but later, Wayne decides to wreak his revenge through Shirley and hires the lecherous Trask to lure her to ruin. On a particular evening, Wayne persuades Shirley to visit Trask's disreputable roadhouse, where Lola has arranged to meet with Reynolds. Suspicious, Shirley's sweetheart, Richard Ormsby, follows her to the inn. Reynolds hears Shirley struggling with Trask behind a locked door but is unable to assist her until Richard arrives. Trask, in his struggle to escape the two men, leaps from a window to his death, after which Wayne takes Lola home. Shirley then convinces her mother to forgive her remorseful husband.
View Details
Dir: Carl Harbaugh
Robert Booth travels to Pittsburgh both to negotiate a million-dollar war contract with a foreign prince and to marry his sweetheart Ruth Hunneywell. Robert's rival Chester Firkins hires thugs to kidnap Robert so that he can win the contract for himself. Robert, however, escapes from the kidnappers, and after a series of adventures, during which he is pursued by the police and nearly blown up by a stick of dynamite, the daring Robert rescues Ruth, saves the prince's life and obtains the prized contract.
View Details
Dir: Edgar Jones
A mail-order bride arrives at a Maine lumber camp but doesn't like her prospective husband.
View Details
Dir: Carl Harbaugh
After Mary Page marries Fred Walton, she soon discovers that he is a womanizer. She tries to ignore Fred's affairs but, refuses to file for divorce even when Platt Sinclair, her husband's lawyer, urges her to do so. Mary does not realize that Sinclair is actually helping Fred, who is in love with his current mistress, Helen Lee, and wants to marry her. To escape her misery, Mary organizes a settlement house in the slums and there meets reporter Eric Mann, with whom she becomes very close. One night, as Sinclair goes to Mary's house to try to convince her to change her mind, he sees Eric through the window and informs Fred that she is seeing another man. Fred wants to sue Mary for divorce, but when Eric threatens Sinclair with disbarment, the suit is dropped. One night, Mary interrupts Fred during his evening with Helen on the same night that Jimmy Hope, a burglar, is robbing their house. The result of the night's activities are the death of Fred and the ultimate arrest of the real murderer who was obsessed with Hope.
View Details
Dir: Carl Harbaugh
Jack Spurlock's college escapades, which include a particularly raucous incident involving a bear, finally get him expelled, and his father, John Spurlock, Sr., compels him to go to work in the family's wholesale grocery business. The eager young man inexplicably purchases a huge surplus of onions and then supports the onion workers when they go on strike. After Spurlock, Sr. finally agrees to recognize the Onion Workers' Union, he fires his son and cuts off his allowance. Jack is forced to work as a waiter until his sweetheart, Anita Grey, introduces him to Professor Jackson, who has patented a health tonic made chiefly from onions. The publicity attending the Onion Workers' strike results in a huge demand for Jackson's tonic. In order to produce more of the cure-all, Jack purchases his father's onion surplus, thus redeeming his place in Spurlock, Sr.'s good graces.
View Details
Dir: Carl Harbaugh
The film tells the story of a noble but poor woman who arrives at Boston in the 17th century. There she marries an old but quite rich doctor but does not become happy.
View DetailsAnalysis relative to Chang and the Law
| Film Title | Atmosphere | Complexity | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| All for a Husband | Gothic | Layered | 93% Match |
| 'A mala nova | Surreal | Layered | 92% Match |
| The Broadway Sport | Surreal | High | 92% Match |
| Trail of the Rails | Tense | Layered | 96% Match |
| Other Men's Daughters | Ethereal | Linear | 96% Match |
This guide was algorithmically generated using the cinematic metadata of Carl Harbaugh's archive. Last updated: 6/10/2026.
Back to Chang and the Law Details →