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Movies like DEADLINE (2026)

The best movies like DEADLINE (2026) are The Truth About Emanuel (2013), Lockdown (2000) and Light It Up (1999). If DEADLINE hooked you with its drama and thriller, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.

Quick picks

  1. The Truth About Emanuel (2013)

    A troubled young woman becomes obsessed with her mysterious new neighbor, who bears a striking resemblance to the girl's dead mother.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & thriller

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  2. Lockdown (2000)

    Avery (Jones) returns to college as a competitive swimmer after getting his life back on track. But his life takes another unexpected turn when he and his two friends (Bonds, Casseus) are wrongly accused of murder and end up in prison.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & thriller

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  3. Light It Up (1999)

    On a winter day in a southside Queens high school, events collide and six students are suddenly in an armed standoff with the NYPD. At the school, classrooms freeze, teachers come and go, resources are scant.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & thriller

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  4. The Hummingbird Project (2019)

    A pair of high-frequency traders go up against their old boss in an effort to make millions in a fiber-optic cable deal.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  5. The Good Neighbor (2022)

    A nightmarish evening unfolds for neighbors David and Robert when they accidentally hit a woman on her bike and flee the scene. While David is increasingly plagued by feelings of guilt, Robert shows no remorse and becomes overbearing and possessive.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  6. Rogue Agent (2022)

    Conman Robert Freegard poses as an undercover MI5 agent and kidnaps countless victims amidst a high-stakes manhunt, until the woman who fell for him brings him to justice.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  7. The Consequences of Love (2004)

    Lugano, Switzerland. Titta Di Girolamo is a discreet and sullen man who has been living for almost a decade in a modest hotel room, a prisoner of an atrocious routine, apparently without purpose. His past is a mystery, nobody knows what he does for a living, he answers indiscreet questions evasively. What secrets does this enigmatic man hide?

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & thriller

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  8. The Negotiator (2025)

    Baghdad, 2005. After Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena is kidnapped by insurgents, veteran SISMI negotiator Nicola Calipari is tasked with rescuing her, but interference from US forces in Iraq compromises his mission.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & thriller

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  9. The Operative (2019)

    A young Western woman is recruited by the Mossad to go undercover in Tehran where she becomes entangled in a complex triangle with her handler and her subject.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & thriller

  10. Not Without Hope (2025)

    A group of friends' fishing boat capsizes off the coast of Mexico and they're left alone stranded at sea and struggling for survival.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  11. The House on Carroll Street (1988)

    A reporter, fired after refusing to give names to a 1951 House Un-American Activities Committee, takes a part-time job as companion to an old lady. While working she overhears a noisy argument in the neighboring house, being conducted largely in German and involving her HUAC prosecutor. She begins to investigate, enlisting the help of the FBI Agent initially detailed to surveil her.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & thriller

  12. Guilty by Suspicion (1991)

    Owing to his alleged involvement with communist parties, film director David Merrill is forbidden from working in Hollywood. He decides to fight for his rights and faces numerous challenges.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & thriller

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  13. 180 (2026)

    When an unexpected road rage incident puts his son in critical condition, an enraged father spirals down a dark path of emotional turmoil and vengeance.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & drama

  14. The Caveman's Valentine (2001)

    Romulus, a misunderstood musician turned recluse hiding from personal demons in a New York City cave, finds the frozen body of a young drifter in a tree. The authorities, including his police officer daughter, claim the death is accidental. Romulus is convinced the man was murdered by a prominent art photographer but how can he prove he's right when everyone thinks he's insane?

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & thriller

  15. The 355 (2022)

    A group of top female agents from American, British, Chinese, Colombian, and German government agencies are drawn together to try and stop an organization from acquiring a deadly weapon to send the world into chaos.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  16. The First Day of My Life (2023)

    In the exact moment they hit rock bottom, four strangers are visited by a mysterious man who gifts them a week to see how the world would be without them.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  17. Embattled (2020)

    The eldest son of a ruthlessly tough MMA champion must fight his way out of the abusive cycle his father has continued.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  18. TalhotBlond (2012)

    Thomas Montgomery, a married father of two young daughters, gets seduced by the world of online gambling and chat rooms where a virtual romance and sexual obsession ultimately leads to the murder of an innocent man.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  19. Hounddog (2008)

    A drama set in the American South, where a precocious, troubled girl finds a safe haven in the music and movement of Elvis Presley.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  20. The Sound of Silence (2019)

    A successful "house tuner" in New York City, who calibrates the sound in people's homes in order to adjust their moods, meets a client with a problem he can't solve.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

  21. The Caller (2008)

    Jimmy Stevens, a senior VP at an international energy firm, blows the whistle on his company's deadly and corrupt practices in Latin America. Knowing he will be assassinated for his betrayal, he places an anonymous call securing the services of private detective Frank Turlotte to trail him from a distance.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & thriller

  22. 24 Hours to Live (2017)

    An assassin seeks redemption after being given a second chance at life.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  23. Lamenti Siderali (2026)

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller

  24. Shoe Shine Boy (1943)

    A teenaged shoeshine boy urgently tries to raise the remaining amount of money he needs to purchase a secondhand bugle before 6p.m.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  25. On a Road (2003)

    A young man is sitting in boredom on the side of an endless road. After a while, he decides to go after something with a lot of determination. Is he going to get what he wants?

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  26. The Raven (2012)

    A fictionalized account of the last days of Edgar Allan Poe's life, in which the poet is in pursuit of a serial killer whose murders mirror those in the writer's stories.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  27. Dead*Line (2008)

    Seth is an ex-con who desires one thing: revenge upon the abusive guard who tortured him in prison. Hollis is a guard who believes he properly delivers 'God's justice.' Now exonerated, Seth confronts Hollis at a remote diner all the while experiencing harrowing flashbacks from Hollis' treatment. His plan: to execute Hollis at the very time he himself was sentenced to die. As the minutes pass, Seth's purpose, his motives, sense of self, even his reality will be drawn into question. One thing is certain - someone will die when the deadline comes.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  28. Welcome Home (2015)

    After a hugely successful debut novel, Stewart Paylor is supposed to be delivering chapters of his new book. Unbeknownst to everyone around him, including Cynthia, his literary agent/girlfriend, Stewart has writer’s block and has not written a word. His life goes even further astray when he returns home from a vacation to find a homeless mother, Cassandra, and her two children, 12-year old Jake and 9-year old Vera have been squatting in his house, with nowhere to go.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  29. Wanted - A Master (1936)

    A dog living in a junkyard learns that all stray dogs will be exterminated by 3 o'clock that afternoon, so sets off to find a master before the deadline.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  30. Loitering with Intent (2014)

    Fledgling screenwriters retreat to a quiet country manor to work on their script, but a constellation of needy characters produces constant interruptions.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

Like DEADLINE and something else?

Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best movies like DEADLINE?

The closest matches to DEADLINE are The Truth About Emanuel (2013), Lockdown (2000) and Light It Up (1999). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.

What should I watch after DEADLINE?

Start with The Truth About Emanuel (2013), the closest match to DEADLINE.

What is the highest-rated movie like DEADLINE?

The Consequences of Love (2004), rated 7.5/10 by 928 TMDB users.

What is the newest movie like DEADLINE?

180 (2026) is the most recent release on this list.

Are there Italian movies like DEADLINE?

Yes: The Consequences of Love (2004), The Negotiator (2025) and The First Day of My Life (2023).

How are movies similar to DEADLINE chosen?

First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside DEADLINE, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.

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