feelsalike.com

Movies that feel like By Any Means (2026)

If you loved By Any Means, the closest films we have are Hyena (2015), Holy Spider (2022) and Charley Varrick (1973). All three share By Any Means' gritty and contemplative feel, which is what we rank on before quality. 7 of the 12 picks below are included with a subscription right now on Netflix, Hulu and Midnight Pulp and others, checked against today's data.

In 1960s Mississippi, young Black FBI agent Wayne Strider is sent to investigate a wave of brutal killings targeting civil rights leaders. Forced to work alongside notorious mafia hitman Greg Scarpa, Strider finds himself pulled into a deadly hunt where the lines of justice and vengeance begin to blur.

πŸ… 55% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 8.1 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Elegance Brattonepicgrittycontemplativetense

Not on subscription streaming right now. Rent or buy below.

See it on the map

When is By Any Means streaming? β†’

If By Any Means hit the spot, these will too

Hyena poster
Hyena
2015 Β· dir. Gerard Johnson
πŸ… 78%β˜… 6.2crime Β· drama Β· thriller

The same mix in both: grit, then stillness

The difference: None of the scale By Any Means is built on

Good policing doesn't necessarily mean doing everything by the book. But as the business of crime in London turns to favour the Albanians and Turks, how does a "good" policeman survive?

Feels alike?
Holy Spider poster
Holy Spider
2022 Β· dir. Ali Abbasi
πŸ… 82%β˜… 7.3thriller Β· drama Β· crime

One thread runs through both: a true story

The difference: Reviewed even better

A journalist descends into the dark underbelly of the Iranian holy city of Mashhad as she investigates the serial killings of sex workers by the so called "Spider Killer", who believes he is cleansing the streets of sinners.

Feels alike?
Charley Varrick poster
Charley Varrick
1973 Β· dir. Don Siegel
πŸ… 82%β˜… 7.5crime Β· thriller Β· drama

Common ground in both: hitman and mafia

The difference: 53 years apart, and the 1970s show

Charley Varrick robs a bank in a small town with his friends, but instead of obtaining a small amount of money, they discover they stole a very large amount of money belonging to the mob. Charley must now come up with a plan to not only evade the police but the mob as well.

Feels alike?
The Silence poster
The Silence
2010 Β· dir. Baran bo Odar
πŸ… 87%β˜… 7crime Β· thriller Β· drama

Tense crime in both cases

13-year-old Sinikka vanishes on a hot summer night. Her bicycle is found in the exact place where a girl was killed 23 years ago. The dramatic present forces those involved in the original case to face their past.

Feels alike?
Suburra poster
Suburra
2015 Β· dir. Stefano Sollima
πŸ… 90%β˜… 7.4crime Β· drama Β· thriller

Common ground: mafia

A gangster known as "Samurai" wants to turn the waterfront of Rome into a new Las Vegas. All the local mob bosses have agreed to work for this common goal. But peace is not to last long.

Feels alike?
Black Souls poster
Black Souls
2014 Β· dir. Francesco Munzi
πŸ… 89%β˜… 6.8crime Β· drama

Drama built on grit, twice over

A former narcotics smuggler, now living peaceably in the Calabrian hills, is drawn back into his family’s drug-trade dynasty by his impetuous teenage son.

Feels alike?
Neighboring Sounds poster
Neighboring Sounds
2012 Β· dir. Kleber MendonΓ§a Filho
πŸ… 91%β˜… 7.1thriller Β· drama Β· crime

Thriller with a pulse of stillness, in both cases

An independent private security firm arrives at a middle-class neighborhood in Recife, Brazil.

Feels alike?
The Wild Goose Lake poster
The Wild Goose Lake
2019 Β· dir. Diao Yinan
πŸ… 91%β˜… 6.7crime Β· drama Β· thriller

Tense history, and it commits to that

A gangster ends up making a mistake that causes every gun on both sides of the law to point at him. While on the run, he comes across a mysterious woman who might get him out of trouble or make things worse.

Feels alike?
Easy Money poster
Easy Money
2010 Β· dir. Daniel Espinosa
πŸ… 85%β˜… 6.7drama Β· thriller Β· crime

Both lean on grit more than on crime

When JW becomes a drug runner in order to maintain his double life, his fate becomes tied to two other men: Jorge, a fugitive on the run from both the Serbian mafia and the police, and mafia enforcer Mrado, who is on the hunt for Jorge.

Feels alike?
The Secret Agent poster
The Secret Agent
2025 Β· dir. Kleber MendonΓ§a Filho
πŸ… 98%β˜… 7.2thriller Β· drama Β· crime

Contemplative drama in both cases

Brazil, 1977. Marcelo, a technology expert in his early 40s, is on the run. Hoping to reunite with his son, he travels to Recife during Carnival but soon realizes that the city is not the safe haven he was expecting.

Feels alike?
Sixty Minutes poster
Sixty Minutes
2024 Β· dir. Oliver Kienle
πŸ… 67%β˜… 5.7action Β· adventure Β· crime

Epic thriller, and it commits to that

The difference: Leans harder into action than By Any Means does

Desperate to keep custody of his daughter, a mixed martial arts fighter abandons a big match and races across Berlin to attend her birthday party.

Feels alike?
To Kill a Man poster
To Kill a Man
2014 Β· dir. Alejandro FernΓ‘ndez Almendras
β˜… 6.3thriller Β· drama

Same instincts, 12 years apart

Jorge is a peaceful hard-working man who seeks a simple, quiet life for himself and his family. One day, he is mugged and humiliated by a gang of thugs led by Kalule, a delinquent from his neighborhood. This event infuriates his son as much for Jorge’s meek acceptance as for the act itself. The son, looking for retribution, ends up getting himself shot. Kalule is sent to jail and when he gets out 18 months later, begins a campaign of terror against Jorge and his family. The authorities do nothing, so Jorge decides to take matters into his own hands.

Feels alike?

In the mood for more epic?

all epic movies β†’

The best-reviewed films that share By Any Means’ defining feeling.