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Phoenix poster

Movies that feel likePhoenix (2014)

In the aftermath of WWII, German-Jewish cabaret singer Nelly has to undergo facial reconstructive surgery following her survival from Auschwitz. Without recognising Nelly, her former husband Johnny asks her to help him claim his wife’s inheritance. To see if he's betrayed her, she agrees, becoming her own doppelgänger.

If you loved Phoenix, the closest films we have are Fat City (1972), Sweet Smell of Success (1957) and Animal Kingdom (2010). All three share Phoenix's contemplative and atmospheric feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is One False Move (1992).

🍅 98% Rotten Tomatoes★ 7.3 IMDb ↗TMDB ↗dir. Christian Petzoldcontemplativeatmospheric
9 of 12 streaming nowAmazon Prime Video · Sundance Now · Brew

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If Phoenix hit the spot, these will too

Fat City poster
Fat City
1972 · dir. John Huston
🍅 100%★ 7.2drama

Common ground: neo-noir

The difference: Made in the 1970s, in a different era of the craft

The story of two men, a veteran boxer who is down and out, and a young man who is just starting his life and boxing career. Their fighting careers cross paths as their lives and fortunes head in opposite directions.

Sweet Smell of Success poster
Sweet Smell of Success
1957 · dir. Alexander Mackendrick
🍅 98%★ 8dramaPrime Video

Contemplative and atmospheric in the same breath

New York City newspaper writer J.J. Hunsecker holds considerable sway over public opinion with his Broadway column, but one thing that he can't control is his younger sister, Susan, who is in a relationship with aspiring jazz guitarist Steve Dallas. Hunsecker strongly disapproves of the romance and recruits publicist Sidney Falco to find a way to split the couple, no matter how ruthless the method.

Animal Kingdom poster
Animal Kingdom
2010 · dir. David Michôd
🍅 94%★ 7.2crime · drama

Both keep coming back to the same thing: neo-noir

The difference: Sits closer to crime than Phoenix does

Joshua “J” is taken in by his extended family after his mother dies of an overdose. The clan, ruled by J’s scheming grandmother, is heavily involved in criminal activities, and J is soon indoctrinated into their way of life. But J is given a chance to take another path when a cop seeks to help him.

The Aura poster
The Aura
2005 · dir. Fabián Bielinsky
🍅 88%★ 7.1drama · thriller

Contemplative drama in both cases

The difference: Leans harder into thriller than Phoenix does

A quiet, epileptic taxidermist plans the perfect crime. All he needs is the right opportunity. An accident, perhaps…

SPL: Kill Zone poster
SPL: Kill Zone
2005 · dir. Wilson Yip
🍅 80%★ 6.9action · crime · dramaPrime Video

Drama built on atmosphere, twice over

Chan, an articulate senior detective nearing the end of his career, is taking care of the daughter of a witness killed by ruthless crime lord Po. Martial arts expert Ma is set to take over as head of the crime unit, replacing Chan who wants an early retirement.

Following poster
Following
1999 · dir. Christopher Nolan
🍅 87%★ 7.4drama · thriller

Contemplative drama, and it commits to that

Bill, an idle, unemployed aspiring writer, walks the crowded streets of London following randomly chosen strangers, a seemingly innocent entertainment that becomes dangerous when he crosses paths with a mysterious character.

Detour poster
Detour
1945 · dir. Edgar G. Ulmer
🍅 98%★ 7.3drama · thrillerPrime Video

Both work the same atmosphere

The life of Al Roberts, a pianist in a New York nightclub, turns into a nightmare when he decides to hitchhike to Los Angeles to visit his girlfriend.

The Grifters poster
The Grifters
1990 · dir. Stephen Frears
🍅 92%★ 6.8crime · drama

Both know what they want from drama

A small-time conman has his loyalties torn between his estranged mother and his new girlfriend, both of whom are high-stakes grifters with their own angles to play.

New World poster
New World
2013 · dir. Park Hoon-jung
🍅 63%★ 7.5thriller · crime · drama

The drama is handled with the same confidence

The difference: The scrappier of the two with critics

An undercover cop has his loyalties tested when the boss of the corporate gang he's spent years infiltrating dies.

Pusher II poster
Pusher II
2004 · dir. Nicolas Winding Refn
🍅 100%★ 7.3action · crime · dramaPrime Video

Drama in the same key

Tonny is released from prison - again. This time he has his mind set on changing his broken down life, but that is easier said than done.

One False Move poster
One False Move
1992 · dir. Carl Franklin
🍅 93%★ 7.1crime · drama · thriller

Both working the same drama territory

Following a series of drug deals and murders, three criminals -- Fantasia, Ray Malcolm and Pluto -- travel from Los Angeles to Houston, finally arriving in a small Arkansas town to go into hiding. Two detectives from the LAPD, who are already on the case, contact the town's sheriff, Dale Dixon, to alert him of the fugitives' presence in the area. Underestimating Dixon, the criminals have no idea what they are about to face.

The Absent One poster
The Absent One
2014 · dir. Mikkel Nørgaard
🍅 92%★ 7.1thriller

Contemporaries, and it shows

The difference: Easier on the stillness than Phoenix

Denmark, 2014. A former police officer asks Carl Mørck, head of Department Q, to find out who brutally killed his young twins in 1994. Although a local inhabitant confessed and was convicted of murder, Carl and his partner Assad soon realize that there is something in the case resolution that is terribly wrong.

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