Best movies like Death Note
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
Light Yagami finds the "Death Note," a notebook with the power to kill, and decides to create a Utopia by killing the world's criminals, and soon the world's greatest detective, "L," is hired to find the mysterious murderer. An all out battle between the two greatest minds on earth begins and the winner will control the world.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 32000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Fantasy, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 126 min
Plot tags: anime, rough, serious, suspenseful, atmospheric, exciting, suspense, dark, clever, manga
Best tv shows and movies like Death Note (2006):
Similar in 78%
Black Butler (2014)
Plot Summary:
Set in the year 2020, Shiori Genbo (Ayame Gouriki) runs the large corporation Funtom. Shiori is also a descendant of prestigious noble family Phantomhive of England. As a descendant of the noble family Phantomhive, Shiori solves difficult cases which are ordered by the queen. In order to take revenge, Shiori makes a deal with Butler Sebastian (Hiro Mizushima). Their deal involves Butler Sebastian protecting Shiori until her revenge is fulfilled and then Sebastian will consume her spirit.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Crime, Drama, Family, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 119 min
Plot tags: exciting, suspenseful, stylized, suspense, manga, anime, cult classic, gothic horror, serious, psychotronic
Similar in 75%
God's Left Hand, Devil's Right Hand (2006)
Plot Summary:
What's scary is being a human being, and what's scary is being myself. Truly horrifying things reside inside oneself. The work asks if you can stand the inescapable terror.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 145
Genere: Fantasy, Horror, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: scary, serious, suspenseful, bleak, fable
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Similar in 89%
Memoirs of a Murderer (2017)
Plot Summary:
The movie begins in the year 1995 where there were 5 peculiar murder cases. The murderer would always get someone close to the victim to witness how he would strangle the victim from behind with a rope but he would let the witnesses go and speak to the media on how the murders happened. Ito plays the role of Makimura, the police detective who was in charge of investigating the serial murders but failed to catch the cunning murderer and his respected superior ended up being killed as well. 22 years later in 2017 when the case is nearing its statute of limitations, a man named Sonezaki claims to be the culprit for the 1995 murders and even publishes a book titled "Watashi ga satsujinhan desu" to talk about the cases. Despite the disgust towards Sonezaki's actions, the intensive attention showered on him via the media and SNS makes him become the talk of town.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 118 min
Plot tags: detective, tense, unusual plot structure, suspense, contemplative, twist ending, dark fantasy, crime drama, unpredictable
Similar in 78%
Chasing Ghosts (2005)
Plot Summary:
A serial killer targeting the city's mobsters taunts police with clues and photos left behind at the crime scenes. A veteran cop takes on a rookie partner hoping to crack one last case before retiring. As the web of deception and lies unravels, the truth slowly begins to reveal itself.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 119 min
Plot tags: tense, rough, serious, suspenseful, neo noir, realistic, surprise ending
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Similar in 90%
Nightmare Detective (2006)
Plot Summary:
Three people in Tokyo take a surreal voyage of self-discovery through memory and nightmares. "O" intends suicide while talking on a cell-phone with a stranger he meets on line who plans a simultaneous suicide. Events take a horrifying turn. Keiko Kirishima is a cool, seemingly emotionless police detective, brilliant but off-putting. She's faced with two mutilated corpses who appear to have killed themselves, but she's not sure. A cell-phone number links the deaths. She calls on Akumu Tantei, a poor and suicidal young man who has the ability to enter people's dreams. He's reluctant to help. His past haunts him. A subconscious duel of terror and blood awaits the three.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Action, Crime, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: psychological, atmospheric, rough, suspenseful, slasher, psychological thriller, inspirational, suspense, disturbing, dark fantasy
Similar in 76%
Death Note (2017)
Plot Summary:
A young man comes to possess a supernatural notebook, the Death Note, that grants him the power to kill any person simply by writing down their name on the pages. He then decides to use the notebook to kill criminals and change the world, but an enigmatic detective attempts to track him down and end his reign of terror.
IMDB Rating: 4.6
IMDB Votes: 89000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: suspense, anime, serious, bleak, exciting, suspenseful, psychological, mind bending, disturbing, controversial
Similar in 75%
Righteous Kill (2008)
Plot Summary:
Two veteran New York City detectives work to identify the possible connection between a recent murder and a case they believe they solved years ago; is there a serial killer on the loose, and did they perhaps put the wrong person behind bars?.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 91000
Genere: Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: suspense, suspenseful, psychological, twist ending, intense, rough, serious, realistic, bad ending, detective
Similar in 84%
Character (2021)
Plot Summary:
A kind man aspires to become a manga writer, but villains and evil deeds do not come easily to him, for he has little experience or natural inclination for them. Things take a surprise turn when he comes across a family who were described as idealized that are no more. He uses the real-life situation for his work.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 125 min
Plot tags: manga, scary, tense, psychological, suspense, suspenseful, stylized, comic
Similar in 88%
Death Note (2006)
Plot Summary:
Light Yagami is an ace student with great prospects—and he’s bored out of his mind. But all that changes when he finds the Death Note, a notebook dropped by a rogue Shinigami death god. Any human whose name is written in the notebook dies, and Light has vowed to use the power of the Death Note to rid the world of evil. But will Light succeed in his noble goal, or will the Death Note turn him into the very thing he fights against?.
IMDB Rating: 8.9
IMDB Votes: 365000
Genere: Animation, Crime, Drama, Fantasy, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 851 min
Plot tags: anime, manga, suspenseful, exciting, serious, smart, adult animation, thought provoking, detective, adult anime
Similar in 88%
Mushi-Shi: The Movie (2006)
Plot Summary:
Mushi are beings in touch with the essence of life, far more basic and pure than normal living things. Most humans are incapable of perceiving Mushi and are oblivious to their existence, but there are a few who possess the ability to see and interact with Mushi. One such person is Ginko who travels from place to place to research Mushi and aid people suffering from problems caused by them.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Fantasy
Country: Japan
Duration: 131 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, stylized, captivating, anime, psychotronic, weird, bizarre
Similar in 81%
Death Note: The Last Name (2006)
Plot Summary:
In the second installment of the Death Note film franchise, Light Yagami meets a second Kira and faithful follower Misa Amane and her Shinigami named Rem. Light attempts to defeat L along with Teru Mikami (a Kira follower) and Kiyomi Takada (another Kira follower) but in the end will Light win? or will a Shinigami named Ryuk make all the difference in Light's victory or his ultimate death?.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 17000
Genere: Adventure, Crime, Drama, Fantasy, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Japan, USA
Duration: 141 min
Plot tags: mystical, suspense, exciting, serious, suspenseful, anime, captivating, mind bending, psychedelic, epic
Similar in 84%
Death Note: Light Up the New World (2016)
Plot Summary:
10 years has passed since the confrontation between Kira and L. Again, Shinigami sends death notes to the ground and due to this, the world soon falls into chaos. Tsukuru (Masahiro Higashide) is a member of the Death Note special task force team with 6 other investigators including Matsuda who experienced the Kira case of 10 years ago. Mass murders caused by the death note takes place on Wall Street in the U.S., Shibuya in Japan and other places. World famous private investigator Ryuzaki (Sosuke Ikematsu), who is the rightful successor of L, also investigates the mass murders. They discover that 6 death notes exists in the world. A computer virus called Kira spreads in the world. A message in the Kira virus says to turn in 6 death notes. A person who has 6 death notes overwhelm the world. The confrontation begins between the person who wants Kira’s revival and the people who want to stop it.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 135 min
Plot tags: intellectual, anime, psychological, bleak, serious, neo noir, suspenseful, disturbing, detective
Similar in 89%
Death Note: L Change the World (2008)
Plot Summary:
"The human whose name is written in the Death Note shall die." After making the hardest decision ever, another serious case confronts L. There are only 23 days left and without his best partner Watari (Shunji Fujimura), L has to solve the case all by himself for the very first time.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 129 min
Plot tags: bleak, serious, suspenseful, captivating, anime, mind bending, psychedelic, suspense, surreal, exciting
Similar in 82%
Suicide Club (2001)
Plot Summary:
When 54 high school girls throw themselves in front of a subway train it appears to be only the beginning of a string of suicides around the country. Does the new all-girl group Desert have anything to do with it? Detective Kuroda tries to find the answer, which isn't as simple as he had hoped.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 22000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: psychological, surreal, disturbing, atmospheric, creepy, bloody, suspenseful, controversial, splatter, cult classic
Similar in 90%
Secret in Their Eyes (2015)
Plot Summary:
A tight-knit team of FBI investigators, along with their District Attorney supervisor, is suddenly torn apart when they discover that one of their own teenage daughters has been brutally murdered.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 51000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA, UK, Spain, South Korea
Duration: 111 min
Plot tags: suspenseful, clever, surprise ending, tense, suspense, detective, psychological thriller, crime drama, dark, deep
Similar in 79%
The Watcher (2000)
Plot Summary:
FBI agent Joel Campbell, burnt-out and shell-shocked after years spent chasing serial killers, flees L.A. to begin a new life for himself in Chicago. But five months later, Joel's best laid plans are abruptly cut short when his new hometown becomes the setting for some particularly gruesome murders--murders that could only have been committed by one man: David Allen Griffin. One of Joel's most elusive and cunning nemeses, Griffin has followed his former pursuer to Chicago in order to play a sadistic game of cat and mouse. Taunting Joel with photographs of his intended victims and leaving his crime scenes meticulously free of clues in order to keep the police at bay, Griffin derives as much pleasure out of watching Joel react to every movement as watching his victims die. But when Griffin moves into Joel's inner circle, Joel must quickly find some way to stop him before someone close to him becomes the next one to die.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 28000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA, Canada, Vietnam
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: suspense, psychological, suspenseful, scary, rough, slasher, serious, realistic, neo noir, independent film
Similar in 89%
Switchback (1997)
Plot Summary:
FBI agent Dennis Quaid tries to catch a serial killer who kidnapped his son.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 15000
Genere: Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 118 min
Plot tags: suspense, suspenseful, exciting, intense, rough, serious, realistic, clever, surprise ending, psychological
Similar in 76%
Blood Work (2002)
Plot Summary:
Still recovering from a heart transplant, a retired FBI profiler returns to service when his own blood analysis offers clues to the identity of a serial killer.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 47000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: suspenseful, suspense, tense, rough, serious, detective, touching, surprise ending, neo noir, dark
Similar in 78%
Basic (2003)
Plot Summary:
A DEA agent investigates the disappearance of a legendary Army ranger drill sergeant and several of his cadets during a training exercise gone severely awry.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 66000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Germany, USA
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: twist ending, surprise ending, suspense, twisted, clever, confusing, suspenseful, psychological, enigmatic, tricky
Similar in 75%
Fallen (1998)
Plot Summary:
Homicide detective John Hobbes witnesses the execution of serial killer Edgar Reese. Soon after the execution the killings start again, and they are very similar to Reese's style.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 90000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Fantasy, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 124 min
Plot tags: detective, twist ending, surprise ending, neo noir, suspense, suspenseful, mindfuck, psychological, satanic, psychological thriller
Similar in 86%
Red Dragon (2002)
Plot Summary:
Former FBI Agent Will Graham, who was once almost killed by the savage Hannibal 'The Cannibal' Lecter, now has no choice but to face him again, as it seems Lecter is the only one who can help Graham track down a new serial killer.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 287000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Germany, USA
Duration: 124 min
Plot tags: suspense, suspenseful, neo noir, psychological, tense, psychological thriller, dark, scary, intense, rough
Similar in 85%
Mystic River (2003)
Plot Summary:
A story about friendship and loyalty, guilt and vengeance, and the fateful affect the past has on the present.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 477000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA, Australia
Duration: 138 min
Plot tags: psychological, suspense, emotional, twist ending, neo noir, depressing, tense, bleak, psychological thriller, disturbing
Similar in 85%
Kiss the Girls (1997)
Plot Summary:
Forensic psychologist Alex Cross travels to North Carolina and teams with escaped kidnap victim Kate McTiernan to hunt down "Casanova," a serial killer who abducts strong-willed women and forces them to submit to his demands. The trail leads to Los Angeles, where the duo discovers that the psychopath may not be working alone.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 80000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 115 min
Plot tags: detective, suspense, twist ending, suspenseful, tense, serious, psychological thriller, surprise ending, disturbing, intense
Similar in 76%
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
Plot Summary:
This English-language adaptation of the Swedish novel by Stieg Larsson follows a disgraced journalist, Mikael Blomkvist, as he investigates the disappearance of a weary patriarch's niece from 40 years ago. He is aided by the pierced, tattooed, punk computer hacker named Lisbeth Salander. As they work together in the investigation, Blomkvist and Salander uncover immense corruption beyond anything they have ever imagined.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 487000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA, Sweden, Norway
Duration: 158 min
Plot tags: suspenseful, neo noir, captivating, rough, clever, serious, disturbing, psychological, psychological thriller, suspense
Similar in 78%
Zodiac (2007)
Plot Summary:
The true story of the investigation of the "Zodiac Killer", a serial killer who terrified the San Francisco Bay Area, taunting police with his ciphers and letters. The case becomes an obsession for four men as their lives and careers are built and destroyed by the endless trail of clues.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 584000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 157 min
Plot tags: suspense, atmospheric, tense, neo noir, stylized, twist ending, suspenseful, psychological, rough, detective
Similar in 85%
Prisoners (2013)
Plot Summary:
When Keller Dover's daughter and her friend go missing, he takes matters into his own hands as the police pursue multiple leads and the pressure mounts. But just how far will this desperate father go to protect his family?.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 784000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 153 min
Plot tags: psychological, twist ending, suspenseful, bleak, atmospheric, neo noir, detective, surprise ending, psychological thriller, tense
Similar in 85%
The Bone Collector (1999)
Plot Summary:
Rookie cop, Amelia Donaghy reluctantly teams with Lincoln Rhyme – formerly the department's top homicide detective but now paralyzed as a result of a spinal injury – to catch a grisly serial killer dubbed 'The Bone Collector'. The murderer's special signature is to leave tantalizing clues based on the grim remains of his crimes.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 182000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 118 min
Plot tags: suspense, psychological thriller, suspenseful, tense, psychological, detective, surprise ending, clever, neo noir, bad ending
Similar in 83%
Death Note (2015)
Plot Summary:
Light Yagami is an ordinary university student. One day, he receives a death note which changes his life. The death note awakens his warped sense of justice and genius. He becomes murderer Kira and punishes criminals. L is a well known private detective. L appears in front of Light Yagami. L defines Kira as evil and decides to catch Kira. Then N, who has a beautiful appearance but dangerous existence, appears.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Fantasy, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 46 min
Plot tags: psychological thriller, tense, suspense, disturbing, anime, psychological, intellectual, detective, captivating
Similar in 81%
Kaiji: The Ultimate Gambler (2009)
Plot Summary:
Itou Kaiji is a bum who steals car emblems and slashes tires on what seems to be a regular basis. This routine changes one day when he is paid a visit by a man in a trench-coat. Once the two get talking, it seems that the visitor (Calling himself Endou) is a debt collector. The reason for his visit is an unpaid loan which kaiji had previously co-signed for a work-mate (Furuhata Takeshi). The original loan was 30000 yen and once Takeshi had disappeared, the loan then fell on Kaiji. Kaiji is then told of a way to clear the interest compounded debt (which stood at 3,850,000 yen), which involved getting on a boat with others in his position. Once on the boat the debtors would then have to gamble with loaned money, which would end with a few winning, and others getting into deeper debt and having to work to pay of their debts. After some coercing kaiji accepts a position on the boat, in order to clear himself and make a bit of money as well.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 130 min
Plot tags: tense, psychological, captivating, anime, atmospheric, exciting, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 75%
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Plot Summary:
FBI trainee, Clarice Starling ventures into a maximum-security asylum to pick the diseased brain of Hannibal Lecter, a psychiatrist turned homicidal cannibal. Starling needs clues to help her capture a serial killer. But her Faustian relationship with Lecter soon leads to his escape, and now two deranged killers are on the loose.
IMDB Rating: 8.6
IMDB Votes: 15000000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 118 min
Plot tags: psychological, suspenseful, suspense, scary, psychological thriller, tense, dark, neo noir, serious, thrilling