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Nocturnal Animals poster

Movies that feel likeNocturnal Animals (2016)

Susan Morrow receives a book manuscript from her ex-husband – a man she left 20 years earlier – asking for her opinion of his writing. As she reads, she is drawn into the fictional life of Tony Hastings, a mathematics professor whose family vacation turns violent.

If you loved Nocturnal Animals, the closest films we have are Dogman (2018), The Salesman (2016) and The Square (2008). All three share Nocturnal Animals' contemplative and tense feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Cold in July (2014).

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See it on the Mood Map

If Nocturnal Animals hit the spot, these will too

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

A wronged man's quiet dignity curdles slowly into vengeance

The difference: An Italian character study of humiliation, no literary framing

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 · dir. Asghar Farhadi
🍅 96%★ 7.7drama · thrillerPrime Video

The same mix in both: stillness, then tension

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.

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

An affair's fallout spirals into consequences nobody can walk back

The difference: A single doomed heist scheme, not a fractured marriage's slow reckoning

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.

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

A mysterious figure methodically settles a score years in the making

The difference: A heist-crew shootout thriller, blunter than the novel-within-film device

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.

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

One thread runs through both: revenge

The difference: Sits closer to crime than Nocturnal Animals does

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.

Drive poster
Drive
2011 · dir. Nicolas Winding Refn
🍅 93%★ 7.8drama · thriller · crime

Both keep coming back to the same thing: revenge

Driver is a skilled Hollywood stuntman who moonlights as a getaway driver for criminals. Though he projects an icy exterior, lately he's been warming up to a pretty neighbor named Irene and her young son, Benicio. When Irene's husband gets out of jail, he enlists Driver's help in a million-dollar heist. The job goes horribly wrong, and Driver must risk his life to protect Irene and Benicio from the vengeful masterminds behind the robbery.

Blue Ruin poster
Blue Ruin
2014 · dir. Jeremy Saulnier
🍅 96%★ 7.1crime · thrillerPrime VideoPeacock

An ordinary person is pulled reluctantly into carrying out revenge

The difference: A scrappy, amateurish revenge mission, less polished dread

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.

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

A quiet family man's world turns violent after one irreversible night

The difference: A pulpy backwoods thriller, none of Nocturnal Animals' framing device

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.

The Godfather Part III poster
The Godfather Part III
1990 · dir. Francis Ford Coppola
🍅 67%★ 7.5crime · drama · thriller

Relentless where it counts, gritty underneath

The difference: Made in the 1990s, in a different era of the craft

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.

Lady Vengeance poster
Lady Vengeance
2005 · dir. Park Chan-wook
🍅 76%★ 7.5drama · thrillerRent or buy

A meticulous, ice-cold plan for revenge finally comes due

The difference: A prison-release revenge saga, not a novel-within-a-life structure

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

The Equalizer 2 poster
The Equalizer 2
2018 · dir. Antoine Fuqua
🍅 52%★ 6.7action · thriller · crimeParamount+

Someone crossed the wrong person, and payback is coming regardless

The difference: A globe-trotting action vigilante story, no literary structure

Robert McCall, who serves an unflinching justice for the exploited and oppressed, embarks on a relentless, globe-trotting quest for vengeance when his former partner is murdered.

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

Old sins resurface and demand a reckoning nobody can outrun

The difference: A mob father-son survival thriller, not a fractured marriage's ghost story

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.

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The best-reviewed films that share Nocturnal Animals’ defining feeling.