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Movies like The Driftless Area (2015)

The best movies like The Driftless Area (2015) are Suburbicon (2017), Shimmer Lake (2017) and Dead Man's Folly (1986). If The Driftless Area hooked you with its crime and drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.

Quick picks

  1. Suburbicon (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 crime & drama

  2. Shimmer Lake (2017)

    Shot in reverse day-by-day through a week—a local sheriff embarks on a quest to unlock the mystery of three small-town criminals and a bank heist gone wrong.

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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  3. Dead Man's Folly (1986)

    During a murder hunt game at a country house, to which Hercule Poirot is invited as an "expert", a real murder occurs.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & mystery

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  4. The Locksmith (2023)

    A thief fresh out of prison, tries to work his way back into the life of his daughter and ex-fiancé. Determined, he is forced to use the skills he has as a gifted locksmith. Things take a tumultuous turn after an unexpected disappearance.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & crime

  5. Belly (1998)

    Tommy Bundy and Sincere are best friends as well as infamous and ruthless criminals and shot-callers in the hood. Respected by many but feared by all. As the police are closing in on them and new players are looking for a come up, will their reign last?

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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  6. Absolution (2024)

    An aging ex-boxer gangster working as muscle for a Boston crime boss receives an upsetting diagnosis. Despite a faltering memory, he attempts to rectify the sins of his past and reconnect with his estranged children. He is determined to leave a positive legacy for his grandson, but the criminal underworld isn’t done with him and won’t loosen their grip willingly.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & mystery

  7. Panic (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 crime & drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  8. Barron's Cove (2025)

    When his young son is viciously murdered by a classmate, a grieving father with a history of violence kidnaps the child responsible, igniting a frenzied manhunt fueled by a powerful politician -- the father of the kidnapped boy.

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

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  9. Winged Creatures (2009)

    A psychotic man opens fire in a diner, murdering numerous people before killing himself. The survivors struggle in different ways following this horrendous event: a doctor doubts his own instincts and elects to use an experimental medical procedure on his wife, while a gambler believes he's on a lucky streak. A waitress begins engaging in promiscuous sex, and a young girl whose father is among the dead gains unexpected fame.

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

  10. Ray Donovan: The Movie (2022)

    A showdown decades in the making brings the Donovan family legacy full circle. As the events that made Ray who he is today finally come to light, the Donovans find themselves drawn back to Boston to face the past. Each of them struggles to overcome their violent upbringing, but destiny dies hard, and only their fierce love for each other keeps them in the fight.

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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  11. Miss Marple: 4.50 from Paddington (1987)

    Travelling on the 4.50 from Paddington, Mrs McGillicuddy witnesses a murder on a passing train - but where is the body?

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & mystery

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  12. Siberian Education (2013)

    The story of a gang of children growing up in a community of banished criminals, in a forgotten corner of the former Soviet Union. This community rejects the world outside. The only law it obeys… is its own. Against this backdrop two best friends, Kolyma and Gagarin, gradually become fierce enemies as they find themselves on opposite sides of the strict code of honour of the ‘honest criminal’ brotherhood.

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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  13. Blood Ties (2013)

    Two brothers, on either side of the law, face off over organized crime in Brooklyn during the 1970s.

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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  14. The Ritual Killer (2023)

    Unable to process the death of his daughter, Detective Boyd embarks on a hunt for a serial killer who murders according to a brutal tribal ritual: Muti. The only person who can help Boyd is Professor Mackles, an anthropologist who hides an unspeakable secret. The line between sanity and madness thins as Boyd goes deeper into the killer’s world.

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

  15. Miss Marple: The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side (1992)

    A town busybody is poisoned at a busy reception in the home of famous film star Marina Gregg. The poisoned drink seemed intended for Marina, but Miss Marple is not so sure. She sets out to discover the true identity of the killer before he or she can strike again.

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

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  16. All the Devils Are Here (2025)

    After a heist, four criminals lay low in a remote safehouse, waiting for orders. As paranoia builds, one thing becomes clear — the real threat may not be outside, but among them.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & mystery

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  17. Run (1991)

    When a law student accidentally kills the son of a mob boss in a fight, he finds himself relentlessly pursued by the mob and the police.

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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  18. Inside Man (2023)

    Based on true events. A disgraced police detective seeking redemption goes undercover to expose a violent crime syndicate. But as he sinks deeper into the mob, the price for absolution may be higher than he can afford.

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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  19. Empire (2002)

    Big time drug dealer Victor Rosa is looking to get out of the game and sees his chance with a big deal with a new friend who happens to be a Wall St. stockbroker. Thinking this will be his chance to go out on top, Victor soon finds out that he's been double crossed and his last option is to get revenge.

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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  20. The International (2009)

    An interpol agent and an attorney are determined to bring one of the world's most powerful banks to justice. Uncovering money laundering, arms trading, and conspiracy to destabilize world governments, their investigation takes them from Berlin, Milan, New York and Istanbul. Finding themselves in a chase across the globe, their relentless tenacity puts their own lives at risk.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & mystery

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  21. The Betrayed (2008)

    Kidnappers force a young mother to recover money stolen by her shady husband.

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

  22. 419 (2012)

    When a New York City actor loses everything to an internet scam based in South Africa, his two best friends take him to Cape Town to track down the scammer. With the help of a charismatic local, their search begins promisingly, leading them into Cape Town's clubs, back alleys, and townships. But as they find themselves moving into darker territory, things prove to be not all that they seem, old rivalries flare up, and the limits of friendship are tested in ways the three men could never have imagined. Designed to look and feel like a documentary, 419 is a unique thriller about the mysteries of male friendship and the true cost of revenge.

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

  23. Some (2004)

    Murder, conspiracy, chases, unexpected turns of events in 24 hours everything as it is now will change! Seventy-two hours before the incident: 100,000,000 won worth of drugs are stolen from a police convoy as they are being delivered as evidence.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime & mystery

  24. The Hit (1984)

    Ten years after ratting on his old mobster friends in exchange for personal immunity, two hit men drive a hardened criminal to Paris for his execution. However, while on the way, whatever can go wrong, does go wrong.

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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  25. 2 Minutes Later (2007)

    When lesbian detective Abigail Marks teams up with gay guy Michael Dalmar to solve the disappearance of his twin, Kyle Dalmar, a famed portrait photographer, their investigation leads them into the Kyle's risque world. With Michael posing as Kyle, the pair uncover assistants who have designs on their bosses, clients who have an interest in detectives, and killers who want them stopped.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime & mystery

  26. One False Move (1992)

    Following a series of drug deals and murders, three criminals -- Fantasia, Ray Malcolm and Pluto -- travel from Los Angeles to Houston, finally arriving in a small Arkansas town to go into hiding. Two detectives from the LAPD, who are already on the case, contact the town's sheriff, Dale Dixon, to alert him of the fugitives' presence in the area. Underestimating Dixon, the criminals have no idea what they are about to face.

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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  27. Levity (2003)

    Manuel Jordan is a man who is free after serving 23 years for killing a teenager during an attempted robbery. After nearly two decades of staring at his victim's face on a newspaper clipping in his cell, the newly paroled man seeks redemption. Instead, redemption—in the form of a mysterious minister and two needy women— finds him.

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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  28. Madea Goes to Jail (2009)

    After a high-speed car chase, Madea winds up behind bars because her quick temper gets the best of her. Meanwhile, Assistant District Attorney Josh Hardaway lands a case that's too personal to handle: that of a young prostitute and former drug addict named Candace, also a childhood friend. When Candace winds up in jail, Madea takes the young woman under her protective wing.

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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  29. Windfall (2022)

    In an opulent vacation home, a mysterious intruder is forced to kidnap the property owners -- a wealthy CEO and his wife -- when they arrive unexpectedly.

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

  30. Elizabethtown (2005)

    Drew Baylor is fired after causing his shoe company to lose hundreds of millions of dollars. To make matters worse, he's also dumped by his girlfriend. On the verge of ending it all, Drew gets a new lease on life when he returns to his family's small Kentucky hometown after his father dies. Along the way, he meets a flight attendant with whom he falls in love.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this

Like The Driftless Area and something else?

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

Frequently asked questions

What are the best movies like The Driftless Area?

The closest matches to The Driftless Area are Suburbicon (2017), Shimmer Lake (2017) and Dead Man's Folly (1986). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.

What should I watch after The Driftless Area?

Start with Suburbicon (2017), the closest match to The Driftless Area.

What is the highest-rated movie like The Driftless Area?

Ray Donovan: The Movie (2022), rated 6.8/10 by 242 TMDB users.

What is the newest movie like The Driftless Area?

All the Devils Are Here (2025) is the most recent release on this list.

Are there English movies like The Driftless Area?

Yes: Suburbicon (2017), Shimmer Lake (2017) and Dead Man's Folly (1986).

How are movies similar to The Driftless Area chosen?

First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Driftless Area, 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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