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Movies that feel like The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)

If you loved The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, the closest films we have are The Rider (2018), Freedom Writers (2007) and Lawless (2012). All three share The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford's contemplative and gritty feel, which is what we rank on before quality. 5 of the 12 picks below are included with a subscription right now on Amazon Prime Video, Criterion Channel and ARROW and others, checked against today's data.

Outlaw Jesse James is rumored to be the 'fastest gun in the West'. An eager recruit into James' notorious gang, Robert Ford eventually grows jealous of the famed outlaw and, when Robert and his brother sense an opportunity to kill James, their murderous action elevates their target to near mythical status.

🍅 76% Rotten Tomatoes7.5 IMDb ↗TMDB ↗dir. Andrew Dominikcontemplativegritty

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If The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford hit the spot, these will too

The Rider poster
The Rider
2018 · dir. Chloé Zhao
🍅 97%7.4drama · western

Contemplative and gritty in the same breath

Once a rising star of the rodeo circuit, and a gifted horse trainer, young cowboy Brady is warned that his riding days are over after a horse crushed his skull at a rodeo. In an attempt to regain control of his own fate, Brady undertakes a search for a new identity and what it means to be a man in the heartland of the United States.

Freedom Writers poster
Freedom Writers
2007 · dir. Richard LaGravenese
🍅 69%7.6crime · drama

Drama built on stillness, twice over

The difference: Played as crime first

A young teacher inspires her class of at-risk students to learn tolerance, apply themselves, and pursue education beyond high school.

Lawless poster
Lawless
2012 · dir. John Hillcoat
🍅 67%7.2crime · drama · western

Both lean on grit more than on western

In 1931, the Bondurant brothers of Franklin County, Virginia, run a multipurpose backwoods establishment that hides their true business — bootlegging. Middle brother Forrest is the brain of the operation; older Howard is the brawn, and younger Jack, the lookout. Though the local police have taken bribes and left the brothers alone, a violent war erupts when a sadistic lawman from Chicago arrives and tries to shut down the Bondurants operation.

My Name Ain't Johnny poster
My Name Ain't Johnny
2008 · dir. Mauro Lima
7.2crime · drama

Contemplative drama in both cases

The true story of João Guilherme Estrella ("Johnny"), a young middle-class bon vivant who became a big-time cocaine dealer in Rio de Janeiro in the early 1990s.

Frozen River poster
Frozen River
2008 · dir. Courtney Hunt
🍅 88%7.1drama · crime

Gritty western, and it commits to that

A financially strapped mother joins a Mohawk woman to smuggle illegal immigrants into the United States.

A Prophet poster
A Prophet
2009 · dir. Jacques Audiard
🍅 96%7.8crime · drama

Cut from the same drama cloth

Sentenced to six years in prison, Malik El Djebena is alone in the world and can neither read nor write. On his arrival at the prison, he seems younger and more brittle than the others detained there. At once he falls under the sway of a group of Corsicans who enforce their rule in the prison. As the 'missions' go by, he toughens himself and wins the confidence of the Corsican group.

First Cow poster
First Cow
2020 · dir. Kelly Reichardt
🍅 95%7.1drama · western

Both know what they want from western

In the 1820s, a taciturn loner and skilled cook travels west to Oregon Territory, where he meets a Chinese immigrant also seeking his fortune. Soon the two team up on a dangerous scheme to steal milk from the wealthy landowner’s prized Jersey cow—the first, and only, in the territory.

Gomorrah poster
Gomorrah
2008 · dir. Matteo Garrone
🍅 90%7drama · crime

The drama is handled with the same confidence

An inside look at Italy's modern-day crime families, the Camorra in Naples and Caserta. Based on a book by Roberto Saviano. Power, money and blood: these are the "values" that the residents of the Province of Naples and Caserta have to face every day. They hardly ever have a choice and are forced to obey the rules of the Camorra. Only a lucky few can even think of leading a normal life.

Monster poster
Monster
2003 · dir. Patty Jenkins
🍅 81%7.3crime · drama

Drama approached the same way

In 1989, prostitute Aileen Wuornos befriends and enters a relationship with a young woman named Selby. Determined to straighten out her life, Aileen's limited education lands her back on the corner. She's raped by a trick, who she kills. A string of murder and robbery follows that ultimately leads Aileen to becoming America's first female serial killer.

R poster
R
2010 · dir. Tobias Lindholm
🍅 91%7.1crime · drama

Both working the same drama territory

Imprisoned for violent assault, Rune is placed in the hardcore ward, where his survival depends on quickly learning the prison's parallel world of rules, honor, and obligations.

Lilya 4-ever poster
Lilya 4-ever
2002 · dir. Lukas Moodysson
🍅 84%7.8drama · crime

Drama in the same key

In a struggling post-Soviet community, Lilya a teenage girl is abandoned when her mother moves to the United States with her boyfriend. Facing neglect and poverty, she meets Andrei, who offers her a job in Sweden, giving her hope for a better life — and a journey that will change everything.

Leviathan poster
Leviathan
2014 · dir. Andrey Zvyagintsev
🍅 97%7.6drama · crime

Drama of the same temperament

In a Russian coastal town, Kolya is forced to fight the corrupt mayor when he is told that his house will be demolished. He recruits a lawyer friend to help, but the man's arrival brings further misfortune for Kolya and his family.

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The best-reviewed films that share The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford’s defining feeling.