Movies like Shackles (2005)
The best movies like Shackles (2005) are 20,000 Days on Earth (2014), After Death (2023) and Tyson (2008). If Shackles hooked you with its drama and documentary, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedHOMECOMING: A film by Beyoncé (2019)8.0/10 from 357 votes
- NewestTrainwreck: Poop Cruise (2025)Released 2025
20,000 Days on Earth (2014)
A semi-fictionalized documentary about a day in the life of Australian musician Nick Cave's persona.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAfter Death (2023)
Based on real near-death experiences, the afterlife is explored with the guidance of New York Times bestselling authors, medical experts, scientists and survivors who shed a light on what awaits us.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTyson (2008)
Director James Toback takes an unflinching, uncompromising look at the life of Mike Tyson--almost solely from the perspective of the man himself. TYSON alternates between the controversial boxer addressing the camera and shots of the champion's fights to create an arresting picture of the man.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLouis Theroux: Louis and the Nazis (2003)
Louis Theroux travels to California to meet the man dubbed "the most dangerous racist in America"; Tom Metzger. Louis meets him, his family and his publicity manager as well as following him to skinhead rallies and on a visit to Mexico.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEinstein and the Bomb (2024)
What happened after Einstein fled Nazi Germany? Using archival footage and his own words, this docudrama dives into the mind of a tortured genius.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTrainwreck: Poop Cruise (2025)
An engine fire leaves 4,000 passengers stranded at sea without power and plumbing in this wild documentary about the infamous "poop cruise" of 2013.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Devil on Trial (2023)
Explore the first – and only – time “demonic possession” has officially been used as a defense in a U.S. murder trial. Including firsthand accounts of alleged devil possession and a shocking murder, this extraordinary story forces reflection on our fear of the unknown.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisDerek DelGaudio's In & of Itself (2020)
Storyteller and Conceptual Magician Derek DelGaudio attempts to understand the illusory nature of identity and answer the deceptively simple question 'Who am I?'
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAmerican Animals (2018)
Lexington, Kentucky, 2004. Four young men attempt to execute one of the most audacious art heists in the history of the United States.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Arbor (2010)
The lives of the late Bradford playwright Andrea Dunbar and Lorraine, one of her daughters, and the community of Bradford, in the 30 years since the 18-year-old Andrea penned a play about growing up in the community titled "The Arbor".
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWe Stand Alone Together: The Men of Easy Company (2001)
Over a period of two years, Mark Cowen and his crew travelled to thirty U.S. states and ten European cities, to interview the veterans of Easy Company. The stories told by the veterans themselves, create a history of the Second World War from the point of view of this heroic company of men, made famous in the mini-series Band of Brothers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDirty Wars (2013)
Investigative journalist, Jeremy Scahill is pulled into an unexpected journey as he chases down the hidden truth behind America's expanding covert wars, and examines how the US government has responded to international terrorist threats in ways that seem to go against the established laws of the land.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCollapse (2009)
From the acclaimed director of American Movie, the documentary follows former Los Angeles police officer turned independent reporter Michael Ruppert. He recounts his career as a radical thinker and spells out his apocalyptic vision of the future, spanning the crises in economics, energy, environment and more.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe True Cost (2015)
Film from Andrew Morgan. The True Cost is a documentary film exploring the impact of fashion on people and the planet.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTell Me Who I Am (2019)
In this documentary, Alex trusts his twin, Marcus, to tell him about his past after he loses his memory. But Marcus is hiding a dark family secret.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTouching the Void (2003)
The true story of Joe Simpson and Simon Yates' disastrous and nearly-fatal mountain climb of 6,344m Siula Grande in the Cordillera Huayhuash in the Peruvian Andes in 1985.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWe Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks (2013)
Julian Assange. Bradley Manning. Collateral murder. Cablegate. WikiLeaks. These people and terms have exploded into public consciousness by fundamentally changing the way democratic societies deal with privacy, secrecy, and the right to information, perhaps for generations to come. We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks is an extensive examination of all things related to WikiLeaks and the larger global debate over access to information.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKids for Cash (2014)
Filmmaker Robert May chronicles the case of a once-respected judge who received kickbacks for sending juvenile offenders to prison, even for minor crimes.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSoaked in Bleach (2015)
Twenty years ago, Kurt Cobain was found dead of an apparent gunshot wound to the head. The world was told it was a suicide, but evidence would lead many people to believe it might be otherwise. The film investigates the possibilities that exist that Kurt Cobain's death might not have been a suicide, that the Seattle Police Department rushed their verdict, and the global media perpetuated lies and misinformation fed to them by Courtney Love that created the belief in many that Cobain killed himself—but when revealed to be lies—lead many to now question what happened.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHOMECOMING: A film by Beyoncé (2019)
This intimate, in-depth look at Beyoncé's celebrated 2018 Coachella performance reveals the emotional road from creative concept to cultural movement.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisKnockin' on Heaven's Door (1997)
Two young men, Martin and Rudi, both suffering from terminal cancer, get to know each other in a hospital room. They drown their desperation in tequila and decide to take one last trip to the sea. Drunk and still in pajamas they steal the first fancy car they find, a 60's Mercedes convertible. The car happens to belong to a bunch of gangsters, which immediately start to chase it, since it contains more than the pistol Martin finds in the glove box.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisJem and the Holograms (2015)
As a small-town girl catapults from underground video sensation to global superstar, she and her three sisters begin a one-in-a-million journey of discovering that some talents are too special to keep hidden. Four aspiring musicians will take the world by storm when they see that the key to creating your own destiny lies in finding your own voice.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisManderlay (2005)
In 1933, a young woman and her father discover an Alabama plantation whose inhabitants live as if slavery had never been abolished. Feeling a sense of duty to those behind the heavy gates, she stays to liberate the people and see them through their first harvest. With four of her father's colleagues and a lawyer, she faces the daunting task of resurrecting the place known as Manderlay.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisI Can Do Bad All By Myself (2009)
When Madea catches teenage Jennifer and her two younger brothers looting her home, she decides to take matters into her own hands and delivers the young delinquents to the only relative they have: their aunt April. A heavy-drinking nightclub singer who lives off of her married boyfriend, April wants nothing to do with the kids.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFame (2009)
At New York's High School of Performing Arts, students from all walks of life get the chance to hone their skills as singers, actors, dancers, and more. Over four years, these young men and women will see if they truly have the dedication and talent to achieve success, while still juggling regular schoolwork, feelings of self-doubt, and budding romances.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like this100 jaar Schiphol: Luchtzaken onder de zeespiegel (2016)
Documentary about the development of the national airport over the past hundred years. With conversations with relatives of aviation pioneers such as Albert Plesman and Jan Dellaert, with virtually all Schiphol directors of the past decades and with local residents.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Holiday (2018)
Sascha, the young and beautiful trophy girlfriend of a Danish drug lord, arrives at his holiday villa in the seaside town of Bodrum, on the Turkish Riviera, where she is welcomed into his inner circle. Under the summer sun, she lives a carefree dream of luxury and fun until she meets Tomas, a Dutch traveler trying to discover himself.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisFair Game (2010)
A devoted wife and mother leads a secret life as a CIA agent until her husband’s article exposes a scandal, putting her identity and loved ones at risk. As her world crumbles, she must navigate the fallout of her double life.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Children of Huang Shi (2008)
About young British journalist, George Hogg, who with the assistance of a courageous Australian nurse, saves a group of orphaned children during the Japanese occupation of China in 1937.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMichael Jackson's This Is It (2009)
A compilation of interviews, rehearsals and backstage footage of Michael Jackson as he prepared for his series of sold-out shows in London.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Shackles?
The closest matches to Shackles are 20,000 Days on Earth (2014), After Death (2023) and Tyson (2008). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Shackles?
Start with 20,000 Days on Earth (2014), the closest match to Shackles.
What is the highest-rated movie like Shackles?
HOMECOMING: A film by Beyoncé (2019), rated 8.0/10 by 357 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Shackles?
Trainwreck: Poop Cruise (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Shackles?
Yes: 20,000 Days on Earth (2014), After Death (2023) and Tyson (2008).
How are movies similar to Shackles chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Shackles, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.