distant backdrop

Movies with distant vibe

The Consequences of Love

1. The Consequences of Love

Drama Thriller Psychological Drama Mind Game Thriller
7.5
20041h 40min

Overview

Every morning in a quiet Lugano hotel, Titta Di Girolamo dresses in the same suit, solves the same chess puzzles, and hides in the same silence, as if routine were a punishment he has agreed to serve forever. But when his gaze lingers too long on the bar’s elegant waitress and the mafia money he couriers demands absolute invisibility, Titta must choose between the safety of his prison and the dangerous possibility of being seen—and loved—at last.

Themes

Money as leverage, Crime networks and coercion, Social isolation and routine, Hidden past, Deception and pawned agency, Monotony vs longing

Available on

Criterion Channel
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Manchurian Candidate

2. The Manchurian Candidate

Drama Thriller Mystery Political Thriller Political Drama
6.6
20042h 9min

Overview

Years after his squad was ambushed during the Gulf War, Major Ben Marco finds himself having terrible nightmares. He begins to doubt that his fellow squad-mate Sergeant Raymond Shaw, now a vice-presidential candidate, is the hero he remembers him being. As Marco's doubts deepen, Shaw's political power grows, and, when Marco finds a mysterious implant embedded in his back, the memory of what really happened begins to return.

Themes

Memory manipulation ethics, Surveillance and control, Power and legitimacy, Political manipulation by corporate power, Image versus reality in politics, Deception through memory implants

Available on

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

I, Robot

3. I, Robot

Action Science Fiction Dystopian Sci-Fi Epic Action
7.1
20041h 55min

Overview

In 2035, where robots are commonplace and abide by the three laws of robotics, a technophobic cop investigates an apparent suicide. Suspecting that a robot may be responsible for the death, his investigation leads him to believe that humanity may be in danger.

Themes

Surveillance and manipulation, Humans versus machines, Ethics of free will, Control vs autonomy, Trust in artificial intelligence, Fear of technological governance

Available on

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

Mindhunters

4. Mindhunters

Mystery Thriller Crime Whodunit Mind Game Thriller
6.3
20041h 46min

Overview

Trainees in the FBI's psychological profiling program must put their training into practice when they discover a killer in their midst. Based very loosely on Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None.

Themes

Manipulation and control, Trust under pressure, Isolation and confinement, Deception within training, Group betrayal and suspicion, Psychological stress and fear

Available on

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

Paycheck

5. Paycheck

Action Adventure Mystery Science Fiction Thriller
6.3
20031h 59min

Overview

Michael Jennings is a genius who's hired – and paid handsomely – by high-tech firms to work on highly sensitive projects, after which his short-term memory is erased so he's incapable of breaching security. But at the end of a three-year job, he's told he isn't getting a paycheck and instead receives a mysterious envelope. In it are clues he must piece together to find out why he wasn't paid – and why he's now in hot water.

Themes

Memory manipulation corporate power, Trust under corporate manipulation, Future seeing technology risks, Ethical boundaries memory erasure, Weaponization of invention, Surveillance and escape dynamics

Available on

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

Shattered Glass

6. Shattered Glass

Drama History Professional Drama Biographical History
7.1
20031h 34min

Overview

The true story of fraudulent Washington, D.C. journalist Stephen Glass, who rose to meteoric heights as a young writer in his 20s, becoming a staff writer at The New Republic for three years. Looking for a short cut to fame, Glass concocted sources, quotes and even entire stories, but his deception did not go unnoticed forever, and eventually, his world came crumbling down.

Themes

Deception under pressure, Credibility under scrutiny, Verification failures, Professional accountability, Popularity vs integrity, Media ethics tensions

Available on

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

Stander

7. Stander

Action Crime Drama Heist Psychological Drama
7.0
20031h 56min

Overview

The life and career of Andre Stander, a South African police officer turned bank robber.

Themes

Deception and disguise, Crime and consequences, Systemic oppression, Police role conflict, Morality under pressure, Evasion and escape

Available on

Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Video
The Roku Channel
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Veronica Guerin

8. Veronica Guerin

Drama Crime Thriller Narcotics Crime Investigation Suspense
6.8
20031h 38min

Overview

In this true story, Veronica Guerin is an investigative reporter for an Irish newspaper. As the drug trade begins to bleed into the mainstream, Guerin decides to take on and expose those responsible. Beginning at the bottom with addicts, Guerin then gets in touch with John Traynor, a paranoid informant. Not without some prodding, Traynor leads her to John Gilligan, the ruthless head of the operation, who does not take kindly to Guerin's nosing.

Themes

Drug trade encroachment, Working-class disruption, Public response and policy change, Media exposure consequences, Investigative risk and retaliation, Trafficker deception

Available on

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

Igby Goes Down

9. Igby Goes Down

Comedy Drama Dark Comedy Coming-of-Age Drama
6.8
20021h 37min

Overview

Igby Slocumb, a rebellious and sarcastic 17-year-old boy, is at war with the stifling world of old money privilege he was born into. With a schizophrenic father, a self-absorbed, distant mother, and a shark-like young Republican big brother, Igby figures there must be a better life out there -- and sets about finding it.

Themes

Class inequality, Parent child tension, Rebellion and escape, Flight from family, Bohemian underworld temptations, Old money privilege

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
The Roku Channel
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Bourne Identity

10. The Bourne Identity

Action Drama Mystery Thriller Spy Action
7.8
20021h 59min

Overview

Wounded to the brink of death and suffering from amnesia, Jason Bourne is rescued at sea by a fisherman. With nothing to go on but a Swiss bank account number, he starts to reconstruct his life, but finds that many people he encounters want him dead. However, Bourne realizes that he has the combat and mental skills of a world-class spy—but who does he work for?

Themes

Loyalty under pressure, Deception and double lives, Pursuit and evasion, Memory loss and reconstruction, Covert operations and manipulation, Surveillance and misdirection

Available on

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