Movies like The Escape (2009)
The best movies like The Escape (2009) are The Truth About Emanuel (2013), The Good Neighbor (2022) and Murk (2005). If The Escape 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
- Highest ratedThe Purity of Vengeance (2018)7.1/10 from 574 votes
- NewestThe Secret Woman (2026)Released 2026
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 thisThe 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 thisMurk (2005)
The psychological thriller "Murk" tells the story of Jacob, who is investigating into the circumstances surrounding his sister's death on her wedding night.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMagpie (2024)
A couple's lives are thrown into disarray when their daughter is cast opposite a controversial major star.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Experiment (2010)
20 men are chosen to participate in the roles of guards and prisoners in a psychological study that ultimately spirals out of control.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLila & Eve (2015)
Lila, a grief-stricken mother reeling from her son’s murder, attends a support group where she meets Eve, who urges her to take matters into her own hands to track down her son’s killers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLight 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 thisThe Purity of Vengeance (2018)
Copenhagen, 2018. A frightening discovery is made in an old apartment. The subsequent investigation of Department Q leads them to an infamous institution for girls that was suddenly closed in the early sixties.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Quiller Memorandum (1966)
After two British Secret Intelligence Service agents are murdered at the hands of a cryptic neo-Nazi group known as Phoenix, the suave agent Quiller is sent to Berlin to investigate.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisTyler Perry's Duplicity (2025)
High-powered attorney Marley faces her most personal case yet when she is tasked with uncovering the truth behind the murder of her best friend Fela’s husband. With the help of her boyfriend – a former cop turned private investigator – Marley’s search for what really happened leads her down a treacherous maze of deception and betrayal.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Dry White Season (1989)
During the 1976 Soweto uprising, a white school teacher's life and values are threatened when he asks questions about the death of a young black boy who died in police custody.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRogue 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 this180 (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
SnoozefestMovies like thisSuburbicon (2017)
In the quiet family town of Suburbicon during the 1950s, the best and worst of humanity is hilariously reflected through the deeds of seemingly ordinary people. When a home invasion turns deadly, a picture-perfect family turns to blackmail, revenge and murder.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Secret Woman (2026)
After discovering she has a family and a shipping empire, a woman with amnesia returns to a wealthy and seemingly perfect past to uncover why she left.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe 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 thisLockdown (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 thisDarkland: The Return (2023)
Seven years ago, Zaid went to war against the Copenhagen underworld to avenge his dead brother. His identity as a respected doctor of cardiology and life as a family man is but a fading dream, and in prison Zaid suffers the loss of his son Noah, whom he barely knows. When a police agent approaches Zaid and offers him a deal to be released in exchange for infiltrating the Copenhagen underworld, he sees his chance to reclaim the remnants of the family life he left behind. But everything has a price, and Zaid realizes that he has now seriously endangered his son's life. After all, once you become part of the underworld, is there any way out?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPanic (2000)
Alex is going through a midlife crisis and it has become a very difficult time for him. His marriage is struggling, he's worried about his son, and his job of killing people for his family has become the most stressful part of his life. He seeks the help of a therapist and meets a woman in the waiting room that he connects with.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPoint Blank (2019)
A nurse is forced to spring a wounded murder suspect from the hospital when the man’s brother kidnaps his pregnant wife and wants to make a trade.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNo Right Turn (2009)
A haunting fairy-tale thriller set between snowy landscapes and a neon city. A KINKY SLICE OF PULP-SATIRE! The film is laced with pitch black humor - and doesn't take itself too seriously - you shouldn't either - nods and winks to many previous pulp/exploitation thrillers of yesteryear - and yes there is some very naughty sex scenes - MOVIE IS NOT FOR KIDS! When Monella by chance saves Nina from being raped their lives take an unexpected turn. They begin a passionate love affair and together they begin to plan how to steal Nina's boyfriend's drug money . Unfortunately , nothing goes as planned and suddenly everyone is in the midst of a dark tangle of revenge and betrayal ... Cinetrange Magazine: "A curious European blend of David Lynch, John Dahl and Quentin Tarantino." MJ Simpson: "A clever, tightly honed script combines with assured direction and a central quartet of excellent performances make No Right Turn a real joy to watch."
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & thriller
Smilla's Sense of Snow (1997)
Smilla Jaspersen attempts to understand the death of a small boy who falls from the roof of her apartment building. Suspecting wrongdoing, Smilla uncovers a trail of clues leading towards a secretive corporation that has made several mysterious expeditions to Greenland.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisVarg Veum - Buried Dogs (2008)
Racial tension is running high in Bergen after a young black asylum seeker dies at the hands of the Police. Shortly afterwards, a right-wing politician is targeted by a gunman at a public rally and his wife is fatally wounded. Another member of the right-wing party, Marit Holm, approaches private investigator Varg Veum, insisting she is being stalked.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller & drama
Varg Veum - Bitter Flowers (2007)
Karsten Aslaksen, chief engineer of a large chemical company, disappears without trace. His married lover, a successful politician named Vibeke Farang, approaches private investigator Varg Veum to track him down discreetly.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisPusher (1996)
A drug pusher grows increasingly desperate after a botched deal leaves him with a large debt to a ruthless drug lord.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisVarg Veum - Woman in the Fridge (2008)
An international oil drilling company hires private investigator Varg Veum to find their missing systems designer, Arne Samuelsen. Varg discovers the headless body of a woman jammed into the fridge in Arne's apartment - and is promptly knocked unconscious. When he wakes up the body is gone and the Police has arrived.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisAbove the Street, Below the Water (2009)
This is the day when the lives of an intertwined group of people take a new direction. Everything they have taken for granted starts to change. While Anne and Ask's relationship succumbs to 'metal fatigue', Charlotte has to realise that her husband Carl may not be right for her. At the same time Bente has to decide if she is prepared to wait for ever for her lover, while her ex-husband Bjørn must face the pain of finally letting Bente go. The characters and their children are twirled around in an ever-increasing drama which peaks during the opening night of Hamlet. Anne is on stage as Ophelia, and the question remains: to be or not be responsible for one's own happiness.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Aftermath (2004)
A young married couple has to deal with their emotional breakdowns after the death of their only daughter.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Hassel - Anmäld försvunnen (1986)
Valentin Karlberg is reported missing in Stockholm and Detective Roland Hassel must find him before it’s too late.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Insomnia (1997)
Detectives Jonas and Erik are called to the midnight sun country of northern Norway to investigate a recent homicide, but their plan to arrest the killer goes awry, and Jonas mistakenly shoots Erik. The suspect escapes, and a frightened Jonas pins Erik's death on the fugitive. Jonas continues to pursue the killer as he seeks to protect himself; however, his mounting guilt and the omnipresent sun plague him with an insomnia that affects his sanity.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Escape?
The closest matches to The Escape are The Truth About Emanuel (2013), The Good Neighbor (2022) and Murk (2005). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Escape?
Start with The Truth About Emanuel (2013), the closest match to The Escape.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Escape?
The Purity of Vengeance (2018), rated 7.1/10 by 574 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Escape?
The Secret Woman (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
How are movies similar to The Escape chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Escape, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.