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The Lincoln Lawyer poster

Movies that feel likeThe Lincoln Lawyer (2011)

Mick Haller is a charismatic defense attorney who does business out of his Lincoln Continental sedan. Mick spends most of his time defending petty crooks and other bottom-feeders, so it comes as quite a surprise when he lands the case of a lifetime: defending a Beverly Hills playboy who is accused of attempted murder. However, what Mick initially thinks is an open-and-shut case with a big monetary reward develops into something more sinister.

If you loved The Lincoln Lawyer, the closest films we have are Donnie Brasco (1997), The Negotiator (1998) and Snowden (2016). All three share The Lincoln Lawyer'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 The Parallax View (1974).

πŸ… 83% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 7.3 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Brad Furmangrittycontemplativetenseparanoid
9 of 12 streaming nowNetflix Β· Amazon Prime Video Β· Paramount Plus Premium

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If The Lincoln Lawyer hit the spot, these will too

Donnie Brasco poster
Donnie Brasco
1997 Β· dir. Mike Newell
πŸ… 88%β˜… 7.7crime Β· drama Β· thrillerNetflix

The same mix in both: grit, then stillness

An FBI undercover agent infiltrates the mob and identifies more with the mafia life at the expense of his regular one.

The Negotiator poster
The Negotiator
1998 Β· dir. F. Gary Gray
β˜… 7.3action Β· crime Β· drama

Both land tension and paranoia at once

The difference: Sits closer to action than The Lincoln Lawyer does

The police try to arrest expert hostage negotiator Danny Roman, who insists he's being framed for his partner's murder in what he believes is an elaborate conspiracy. Thinking there's evidence in the Internal Affairs offices that might clear him, he takes everyone in the office hostage and demands that another well-known negotiator be brought in to handle the situation and secretly investigate the conspiracy.

Snowden poster
Snowden
2016 Β· dir. Oliver Stone
πŸ… 61%β˜… 7.3drama Β· history Β· crimeNetflixStarz

Crime with a pulse of grit, in both cases

The difference: Leans harder into history than The Lincoln Lawyer does

CIA employee Edward Snowden leaks thousands of classified documents to the press.

The Baader Meinhof Complex poster
The Baader Meinhof Complex
2008 Β· dir. Uli Edel
πŸ… 85%β˜… 7.3action Β· crime Β· dramaPrime Video

Contemplative drama, and it commits to that

When German police viciously quell a protest against the shah of Iran, popular journalist Ulrike Meinhof rebels against her dishonest marriage, walks away from her children and joins radical anarchist Andreas Baader. Together with Baader's girlfriend, Gudrun Ensslin, they form the violent Red Faction Army, and together perpetrate a slew of terrorist attacks as a way of disrupting the fabric of what they see as an increasingly fascist state.

Conclave poster
Conclave
2024 Β· dir. Edward Berger
πŸ… 93%β˜… 7.4drama Β· thrillerStarz

Tense thriller in both cases

The difference: Trades the grit of The Lincoln Lawyer for an angle of its own

After the unexpected death of the Pope, Cardinal Lawrence is tasked with managing the covert and ancient ritual of electing a new one. Sequestered in the Vatican with the Catholic Church’s most powerful leaders until the process is complete, Lawrence finds himself at the center of a conspiracy that could lead to its downfall.

Marathon Man poster
Marathon Man
1976 Β· dir. John Schlesinger
πŸ… 82%β˜… 7.4thriller Β· crime Β· dramaParamount+

Both lean on paranoia more than on crime

The difference: 35 years apart, and the 1970s show

A graduate student and obsessive runner in New York is drawn into a mysterious plot involving his brother, a member of the secretive Division.

The Little Things poster
The Little Things
2021 Β· dir. John Lee Hancock
πŸ… 44%β˜… 6.3drama Β· crime Β· thrillerRent or buy

The same preoccupation in both: crime scene

The difference: The scrappier of the two with critics

Deputy Sheriff Joe "Deke" Deacon joins forces with Sgt. Jim Baxter to search for a serial killer who's terrorizing Los Angeles. As they track the culprit, Baxter is unaware that the investigation is dredging up echoes of Deke's past, uncovering disturbing secrets that could threaten more than his case.

The Parallax View poster
The Parallax View
1974 Β· dir. Alan J. Pakula
πŸ… 87%β˜… 7.1crime Β· drama Β· thriller

Drama built on grit, twice over

An ambitious reporter gets in trouble while investigating a senator's assassination which leads to a vast conspiracy involving a multinational corporation behind every event in the world's headlines.

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit poster
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit
2014 Β· dir. Kenneth Branagh
πŸ… 55%β˜… 6.2action Β· drama Β· thrillerParamount+Starz

Contemplative thriller, and it commits to that

Jack Ryan, as a young covert CIA analyst, uncovers a Russian plot to crash the U.S. economy with a terrorist attack.

Public Enemies poster
Public Enemies
2009 Β· dir. Michael Mann
πŸ… 68%β˜… 6.9crime Β· history Β· drama

A 2000s answer to the same itch

Depression-era bank robber John Dillinger's charm and audacity endear him to much of America's downtrodden public, but he's also a thorn in the side of J. Edgar Hoover and the fledgling FBI. Desperate to capture the elusive outlaw, Hoover makes Dillinger his first Public Enemy Number One and assigns his top agent, Melvin Purvis, the task of bringing him in dead or alive.

Now You See Me poster
Now You See Me
2013 Β· dir. Louis Leterrier
πŸ… 51%β˜… 7.2thriller Β· crimePrime Video

Both lean on tension more than on thriller

An FBI agent and an Interpol detective track a team of illusionists who pull off bank heists during their performances and reward their audiences with the money.

Shooter poster
Shooter
2007 Β· dir. Antoine Fuqua
πŸ… 47%β˜… 7.2drama Β· action Β· thrillerParamount+Starz

Both know what they want from drama

A top Marine sniper, Bob Lee Swagger, leaves the military after a mission goes horribly awry and disappears, living in seclusion. He is coaxed back into service after a high-profile government official convinces him to help thwart a plot to kill the President of the United States. Ultimately double-crossed and framed for the attempt, Swagger becomes the target of a nationwide manhunt. He goes on the run to track the real killer and find out who exactly set him up, and why, eventually seeking revenge against some of the most powerful and corrupt leaders in the free world.

In the mood for more gritty?

all gritty movies β†’

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