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Movies like The Man Who Wasn't There (2017)

The best movies like The Man Who Wasn't There (2017) are Horns (2013), Franklyn (2008) and Nine Days (2021). If The Man Who Wasn't There hooked you with its drama and fantasy, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.

Quick picks

  1. Horns (2013)

    In the aftermath of his girlfriend's mysterious death, a young man awakens to strange horns sprouting from his temples.

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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  2. Franklyn (2008)

    Set between the parallel worlds of contemporary London and the futuristic faith dominated metropolis of Meanwhile City, Franklyn weaves a tale of four souls, whose lives are intertwined by fate, romance and tragedy. As these worlds collide, a single bullet determines the destiny of these four characters.

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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  3. Nine Days (2021)

    A bureaucrat interviews five souls to decide which of them will be given a life on Earth. But he soon faces an existential challenge of his own.

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

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  4. 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

  5. Remember (2015)

    With the aid of a fellow Auschwitz survivor and a hand-written letter, an elderly man with dementia goes in search of the person responsible for the death of his family.

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

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  6. The Shepherd (2023)

    On Christmas Eve, a fighter pilot on his way home becomes lost while flying over water and needs a miracle to land safely.

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

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  7. Triage (2009)

    The wife of a photojournalist sets out to discover why he came home from a recent assignment without his colleague.

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

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  8. The Good Doctor (2011)

    Dr. Martin Blake, who has spent his life looking for respect, meets an 18-year-old patient named Diane, suffering from a kidney infection, and gets a much-needed boost of self-esteem. However, when her health starts improving, Martin fears losing her, so he begins tampering with her treatment, keeping Diane sick and in the hospital right next to him.

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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  9. SAS: Red Notice (2021)

    An off-duty SAS soldier, Tom Buckingham, must thwart a terror attack on a train running through the Channel Tunnel. As the action escalates on the train, events transpire in the corridors of power that may make the difference as to whether Buckingham and the civilian passengers make it out of the tunnel alive.

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

  10. Donovan's Echo (2011)

    A series of uncanny déjà vu events force a man to re-examine his tragic past, memory, instinct, and future.

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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  11. 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
  12. The Deadly Affair (1967)

    Charles Dobbs is a British secret agent investigating the apparent suicide of Foreign Office official Samuel Fennan. Dobbs suspects that Fennan's wife, Elsa, a survivor of a Nazi Germany extermination camp, might have some clues, but other officials want Dobbs to drop the case. So Dobbs hires a retiring inspector, Mendel, to quietly make inquiries. Dobbs isn't at all sure as there are a number of anomalies that simply can't be explained away. Dobbs is also having trouble at home with his errant wife, whom he very much loves, having frequent affairs. He's also pleased to see an old friend, Dieter Frey, who he recruited after the war. With the assistance of a colleague and a retired policeman, Dobbs tries to piece together just who is the spy and who in fact assassinated Fennan.

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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  13. The White Orchid (2018)

    A social services investigator helps a local sheriff solve the brutal murder of a beautiful blonde known only as The White Orchid.

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

  14. Seeking Justice (2011)

    After his wife is assaulted, a husband enlists the services of a vigilante group to help him settle the score.

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

  15. 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 thriller & drama

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  16. Limbo (1999)

    Traumatized by a fishing boat accident many years before, Joe Gastineau has given up his hopes for a life beyond the odd jobs he takes to support himself. That quickly changes when nomadic club singer Donna de Angelo and her troubled teen-age daughter enter Joe’s life. Both mother and daughter fall for Joe, increasing the friction between them. The tension continues to build when Joe invites them on a pleasure cruise up the Alaskan coast, discovering too late that the trip may cost them their lives.

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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  17. Shock Corridor (1963)

    With the help of his girlfriend Cathy and Dr. Fong, a psychiatrist, ambitious journalist Johnny Barrett poses as a madman in order to be admitted to a mental institution where a bloody murder has been committed.

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

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  18. 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

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  19. Hunting Season (2025)

    When a reclusive survivalist and his daughter rescue a mysterious, wounded woman from a river, they become entangled in a deadly web of violence and revenge, forcing them to confront a brutal criminal to survive.

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

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  20. Tyler 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 this

Like The Man Who Wasn't There and something else?

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Frequently asked questions

What are the best movies like The Man Who Wasn't There?

The closest matches to The Man Who Wasn't There are Horns (2013), Franklyn (2008) and Nine Days (2021). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.

What should I watch after The Man Who Wasn't There?

Start with Horns (2013), the closest match to The Man Who Wasn't There.

What is the highest-rated movie like The Man Who Wasn't There?

Hunting Season (2025), rated 7.4/10 by 490 TMDB users.

What is the newest movie like The Man Who Wasn't There?

Hunting Season (2025) is the most recent release on this list.

How are movies similar to The Man Who Wasn't There chosen?

First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Man Who Wasn't There, 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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