stressful backdrop

Movies with stressful vibe

Overview

Professional driver, and former Special Forces officer, Frank Martin is living in Miami, where he is temporarily filling in for a friend as the chauffeur for a government narcotics control policy director and his family. The young boy in the family is targeted for kidnapping, and Frank immediately becomes involved in protecting the child and exposing the kidnappers.

Themes

Trust under threat, Duty under pressure, Power and manipulation, Virus as weapon, Protective instinct vs law, Kidnap for ransom

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Edukators

2. The Edukators

Drama Comedy Political Drama Satire
7.4
20042h 7min

Overview

Three activists cobble together a kidnapping plot after they encounter a businessman in his home.

Themes

Debt burden, Ransom pressure, Hostage dynamic, Revolutionary politics, Burglary ethics, Evicted stakes

Available on

Amazon Video
Kanopy
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Criminal

3. Criminal

Action Comedy Thriller High-Concept Comedy Mind Game Thriller
6.4
20041h 27min

Overview

Needing a new partner capable of intricate cons, Richard Gaddis, recruits Rodrigo, a crook with a perfect poker face. The two plan a big-time scam: selling a fake Silver Certificate to currency collector William Hannigan. Rodrigo distrusts his new associate, but needs money to help out his ill father. The situation becomes more complicated when Rodrigo falls for Gaddis' sister, Valerie, drawing another player into the game.

Themes

Deception under pressure, Calculated risk and reward, Precarious alliances, Loyalty under temptation, Financial duty vs desire, Performance and appearance

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Shade

4. Shade

Action Thriller Crime Con Artist Crime Mind Game Thriller
6.3
20031h 41min

Overview

Tiffany, Charlie and Vernon are con artists looking to up the ante from their typical scams. They figure a good way of doing this is taking down Dean "The Dean" Stevens, a well-known cardsharp, in a rigged game. However, they first need enough money to enter a game with Stevens, so they decide to strike a deal with fellow crook Larry Jennings to scam a local gangster -- which turns out to be a bad idea.

Themes

Risk and reward, Deception under pressure, Betrayal within crime networks, Alliance volatility, Manipulation of chance, Urban legends vs reality

Available on

Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Equilibrium

5. Equilibrium

Action Science Fiction Thriller Dystopian Sci-Fi Epic Action
7.3
20021h 47min

Overview

In a dystopian future, a totalitarian regime maintains peace by subduing the populace with a drug, and displays of emotion are punishable by death. A man in charge of enforcing the law rises to overthrow the system.

Themes

Betrayal and deception, Underground resistance, Emotion suppression, Authoritarian enforcement, Drug-based control, State propaganda

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
fuboTV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

In My Skin

6. In My Skin

Drama Horror Body Horror Psychological Drama
6.2
20021h 33min

Overview

After a disfiguring leg injury, a young woman develops an unsettling secret relationship with her own body in which pain is pleasure, mutilation is love and hungers of the flesh have a mind of their own.

Themes

Bodily autonomy under pressure, Knife as instrument of control, Pain is pleasure, Wound as corporeal boundary, Vernissage symbolism, Self-inflicted injury obsession, Career pressure and ambition

Available on

Amazon Video
Google Play Movies
Philo
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Sum of All Fears

7. The Sum of All Fears

Thriller Action Drama Political Thriller Spy Action
6.5
20022h 4min

Overview

When the president of Russia suddenly dies, a man whose politics are virtually unknown succeeds him. The change in political leaders sparks paranoia among American CIA officials, so CIA director Bill Cabot recruits a young analyst to supply insight and advice on the situation. Then the unthinkable happens: a nuclear bomb explodes in a U.S. city, and America is quick to blame the Russians.

Themes

Leadership under pressure, Arms-trafficking networks, Nuclear threat escalation, Intelligence-driven crisis, Deception and blame, Insider influence and loyalty

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
fuboTV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Other Side of the Bed

8. The Other Side of the Bed

Drama Romance Relationship Drama Passionate Romance
6.4
20021h 54min

Overview

When Paula leaves her mate Pedro, he misses her and looks for comfort with his best friends, Javier and Sonia. Paula is having an affair with Javier. Pedro tries to find who is the secret lover of Paula, and hires a private eye. Meanwhile, while comforting Pedro, Sonia has a one night stand with him and Javier thinks she is cheating on him with her lesbian friend Luzia.

Themes

Trust under pressure, Deception and loyalty, Affair and secrecy, Relationship boundaries, Jealousy and misinterpretation, Private investigation anxiety

Available on

Netflix
Amazon Prime Video
Movistar Plus+
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Nest

9. The Nest

Crime Action Organized Crime Military Action
6.7
20021h 47min

Overview

Laborie is a high-flying officer in the French special forces. Her mission is to escort Abedin Nexhep, a godfather of the Albanian mafia. Charged with heading a wide-reaching prostitution network, this formidable criminal is due to stand trial before a European court. During the transfer, killers hired by Nexhep set up an ambush to free their boss but Laborie and her men manage to escape...

Themes

Survival under siege, Organized crime networks, Law enforcement under pressure, Duty versus danger, Human trafficking network, Cross-border enforcement tensions

Available on

Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Universcine
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Majestic

10. The Majestic

Drama Romance Entertainment Industry Drama Bittersweet Romance
6.9
20012h 32min

Overview

Set in 1951, a blacklisted Hollywood writer gets into a car accident, loses his memory and settles down in a small town where he is mistaken for a long-lost son.

Themes

Mistaken identity consequences, Amnesia and reinvention, Falsely accused under pressure, Blacklist era consequences, Anti-communism stigma, Postwar community loyalty, Coastal setting

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.