Best movies like Letters from a Killer
Last updated March 2024
Looking for movies similar to Letters from a Killer? Contribute your knowledge to direct others to films and tv series you've already watched that might appeal to them too. Facilitate broadening the circle of people putting forward videos knowledge one another. We encourage your involvement!
Plot Summary:
A man is falsely convicted of the murder of his wife. During his time in jail, he finds comfort from four women with whom he corresponds. After his second court appearance, he is finally freed from prison only to be framed for yet 2 more murders which he did not commit. With the help of his former prison guard, he once again sets out to clear his name.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: psychological thriller, independent film, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, surprise ending, suspense
Best tv shows and movies like Letters from a Killer (1998):
Similar in 85%
Countdown (1996)
Plot Summary:
When Chris Murdoch falls obsessively in love with a Japanese girl attending University in Seattle (Kaori Ozaki) he murders Japanese men who have shown her kindness under the pretext of revenge for the attack on Pearl Harbor during WWII. However the ruse involves the FBI in the case, and Agent Sara Daniels. However, the investigation is hampered when Yoko Sugimura of the Tokyo Police arrives to take Kaori back to her influential father. Despite their initial dislike, Sara and Yoko are forced to work together to stop Chris when his obsession is manifest with high explosives.
IMDB Rating: 3.9
IMDB Votes: 295
Genere: Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA, Japan
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: independent film, exciting, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, detective
Similar in 83%
Demons from Her Past (2007)
Plot Summary:
A woman returns to her hometown searching for answers after she's released from prison, having served a 25-year sentence for a crime she didn't commit.
IMDB Rating: 4.7
IMDB Votes: 413
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: tense, captivating, psychological, suspense, rough, mind bending, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 79%
Slow Burn (2000)
Plot Summary:
The murder of the ex-wife of Doctor Sam Charney (Rutger Hauer) leads Detective Della Wilder (Pam Grier) to uncover a series of women's murders somehow linked to a big pharmaceutical company.
IMDB Rating: 4.9
IMDB Votes: 542
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Canada
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, suspense, detective
Similar in 84%
Vice (2008)
Plot Summary:
Michael Madsen stars as Max Walker, a down-and-out cop who becomes the target of a bloodthirsty drug cartel after he leads a narcotics bust to intercept a large shipment of heroin. When someone starts picking off his team members -- and the drugs seized in the raid suddenly disappear -- Walker pairs up with one of his detectives (Daryl Hannah) to uncover a conspiracy that may go straight up the chain of command.
IMDB Rating: 4.9
IMDB Votes: 937
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, suspenseful, realistic
Similar in 81%
Proximity (2001)
Plot Summary:
When William Conroy (Rob Lowe), a former college professor, is sentenced to life in prison for vehicular manslaughter it seems his life is over. But when a fellow inmate tells him that in the past two years fourteen inmates have died at the prison, and then turns up dead the next day, Conroy realizes he is in more danger than he ever imagined. Conroy's suspicions are confirmed when the van carrying the inmates crashes. Seizing the opportunity, Conroy flees the scene and elicits the help of his lawyer. What the two discover is a grisly murder ring set up within the prison walls that incriminates those at the highest levels of the correctional system.
IMDB Rating: 4.8
IMDB Votes: 650
Genere: Action, Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: realistic, tense, serious, suspenseful, suspense
Similar in 87%
Body Count (1998)
Plot Summary:
A group of thieves attempt to rob an art gallery, but when plans backfire and one of the men winds up dead, the group head down south, running afoul of the law. Along the way, they meet up with a seductive con artist with ideas of her own.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 85 min
Plot tags: neo noir, hood, cult classic, independent film, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, slasher, cult film
Similar in 88%
Three Blind Mice (2001)
Plot Summary:
A lawyer defends a man he's known since serving together in Vietnam, who has been accused of murdering three Vietnamese immigrants. Now he'll have to fight against a tenacious District Attorney, and evidence connected to the man's wife.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 286
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: tense, rough, serious, captivating, suspenseful, exciting, realistic
Similar in 83%
Never Forget (2008)
Plot Summary:
A man (Phillips) who wakes up with amnesia also finds his supposed friend has accused him of murder.
IMDB Rating: 4.3
IMDB Votes: 357
Genere: Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: psychological, exciting, tense, rough, mind bending, realistic, suspenseful, suspense, serious
Similar in 87%
American Crime (2004)
Plot Summary:
A young smalltown reporter, Jessie St. Claire, begins investigating a killer stalking his victims making video tapes. This might just be the career opportunity, which she has hoped for. When she herself becomes a target and suddenly disappears, the case attracts a colleague from the nationally syndicated television show "American Crime" as well. Together with Jessie's camera-man and later joined by her producer he tries to solve the mysterious case. Written by Oliver Heidelbach (IMDB).
IMDB Rating: 4.4
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: scary, serious, tense, rough, realistic, suspenseful, suspense
Similar in 90%
Sketch Artist (1992)
Plot Summary:
A sketch artist for the police helps a witness recall who she saw leaving the scene of a murder, and discovers that the person is his wife. Not willing to believe she was responsible, he resketches the pictures so they don't look like her, and he begins his own investigation of the murder.
IMDB Rating: 5.1
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, suspenseful, tense, captivating, neo noir
Similar in 86%
Pendulum (2001)
Plot Summary:
The nature and lure of power: in Dallas, a councilman is on trial for corruption, the D.A. is running for the US Senate, a serial killer is slashing prostitutes, and a professor is murdered. Amanda Reeve is assigned to investigate the law-school killing. She hears rumors that the dead man offered women students good grades in exchange for sex. The trail leads her to two wealthy, beautiful students whose alibi is provided by a librarian. At the same time, the cops close in on the slasher. Meanwhile, Amanda misses her former lover, next in line to become D.A., and a reporter is fired for getting close to the truth about the Senate candidate. Is a cover-up or conspiracy in the works?.
IMDB Rating: 4.5
IMDB Votes: 378
Genere: Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: serious, suspenseful, realistic, exciting, tense, disturbing, independent film
Similar in 88%
Murphy's Law (1986)
Plot Summary:
A tough police detective escapes from custody handcuffed to a foul-mouthed car thief after being framed for the murder of his ex-wife. He must now find the real killer and prove his innocence.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: neo noir, tricky, suspenseful, detective, rough, grindhouse, enigmatic, cult classic, action adventure, independent film
Similar in 83%
Dead Connection (1994)
Plot Summary:
After a series of murders in motel rooms are connected, a cop, Dickson, heads out on the trail to find a serial killer. He discovers that he signs the motel guest-books with the names of boxers, and hence gets a lead on him. However, when he just fails to catch up arrest him, the chase becomes personal.
IMDB Rating: 4.8
IMDB Votes: 587
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: detective, independent film, tense, rough, mind bending, serious, realistic, suspenseful, sexual, neo noir
Similar in 85%
Try to Remember (2004)
Plot Summary:
Fifteen years after a murderer is convicted he is released and all the witnesses against him begin to be murdered.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 408
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: psychological, rough, serious, realistic, scary, tense, mind bending, suspenseful
Similar in 83%
1st to Die (2003)
Plot Summary:
A homicide inspector -- Lindsay Boxer -- who teams with three other professional women to catch an ingenious serial killer targeting newlyweds on their wedding nights.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 714
Genere: Action, Thriller, Drama, Crime, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 180 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, dark, detective
Similar in 85%
A Letter from Death Row (1998)
Plot Summary:
A psychological thriller that takes you through the mind of convicted killer, Michael Raine, and his experiences on death row. Was he guilty of killing his girlfriend or was he a victim of a conspiracy to frame him for a crime he didn't commit? As the story unfolds Jessica Foster, an assistant to the Governor of Tennessee begins to interview Raine while on death row, claiming that she's writing a book about the inmates. Through various circumstances, Raine puts two and two together and builds a case that he believes can prove his innocence...or does he? Ms. Foster is the only one on the 'outside" who can give Raine a voice, but is she working for those who framed him? As time draws near to the date of his execution, in his most desperate hour Raine finds the missing pieces to the puzzle to prove his innocence, but is it too late...? Was this story told from Raine's point of view or from the book writers or from yours, the viewer - you decide.
IMDB Rating: 3.7
IMDB Votes: 638
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: independent film, psychological, tense, rough, bleak, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 87%
Marked Man (1996)
Plot Summary:
A jailed auto mechanic must run for his life after he witnesses the murder of a fellow inmate by two prison guards.
IMDB Rating: 5.1
IMDB Votes: 351
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Canada
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: independent film, exciting, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, campy
Similar in 83%
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
Similar in 75%
After Alice (2000)
Plot Summary:
A washed-up detective discovers his own psychic ability when assigned to investigate a serial murder case. The killer has a deranged obsession with the novel "Alice in Wonderland." As the psychopath's bloody reign of terror continues, the cop spirals deeper and deeper into the case where the horrors of the past and present come together.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK, Germany, Canada
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: tense, serious, suspenseful, enigmatic, surprise ending, detective
Similar in 86%
The Hunt for the Unicorn Killer (1999)
Plot Summary:
An account of early 1970s social activist Ira Einhorn, who allegedly murdered his girlfriend and then fled the country.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 763
Genere: Thriller, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 240 min
Plot tags: tense, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, factual
Similar in 90%
Skeletons in the Closet (2001)
Plot Summary:
A father suspects his son to be a murderer...or is he just paranoid and trying to cover up his own past which involves his wife being killed in a fire?.
IMDB Rating: 5.1
IMDB Votes: 712
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: psychological, bleak, serious, suspenseful, realistic
Similar in 79%
When the Bough Breaks (1994)
Plot Summary:
A police detective investigates the apparent serial killing of several children which is linked to an institutionalized, autistic child.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: scary, rough, psychological, serious, tense, suspenseful, psychological thriller, independent film
Similar in 86%
Thorne: Scaredycat (2010)
Plot Summary:
D.I. Tom Thorne's latest case puts him on the hunt for not one, but two serial killers, who seem to be working together, yet killing separately.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: tense, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, detective, crime drama, gloomy
Similar in 80%
88 Minutes (2007)
Plot Summary:
A college professor who moonlights as a forensic psychiatrist for the FBI, receives a death threat claiming he has only 88 minutes to live.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 78000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA, Germany, Canada
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: psychological, suspense, suspenseful, tense, psychological thriller, stylized, rough, detective, crime drama, suspense thriller
Similar in 76%
The Gunman (2004)
Plot Summary:
When Detective Ben Simm's wife is killed, he has to learn to be both father and mother to his little girl while searching for a Vigilante that has his own sense of justice.
IMDB Rating: 4.5
IMDB Votes: 465
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: disturbing, tense, serious, suspenseful, independent film, bleak, realistic
Similar in 88%
The Escapist (2002)
Plot Summary:
Denis Hopkins, a pilot, lives with his pregnant wife Valerie and has a comfortable lifestyle. When a gang of criminals led by the sadistic Ricky Barnes breaks into his home, he offers whatever the criminals want to protect his wife and unborn child, but the evil Ricky kills Valerie anyway. Their baby is saved, and later Barnes is arrested and sentenced to life in the maximum security prison, Sullen Voe. Denis fakes his own suicide, then assaults a police car in order to get himself arrested and sent to prison with the intention of tracking down and killing Ricky Barnes. He does not reveal his true name and is called John "What" by the prisoners and guards. Denis escapes from successive prisons, forcing his eventual transfer to Sullen Voe. When he reaches his objective, Ricky Barnes schedules a confrontation, but things do not quite turn out the way Denis had expected.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: realistic, suspenseful, tense, serious, rough
Similar in 78%
Pavement (2002)
Plot Summary:
Samuel Browne is a tracker in Alaska. When his sister meets a grisly death in San Francisco, he goes there to hunt her killer. As more murders occur, police investigator Buckley Clarke reluctantly joins forces with Sam. The brass are convinced this is a serial killer choosing victims at random, but Sam and Buckley discover a pattern involving health personnel who work in neonatal intensive care. Doctors aren't supposed to play god, but someone's decision years before has driven a killer over the brink. Can they find him?.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 997
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: South Africa, Germany
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, suspenseful, tense, bleak, realistic
Similar in 79%
Murder in Greenwich (2002)
Plot Summary:
The story of Martha Moxley, 15 year old girl murdered in Greenwich in the 1970's, her murder going unsolved for 25 years.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, suspenseful, suspense, novela, talky
Similar in 79%
Gone but Not Forgotten (2005)
Plot Summary:
An Oregon woman vanishes. In her wake remains a single black rose & a note reading gone but not forgotten. Now a man stands accused: a private eye has gone missing: a detective knows more than she lets on: & a tough female attorney has entered a web of duplicity revenge & multiple murder.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 705
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 150 min
Plot tags: tense, realistic, psychological, serious, suspenseful
Similar in 82%
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