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Movies that feel like The Square (2008)

If you loved The Square, the closest films we have are Drive (2011), Road to Perdition (2002) and Wrath of Man (2021). All three share The Square's gritty and contemplative feel, which is what we rank on before quality. 10 of the 12 picks below are included with a subscription right now on fuboTV, Philo and MGM+ Amazon Channel and others, checked against today's data.

Ray, a construction worker trapped in an unhappy marriage, pursues an affair with his neighbor, Carla. Carla's husband, Greg, is a mobster who keeps large sums of drug money in their home. With this in mind, Carla comes up with a plan: She and Ray will steal Greg's money, burn down her house, convince Greg the money was lost in the fire and then run away together. Carla's scheme, however, doesn't go off as planned.

πŸ… 86% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 6.7 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Nash Edgertongrittycontemplativetenserelentless

When is The Square streaming? β†’

If The Square hit the spot, these will too

Drive poster
Drive
2011 Β· dir. Nicolas Winding Refn
πŸ… 93%β˜… 7.8drama Β· thriller Β· crime

The same two preoccupations: revenge, and neighbor

Driver is a skilled Hollywood stuntman who moonlights as a getaway driver for criminals. Though he projects an icy exterior, lately he's been warming up to a pretty neighbor named Irene and her young son, Benicio. When Irene's husband gets out of jail, he enlists Driver's help in a million-dollar heist. The job goes horribly wrong, and Driver must risk his life to protect Irene and Benicio from the vengeful masterminds behind the robbery.

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Road to Perdition poster
Road to Perdition
2002 Β· dir. Sam Mendes
πŸ… 82%β˜… 7.6crime Β· drama Β· thriller

The same preoccupation in both: revenge

Mike Sullivan works as a hit man for crime boss John Rooney. Sullivan views Rooney as a father figure, however after his son is witness to a killing, Mike Sullivan finds himself on the run in attempt to save the life of his son and at the same time looking for revenge on those who wronged him.

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Wrath of Man poster
Wrath of Man
2021 Β· dir. Guy Ritchie
πŸ… 68%β˜… 7.1thriller Β· crime Β· drama

Both land grit and stillness at once

A cold and mysterious new security guard for a Los Angeles cash truck company surprises his co-workers when he unleashes precision skills during a heist. The crew is left wondering who he is and where he came from. Soon, the marksman's ultimate motive becomes clear as he takes dramatic and irrevocable steps to settle a score.

Feels alike?
The Godfather Part III poster
The Godfather Part III
1990 Β· dir. Francis Ford Coppola
πŸ… 67%β˜… 7.5crime Β· drama Β· thriller

The same mix in both: tension, then relentlessness

In the midst of trying to legitimize his business dealings in 1979 New York and Italy, aging mafia don, Michael Corleone seeks forgiveness for his sins while taking a young protege under his wing.

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We Own the Night poster
We Own the Night
2007 Β· dir. James Gray
πŸ… 57%β˜… 6.8drama Β· crime Β· thriller

Both keep circling back to murder

The difference: Critics were much harder on this one

A New York nightclub manager tries to save his brother and father from Russian mafia hitmen.

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Promising Young Woman poster
Promising Young Woman
2020 Β· dir. Emerald Fennell
πŸ… 90%β˜… 7.5thriller Β· crime Β· drama

Gritty crime, and it commits to that

A young woman, traumatized by a tragic event in her past, seeks out vengeance against those who crossed her path.

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Layer Cake poster
Layer Cake
2004 Β· dir. Matthew Vaughn
πŸ… 81%β˜… 7.2drama Β· thriller Β· crime

Murder is the engine of both

The difference: Missing the relentlessness of The Square

When a seemingly straight-forward drug deal goes awry, XXXX has to break his die-hard rules and turn up the heat, not only to outwit the old regime and come out on top, but to save his own skin...

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A History of Violence poster
A History of Violence
2005 Β· dir. David Cronenberg
πŸ… 88%β˜… 7.4drama Β· thriller Β· crime

Both built around marriage

An average family is thrust into the spotlight after the father commits a seemingly self-defense murder at his diner.

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Law Abiding Citizen poster
Law Abiding Citizen
2009 Β· dir. F. Gary Gray
πŸ… 26%β˜… 7.4drama Β· crime Β· thriller

Both trade on stillness more than on being drama

A frustrated man decides to take justice into his own hands after a plea bargain sets one of his family's killers free. He targets not only the killer but also the district attorney and others involved in the deal.

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Cape Fear poster
Cape Fear
1991 Β· dir. Martin Scorsese
πŸ… 77%β˜… 7.3drama Β· crime Β· thriller

Tense thriller in both cases

Sam Bowden is a small-town corporate attorney. Max Cady is a tattooed, cigar-smoking, Bible-quoting, psychotic rapist. What do they have in common? 14 years ago, Sam was a public defender assigned to Max Cady's rape trial, and he made a serious error: he hid a document from his illiterate client that could have gotten him acquitted. Now, the cagey Cady has been released, and he intends to teach Sam Bowden and his family a thing or two about loss.

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The Accountant poster
The Accountant
2016 Β· dir. Gavin O'Connor
πŸ… 53%β˜… 7.3crime Β· thriller Β· drama

Money sits at the heart of each

As a math savant uncooks the books for a new client, the Treasury Department closes in on his activities and the body count starts to rise.

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The Departed poster
The Departed
2006 Β· dir. Martin Scorsese
πŸ… 91%β˜… 8.5drama Β· thriller Β· crime

Both keep circling back to mobster

To take down South Boston's Irish Mafia, the police send in one of their own to infiltrate the underworld, not realizing the syndicate has done likewise. While an undercover cop curries favor with the mob kingpin, a career criminal rises through the police ranks. But both sides soon discover there's a mole among them.

Feels alike?

In the mood for more gritty?

all gritty movies β†’

The best-reviewed films that share The Square's defining feeling.