Required Viewing: Dark & Gritty Drama/Thriller
These in my opinion, are absolutely the best dark & gritty drama/thriller based films that I've seen. I find no way to accurately or fairly rank these so they will be listed alphabetically.
List activity
35K views
• 1 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
26 titles
- DirectorNick CassavetesStarsEmile HirschJustin TimberlakeAnton YelchinJohnny and his pals kidnap Jake's 15-year-old brother Zach, then assign his buddy Frankie to be Zach's minder. They develop a brotherly friendship. Zach parties with his captors as things begin to spin out of control.I think This film certainly offers something for everyone with the number and range of characters featured in this. Justin Timberlake? Yes. I believe this was his first acting role, and he fills the role well.
- DirectorSidney LumetStarsPhilip Seymour HoffmanEthan HawkeAlbert FinneyWhen two brothers organize the robbery of their parents' jewelry store the job goes horribly wrong, triggering a series of events that sends them, their father and one brother's wife barreling towards a shattering climax.I'm very much a fan of most of the work from Ethan Hawke. I've also become recently interested in seeing more from Philip Seymour Hoffman. That's how I arrived to this title. It does not disappoint.
- DirectorAntoine FuquaStarsRichard GereDon CheadleEthan HawkeThree unconnected Brooklyn cops wind up at the same deadly location after enduring vastly different career paths.Just as he did with 'Training Day', Antoine Fuqua provides a full ride with this one. As a faithful follower of Ethan Hawke's work I gave this a look. He and the rest of the cast all give superb performances.
- DirectorJulien TempleStarsMickey RourkeFrank SengerAdrien BrodyParoled after 8 years in prison, Bullet's picked up by his brother and a friend. Bullet assaults a drug dealer and two customers. Things escalate.
- DirectorMichael EscobedoStarsTracy CooganJohn MuscarneroMary Kate WilesA young married couple moves to a secluded area to cope with the wife's terminal illness. As the wife's condition gets worse, the husband's growing detachment from her forces him into a tumultuous relationship with a local teenage girl whom he rescues from a sexual assault.This is probably the least known film on this list. Don't let or the unknown cast of characters that fool you. Sometimes you have to search outside of your comfort zone to find the good stuff.
- DirectorStuart HazeldineStarsAdar BeckGemma ChanNathalie CoxEight candidates for a highly desirable corporate job are locked together in an exam room and given a final test with just one seemingly simple question. However, it doesn't take long for confusion to ensue and tensions to unravel.
- DirectorDavid SladeStarsPatrick WilsonElliot PageSandra OhHayley's a smart, charming teenage girl. Jeff's a handsome, smooth fashion photographer. An Internet chat, a coffee shop meet-up, an impromptu fashion shoot back at Jeff's place. Jeff thinks it's his lucky night. He's in for a surprise.
- DirectorSpencer SusserStarsJoseph Gordon-LevittDevin BrochuNatalie PortmanA young boy has lost his mother and is losing touch with his father and the world around him. Then he meets Hesher who manages to make his life even more chaotic.
- DirectorF. Gary GrayStarsGerard ButlerJamie FoxxLeslie BibbA frustrated man decides to take justice into his own hands after a plea bargain sets one of his family's killers free.I can't say that I take in many films from either Gerard Butler or Jamie Foxx. This was one that took me by sheer surprise.
- DirectorJosh SternfeldStarsNick StahlRachel NicholsKellan LutzPassions run high when hope for a economically strapped town seems blocked by the investigation of a murdered kid, son of a county commissioner.
- DirectorGavin O'ConnorStarsEdward NortonColin FarrellNoah EmmerichA family's moral codes are tested when Ray Tierney investigates a case that reveals an incendiary police corruption scandal involving his own brother-in-law. For Ray, the truth is revelatory, a Pandora's Box that threatens to upend not only the Tierney legacy but the entire NYPD.Edward Norton provides another performance that left me more than pleased in this story about family, police and ethics and corruption.
- DirectorKevin SmithStarsMichael ParksMelissa LeoJohn GoodmanSet in Middle America, a group of teens receive an online invitation for sex, though they soon encounter fundamentalists with a much more sinister agenda.
- DirectorJoe CarnahanStarsJeremy PivenRyan ReynoldsRay LiottaWhen a Las Vegas performer-turned-snitch named Buddy Israel decides to turn state's evidence and testify against the mob, it seems that a whole lot of people would like to make sure he's no longer breathing.From what I gather people either love or hate this one, nothing in the middle. I felt that Jermey Piven gave a superb performance, showing his range as an actor. The biggest surprise for me was Ryan Reynolds, growing tired of the sophomoric roles he played in prior films. He made a hard left and absolutely stole the show with his performance in this one.
- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsLeonardo DiCaprioMatt DamonJack NicholsonAn undercover cop and a mole in the police attempt to identify each other while infiltrating an Irish gang in South Boston.This doesn't feature the Leonardo DiCaprio that we've all seen in 'Titanic'. This features a packed house of stars to keep you thinking on the edge of your seat throughout the entire film.
- DirectorGeorge ClooneyStarsPaul GiamattiGeorge ClooneyPhilip Seymour HoffmanAn idealistic staffer for a new presidential candidate gets a crash course on dirty politics during his stint on the campaign trail.
- DirectorMichael MannStarsRussell CroweAl PacinoChristopher PlummerA research chemist comes under personal and professional attack when he decides to appear in a 60 Minutes exposé on Big Tobacco.Russell Crowe teams up with Al Pacino to portray the biography of Jeff Wigand, a chemist looking to expose the truth about "Big Tobacco" on "60 Minutes".
Very well done, indeed. - DirectorRoger DonaldsonStarsAl PacinoColin FarrellBridget MoynahanA brilliant young CIA trainee is asked by his mentor to help find a mole in the Agency.Al Pacino commands another outstanding performance with Collin Farrell.
- DirectorFrank OzStarsRobert De NiroEdward NortonMarlon BrandoAn aging thief hopes to retire and live off his ill-gotten wealth with his lover when a young kid convinces him into doing one last heist that comes with a large payout.Edward Norton takes his craft to yet another level in this film with Robert DeNiro. I seem to be endlessly amazed at his depth and diversity as an actor.
- DirectorNicholaus GoossenStarsKatrina BowdenJeremy BastianCavan CunninghamTwo brothers come upon a rarely used shortcut in their new town.One more that is least likely to be recognized on this list. But I did want to include it. It's a bit of a diamond in the rough. Give it a chance.
- DirectorBen AffleckStarsBen AffleckRebecca HallJon HammA proficient group of thieves rob a bank and hold an assistant manager hostage. Things begin to get complicated when one of the crew members falls in love with her.
- DirectorMarco KreuzpaintnerStarsKevin KlineKathleen GatiPaulina GaitanAdriana, 13, is kidnapped in Mexico City by Russian sex traffickers. Her criminal 17 y.o. brother starts looking for her. Across the border in Texas, he gets help from a cop.Kevin Kline has always played some powerful roles. This one is no exception.
- DirectorAntoine FuquaStarsDenzel WashingtonEthan HawkeScott GlennA rookie cop spends his first day as a Los Angeles narcotics officer with a rogue detective who isn't what he appears to be.What's there to say? If I weren't listing these titles alphabetically this might just be in the number one slot on this list. Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke. That's all this film needs to carry it from start to stop.
- DirectorBarry LevinsonStarsAl PacinoBrenda VaccaroJohn GoodmanA look at the life and work of doctor-assisted suicide advocate Jack Kevorkian.Being a faithful follower of Al Pacino for as long as I can remember, I was eager to dive into this one. Wow. He does an amazing job portraying Dr. Death, Jack Kevorkian.
- DirectorDominic MurphyStarsMuse WatsonCarrie FisherWallace MerckDeep in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains in West Virginia, where every man owns a gun and a moonshine still, abides living legend Jesco White, "the dancing outlaw". As a boy Jesco was in and out of reform school and the insane asylum. To keep him out of trouble, his daddy D-Ray taught him the art of mountain dancing, a frenzied version of tap dancing to wild country banjo music. After his father's death, crazy Jesco dons his father's tap shoes and takes his show on the road.While this isn't all that closely related in reality to Jesco White and his family it is quite a stellar film inspired from the real-life subject it portrays. Nearly cinematically perfect with the use of auditory and visual representation. This is a must watch.
- DirectorJames CoxStarsVal KilmerLisa KudrowKate BosworthIn the police investigation of a brutal crime scene, one man was at the center of it all: legendary porn star John Holmes.Val Kilmer has always been hit or miss with me in his roles. I was rather skeptical going into this one. I was however rather surprised when I reached the end of the ride.
- DirectorBong Joon HoStarsSong Kang-hoLee Sun-kyunCho Yeo-jeongGreed and class discrimination threaten the newly-formed symbiotic relationship between the wealthy Park family and the destitute Kim clan.