Best movies like Killer: A Journal of Murder
Last updated March 2024
Looking for movies similar to Killer: A Journal of Murder? Offer your expertise to help others to tv series and films you've already seen that might likewise engross them. Assist in widening the community of people alluding videos amongst one another. We value your input!
Plot Summary:
Carl Panzram is sent to Leavenworth Prison for burglary. While there, he is brutally beaten by a guard. Neophyte guard Henry Lesser feels sympathy for Panzram, befriends him, and gets him to write his life story. Lesser learns that Panzram's past is much more violent than he thought, but also that he's capable of being a much better person than the rest of the prison staff believes - or so Lesser thinks.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama, Romance, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: disturbing, rough, bleak, serious, realistic, suspenseful, independent film, psychological, unusual plot structure, bloody
Best tv shows and movies like Killer: A Journal of Murder (1995):
Similar in 86%
The Honeymoon Killers (1970)
Plot Summary:
Martha Beck, an obese nurse who is desperately lonely, joins a "correspondence club" and finds a romantic pen pal in Ray Fernandez. Martha falls hard for Ray, and is intent on sticking with him even when she discovers he's a con man who seduces lonely single women, kills them and then takes their money. She poses as Ray's sister and joins Ray on a wild killing spree, fueled by her lingering concern that Ray will leave her for one of his marks.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Romance, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: neo noir, disturbing, cult classic, grindhouse, black and white, psychological, stylized, slasher, depressing, controversial
Similar in 85%
The Executioner's Song (1982)
Plot Summary:
In this fact-based film, Gary Gilmore, an Indiana man who just finished serving a lengthy stay in prison, tries to start anew by moving to Utah. Before long, Gary begins an ill-advised romance with the troubled Nicole Baker, a teenage single mother. As their relationship quickly deteriorates, Gary goes on a murderous rampage, leaving two dead. During his trial, he demands capital punishment; a media circus ensues and outsiders look to profit from his story.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 135 min
Plot tags: rough, thought provoking, bleak, serious, realistic, suspenseful, tense
Similar in 88%
Kill Your Darlings (2013)
Plot Summary:
A murder in 1944 draws together the great poets of the beat generation: Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac and William Burroughs.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 41000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Romance, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: captivating, bleak, serious, intellectual, psychological, talky, sexual, aesthetic, independent film, indie film
Similar in 84%
Lonely Hearts (2006)
Plot Summary:
In the late 1940's, Martha Beck and Raymond Fernandez were America's notorious "Lonely Hearts Killers". Their lethal scam was simple; they would swindle and then viciously murder lovelorn war widows who would answer their personal ads in which Ray would describe himself as a sexy Latin Lover. Based on a true story.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 22000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama, History, Romance, Thriller
Country: Germany, USA
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: neo noir, detective, suspenseful, suspense, brutal, rough, bleak, serious, realistic, disturbing
Similar in 78%
Chopper (2000)
Plot Summary:
The true and intense story of Mark 'Chopper' Read, a legendary criminal who wrote his autobiography while serving a jail sentence in prison.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 41000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama
Country: Australia
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: disturbing, dark comedy, rough, cynical, brutal, dark, cult classic, stylized, black comedy, intellectual
Similar in 79%
The Onion Field (1979)
Plot Summary:
Greg Powell, a disturbed ex-con, recruits Jimmy Youngblood (Smith) a petty thief, as partner in crime. Powell panics when they two of are pulled over by two cops for tail lights. Powell decides to kidnap the cops and Smith goes along with his crazy scheme. They drive out to a deserted onion field in Bakersfield, where one cop is killed and the other escapes. The film explores the consequences.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 126 min
Plot tags: neo noir, atmospheric, psychological, realistic, rough, serious, disturbing, detective, bleak, emotional
Similar in 82%
Birdman of Alcatraz (1962)
Plot Summary:
After killing a prison guard, convict Robert Stroud faces life imprisonment in solitary confinement. Driven nearly mad by loneliness and despair, Stroud's life gains new meaning when he happens upon a helpless baby sparrow in the exercise yard and nurses it back to health. Despite having only a third grade education, Stroud goes on to become a renowned ornithologist and achieves a greater sense of freedom and purpose behind bars than most people find in the outside world.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 19000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 147 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, serious, captivating, realistic, black and white, retro, thought provoking, crime thriller, sincere, uplifting
Similar in 78%
Longford (2006)
Plot Summary:
A portrait of Lord Longford, a tireless British campaigner whose controversial beliefs often resulted in furious political debate and personal conflict.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama, Romance
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: realistic, serious, talky, tense, political, captivating, cult classic, sincere, contemplative
Similar in 86%
Animal Factory (2000)
Plot Summary:
A young man goes to prison and a tough, older convict takes him under his wing as a mentor.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 14000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: tense, realistic, bleak, atmospheric, harsh, disturbing, intense, serious, rough, cult classic
Similar in 86%
The Hunt for the BTK Killer (2005)
Plot Summary:
After 31 years at-large, detectives in Wichita, Kansas hone in on the serial killer known as BTK.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama, Horror, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 82 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, bleak, detective, suspense, creepy
Similar in 85%
Dahmer (2002)
Plot Summary:
On February 15, 1992 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer, one of the world's most infamous serial killers, was convicted of 15 counts of murder and sentenced to 937 years in federal prison. This movie is based on events from his life. Certain characters and events are fictional.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama, Horror, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: disturbing, psychological, scary, slasher, stylized, rough, suspense, suspenseful, dark, controversial
Similar in 80%
The Iceman (2012)
Plot Summary:
The true story of Richard Kuklinski, the notorious contract killer and family man.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 78000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: tense, suspenseful, brutal, stylized, suspense, intense, realistic, rough, serious, factual
Similar in 81%
American Me (1992)
Plot Summary:
Edward J. Olmos made his directorial bow with the powerhouse crime saga American Me. Olmos stars as street-gang leader Santana, who during his 18 years in Folsom Prison rules over all the drug-and-murder activities behind bars. Upon his release, Santana goes back to his old neighborhood, intending to lead a peaceful, crime-free life. But his old gang buddies force him back into his old habits. The.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 125 min
Plot tags: disturbing, realistic, talky, emotional, intense, rough, serious, suspenseful, tense, suspense
Similar in 75%
Jamesy Boy (2014)
Plot Summary:
Based on the true story of teenager James Burns who goes from a suburban street gang to a maximum-security prison cell surrounded by hardened criminals. He turns his life around in prison thanks to the unexpected friendship he forms with a convicted murderer who becomes his mentor.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 109 min
Plot tags: sincere, rough, serious, realistic, crime drama, crying
Similar in 85%
Sleepers (1996)
Plot Summary:
Two gangsters seek revenge on the state jail worker who during their stay at a youth prison sexually abused them. A sensational court hearing takes place to charge him for the crimes.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 234000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 147 min
Plot tags: disturbing, sadistic, harsh, suspenseful, suspense, serious, psychological, brutal, intense, emotional
Similar in 75%
Changeling (2008)
Plot Summary:
Christine Collins is overjoyed when her kidnapped son is brought back home. But when Christine suspects that the boy returned to her isn't her child, the police captain has her committed to an asylum.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 263000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama, History, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 141 min
Plot tags: psychological, heartbreaking, sentimental, tense, bleak, disturbing, touching, suspense, detective, emotional
Similar in 84%
In Cold Blood (1967)
Plot Summary:
A 1967 film based on Truman Capote's book of the same name. After a botched robbery results in the brutal murder of a rural family, two drifters elude police, in the end coming to terms with their own mortality and the repercussions of their vile atrocity.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 29000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama, History
Country: USA
Duration: 134 min
Plot tags: black and white, disturbing, suspense, neo noir, bleak, tense, controversial, road movie, detective, inspirational
Similar in 76%
Chicago Massacre: Richard Speck (2007)
Plot Summary:
A horror film based on a real-life mass murder that took place in 1966. Richard Franklin Speck was a mass murderer who systematically tortured, raped and murdered eight student nurses from South Chicago Community Hospital in 1966.
IMDB Rating: 3.9
IMDB Votes: 926
Genere: Crime, Drama, Horror, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: tense, rough, slasher, disturbing, bloody, suspense, scary, bleak, serious, realistic
![blank](http://wpfc.ml/b.gif)
Similar in 86%
Infamous (2006)
Plot Summary:
While researching his book In Cold Blood, writer Truman Capote develops a close relationship with convicted murderers Dick Hickock and Perry Smith.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 18000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: emotional, tense, sincere, serious, psychological, captivating, witty, talky, retro, clever
Similar in 86%
Veronica Guerin (2003)
Plot Summary:
In this true story, Veronica Guerin is an investigative reporter for an Irish newspaper. As the drug trade begins to bleed into the mainstream, Guerin decides to take on and expose those responsible. Beginning at the bottom with addicts, Guerin then gets in touch with John Traynor, a paranoid informant. Not without some prodding, Traynor leads her to John Gilligan, the ruthless head of the operation, who does not take kindly to Guerin's nosing.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 22000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Ireland, UK, USA
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: suspense, intense, tense, rough, thought provoking, emotional, realistic, suspenseful, serious, political
Similar in 82%
Midnight Express (1978)
Plot Summary:
Billy Hayes is caught attempting to smuggle drugs out of Turkey. The Turkish courts decide to make an example of him, sentencing him to more than 30 years in prison. Hayes has two opportunities for release: the appeals made by his lawyer, his family, and the American government, or the "Midnight Express".
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 87000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 121 min
Plot tags: disturbing, realistic, suspense, depressing, psychological, serious, tense, controversial, grim, bleak
Similar in 77%
Crown Heights (2017)
Plot Summary:
When Colin Warner was wrongfully convicted of murder, his best friend Carl King devoted his life to proving his innocence.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: realistic, intense, thought provoking, serious, suspense, social, sad
Similar in 75%
Just Mercy (2019)
Plot Summary:
The powerful true story of Harvard-educated lawyer Bryan Stevenson, who goes to Alabama to defend the disenfranchised and wrongly condemned — including Walter McMillian, a man sentenced to death despite evidence proving his innocence. Bryan fights tirelessly for Walter with the system stacked against them.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 74000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 137 min
Plot tags: tense, suspense, suspenseful, disturbing, touching, inspirational, enigmatic, motivational, emotional, educational
Similar in 84%
Conviction (2010)
Plot Summary:
When Betty Anne Waters' older brother Kenny is arrested for murder and sentenced to life in 1983, Betty Anne, a Massachusetts wife and mother of two, dedicates her life to overturning the murder conviction. Convinced that her brother is innocent, Betty Anne puts herself through high school, college and, finally, law school in an 18 year quest to free Kenny. With the help of best friend Abra Rice, Betty Anne pores through suspicious evidence mounted by small town cop Nancy Taylor, meticulously retracing the steps that led to Kenny's arrest. Belief in her brother - and her quest for the truth - pushes Betty Anne and her team to uncover the facts and utilize DNA evidence with the hope of exonerating Kenny.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 46000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama
Country: Switzerland, UK, USA
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: sincere, touching, emotional, inspirational, sad, thought provoking, disturbing, intense, motivational, entertaining
Similar in 80%
Monster (2003)
Plot Summary:
Aileen Wuornos is an emotionally scarred highway hooker who shoots a sadistic trick who rapes her and ultimately becomes America's first female serial killer.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 159000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA, Germany
Duration: 109 min
Plot tags: bleak, disturbing, psychological, depressing, emotional, harsh, heartbreaking, sad, rough, captivating
Similar in 89%
The Riverman (2004)
Plot Summary:
A series of interviews are conducted with convicted serial killer Ted Bundy in hopes of gaining insight into the Green River Killer who is terrorizing Seattle.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: psychological, rough, serious, suspenseful, disturbing, mystical, detective, realistic, suspense
![blank](http://wpfc.ml/b.gif)
Similar in 89%
Ted Bundy (2002)
Plot Summary:
Docu-drama based on the life of Ted Bundy, a serial killer who killed at least 19 young women during the 1970's (though some sources say as many as 30 to 35 were murdered). Set from his college student years, to his first victims, his capture, escape from prison (twice), his final killing spree to his trial, conviction and execution.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama, Horror, Thriller
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: scary, disturbing, rough, suspenseful, suspense, slasher, controversial, cult classic, frightening, twisted
Similar in 80%
Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (2019)
Plot Summary:
A chronicle of the crimes of Ted Bundy, from the perspective of his longtime girlfriend, Elizabeth Kloepfer, who refused to believe the truth about him for years.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 100000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: psychological, suspense, rough, bleak, suspenseful, psychological thriller, brutal, dark, crime drama, action thriller
Similar in 89%
The Gray Man (2007)
Plot Summary:
Early 20th century. Albert Fish, a seemingly benevolent father and grandfather who reared his family by himself after his wife deserted them, turns out to be a serial child molester and murderer. Based on a true story.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, suspense, disturbing
![blank](http://wpfc.ml/b.gif)
Similar in 81%
Citizen X (1995)
Plot Summary:
Based on the true story of a Russian serial killer who, over many years, claimed victim to over 50 people. His victims were mostly under the age of 17. In what was then a communists state, the police investigations were hampered by bureaucracy, incompetence and those in power. The story is told from the viewpoint of the detective in charge of the case.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 22000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama, History, Thriller
Country: USA, Hungary
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: detective, suspense, tense, suspenseful, psychological, intense, factual, serious, realistic, grim