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The Salesman poster

Movies that feel likeThe Salesman (2016)

Forced out of their apartment due to dangerous works on a neighboring building, Emad and Rana move into a new flat in the center of Tehran. An incident linked to the previous tenant will dramatically change the young couple’s life.

If you loved The Salesman, the closest films we have are The Square (2008), Elle (2016) and Dogman (2018). All three share The Salesman's contemplative and tense feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Cold in July (2014).

🍅 96% Rotten Tomatoes★ 7.7 IMDb ↗TMDB ↗dir. Asghar Farhadicontemplativetenserelentlessgritty
8 of 12 streaming nowAmazon Prime Video · Peacock Premium · Shudder

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If The Salesman hit the spot, these will too

The Square poster
The Square
2008 · dir. Nash Edgerton
🍅 86%★ 6.7crime · drama · thriller

The same mix in both: stillness, then tension

The difference: Sits closer to crime than The Salesman does

Ray, a construction worker trapped in an unhappy marriage, pursues an affair with his neighbor, Carla. Carla's husband, Greg, is a mobster who keeps large sums of drug money in their home. With this in mind, Carla comes up with a plan: She and Ray will steal Greg's money, burn down her house, convince Greg the money was lost in the fire and then run away together. Carla's scheme, however, doesn't go off as planned.

Elle poster
Elle
2016 · dir. Paul Verhoeven
🍅 91%★ 7.1drama · thriller

Common ground in both: rape and assault

When Michèle, the CEO of a gaming software company, is attacked in her home by an unknown assailant, she refuses to let it alter her precisely ordered life. She manages crises involving family, all the while becoming engaged in a game of cat and mouse with her stalker.

Dogman poster
Dogman
2018 · dir. Matteo Garrone
🍅 84%★ 7.2crime · drama · thriller

Relentless where it counts, gritty underneath

Marcello, a small and gentle dog groomer, finds himself involved in a dangerous relationship of subjugation with Simone, a former violent boxer who terrorizes the entire neighborhood. In an effort to reaffirm his dignity, Marcello will submit to an unexpected act of vengeance.

Cold in July poster
Cold in July
2014 · dir. Jim Mickle
🍅 84%★ 6.7drama · thriller

Drama built on stillness, twice over

The difference: Easier on the grit than The Salesman

While investigating noises in his house one balmy Texas night in 1989, Richard Dane puts a bullet in the brain of a low-life burglar. Although he’s hailed as a small-town hero, Dane soon finds himself fearing for his family’s safety when Freddy’s ex-con father rolls into town, hell-bent on revenge.

Blue Ruin poster
Blue Ruin
2014 · dir. Jeremy Saulnier
🍅 96%★ 7.1crime · thrillerPrime VideoPeacock

Both lean on tension more than on thriller

When the quiet life of a beach bum is upended by dreadful news, he sets off for his childhood home to carry out an act of vengeance. However, he proves an inept assassin and finds himself in a brutal fight to protect his estranged family.

Nocturnal Animals poster
Nocturnal Animals
2016 · dir. Tom Ford
🍅 74%★ 7.4drama · thriller

Relentless drama, and it commits to that

Susan Morrow receives a book manuscript from her ex-husband – a man she left 20 years earlier – asking for her opinion of his writing. As she reads, she is drawn into the fictional life of Tony Hastings, a mathematics professor whose family vacation turns violent.

In the Fade poster
In the Fade
2017 · dir. Fatih Akin
🍅 75%★ 7.1drama · crimePrime Video

Thriller with a pulse of grit, in both cases

Katja's life collapses after the deaths of her husband and son in a bomb attack. After a time of mourning and injustice, Katja seeks revenge.

New Police Story poster
New Police Story
2004 · dir. Benny Chan
🍅 63%★ 6.9action · thriller · crime

Contemplative drama in both cases

The difference: The critics' underdog of the pair

Sent into a drunken tailspin when his entire unit is killed by a gang of thrill-seeking punks, disgraced Hong Kong police inspector Wing needs help from his new rookie partner, with a troubled past of his own, to climb out of the bottle and track down the gang and its ruthless leader.

Road to Perdition poster
Road to Perdition
2002 · dir. Sam Mendes
🍅 82%★ 7.6crime · drama · thriller

Tense thriller in both cases

Mike Sullivan works as a hit man for crime boss John Rooney. Sullivan views Rooney as a father figure, however after his son is witness to a killing, Mike Sullivan finds himself on the run in attempt to save the life of his son and at the same time looking for revenge on those who wronged him.

Wrath of Man poster
Wrath of Man
2021 · dir. Guy Ritchie
🍅 68%★ 7.1thriller · crime · dramaPrime Video

Both sit in the same relentless register

A cold and mysterious new security guard for a Los Angeles cash truck company surprises his co-workers when he unleashes precision skills during a heist. The crew is left wondering who he is and where he came from. Soon, the marksman's ultimate motive becomes clear as he takes dramatic and irrevocable steps to settle a score.

The Salvation poster
The Salvation
2014 · dir. Kristian Levring
🍅 72%★ 6.7drama · westernParamount+

Both run gritty where it counts

In 1870s America, a peaceful American settler kills his family's murderer which unleashes the fury of a notorious gang leader. His cowardly fellow townspeople then betray him, forcing him to hunt down the outlaws alone.

Lady Vengeance poster
Lady Vengeance
2005 · dir. Park Chan-wook
🍅 76%★ 7.5drama · thrillerRent or buy

Both know what they want from drama

Released after being wrongfully convicted and imprisoned for 13 years, a woman begins executing her elaborate plan of retribution.

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