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Heat poster

Movies that feel likeHeat (1995)

Obsessive master thief Neil McCauley leads a top-notch crew on various daring heists throughout Los Angeles while determined detective Vincent Hanna pursues him without rest. Each man recognizes and respects the ability and the dedication of the other even though they are aware their cat-and-mouse game may end in violence.

If you loved Heat, the closest films we have are Thief (1981), Taxi Driver (1976) and Batman Begins (2005). All three share Heat's gritty and contemplative feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Crumb (1995).

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If Heat hit the spot, these will too

Thief poster
Thief
1981 · dir. Michael Mann
🍅 80%★ 7.4crime · thriller · dramaPrime Video

Mann's first master thief — craft, codes and the cost of the life

The difference: Leaner and colder — no detective mirror to play against

Frank is an expert professional safecracker, specialized in high-profile diamond heists. He plans to use his ill-gotten income to retire from crime and build a nice life for himself complete with a home, wife and kids. To accelerate the process, he signs on with a top gangster for a big score.

Taxi Driver poster
Taxi Driver
1976 · dir. Martin Scorsese
🍅 89%★ 8.2crime · dramaApple TV+

A lonely man's obsession curdling on night-time city streets

The difference: Feverish interior spiral — no heists, no code of honor

Suffering from insomnia, disturbed loner Travis Bickle takes a job as a New York City cabbie, haunting the streets nightly, growing increasingly detached from reality as he dreams of cleaning up the filthy city.

Batman Begins poster
Batman Begins
2005 · dir. Christopher Nolan
🍅 85%★ 8.2drama · crime · actionMax

Both land grit and stillness at once

The difference: Takes it somewhere less obsessive than Heat does

Driven by tragedy, billionaire Bruce Wayne dedicates his life to uncovering and defeating the corruption that plagues his home, Gotham City. Unable to work within the system, he instead creates a new identity, a symbol of fear for the criminal underworld - The Batman.

Lilya 4-ever poster
Lilya 4-ever
2002 · dir. Lukas Moodysson
🍅 84%★ 7.8drama · crime

Crime built on melancholy, twice over

In a struggling post-Soviet community, Lilya a teenage girl is abandoned when her mother moves to the United States with her boyfriend. Facing neglect and poverty, she meets Andrei, who offers her a job in Sweden, giving her hope for a better life — and a journey that will change everything.

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer poster
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
2006 · dir. Tom Tykwer
🍅 59%★ 7.5crime · fantasy · drama

A virtuoso predator perfecting his craft beyond all morality

The difference: Macabre period fable — sensual, not procedural

Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, born in the stench of 18th century Paris, develops a superior olfactory sense, which he uses to create the world's finest perfumes. However, his work takes a dark turn as he tries to preserve scents in the search for the ultimate perfume.

The Celebration poster
The Celebration
1998 · dir. Thomas Vinterberg
🍅 91%★ 8drama

Gritty drama, and it commits to that

The family of a wealthy businessman gather to celebrate his 60th birthday. During the course of the party, his eldest son presents a speech that reveals a devastating secret that turns the night into a battle of truth and denial.

8MM poster
8MM
1999 · dir. Joel Schumacher
🍅 23%★ 6.6thriller · crime · mystery

The same preoccupation in both: obsession

The difference: The critics' underdog of the pair

A small, seemingly innocuous plastic reel of film leads surveillance specialist Tom Welles down an increasingly dark and frightening path. With the help of the streetwise Max, he relentlessly follows a bizarre trail of evidence to determine the fate of a complete stranger. As his work turns into obsession, he drifts farther and farther away from his wife, family and simple life as a small-town PI.

Death Wish poster
Death Wish
2018 · dir. Eli Roth
🍅 18%★ 6.3action · crime · thriller

Both are working the same pair: robbery, detective

The difference: Sits closer to thriller than Heat does

A mild-mannered father is transformed into a killing machine after his family is torn apart by a violent act.

Crumb poster
Crumb
1995 · dir. Terry Zwigoff
🍅 95%★ 8documentary

One thread runs through both: obsession

This movie chronicles the life and times of R. Crumb. Robert Crumb is the cartoonist/artist who drew Keep On Truckin', Fritz the Cat, and played a major pioneering role in the genesis of underground comix. Through interviews with his mother, two brothers, wife, ex-wife and ex-girlfriends, as well as selections from his vast quantity of graphic art, we are treated to a darkly comic ride through one man's subconscious mind.

Léon: The Professional poster
Léon: The Professional
1994 · dir. Luc Besson
🍅 76%★ 8.5crime · drama · action

Both keep coming back to the same thing: gangster

Léon, the top hit man in New York, has earned a rep as an effective "cleaner". But when his next-door neighbors are wiped out by a loose-cannon DEA agent, he becomes the unwilling custodian of 12-year-old Mathilda. Before long, Mathilda's thoughts turn to revenge, and she considers following in Léon's footsteps.

Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father poster
🍅 94%★ 8.5documentary · crimePrime Video

Common ground: murder

In 2001, Andrew Bagby, a medical resident, is murdered not long after breaking up with his girlfriend. Soon after, when she announces she's pregnant, one of Andrew's many close friends, Kurt Kuenne, begins this film, a gift to the child.

Short Term 12 poster
Short Term 12
2013 · dir. Destin Daniel Cretton
🍅 98%★ 7.9dramaPrime Video

Both are built on the same subject: suicide attempt

Grace, a compassionate young supervisor at a foster care facility, helps at-risk teens. But when a new charge dredges up memories of her own troubled past, Grace's tough exterior begins eroding.

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The best-reviewed films that share Heat’s defining feeling.