Best movies like The Life of David Gale
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
A man against capital punishment is accused of murdering a fellow activist and is sent to death row.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 125000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK, Germany, Spain, USA
Duration: 130 min
Plot tags: surprise ending, thought provoking, suspense, twist ending, serious, psychological, emotional, disturbing, rough, philosophical
Best tv shows and movies like The Life of David Gale (2003):
Similar in 81%
Arlington Road (1999)
Plot Summary:
Threats from sinister foreign nationals aren't the only thing to fear. Bedraggled college professor Michael Faraday has been vexed (and increasingly paranoid) since his wife's accidental death in a botched FBI operation. But all that takes a backseat when a seemingly all-American couple set up house next door.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 91000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 117 min
Plot tags: neo noir, psychological, suspense, suspenseful, surprise ending, tense, psychological thriller, bad ending, disturbing, mind blowing
Similar in 86%
True Crime (1999)
Plot Summary:
Boozer, skirt chaser, careless father. You could create your own list of reporter Steve Everett's faults but there's no time. A San Quentin Death Row prisoner is slated to die at midnight – a man Everett has suddenly realized is innocent.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 38000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 127 min
Plot tags: suspenseful, psychological, suspense, serious, tense, clever, thought provoking, mysterious, action thriller, crime thriller
Similar in 81%
The Place (2017)
Plot Summary:
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.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Italy
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: intellectual, philosophical, thought provoking, bleak, suspenseful, psychological, psychological thriller, motivational, inspirational, clever
Similar in 78%
An Inspector Calls (2015)
Plot Summary:
A mysterious Inspector investigates the wealthy Birling family and their dinner guests following the suicide of a young woman.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 15000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: surprise ending, thought provoking, serious, talky, realistic, period piece, unusual plot structure, slasher, surreal, twist ending
Similar in 89%
Nothing But the Truth (2008)
Plot Summary:
When reporter Rachel Armstrong writes a story that reveals the identity of a covert CIA operative, the government demands that Rachel reveal her source. She defies the special prosecutor and is thrown in jail. Meanwhile, her attorney, Albert Burnside argues her case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 40000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: suspense, psychological, serious, tense, suspenseful, political, tricky, twisted, emotional, thought provoking
Similar in 84%
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 86%
21 (2008)
Plot Summary:
Ben Campbell is a young, highly intelligent, student at M.I.T. in Boston who strives to succeed. Wanting a scholarship to transfer to Harvard School of Medicine with the desire to become a doctor, Ben learns that he cannot afford the $300,000 for the four to five years of schooling as he comes from a poor, working-class background. But one evening, Ben is introduced by his unorthodox math professor Micky Rosa into a small but secretive club of five. Students Jill, Choi, Kianna, and Fisher, who are being trained by Professor Rosa of the skill of card counting at blackjack.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 264000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 123 min
Plot tags: surprise ending, intellectual, suspense, inspirational, clever, exciting, entertaining, teen, spectacular, intense
Similar in 77%
The Negotiator (1998)
Plot Summary:
The police try to arrest expert hostage negotiator Danny Roman, who insists he's being framed for his partner's murder in what he believes is an elaborate conspiracy. Thinking there's evidence in the Internal Affairs offices that might clear him, he takes everyone in the office hostage and demands that another well-known negotiator be brought in to handle the situation and secretly investigate the conspiracy.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 153000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Germany, USA
Duration: 140 min
Plot tags: suspense, suspenseful, serious, intense, talky, psychological, clever, entertaining, detective, exciting
Similar in 89%
Perfect Stranger (2007)
Plot Summary:
A journalist goes undercover to ferret out businessman Harrison Hill as her best friend's killer. Posing as one of his temps, she enters into a game of online cat-and-mouse.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 51000
Genere: Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 109 min
Plot tags: surprise ending, psychological, sexy, suspense, suspenseful, psychological thriller, mind bending, intense, tense, rough
Similar in 79%
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 90%
Awake (2007)
Plot Summary:
While undergoing heart surgery, a man experiences a phenomenon called ‘anesthetic awareness’, which leaves him awake but paralyzed throughout the operation. As various obstacles present themselves, his wife must make life-altering decisions while wrestling with her own personal drama.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 80000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 84 min
Plot tags: twist ending, suspense, psychological, disturbing, psychological thriller, intense, surprise ending, clever, suspenseful, depressing
Similar in 90%
The Lincoln Lawyer (2011)
Plot Summary:
A lawyer conducts business from the back of his Lincoln town car while representing a high-profile client in Beverly Hills.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 251000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 118 min
Plot tags: clever, serious, captivating, suspense, psychological, tense, suspenseful, enigmatic, twisted, entertaining
Similar in 88%
Red Corner (1997)
Plot Summary:
An American attorney on business in China, ends up wrongfully on trial for murder and his only key to innocence is a female defense lawyer from the country.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 18000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 122 min
Plot tags: suspenseful, suspense, political, intense, psychological, thought provoking, serious, disturbing, rough, talky
Similar in 80%
The Devil's Advocate (1997)
Plot Summary:
A hotshot lawyer gets more than he bargained for when he learns his new boss is Lucifer himself.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 395000
Genere: Drama, Fantasy, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Germany, USA
Duration: 144 min
Plot tags: psychological, twist ending, suspenseful, surprise ending, atmospheric, clever, satanic, scary, serious, ambiguous ending
Similar in 78%
A Time to Kill (1996)
Plot Summary:
A young lawyer defends a black man accused of murdering two men who raped his 10-year-old daughter, sparking a rebirth of the KKK.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 177000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 149 min
Plot tags: thought provoking, sincere, suspense, serious, political, realistic, tense, brutal, intense, emotional
Similar in 89%
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 85%
Michael Clayton (2007)
Plot Summary:
A law firm brings in its 'fixer' to remedy the situation after a lawyer has a breakdown while representing a chemical company that he knows is guilty in a multi-billion dollar class action suit.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 172000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 119 min
Plot tags: suspense, serious, suspenseful, tense, political thriller, disturbing, clever, political, psychological, realistic
Similar in 83%
Derailed (2005)
Plot Summary:
When two married business executives having an affair are blackmailed by a violent criminal, they are forced to turn the tables on him to save their families.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 76000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: suspenseful, surprise ending, serious, suspense, rough, twist ending, tense, neo noir, psychological, psychological thriller
Similar in 88%
The Lives of Others (2006)
Plot Summary:
A tragic love story set in East Berlin with the backdrop of an undercover Stasi controlled culture. Stasi captain Wieler is ordered to follow author Dreyman and plunges deeper and deeper into his life until he reaches the threshold of doubting the system.
IMDB Rating: 8.4
IMDB Votes: 405000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Germany, France
Duration: 137 min
Plot tags: political thriller, gloomy, tense, political, atmospheric, sincere, suspense, breathtaking, harsh, bleak
Similar in 84%
Fracture (2007)
Plot Summary:
A husband is on trial for the attempted murder of his wife, in what is seemingly an open/shut case for the ambitious district attorney trying to put him away. However, there are surprises for both around every corner, and, as a suspenseful game of cat-and-mouse is played out, each must manipulate and outwit the other.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 215000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Germany, USA
Duration: 113 min
Plot tags: suspense, psychological, intellectual, twist ending, psychological thriller, clever, serious, enigmatic, suspenseful, surprise ending
Similar in 85%
Mr. Brooks (2007)
Plot Summary:
A psychological thriller about a man who is sometimes controlled by his murder-and-mayhem-loving alter ego.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 155000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: psychological, suspense, tense, psychological thriller, twist ending, serious, melancholic, intense, detective, enigmatic
Similar in 80%
Primal Fear (1996)
Plot Summary:
An arrogant, high-powered attorney takes on the case of a poor altar boy found running away from the scene of the grisly murder of the bishop who has taken him in. The case gets a lot more complex when the accused reveals that there may or may not have been a 3rd person in the room. The intensity builds when a surprise twist alters everyone's perception of the crime.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 241000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 129 min
Plot tags: psychological, surprise ending, twist ending, neo noir, suspense, tense, psychological thriller, suspenseful, clever, atmospheric
Similar in 89%
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 79%
The Invisible Guest (2016)
Plot Summary:
"The Invisible Guest” turns on a young businessman who wakes up in a hotel room locked from the inside with the dead body of his lover next to him. He hires a prestigious lawyer, and over one night they work together to clarify what happened in a frenetic race against time.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 189000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Spain
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: surprise ending, suspense, psychological, twist ending, mind blowing, psychological thriller, mindfuck, detective, suspense thriller, psychotronic
Similar in 85%
Gone Baby Gone (2007)
Plot Summary:
When 4 year old Amanda McCready disappears from her home and the police make little headway in solving the case, the girl's aunt, Beatrice McCready hires two private detectives, Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro. The detectives freely admit that they have little experience with this type of case, but the family wants them for two reasons - they're not cops and they know the tough neighborhood in which they all live. As the case progresses, Kenzie and Gennaro face drug dealers, gangs and pedophiles. When they are about to solve the case, they are faced with a moral dilemma that tears them apart.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 285000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 114 min
Plot tags: twist ending, detective, thought provoking, neo noir, surprise ending, suspense, disturbing, psychological, suspenseful, tense
Similar in 87%
The Usual Suspects (1995)
Plot Summary:
Held in an L.A. interrogation room, Verbal Kint attempts to convince the feds that a mythic crime lord, Keyser Soze, not only exists, but was also responsible for drawing him and his four partners into a multi-million dollar heist that ended with an explosion in San Pedro harbor – leaving few survivors. Verbal lures his interrogators with an incredible story of the crime lord's almost supernatural prowess.
IMDB Rating: 8.5
IMDB Votes: 11000000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA, Germany
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: neo noir, surprise ending, twist ending, clever, confusing, tense, suspenseful, mind blowing, mind bending, suspense
Similar in 85%
Law Abiding Citizen (2009)
Plot Summary:
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.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 314000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 109 min
Plot tags: twist ending, suspense, psychological, surprise ending, clever, tense, serious, exciting, brutal, rough
Similar in 85%
L.A. Confidential (1997)
Plot Summary:
Three detectives in the corrupt and brutal L.A. police force of the 1950s use differing methods to uncover a conspiracy behind the shotgun slayings of the patrons at an all-night diner.
IMDB Rating: 8.2
IMDB Votes: 607000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 138 min
Plot tags: neo noir, captivating, tense, noir, suspense, atmospheric, clever, suspenseful, detective, serious
Similar in 76%
Dead Man Walking (1995)
Plot Summary:
A justice drama based on a true story about a man on death row who in his last days forms a strong relationship with a nun who teaches him forgiveness and gives him spirituality as she accompanies him to his execution.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 100000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 122 min
Plot tags: touching, psychological, thought provoking, sad, emotional, atmospheric, suspense, depressing, serious, realistic
Similar in 82%
The Green Mile (1999)
Plot Summary:
A supernatural tale set on death row in a Southern prison, where gentle giant John Coffey possesses the mysterious power to heal people's ailments. When the cellblock's head guard, Paul Edgecomb, recognizes Coffey's miraculous gift, he tries desperately to help stave off the condemned man's execution.
IMDB Rating: 8.6
IMDB Votes: 14000000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 189 min
Plot tags: touching, emotional, heartbreaking, sentimental, sad, dramatic, suspense, serious, thought provoking, inspirational