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Movies that feel like Anatomy of a Murder (1959)

If you loved Anatomy of a Murder, the closest films we have are 12 (2007), Rashomon (1950) and Witness for the Prosecution (1957). All three share Anatomy of a Murder's gritty and contemplative feel, which is what we rank on before quality. 9 of the 12 picks below are included with a subscription right now on Netflix, HBO Max and Amazon Prime Video and others, checked against today's data.

Semi-retired Michigan lawyer Paul Biegler takes the case of Army Lt. Manion, who murdered a local innkeeper after his wife claimed that he raped her. Over the course of an extensive trial, Biegler parries with District Attorney Lodwick and out-of-town prosecutor Claude Dancer to set his client free, but his case rests on the victim's mysterious business partner, who's hiding a dark secret.

πŸ… 100% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 8 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Otto Premingergrittycontemplativetwisty
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If Anatomy of a Murder hit the spot, these will too

12 poster
12
2007 Β· dir. Nikita Mikhalkov
πŸ… 76%β˜… 7.5crime Β· drama Β· mystery

Two things both keep coming back to: court case and jurors

The difference: 48 years apart, and the 2000s show

A loose remake of β€œ12 Angry Men”, β€œ12” is set in contemporary Moscow where 12 very different men must unanimously decide the fate of a young Chechen accused of murdering his step-father, a Russian army officer. Consigned to a makeshift jury room in a school gymnasium, one by one each man takes center stage to confront, connect, and confess while the accused awaits a verdict and revisits his heartbreaking journey through war in flashbacks.

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Rashomon poster
Rashomon
1950 Β· dir. Akira Kurosawa
πŸ… 98%β˜… 8.1crime Β· drama Β· mystery

Common ground: rape

Four people recount different versions of the story of a man's murder and the rape of his wife.

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Witness for the Prosecution poster
Witness for the Prosecution
1957 Β· dir. Billy Wilder
πŸ… 100%β˜… 8.4drama Β· mystery Β· crime

Common ground in both: trial and lawyer

An ailing barrister is thrust back into the courtroom in what becomes one of the most unusual and eventful murder cases of the lawyer's career when he finds himself defending a man being tried for the murder of a socialite.

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And Then There Were None poster
And Then There Were None
1945 Β· dir. RenΓ© Clair
πŸ… 100%β˜… 7.3crime Β· drama Β· mystery

Gritty where it counts, contemplative underneath

Ten strangers are summoned to a remote island and while they are waiting for the mysterious host to appear, a recording levels serious accusations at each of the guests. Soon they start being murdered, one by one. As the survivors try to keep their wits, they reach a disturbing conclusion: one of them must be the killer.

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High Plains Drifter poster
High Plains Drifter
1973 Β· dir. Clint Eastwood
πŸ… 91%β˜… 7.4western Β· drama Β· mystery

Both lean on twists more than on drama

The difference: Sits closer to western than Anatomy of a Murder does

A gunfighting stranger comes to the small settlement of Lago. After gunning down three gunmen who tried to kill him, the townsfolk decide to hire the Stranger to hold off three outlaws who are on their way.

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In the Heat of the Night poster
In the Heat of the Night
1967 Β· dir. Norman Jewison
πŸ… 96%β˜… 7.9crime Β· drama Β· mystery

Crime built on grit, twice over

African-American Philadelphia police detective Virgil Tibbs is arrested on suspicion of murder by Bill Gillespie, the racist police chief of tiny Sparta, Mississippi. After Tibbs proves not only his own innocence but that of another man, he joins forces with Gillespie to track down the real killer. Their investigation takes them through every social level of the town, with Tibbs making enemies as well as unlikely friends as he hunts for the truth.

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The Third Murder poster
The Third Murder
2017 Β· dir. Hirokazu Kore-eda
πŸ… 87%β˜… 6.7drama Β· mystery Β· crime

The same preoccupation in both: lawyer

A lawyer tasked with defending a robbery-and-murder suspect begins developing doubts about what truly happened.

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Giant poster
Giant
1956 Β· dir. George Stevens
πŸ… 86%β˜… 7.6drama Β· western

Both are working the same pair: jealousy, judge

The difference: Not nearly as twisty as Anatomy of a Murder

Wealthy rancher Bick Benedict and dirt-poor cowboy Jett Rink both woo Leslie Lynnton, a beautiful young woman from Maryland who is new to Texas. She marries Benedict, but she is shocked by the racial bigotry of the White Texans against the local people of Mexican descent. Rink discovers oil on a small plot of land, and while he uses his vast, new wealth to buy all the land surrounding the Benedict ranch, the Benedict's disagreement over prejudice fuels conflict that runs across generations.

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After Dark, My Sweet poster
After Dark, My Sweet
1990 Β· dir. James Foley
πŸ… 80%β˜… 6.5crime Β· drama Β· mystery

Contemplative mystery, and it commits to that

Three desperados try to kidnap a wealthy child in hope of turning their lives around.

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Brick poster
Brick
2006 Β· dir. Rian Johnson
πŸ… 79%β˜… 7.1drama Β· mystery Β· crime

Crime with a pulse of twists, in both cases

A teenage loner pushes his way into the underworld of a high school crime ring to investigate the disappearance of his ex-girlfriend.

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Mother poster
Mother
2009 Β· dir. Bong Joon Ho
πŸ… 96%β˜… 7.7crime Β· drama Β· mystery

Gritty drama in both cases

A mother lives quietly with her son. One day, a girl is brutally killed, and the boy is charged with the murder. Now, it's his mother's mission to prove him innocent.

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Laura poster
Laura
1944 Β· dir. Otto Preminger
πŸ… 100%β˜… 7.9drama Β· mystery

Otto Preminger directing both, with the same fingerprints on each

The difference: None of the grit Anatomy of a Murder is built on

A police detective falls in love with the woman whose murder he's investigating.

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In the mood for more gritty?

all gritty movies β†’

The best-reviewed films that share Anatomy of a Murder’s defining feeling.