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Cape Fear poster

Movies that feel likeCape Fear (1991)

Sam Bowden is a small-town corporate attorney. Max Cady is a tattooed, cigar-smoking, Bible-quoting, psychotic rapist. What do they have in common? 14 years ago, Sam was a public defender assigned to Max Cady's rape trial, and he made a serious error: he hid a document from his illiterate client that could have gotten him acquitted. Now, the cagey Cady has been released, and he intends to teach Sam Bowden and his family a thing or two about loss.

If you loved Cape Fear, the closest films we have are The Godfather Part III (1990), Road to Perdition (2002) and The Square (2008). All three share Cape Fear's contemplative and gritty feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Rolling Thunder (1977).

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If Cape Fear hit the spot, these will too

The Godfather Part III poster
The Godfather Part III
1990 Β· dir. Francis Ford Coppola
πŸ… 67%β˜… 7.5crime Β· drama Β· thriller

Both keep coming back to the same thing: revenge

The difference: Easier on the unease than Cape Fear

In the midst of trying to legitimize his business dealings in 1979 New York and Italy, aging mafia don, Michael Corleone seeks forgiveness for his sins while taking a young protege under his wing.

Road to Perdition poster
Road to Perdition
2002 Β· dir. Sam Mendes
πŸ… 82%β˜… 7.6crime Β· drama Β· thriller

The same preoccupation in both: revenge

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.

The Square poster
The Square
2008 Β· dir. Nash Edgerton
πŸ… 86%β˜… 6.7crime Β· drama Β· thriller

Both land stillness and grit at once

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 Β· dir. Matteo Garrone
πŸ… 84%β˜… 7.2crime Β· drama Β· thriller

The same mix in both: tension, then relentlessness

The difference: 27 years apart, and the 2010s show

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.

The Salesman poster
The Salesman
2016 Β· dir. Asghar Farhadi
πŸ… 96%β˜… 7.7drama Β· thrillerPrime Video

One thread runs through both: rape

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.

Lady Vengeance poster
Lady Vengeance
2005 Β· dir. Park Chan-wook
πŸ… 76%β˜… 7.5drama Β· thrillerRent or buy

Common ground: prison

Released after being wrongfully convicted and imprisoned for 13 years, a woman begins executing her elaborate plan of retribution.

Wrath of Man poster
Wrath of Man
2021 Β· dir. Guy Ritchie
πŸ… 68%β˜… 7.1thriller Β· crime Β· dramaPrime Video

Contemplative drama, and it commits to that

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.

New Police Story poster
New Police Story
2004 Β· dir. Benny Chan
πŸ… 63%β˜… 6.9action Β· thriller Β· crime

Gritty crime in both cases

The difference: Sits closer to action than Cape Fear does

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.

Hannibal poster
Hannibal
2001 Β· dir. Ridley Scott
πŸ… 39%β˜… 6.8crime Β· drama Β· thrillerPrime VideoHulu

Both are built on the same subject: psychological thriller

The difference: The critics' underdog of the pair

After having successfully eluded the authorities for years, Hannibal peacefully lives in Italy in disguise as an art scholar. Trouble strikes again when he's discovered leaving a deserving few dead in the process. He returns to America to make contact with now disgraced Agent Clarice Starling, who is suffering the wrath of a malicious FBI rival as well as the media.

Rolling Thunder poster
Rolling Thunder
1977 Β· dir. John Flynn
πŸ… 82%β˜… 6.9drama Β· thriller Β· action

Both lean on tension more than on thriller

A recently-returned Vietnam POW loses his family and his right hand during a violent home invasion, and seeks retribution against those responsible.

Panic Room poster
Panic Room
2002 Β· dir. David Fincher
πŸ… 76%β˜… 6.8crime Β· drama Β· thriller

One thread runs through both: psychological thriller

Trapped in their New York brownstone's panic room, a hidden chamber built as a sanctuary in the event of break-ins, newly divorced Meg Altman and her young daughter Sarah play a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with three intruders - Burnham, Raoul and Junior - during a brutal home invasion. But the room itself is the focal point because what the intruders really want is inside it.

Blue Ruin poster
Blue Ruin
2014 Β· dir. Jeremy Saulnier
πŸ… 96%β˜… 7.1crime Β· thrillerPrime VideoPeacock

Crime built on relentlessness, twice over

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.

In the mood for more contemplative?

all contemplative movies β†’

The best-reviewed films that share Cape Fear’s defining feeling.