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J. Edgar poster

Movies that feel likeJ. Edgar (2011)

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.

If you loved J. Edgar, the closest films we have are Black Mass (2015), Killers of the Flower Moon (2023) and Just Mercy (2019). All three share J. Edgar's contemplative and gritty feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden (2014).

πŸ… 44% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 6.5 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Clint Eastwoodcontemplativegrittyepic
3 of 12 streaming nowApple TV Β· Paramount Plus Premium

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If J. Edgar hit the spot, these will too

Black Mass poster
Black Mass
2015 Β· dir. Scott Cooper
πŸ… 74%β˜… 6.8drama Β· crime Β· history

Both keep coming back to the same thing: fbi

The difference: Critics rated this one higher still

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.

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+

One thread runs through both: fbi

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

Contemplative where it counts, gritty underneath

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.

The Mule poster
The Mule
2018 Β· dir. Clint Eastwood
πŸ… 69%β˜… 7crime Β· drama

Both are Clint Eastwood's work, and they rhyme

The difference: Trades the scale of J. Edgar for an angle of its own

Earl Stone, a man in his eighties, is broke, alone, and facing foreclosure of his business when he is offered a job that simply requires him to drive. Easy enough, but, unbeknownst to Earl, he's just signed on as a drug courier for a Mexican cartel. He does so well that his cargo increases exponentially, and Earl hit the radar of hard-charging DEA agent Colin Bates.

Invictus poster
Invictus
2009 Β· dir. Clint Eastwood
πŸ… 76%β˜… 7.3drama Β· history

Clint Eastwood working the same nerve twice

Newly elected President Nelson Mandela knows his nation remains racially and economically divided in the wake of apartheid. Believing he can bring his people together through the universal language of sport, Mandela rallies South Africa's rugby union team as they make their historic run to the 1995 Rugby World Cup Championship match.

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

The same preoccupation in both: biography

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

Crime built on scale, twice over

The difference: Sits closer to thriller than J. Edgar does

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.

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

Common ground: biography

The difference: 38 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.

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

Drama with a pulse of stillness, in both cases

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.

Sully poster
Sully
2016 Β· dir. Clint Eastwood
πŸ… 85%β˜… 7.4drama Β· history

Both lean on scale more than on history

On 15 January 2009, the world witnessed the 'Miracle on the Hudson' when Captain 'Sully' Sullenberger glided his disabled plane onto the Hudson River, saving the lives of all 155 souls aboard. However, even as Sully was being heralded by the public and the media for his unprecedented feat of aviation skill, an investigation was unfolding that threatened to destroy his reputation and career.

The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden poster
The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden
2014 Β· dir. Daniel Geller
πŸ… 83%β˜… 6.7documentary Β· mystery Β· history

Gritty crime, and it commits to that

The difference: Leans harder into documentary than J. Edgar does

Darwin meets Hitchcock in this documentary. Directors Dan Geller and Dayna Goldfine have created a parable about the search for paradise, set in the brutal yet alluring landscape of the Galapagos Islands, which interweaves an unsolved 1930s murder mystery with stories of present day Galapagos pioneers. A gripping tale of idealistic dreams gone awry, featuring voice-over performances by Cate Blanchett, Diane Kruger, and Gustaf Skarsgard.

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

Contemplative drama in both cases

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.

In the mood for more contemplative?

all contemplative movies β†’

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