feelsalike.comSign in
Zero Dark Thirty poster

Movies that feel likeZero Dark Thirty (2012)

A chronicle of the decade-long hunt for al-Qaeda terrorist leader Osama bin Laden after the September 2001 attacks, and his death at the hands of the Navy S.E.A.L. Team 6 in May, 2011.

If you loved Zero Dark Thirty, the closest films we have are The Hurt Locker (2008), Buried (2010) and We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011). All three share Zero Dark Thirty's tense feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is A Hijacking (2012).

πŸ… 91% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 7.4 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Kathryn Bigelowtensecontemplative
8 of 12 streaming nowAmazon Prime Video Β· Paramount Plus Premium Β· Peacock Premium

Can't choose? Answer three questions and get one movie for tonight.

See it on the Mood Map

When is Zero Dark Thirty streaming? β†’

If Zero Dark Thirty hit the spot, these will too

The Hurt Locker poster
The Hurt Locker
2008 Β· dir. Kathryn Bigelow
πŸ… 96%β˜… 7.5drama Β· thriller Β· war

The same hand behind both of them: Kathryn Bigelow

The difference: Sits closer to war than Zero Dark Thirty does

During the Iraq War, a Sergeant recently assigned to an army bomb squad is put at odds with his squad mates due to his maverick way of handling his work.

Buried poster
Buried
2010 Β· dir. Rodrigo CortΓ©s
πŸ… 87%β˜… 6.9thrillerPrime Video

One thread runs through both: iraq

The difference: Trades the stillness of Zero Dark Thirty for an angle of its own

As an American civilian truck driver working in Iraq, Paul Conroy's convoy is attacked by a group of Iraqi insurgents. Some time later, Paul awakes in a coffin with only a lighter, a cell phone, and his ever-growing anxiety. Faced with a dwindling oxygen supply and a dying battery, he must fight panic, despair, and delirium as he races against time to escape the claustrophobic death trap.

We Need to Talk About Kevin poster
We Need to Talk About Kevin
2011 Β· dir. Lynne Ramsay
πŸ… 74%β˜… 7.4drama Β· thrillerPrime VideoPeacock

Both land tension and stillness at once

After her son Kevin commits a horrific act, troubled mother Eva reflects on her complicated relationship with her disturbed son as he grew from a toddler into a teenager.

A Hijacking poster
A Hijacking
2012 Β· dir. Tobias Lindholm
πŸ… 96%β˜… 7.1thriller Β· drama

Tense thriller in both cases

Tensions are high after a Danish freighter is captured and held for ransom by Somali pirates, leading to weeks of high-stakes negotiations – and an escalating potential for explosive violence.

Locke poster
Locke
2014 Β· dir. Steven Knight
πŸ… 91%β˜… 7.1drama Β· thriller

Drama with a pulse of stillness, in both cases

Ivan Locke has worked hard to craft a good life for himself. Tonight, that life will collapse around him. On the eve of the biggest challenge of his career, Ivan receives a phone call that sets in motion a series of events that will unravel his family, job, and soul.

Bridge of Spies poster
Bridge of Spies
2015 Β· dir. Steven Spielberg
πŸ… 91%β˜… 7.6thriller Β· drama

Tense thriller, and it commits to that

During the Cold War, the Soviet Union captures U.S. pilot Francis Gary Powers after shooting down his U-2 spy plane. Sentenced to 10 years in prison, Powers' only hope is New York lawyer James Donovan, recruited by a CIA operative to negotiate his release. Donovan boards a plane to Berlin, hoping to win the young man's freedom through a prisoner exchange. If all goes well, the Russians would get Rudolf Abel, the convicted spy who Donovan defended in court.

Foxcatcher poster
Foxcatcher
2014 Β· dir. Bennett Miller
πŸ… 88%β˜… 7drama Β· thriller

Drama built on stillness, twice over

The greatest Olympic Wrestling Champion brother team joins Team Foxcatcher led by multimillionaire sponsor John E. du Pont as they train for the 1988 games in Seoul - a union that leads to unlikely circumstances.

Who Am I poster
Who Am I
2014 Β· dir. Baran bo Odar
β˜… 7.4thriller

Thriller of the same temperament

Benjamin, a young German computer whiz, is invited to join a subversive hacker group that wants to be noticed on the world's stage.

The Wave poster
The Wave
2008 Β· dir. Dennis Gansel
πŸ… 67%β˜… 7.6drama Β· thriller

Drama approached the same way

A school teacher discusses types of government with his class. His students find it too boring to repeatedly go over national socialism and believe that dictatorship cannot be established in modern Germany. He starts an experiment to show how easily the masses can become manipulated.

Argo poster
Argo
2012 Β· dir. Ben Affleck
πŸ… 96%β˜… 7.7drama Β· thrillerParamount+

Both play thriller straight

As the Iranian revolution reaches a boiling point, a CIA 'exfiltration' specialist concocts a risky plan to free six Americans who have found shelter at the home of the Canadian ambassador.

The Place poster
The Place
2017 Β· dir. Paolo Genovese
β˜… 7drama Β· thriller

Drama in the same key

The fates of an apparently random group of strangers who each come into contact with a mysterious figure who they believe possesses the power to grant any wish, in return for which they must carry out a task he assigns them.

Tunnel poster
Tunnel
2016 Β· dir. Kim Seong-hun
πŸ… 100%β˜… 6.8thriller Β· dramaPrime Video

Both working the same thriller territory

A man is on his way home when the poorly constructed tunnel he is driving through collapses, leaving him trapped leaving himself for the unexpected whilst emergency services struggle to help.

In the mood for more tense?

all tense movies β†’

The best-reviewed films that share Zero Dark Thirty’s defining feeling.