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Zero Dark Thirty poster

Movies that feel likeZero Dark Thirty (2012)

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.

If you loved Zero Dark Thirty, the closest films we have are We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011), A Hijacking (2012) and Locke (2014). All three share Zero Dark Thirty'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 Wednesday! (2008).

πŸ… 91% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 7.4 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Kathryn Bigelowtensecontemplative
7 of 12 streaming nowAmazon Prime Video Β· Paramount Plus Premium Β· Peacock Premium

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If Zero Dark Thirty hit the spot, these will too

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

Both land tension and stillness at once

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.

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

Tense thriller in both cases

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.

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

Drama with a pulse of stillness, in both cases

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.

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

Tense thriller, and it commits to that

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.

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

Drama built on stillness, twice over

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.

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

Thriller approached the same way

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.

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

Drama of the same temperament

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.

The Place poster
The Place
2017 Β· dir. Paolo Genovese
β˜… 7drama Β· thriller

Thriller in the same key

The fates of an apparently random group of strangers who each come into contact with a mysterious figure who they believe possesses the power to grant any wish, in return for which they must carry out a task he assigns them.

Tunnel poster
Tunnel
2016 Β· dir. Kim Seong-hun
πŸ… 100%β˜… 6.8thriller Β· dramaPrime Video

Both working the same drama territory

A man is on his way home when the poorly constructed tunnel he is driving through collapses, leaving him trapped leaving himself for the unexpected whilst emergency services struggle to help.

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

Cut from the same thriller cloth

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.

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

Both know what they want from drama

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.

To Kill a Man poster
To Kill a Man
2014 Β· dir. Alejandro FernΓ‘ndez Almendras
β˜… 6.3thriller Β· drama

The same thriller instincts

Jorge is a peaceful hard-working man who seeks a simple, quiet life for himself and his family. One day, he is mugged and humiliated by a gang of thugs led by Kalule, a delinquent from his neighborhood. This event infuriates his son as much for Jorge’s meek acceptance as for the act itself. The son, looking for retribution, ends up getting himself shot. Kalule is sent to jail and when he gets out 18 months later, begins a campaign of terror against Jorge and his family. The authorities do nothing, so Jorge decides to take matters into his own hands.

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all tense movies β†’

The best-reviewed films that share Zero Dark Thirty’s defining feeling.