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Monster poster

Movies that feel likeMonster (2003)

In 1989, prostitute Aileen Wuornos befriends and enters a relationship with a young woman named Selby. Determined to straighten out her life, Aileen's limited education lands her back on the corner. She's raped by a trick, who she kills. A string of murder and robbery follows that ultimately leads Aileen to becoming America's first female serial killer.

If you loved Monster, the closest films we have are A Prophet (2009), My Name Ain't Johnny (2008) and Freedom Writers (2007). All three share Monster'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 R (2010).

πŸ… 81% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 7.3 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Patty Jenkinsgrittycontemplative
6 of 12 streaming nowNetflix Β· Amazon Prime Video Β· Kino Film Collection

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See it on the Mood Map

If Monster hit the spot, these will too

A Prophet poster
A Prophet
2009 Β· dir. Jacques Audiard
πŸ… 96%β˜… 7.8crime Β· drama

Common ground: murder

Sentenced to six years in prison, Malik El Djebena is alone in the world and can neither read nor write. On his arrival at the prison, he seems younger and more brittle than the others detained there. At once he falls under the sway of a group of Corsicans who enforce their rule in the prison. As the 'missions' go by, he toughens himself and wins the confidence of the Corsican group.

My Name Ain't Johnny poster
My Name Ain't Johnny
2008 Β· dir. Mauro Lima
β˜… 7.2crime Β· drama

The same mix in both: grit, then stillness

The true story of JoΓ£o Guilherme Estrella ("Johnny"), a young middle-class bon vivant who became a big-time cocaine dealer in Rio de Janeiro in the early 1990s.

Freedom Writers poster
Freedom Writers
2007 Β· dir. Richard LaGravenese
πŸ… 69%β˜… 7.6crime Β· drama

Crime with a pulse of grit, in both cases

A young teacher inspires her class of at-risk students to learn tolerance, apply themselves, and pursue education beyond high school.

Into the Abyss poster
Into the Abyss
2011 Β· dir. Werner Herzog
πŸ… 92%β˜… 7.3documentary Β· crime

Both are built on the same subject: death penalty

The difference: Sits closer to documentary than Monster does

We do not know when and how we will die. Death Row inmates do. Werner Herzog embarks on a dialogue with Death Row inmates, asks questions about life and death and looks deep into these individuals, their stories, their crimes.

Frozen River poster
Frozen River
2008 Β· dir. Courtney Hunt
πŸ… 88%β˜… 7.1drama Β· crime

Drama built on stillness, twice over

A financially strapped mother joins a Mohawk woman to smuggle illegal immigrants into the United States.

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

The same preoccupation in both: a true story

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.

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile poster
Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile
2019 Β· dir. Joe Berlinger
πŸ… 54%β˜… 6.7drama Β· crimeNetflix

One thread runs through both: serial killer

The difference: The critics' underdog of the pair

A chronicle of the crimes of Ted Bundy, from the perspective of his longtime girlfriend, Elizabeth Kloepfer, who refused to believe the truth about him for years.

Gomorrah poster
Gomorrah
2008 Β· dir. Matteo Garrone
πŸ… 90%β˜… 7drama Β· crimePrime Video

Gritty crime, and it commits to that

An inside look at Italy's modern-day crime families, the Camorra in Naples and Caserta. Based on a book by Roberto Saviano. Power, money and blood: these are the "values" that the residents of the Province of Naples and Caserta have to face every day. They hardly ever have a choice and are forced to obey the rules of the Camorra. Only a lucky few can even think of leading a normal life.

Silenced poster
Silenced
2011 Β· dir. Hwang Dong-hyuk
πŸ… 100%β˜… 8dramaNetflix

Both keep coming back to the same thing: rape

Based on actual events that took place at Gwangju Inhwa School for the hearing-impaired, where young deaf students were the victims of repeated sexual assaults by faculty members over a period of five years in the early 2000s.

Green Fish poster
Green Fish
1997 Β· dir. Lee Chang-dong
β˜… 7drama Β· crime

Both lean on stillness more than on drama

Returning home and finding his town drastically changed, a former soldier falls in with gangsters.

R poster
R
2010 Β· dir. Tobias Lindholm
πŸ… 91%β˜… 7.1crime Β· drama

The crime is handled with the same confidence

Imprisoned for violent assault, Rune is placed in the hardcore ward, where his survival depends on quickly learning the prison's parallel world of rules, honor, and obligations.

Blow poster
Blow
2001 Β· dir. Ted Demme
πŸ… 56%β˜… 7.5crime Β· drama

Same instincts, 2 years apart

The story of how George Jung, together with the MedellΓ­n Cartel led by Pablo Escobar, established the billion-dollar cocaine empire in the United States in the 1970s.

In the mood for more gritty?

all gritty movies β†’

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