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Blue Ruin poster

Movies that feel likeBlue Ruin (2014)

When the quiet life of a beach bum is upended by dreadful news, he sets off for his childhood home to carry out an act of vengeance. However, he proves an inept assassin and finds himself in a brutal fight to protect his estranged family.

If you loved Blue Ruin, the closest films we have are The Square (2008), Dogman (2018) and Forgotten (2017). All three share Blue Ruin's gritty and tense feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is The Furious (2026).

🍅 96% Rotten Tomatoes★ 7.1 IMDb ↗TMDB ↗dir. Jeremy Saulniergrittytenserelentless
8 of 12 streaming nowNetflix · Amazon Prime Video · Starz

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If Blue Ruin hit the spot, these will too

The Square poster
The Square
2008 · dir. Nash Edgerton
🍅 86%★ 6.7crime · drama · thriller

Two things both keep coming back to: revenge and murder

The difference: Sits closer to drama than Blue Ruin does

Ray, a construction worker trapped in an unhappy marriage, pursues an affair with his neighbor, Carla. Carla's husband, Greg, is a mobster who keeps large sums of drug money in their home. With this in mind, Carla comes up with a plan: She and Ray will steal Greg's money, burn down her house, convince Greg the money was lost in the fire and then run away together. Carla's scheme, however, doesn't go off as planned.

Dogman poster
Dogman
2018 · dir. Matteo Garrone
🍅 84%★ 7.2crime · drama · thriller

Common ground: revenge

Marcello, a small and gentle dog groomer, finds himself involved in a dangerous relationship of subjugation with Simone, a former violent boxer who terrorizes the entire neighborhood. In an effort to reaffirm his dignity, Marcello will submit to an unexpected act of vengeance.

Forgotten poster
Forgotten
2017 · dir. Chang Hang-jun
★ 7.4thriller · mystery · crimeNetflix

One thread runs through both: murder

Jin-seok, 21-year-old, moves into a new house with his family. He suffers from a slight schizophrenia but he carries an ordinary life under the warm care of the family. His older brother Yu-seok is a decent college student, a mentor, and role model for Jin-seok. One night, his beloved brother is kidnapped by unidentified assailants before Jin-seok's eye. Jin-seok can’t recognize their faces, but can remember only the VIN that matches with no car. After long silence of 19 days, suddenly Yu-seok returns home, but remembers nothing which had happened in the meantime. And soon Jin-seok feels Yu-seok is a total stranger.

The Salesman poster
The Salesman
2016 · dir. Asghar Farhadi
🍅 96%★ 7.7drama · thrillerPrime Video

Gritty where it counts, tense underneath

Forced out of their apartment due to dangerous works on a neighboring building, Emad and Rana move into a new flat in the center of Tehran. An incident linked to the previous tenant will dramatically change the young couple’s life.

Below Zero poster
Below Zero
2021 · dir. Lluís Quílez
🍅 86%★ 6.2action · crime · thrillerNetflix

Relentless crime in both cases

When a prisoner transfer van is attacked, the cop in charge must fight those inside and outside while dealing with a silent foe: the icy temperatures.

The Furious poster
The Furious
2026 · dir. Kenji Tanigaki
🍅 98%★ 7.2action · crime · thrillerStarz

Thriller with a pulse of grit, in both cases

After a criminal network kidnaps Wang Wei's daughter and the corrupt police refuse to assist him, Wei sets out on his own to locate her. Navin, a tenacious journalist whose wife has mysteriously vanished, is his only ally. In this explosive martial arts showdown, the unlikely duo fights the kidnappers ruthlessly driven by a furious vengeance.

Run All Night poster
Run All Night
2015 · dir. Jaume Collet-Serra
🍅 59%★ 6.6action · crime · thriller

Crime built on tension, twice over

The difference: The critics' underdog of the pair

Brooklyn mobster and prolific hit man Jimmy Conlon has seen better days. Longtime best friend of a mob boss, Jimmy is haunted by the sins of his past—as well as a dogged police detective who’s been one step behind Jimmy for 30 years. But when Jimmy’s estranged son becomes a target, Jimmy must make a choice between the crime family he chose and the real family he abandoned long ago. Now, with nowhere safe to turn, Jimmy has just one night to figure out exactly where his loyalties lie and to see if he can finally make things right.

Cold in July poster
Cold in July
2014 · dir. Jim Mickle
🍅 84%★ 6.7drama · thriller

Both keep coming back to the same thing: shotgun

The difference: Takes it somewhere less gritty than Blue Ruin does

While investigating noises in his house one balmy Texas night in 1989, Richard Dane puts a bullet in the brain of a low-life burglar. Although he’s hailed as a small-town hero, Dane soon finds himself fearing for his family’s safety when Freddy’s ex-con father rolls into town, hell-bent on revenge.

Extraction 2 poster
Extraction 2
2023 · dir. Sam Hargrave
🍅 79%★ 7action · thriller · crimeNetflix

Both lean on relentlessness more than on thriller

Back from the brink of death, highly skilled commando Tyler Rake takes on another dangerous mission: saving the imprisoned family of a ruthless gangster.

Road to Perdition poster
Road to Perdition
2002 · dir. Sam Mendes
🍅 82%★ 7.6crime · drama · thriller

Gritty crime, and it commits to that

Mike Sullivan works as a hit man for crime boss John Rooney. Sullivan views Rooney as a father figure, however after his son is witness to a killing, Mike Sullivan finds himself on the run in attempt to save the life of his son and at the same time looking for revenge on those who wronged him.

New Police Story poster
New Police Story
2004 · dir. Benny Chan
🍅 63%★ 6.9action · thriller · crime

Thriller built on tension, twice over

Sent into a drunken tailspin when his entire unit is killed by a gang of thrill-seeking punks, disgraced Hong Kong police inspector Wing needs help from his new rookie partner, with a troubled past of his own, to climb out of the bottle and track down the gang and its ruthless leader.

Wrath of Man poster
Wrath of Man
2021 · dir. Guy Ritchie
🍅 68%★ 7.1thriller · crime · dramaPrime Video

A streak of relentlessness through both

A cold and mysterious new security guard for a Los Angeles cash truck company surprises his co-workers when he unleashes precision skills during a heist. The crew is left wondering who he is and where he came from. Soon, the marksman's ultimate motive becomes clear as he takes dramatic and irrevocable steps to settle a score.

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The best-reviewed films that share Blue Ruin’s defining feeling.