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The Machinist poster

Movies that feel likeThe Machinist (2004)

Trevor, an insomniac lathe operator, experiences unusual occurrences at work and home. A strange man follows him everywhere, but no one else seems to notice him.

If you loved The Machinist, the closest films we have are The Wave (2008), The Lives of Others (2006) and A Wednesday! (2008). All three share The Machinist's tense and contemplative feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is A Hijacking (2012).

πŸ… 77% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 7.6 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Brad Andersontensecontemplative
6 of 12 streaming nowNetflix Β· Amazon Prime Video Β· Apple TV

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When is The Machinist streaming? β†’

If The Machinist hit the spot, these will too

The Wave poster
The Wave
2008 Β· dir. Dennis Gansel
πŸ… 67%β˜… 7.6drama Β· thriller

Tense where it counts, contemplative underneath

A school teacher discusses types of government with his class. His students find it too boring to repeatedly go over national socialism and believe that dictatorship cannot be established in modern Germany. He starts an experiment to show how easily the masses can become manipulated.

The Lives of Others poster
The Lives of Others
2006 Β· dir. Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
πŸ… 92%β˜… 8.4drama Β· thriller

Thriller with a pulse of tension, in both cases

In 1984 East Berlin, dedicated Stasi officer Gerd Wiesler begins spying on a famous playwright and his actress-lover Christa-Maria. Wiesler becomes unexpectedly sympathetic to the couple, and faces conflicting loyalties when his superior takes a liking to Christa-Maria.

A Wednesday! poster
A Wednesday!
2008 Β· dir. Neeraj Pandey
β˜… 8.1drama Β· thriller

Contemplative drama, and it commits to that

Prakash Rathod, a retired police commissioner recounts the most memorable case of his career wherein he was informed about a bomb scare in Mumbai by an ordinary commoner.

We Need to Talk About Kevin poster
We Need to Talk About Kevin
2011 Β· dir. Lynne Ramsay
πŸ… 74%β˜… 7.4drama Β· thrillerPrime VideoPeacock

Tense thriller in both cases

After her son Kevin commits a horrific act, troubled mother Eva reflects on her complicated relationship with her disturbed son as he grew from a toddler into a teenager.

Zero Dark Thirty poster
Zero Dark Thirty
2012 Β· dir. Kathryn Bigelow
πŸ… 91%β˜… 7.4thriller Β· dramaNetflixApple TV+

Both lean on stillness more than on drama

A chronicle of the decade-long hunt for al-Qaeda terrorist leader Osama bin Laden after the September 2001 attacks, and his death at the hands of the Navy S.E.A.L. Team 6 in May, 2011.

A Hijacking poster
A Hijacking
2012 Β· dir. Tobias Lindholm
πŸ… 96%β˜… 7.1thriller Β· drama

Both working the same thriller territory

Tensions are high after a Danish freighter is captured and held for ransom by Somali pirates, leading to weeks of high-stakes negotiations – and an escalating potential for explosive violence.

Fractured poster
Fractured
2019 Β· dir. Brad Anderson
πŸ… 56%β˜… 6.5thriller Β· dramaNetflix

Both are Brad Anderson's work, and they rhyme

Driving cross-country, Ray and his wife and daughter stop at a highway rest area where his daughter falls and breaks her arm. After a frantic rush to the hospital and a clash with the check-in nurse, Ray is finally able to get her to a doctor. While the wife and daughter go downstairs for an MRI, Ray, exhausted, passes out in a chair in the lobby. Upon waking up, they have no record or knowledge of Ray's family ever being checked in.

Locke poster
Locke
2014 Β· dir. Steven Knight
πŸ… 91%β˜… 7.1drama Β· thriller

Both are drama through and through

Ivan Locke has worked hard to craft a good life for himself. Tonight, that life will collapse around him. On the eve of the biggest challenge of his career, Ivan receives a phone call that sets in motion a series of events that will unravel his family, job, and soul.

Foxcatcher poster
Foxcatcher
2014 Β· dir. Bennett Miller
πŸ… 88%β˜… 7drama Β· thriller

Thriller approached the same way

The greatest Olympic Wrestling Champion brother team joins Team Foxcatcher led by multimillionaire sponsor John E. du Pont as they train for the 1988 games in Seoul - a union that leads to unlikely circumstances.

Bridge of Spies poster
Bridge of Spies
2015 Β· dir. Steven Spielberg
πŸ… 91%β˜… 7.6thriller Β· drama

Drama in the same key

During the Cold War, the Soviet Union captures U.S. pilot Francis Gary Powers after shooting down his U-2 spy plane. Sentenced to 10 years in prison, Powers' only hope is New York lawyer James Donovan, recruited by a CIA operative to negotiate his release. Donovan boards a plane to Berlin, hoping to win the young man's freedom through a prisoner exchange. If all goes well, the Russians would get Rudolf Abel, the convicted spy who Donovan defended in court.

Dark Waters poster
Dark Waters
2019 Β· dir. Todd Haynes
πŸ… 89%β˜… 7.6drama Β· thrillerRent or buy

Both know what they want from thriller

A tenacious attorney uncovers a dark secret that connects a growing number of unexplained deaths to one of the world's largest corporations. In the process, he risks everything β€” his future, his family, and his own life β€” to expose the truth.

Argo poster
Argo
2012 Β· dir. Ben Affleck
πŸ… 96%β˜… 7.7drama Β· thrillerParamount+

Both play drama straight

As the Iranian revolution reaches a boiling point, a CIA 'exfiltration' specialist concocts a risky plan to free six Americans who have found shelter at the home of the Canadian ambassador.

In the mood for more tense?

all tense movies β†’

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