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The Book of Eli poster

Movies that feel likeThe Book of Eli (2010)

A post-apocalyptic tale, in which a lone man fights his way across America in order to protect a sacred book that holds the secrets to saving humankind.

If you loved The Book of Eli, the closest films we have are Children of Men (2006), District B13 (2004) and eXistenZ (1999). All three share The Book of Eli's kinetic and tense feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Mad Max (1979).

πŸ… 46% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 6.8 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Allen Hugheskinetictensecerebralbleak
8 of 12 streaming nowAmazon Prime Video Β· Paramount Plus Premium Β· AMC

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If The Book of Eli hit the spot, these will too

Children of Men poster
Children of Men
2006 Β· dir. Alfonso CuarΓ³n
πŸ… 92%β˜… 7.9science fiction Β· thriller Β· action

Both are working the same pair: faith, chaos

The difference: Reviewed even better

In 2027, in a chaotic world in which humans can no longer procreate, a former activist agrees to help transport a miraculously pregnant woman to a sanctuary at sea, where her child's birth may help scientists save the future of humankind.

District B13 poster
District B13
2004 Β· dir. Pierre Morel
πŸ… 81%β˜… 7.1action Β· thriller Β· science fictionPrime Video

Both keep coming back to the same thing: dystopia

Set in the ghettos of Paris in 2010, an undercover cop and ex-thug try to infiltrate a gang in order to defuse a neutron bomb.

eXistenZ poster
eXistenZ
1999 Β· dir. David Cronenberg
πŸ… 77%β˜… 6.8action Β· thriller Β· science fiction

One thread runs through both: dystopia

A game designer on the run from assassins must play her latest virtual reality creation with a marketing trainee to determine if the game has been damaged.

Equilibrium poster
Equilibrium
2002 Β· dir. Kurt Wimmer
πŸ… 40%β˜… 7.3action Β· science fiction Β· thrillerParamount+

Kinetic where it counts, tense underneath

In a dystopian future, a totalitarian regime maintains peace by subduing the populace with a drug, and displays of emotion are punishable by death. A man in charge of enforcing the law rises to overthrow the system.

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines poster
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
2003 Β· dir. Jonathan Mostow
πŸ… 70%β˜… 6.3action Β· thriller Β· science fiction

The same mix in both: ideas, then bleakness

It's been 10 years since John Connor saved Earth from Judgment Day, and he's now living under the radar, steering clear of using anything Skynet can trace. That is, until he encounters T-X, a robotic assassin ordered to finish what T-1000 started. Good thing Connor's former nemesis, the Terminator, is back to aid the now-adult Connor … just like he promised.

Dredd poster
Dredd
2012 Β· dir. Pete Travis
πŸ… 80%β˜… 7.1action Β· science fiction

The same two preoccupations: life after the end, and survival

The difference: Takes it somewhere less tense than The Book of Eli does

In the future, America is a dystopian wasteland. The latest scourge is Ma-Ma, a prostitute-turned-drug pusher with a dangerous new drug and aims to take over the city. The only possibility of stopping her is an elite group of urban police called Judges, who combine the duties of judge, jury and executioner to deliver a brutal brand of swift justice. But even the top-ranking Judge, Dredd, discovers that taking down Ma-Ma isn’t as easy as it seems in this explosive adaptation of the hugely popular comic series.

Surrogates poster
Surrogates
2009 Β· dir. Jonathan Mostow
πŸ… 37%β˜… 6.3science fiction Β· action Β· thriller

Action with a pulse of momentum, in both cases

Set in a futuristic world where humans live in isolation and interact through surrogate robots, a cop is forced to leave his home for the first time in years in order to investigate the murders of others' surrogates.

Death Race poster
Death Race
2008 Β· dir. Paul W. S. Anderson
πŸ… 41%β˜… 6.4action Β· thriller Β· science fictionStarz

Tense thriller in both cases

Terminal Island, New York: 2020. Overcrowding in the US penal system has reached a breaking point. Prisons have been turned over to a monolithic Weyland Corporation, which sees jails full of thugs as an opportunity for televised sport. Adrenalized inmates, a global audience hungry for violence and a spectacular, enclosed arena come together to form the 'Death Race', the biggest, most brutal event.

RoboCop poster
RoboCop
2014 Β· dir. JosΓ© Padilha
πŸ… 50%β˜… 6.1action Β· science fiction Β· thriller

Science fiction built on ideas, twice over

In RoboCop, the year is 2028 and multinational conglomerate OmniCorp is at the center of robot technology. Overseas, their drones have been used by the military for years, but have been forbidden for law enforcement in America. Now OmniCorp wants to bring their controversial technology to the home front, and they see a golden opportunity to do it. When Alex Murphy – a loving husband, father and good cop doing his best to stem the tide of crime and corruption in Detroit – is critically injured, OmniCorp sees their chance to build a part-man, part-robot police officer. OmniCorp envisions a RoboCop in every city and even more billions for their shareholders, but they never counted on one thing: there is still a man inside the machine.

Total Recall poster
Total Recall
2012 Β· dir. Len Wiseman
πŸ… 30%β˜… 6.2action Β· science fiction Β· thriller

Bleak action, and it commits to that

Factory worker Doug Quaid takes a virtual mind-trip vacation with the Rekall company, opting for implanted memories of being a spy. When the procedure goes wrong, Quaid becomes a wanted man by the police and joins forces with a rebel fighter to stop the evil Chancellor Cohaagen.

Gamer poster
Gamer
2009 Β· dir. Brian Taylor
πŸ… 29%β˜… 5.7action Β· thriller Β· science fiction

Both lean on momentum more than on thriller

Mind-control technology has taken society by a storm, a multiplayer on-line game called "Slayers" allows players to control human prisoners in mass-scale. Simon controls Kable, the online champion of the game. Kable's ultimate challenge becomes regaining his identity and independence by defeating the game's mastermind.

Mad Max poster
Mad Max
1979 Β· dir. George Miller
πŸ… 89%β˜… 6.8action Β· thriller Β· science fiction

Both are built on the same subject: life after the end

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

In the ravaged near-future, a savage motorcycle gang rules the road. Terrorizing innocent civilians while tearing up the streets, the ruthless gang laughs in the face of a police force hell-bent on stopping them.

In the mood for more kinetic?

all kinetic movies β†’

The best-reviewed films that share The Book of Eli’s defining feeling.