Movies like The Ape (2009)
The best movies like The Ape (2009) are The Truth About Emanuel (2013), The Operative (2019) and Lockdown (2000). If The Ape 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 ratedLike Stars on Earth (2007)8.0/10 from 1,447 votes
- NewestFOUFO (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 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
SnoozefestMovies 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 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 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 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 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 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 thisThe Lords of Discipline (1983)
Will arrives for his last year at Military Academy, in the Deep South USA, in the 1960's. A black student, Pearce, has been accepted, for the first time and Will is asked to keep an eye out for the inevitable racism. The racists come in the form of The Ten, a secret group of the elite students. They want Pearce to leave on his own free will, but are prepared to torture him to make it 'his free will'. Will is forced to help Pearce and he is prepared to risk his own career to do so.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & thriller
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 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 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 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 thisEasy Money (2010)
When JW becomes a drug runner in order to maintain his double life, his fate becomes tied to two other men: Jorge, a fugitive on the run from both the Serbian mafia and the police, and mafia enforcer Mrado, who is on the hunt for Jorge.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRed Dot (2021)
On a hiking trip to rekindle their marriage, a couple find themselves fleeing for their lives in the unforgiving wilderness from an unknown shooter.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Killing of Two Lovers (2021)
In a rural Utah town, David, a father of four, grapples with his separation from wife Nikki as she pursues a new relationship.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEmbattled (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 thisAll Day and a Night (2020)
While serving life in prison, a young man looks back at the people, the circumstances and the system that set him on the path toward his crime.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSection 8 (2022)
After avenging the murder of his family, a former soldier is sprung from prison and recruited by a shadowy government agency.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDangerous (2021)
A reformed sociopath heads to a remote island after the death of his brother. Soon after his arrival, the island falls under siege from a deadly gang of mercenaries, and when he discovers their role in his brother’s demise, he sets out on a relentless quest for vengeance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHamlet (2000)
Modern day adaptation of Shakespeare's immortal story about Hamlet's plight to avenge his father's murder in New York City.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisBefore the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007)
When two brothers organize the robbery of their parents' jewelry store, the job goes horribly wrong, triggering a series of events that send them and their family hurtling towards a shattering climax.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFlag Day (2021)
A father lives a double life as a counterfeiter, bank robber and con man in order to provide for his daughter.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane (1976)
13-year-old Rynn Jacobs lives in a New England beach town. Whenever the landlady inquires after Rynn's father, she claims that he's not available. But when the landlady's son, Frank, won't leave Rynn alone, she teams up with a neighbor Mario to maintain the dark family secret that she's been keeping to herself.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRequiem for My Father (2014)
Through the maze of a nightmare, a young man faces his father. His trauma springs from the darkness and he gradually exorcises his bitterness.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Like Stars on Earth (2007)
Ishaan Awasthi is an eight-year-old whose world is filled with wonders that no one else seems to appreciate. Colours, fish, dogs, and kites don't seem important to the adults, who are much more interested in things like homework, marks, and neatness. Ishaan cannot seem to get anything right in class; he is then sent to boarding school, where his life changes forever.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Invisible Circus (2001)
After learning that her sister, Faith, has committed suicide in Portugal, Phoebe, an 18-year-old hippie, decides to uproot from her San Francisco home to travel to Europe. Phoebe hopes to discover and experience the life that led to her sister's death by retracing her footsteps, which eventually leads to Wolf -- Faith's boyfriend. However, as Phoebe's journey continues, a series of visions of Faith pushes her mind to the brink.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisPhilosophy of the Porch (2026)
A dedicated young woman serving as her family's primary financial provider finds her matrimonial aspirations permanently derailed when she uncovers a debilitating secret: their ancestral home was pawned by her late father to finance her eldest brother's opulent wedding.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Coming SoonMovies like thisAndai Ibu Tidak Menikah Dengan Ayah (2025)
When her medical school scholarship was at risk of being revoked, Alin, who had been living away from home, was forced to return. After coming back, Alin’s perspective began to shift. She realized for the first time that her mother had been living in hardship, while her father was rarely around. Her younger sibling and older sibling also had to bear heavy burdens for the family, even sacrificing themselves and their dreams. While at home, Alin accidentally discovered her mother’s diary. Its pages were filled with memories from her mother’s youth, including her first love. This made Alin wonder: if her mother hadn’t married her father, would she have lived a happier life?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
FOUFO (2026)
The encounter of Madurese residents with small aliens that triggers hilarious chaos and unexpected adventures.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Like The Ape and something else?
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Ape?
The closest matches to The Ape are The Truth About Emanuel (2013), The Operative (2019) and Lockdown (2000). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Ape?
Start with The Truth About Emanuel (2013), the closest match to The Ape.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Ape?
Like Stars on Earth (2007), rated 8.0/10 by 1,447 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Ape?
FOUFO (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
How are movies similar to The Ape chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Ape, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.