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The Circle poster

Movies that feel likeThe Circle (2017)

A young tech worker takes a job at a powerful Internet corporation, quickly rises up the company's ranks, and soon finds herself in a perilous situation concerning privacy, surveillance and freedom. She comes to learn that her decisions and actions will determine the future of humanity.

If you loved The Circle, the closest films we have are Coherence (2014), Conclave (2024) and Disclosure Day (2026). All three share The Circle's tense and paranoid feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is The Lincoln Lawyer (2011).

πŸ… 16% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 5.4 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. James Ponsoldtcontemplativetensecerebralparanoid
8 of 12 streaming nowNetflix Β· Amazon Prime Video Β· Paramount Plus Premium

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See it on the Mood Map

If The Circle hit the spot, these will too

Coherence poster
Coherence
2014 Β· dir. James Ward Byrkit
πŸ… 89%β˜… 7.2thriller Β· science fictionPrime VideoPeacock

Both land tension and ideas at once

The difference: Reviewed even better

Four couples gather for dinner the night a mysterious and powerful comet passes overhead.

Conclave poster
Conclave
2024 Β· dir. Edward Berger
πŸ… 93%β˜… 7.4drama Β· thrillerStarz

Contemplative where it counts, paranoid underneath

The difference: Takes it somewhere less cerebral than The Circle does

After the unexpected death of the Pope, Cardinal Lawrence is tasked with managing the covert and ancient ritual of electing a new one. Sequestered in the Vatican with the Catholic Church’s most powerful leaders until the process is complete, Lawrence finds himself at the center of a conspiracy that could lead to its downfall.

Disclosure Day poster
Disclosure Day
2026 Β· dir. Steven Spielberg
πŸ… 79%β˜… 6.4science fiction Β· thrillerRent or buy

Tense thriller, and it commits to that

The difference: Trades the stillness of The Circle for an angle of its own

A cybersecurity expert becomes a whistleblower after uncovering secrets about aliens, putting him on the run from a corporation. Meanwhile, a meteorologist experiencing strange phenomena joins forces with him to prove there's life beyond our understanding.

The Lincoln Lawyer poster
The Lincoln Lawyer
2011 Β· dir. Brad Furman
πŸ… 83%β˜… 7.3crime Β· drama Β· thriller

Common ground: video surveillance

The difference: Leans harder into crime than The Circle does

Mick Haller is a charismatic defense attorney who does business out of his Lincoln Continental sedan. Mick spends most of his time defending petty crooks and other bottom-feeders, so it comes as quite a surprise when he lands the case of a lifetime: defending a Beverly Hills playboy who is accused of attempted murder. However, what Mick initially thinks is an open-and-shut case with a big monetary reward develops into something more sinister.

Under the Skin poster
Under the Skin
2014 Β· dir. Jonathan Glazer
πŸ… 83%β˜… 6.3thriller Β· science fiction Β· dramaNetflix

Drama with a pulse of stillness, in both cases

A seductive stranger prowls the streets of Glasgow in search of prey: unsuspecting men who fall under her spell.

Primer poster
Primer
2004 Β· dir. Shane Carruth
πŸ… 72%β˜… 6.7science fiction Β· drama Β· thriller

Cerebral science fiction in both cases

A group of fledgling inventors discover a complex method to manipulate reality. At first, they successfully game the stock market with it, but the consequences of the invention start to catch up with them.

Glass poster
Glass
2019 Β· dir. M. Night Shyamalan
πŸ… 37%β˜… 6.6thriller Β· drama Β· science fictionRent or buy

Both lean on paranoia more than on drama

In a series of escalating encounters, former security guard David Dunn uses his supernatural abilities to track Kevin Wendell Crumb, a disturbed man who has twenty-four personalities. Meanwhile, the shadowy presence of Elijah Price emerges as an orchestrator who holds secrets critical to both men.

Brick poster
Brick
2025 Β· dir. Philip Koch
πŸ… 44%β˜… 5.5thriller Β· science fictionNetflix

Thriller built on tension, twice over

When a mysterious brick wall encloses their apartment building overnight, Tim and Olivia must unite with their wary neighbors to get out alive.

G.I. Joe: Retaliation poster
G.I. Joe: Retaliation
2013 Β· dir. Jon M. Chu
πŸ… 29%β˜… 5.7action Β· science fiction Β· adventureParamount+

The same preoccupation in both: technology

The difference: Sits closer to action than The Circle does

Framed for crimes against the country, the G.I. Joe team is terminated by Presidential order. This forces the G.I. Joes into not only fighting their mortal enemy Cobra; they are forced to contend with threats from within the government that jeopardize their very existence.

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit poster
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit
2014 Β· dir. Kenneth Branagh
πŸ… 55%β˜… 6.2action Β· drama Β· thrillerParamount+Starz

Both lean on stillness more than on science fiction

Jack Ryan, as a young covert CIA analyst, uncovers a Russian plot to crash the U.S. economy with a terrorist attack.

White House Down poster
White House Down
2013 Β· dir. Roland Emmerich
πŸ… 52%β˜… 6.3action Β· drama Β· thrillerNetflixStarz

Drama with a pulse of paranoia, in both cases

Capitol Policeman John Cale has just been denied his dream job with the Secret Service protecting President James Sawyer. Not wanting to let down his little girl with the news, he takes her on a tour of the White House, when the complex is overtaken by a heavily armed paramilitary group. Now, with the nation's government falling into chaos and time running out, it's up to Cale to save the president, his daughter, and the country.

Geostorm poster
Geostorm
2017 Β· dir. Dean Devlin
πŸ… 18%β˜… 5.4action Β· science fiction Β· thrillerRent or buy

Both lean on ideas more than on thriller

After an unprecedented series of natural disasters threatened the planet, the world's leaders came together to create an intricate network of satellites to control the global climate and keep everyone safe. But now, something has gone wrong: the system built to protect Earth is attacking it, and it becomes a race against the clock to uncover the real threat before a worldwide geostorm wipes out everything and everyone along with it.

In the mood for more contemplative?

all contemplative movies β†’

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