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Just Mercy poster

Movies that feel likeJust Mercy (2019)

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.

If you loved Just Mercy, the closest films we have are Killers of the Flower Moon (2023), BlacKkKlansman (2018) and Black Mass (2015). All three share Just Mercy'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 A Touch of Sin (2013).

πŸ… 85% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 7.6 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Destin Daniel Crettoncontemplativegrittyepic
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 Just Mercy hit the spot, these will too

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+

The same two preoccupations: a true story, and racism

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.

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

Common ground: a true story

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.

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

Both land stillness and grit at once

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.

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

One thread runs through both: judge

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.

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

Epic crime in both cases

The difference: Easier on the stillness than Just Mercy

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

Contemplative drama, and it commits to that

The difference: Made in the 1970s, in a different era of the craft

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

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

History with a pulse of grit, in both cases

The difference: The scrappier of the two with critics

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

Drama built on scale, twice over

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.

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

Both lean on stillness more than on history

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

Andrei Rublev poster
Andrei Rublev
1966 Β· dir. Andrei Tarkovsky
πŸ… 96%β˜… 8drama Β· history

Crime with a pulse of grit, in both cases

An expansive Russian drama, this film focuses on the life of revered religious icon painter Andrei Rublev. Drifting from place to place in a tumultuous era, the peace-seeking monk eventually gains a reputation for his art. But after Rublev witnesses a brutal battle and unintentionally becomes involved, he takes a vow of silence and spends time away from his work. As he begins to ease his troubled soul, he takes steps towards becoming a painter once again.

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

Epic drama in both cases

The difference: Sits closer to action than Just Mercy 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.

A Touch of Sin poster
A Touch of Sin
2013 Β· dir. Jia Zhangke
πŸ… 95%β˜… 7.1crime Β· drama

Both keep coming back to the same thing: humiliation

The difference: Trades the scale of Just Mercy for an angle of its own

Four people in different provinces are driven to violent ends: An angry miner is enraged by corruption in his village. A migrant discovers the possibilities of owning a firearm. A receptionist is pushed beyond her limits by an abusive client. A young factory worker goes from one job to the next.

In the mood for more contemplative?

all contemplative movies β†’

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