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Black Mass poster

Movies that feel likeBlack Mass (2015)

The true story of Whitey Bulger, the brother of a state senator and the most infamous violent criminal in the history of South Boston, who became an FBI informant to take down a Mafia family invading his turf.

If you loved Black Mass, the closest films we have are Hostiles (2017), Killers of the Flower Moon (2023) and Just Mercy (2019). All three share Black Mass' contemplative and gritty feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Serpico (1973).

πŸ… 74% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 6.8 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Scott Coopercontemplativegrittyepic
7 of 12 streaming nowAmazon Prime Video Β· Apple TV Β· Paramount Plus Premium

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See it on the Mood Map

If Black Mass hit the spot, these will too

Hostiles poster
Hostiles
2017 Β· dir. Scott Cooper
πŸ… 71%β˜… 7.2drama Β· western Β· historyStarz

The same hand behind both of them: Scott Cooper

The difference: Sits closer to western than Black Mass does

A legendary Native American-hating Army captain nearing retirement in 1892 is given one last assignment: to escort a Cheyenne chief and his family through dangerous territory back to his Montana reservation.

Killers of the Flower Moon poster
Killers of the Flower Moon
2023 Β· dir. Martin Scorsese
πŸ… 93%β˜… 7.5crime Β· history Β· dramaApple TV+

Two things both keep coming back to: fbi and a true story

When oil is discovered in 1920s Oklahoma under Osage Nation land, the Osage people are murdered one by oneβ€”until the FBI steps in to unravel the mystery.

Just Mercy poster
Just Mercy
2019 Β· dir. Destin Daniel Cretton
πŸ… 85%β˜… 7.6drama Β· crime Β· history

Both keep coming back to the same thing: a true story

The powerful true story of Harvard-educated lawyer Bryan Stevenson, who goes to Alabama to defend the disenfranchised and wrongly condemned β€” including Walter McMillian, a man sentenced to death despite evidence proving his innocence. Bryan fights tirelessly for Walter with the system stacked against them.

Spotlight poster
Spotlight
2015 Β· dir. Tom McCarthy
πŸ… 97%β˜… 8.1drama Β· history

The same mix in both: stillness, then grit

The true story of how the Boston Globe uncovered the massive scandal of child molestation and cover-up within the local Catholic Archdiocese, shaking the entire Catholic Church to its core.

BlacKkKlansman poster
BlacKkKlansman
2018 Β· dir. Spike Lee
πŸ… 95%β˜… 7.5crime Β· drama Β· historyRent or buy

Both lean on scale more than on drama

Colorado Springs, late 1970s. Ron Stallworth, an African American police officer, and Flip Zimmerman, his Jewish colleague, run an undercover operation to infiltrate the Ku Klux Klan.

All the Money in the World poster
All the Money in the World
2017 Β· dir. Ridley Scott
πŸ… 79%β˜… 6.8crime Β· history Β· thrillerRent or buy

Gritty crime, and it commits to that

The difference: Trades the stillness of Black Mass for an angle of its own

The story of the kidnapping of 16-year-old John Paul Getty III and the desperate attempt by his devoted mother to convince his billionaire grandfather Jean Paul Getty to pay the ransom.

J. Edgar poster
J. Edgar
2011 Β· dir. Clint Eastwood
πŸ… 44%β˜… 6.5drama Β· crime Β· history

One thread runs through both: fbi

The difference: The critics' underdog of the pair

As the face of law enforcement in the United States for almost 50 years, J. Edgar Hoover was feared and admired, reviled and revered. But behind closed doors, he held secrets that would have destroyed his image, his career, and his life.

Gangs of New York poster
Gangs of New York
2002 Β· dir. Martin Scorsese
πŸ… 72%β˜… 7.5drama Β· history Β· crimeParamount+Starz

Both are built on the same subject: gangster

In early 1860s New York, Irish immigrant Amsterdam Vallon is released from prison and returns to the Five Points, seeking revenge against his father's killer, William Cutting, a powerful anti-immigrant gang leader. He knows that revenge can only be attained by infiltrating Cutting's inner circle. Vallon's journey becomes a fight for personal survival and to find a place for the Irish people.

Serpico poster
Serpico
1973 Β· dir. Sidney Lumet
πŸ… 93%β˜… 7.7crime Β· drama Β· history

Common ground: corruption

The difference: 42 years apart, and the 1970s show

New York cop Frank Serpico blows the whistle on the rampant corruption in the force only to have his comrades turn against him.

Patriots Day poster
Patriots Day
2016 Β· dir. Peter Berg
πŸ… 80%β˜… 7.3action Β· crime Β· dramaPrime Video

Contemplative history in both cases

The difference: Leans harder into action than Black Mass does

In the aftermath of an unspeakable act of terror, Police Sergeant Tommy Saunders joins courageous survivors, first responders and investigators in a race against the clock to hunt down the Boston Marathon bombers before they strike again.

The Last Duel poster
The Last Duel
2021 Β· dir. Ridley Scott
πŸ… 85%β˜… 7.3drama Β· historyRent or buy

Drama built on scale, twice over

King Charles VI declares that Knight Jean de Carrouges settle his dispute with his squire, Jacques Le Gris, by challenging him to a duel.

Jamaica Inn poster
Jamaica Inn
1939 Β· dir. Alfred Hitchcock
πŸ… 54%β˜… 6.3crime Β· adventure

Crime with a pulse of grit, in both cases

The difference: Takes it somewhere less contemplative than Black Mass does

In early 19th-century Cornwall, young Mary Yellan travels to live with her aunt and uncle at the remote Jamaica Inn, where she discovers the inn is a front for a violent gang of wreckers who lure ships to their doom along the coast. As she becomes entangled in their crimes, Mary must fight to survive and uncover the truth behind the terror that haunts the moors.

In the mood for more contemplative?

all contemplative movies β†’

The best-reviewed films that share Black Mass’ defining feeling.