cerebral backdrop

Movies with cerebral vibe

The Company Men

1. The Company Men

Drama Professional Drama
6.7
20101h 44min

Overview

Bobby Walker lives the proverbial American dream: great job, beautiful family, shiny Porsche in the garage. When corporate downsizing leaves him and two co-workers jobless, the three men are forced to re-define their lives as men, husbands and fathers.

Themes

Economic precarity, Corporate downsizing anxiety, Role adaptation under loss, Leadership accountability vs profits, Family obligation pressure, Age-based career limits

Available on

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

Shutter Island

2. Shutter Island

Drama Thriller Mystery Mind Game Thriller Investigation Mystery
8.2
20102h 18min

Overview

World War II soldier-turned-U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels investigates the disappearance of a patient from a hospital for the criminally insane, but his efforts are compromised by troubling visions and a mysterious doctor.

Themes

Institutional control, Isolation and confinement, Ethics of experimentation, Unreliable perception, Deception and mind games, Memory vs trauma

Available on

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

The Ghost Writer

3. The Ghost Writer

Thriller Mystery Political Thriller Investigation Mystery
7.2
20102h 8min

Overview

A writer stumbles upon a long-hidden secret when he agrees to help former British Prime Minister Adam Lang complete his memoirs on a remote island after the politician's assistant drowns in a mysterious accident.

Themes

Deception and manipulation, Political image vs reality, Power and accountability, Ethical ambiguity in leadership, War on terror politics, Institutional influence and control

Available on

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

Overview

Forensic pathologist Kang lives by cold, clinical facts—until Lee Sung-ho kidnaps his daughter and drags him into a twisted game of lies, ethics, and revenge. To save her, Kang must betray everything he believes in and turn his own investigation inside out.

Themes

Moral ambiguity in justice, Evidence tampering and deception, Ethical compromise under pressure, Guilt and self-destruction, Family as leverage, Revenge and manipulation

Available on

Universcine
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Exam

5. Exam

Thriller Mystery Mind Game Thriller Locked-Room Mystery
6.7
20091h 37min

Overview

Eight talented candidates have reached the final stage of selection to join the ranks of a mysterious and powerful corporation. Entering a windowless room, where an armed guard keeps watch, they are given 80 minutes to answer one simple question.

Themes

Corporation manipulation, Final exam anxiety, Armed guard presence, Pandemic stakes, Windowless room confinement, Pill ethics

Available on

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

Traitor

6. Traitor

Drama Action Thriller Crime Political Thriller
6.9
20081h 54min

Overview

When straight arrow FBI agent Roy Clayton heads up the investigation into a dangerous international conspiracy, all clues seem to lead back to former U.S. Special Operations officer Samir Horn.

Themes

Faith under pressure, Car bomb threat, Prison exposure, Escape strategies, Traitor loyalties, Kidnapping networks

Available on

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

Stargate: Continuum

7. Stargate: Continuum

Action Adventure Science Fiction Time Travel Sci-Fi Adventure Epic
7.5
20081h 38min

Overview

Ba'al travels back in time and prevents the Stargate program from being started. SG-1 must somehow restore history.

Themes

Betrayal and deception, Control of history, Loyalty under crisis, Alliance fragility, Time travel politics, Resource monopoly

Available on

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

Vantage Point

8. Vantage Point

Drama Action Thriller Crime Political Thriller
6.6
20081h 30min

Overview

During an historic counter-terrorism summit in Spain, the President of the United States is struck down by an assassin's bullet. Eight strangers have a perfect view of the kill, but what did they really see? As the minutes leading up to the fatal shot are replayed through the eyes of each eyewitness, the reality of the assassination takes shape.

Themes

Multiple perspectives, Media influence, Betrayal within security, Crowd anxiety under threat, Eyewitness fragmentation, Leadership under duress, Counterterrorism stakes

Available on

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

Mad Detective

9. Mad Detective

Action Crime Thriller Detective Mystery Crime Mind Game Thriller
7.1
20071h 31min

Overview

Bun, a schizophrenic, former police inspector comes out of retirement to help a rookie detective solve a complex murder case involving a missing colleague and a suspected policeman suffering from a multiple personality disorder.

Themes

Deception and manipulation, Duty vs retirement, Fragmented identity, Seven spirit collective, Loyalty shifts, Inner personalities

Available on

AMC Plus Apple TV Channel
AMC+ Amazon Channel
AMC+
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Fermat's Room

10. Fermat's Room

Mystery Thriller Locked-Room Mystery Survival Thriller
6.6
20071h 28min

Overview

Four mathematicians are imprisoned in a shrinking room; with the walls closing in, they must try anything to escape this fatal puzzle.

Themes

Deception under pressure, Jealous ambition, Revenge through games, Trust vs manipulation, Identity and disguise, Constrained intellect

Available on

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