Can I actually get in trouble for downloading movie torrents?

If I use sites like (thepiratebay.com) to download movie torrents, will I get fined or get in trouble with the law? I don't mean movies that just came out but I mean those that are about a year or mole older such as Dinner for Schmucks, The Other Guys, perhaps The God Father 2 etc. Will they hunt me down for this? I know a friend who's done this with several movies but nothing ever happened to him.