procedural backdrop

Movies with procedural vibe

L.A. Confidential

321. L.A. Confidential

Crime Mystery Thriller Drama Detective Mystery Crime
8.2

19972h 18min

United States

Director: Curtis Hanson

In 1950s Los Angeles, a clean-cut lieutenant digs into a late-night diner massacre and uncovers a trail that links his father’s unsolved murder to the city’s dirtiest power brokers. Now every clue he exposes turns fellow cops into enemies, and the department he serves quietly moves to erase him.

Themes

Prostitution networks and profiteering, Legacy of police corruption, Media manipulation and publicity, Femme fatale and deceit, Neo-noir aesthetics, Image vs legitimacy in policing

Available on

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

Contact

322. Contact

Drama Science Fiction Mystery Alien Contact Sci-Fi Psychological Drama
7.5

19972h 30min

United States

Director: Robert Zemeckis

After years of searching, a radio astronomer finds convincing proof of extraterrestrial intelligence when she receives a signal from an alien civilization. Embedded in the message are instructions for building a machine that could enable true contact with humanity.

Themes

Belief and testimony, Science vs faith, Funding and politics, Ethics of discovery, Contact with extraterrestrial life, Deception and interference

Available on

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

Hamlet

323. Hamlet

Drama Tragic Drama
7.7

19964h 2min

United States

Director: Kenneth Branagh

Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, returns home to find his father murdered and his mother now marrying the murderer... his uncle. Meanwhile, war is brewing.

Themes

Appearance vs reality, Power and governance, Succession and legitimacy, Spying and manipulation, Filial duty and vengeance, Political deception

Available on

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

The Rock

324. The Rock

Action Adventure Thriller Military Action Political Thriller
7.4

19962h 17min

United States

Director: Michael Bay

When vengeful General Francis X. Hummel seizes control of Alcatraz Island and threatens to launch missiles loaded with deadly chemical weapons into San Francisco, only a young FBI chemical weapons expert and notorious Federal prisoner have the skills to penetrate the impregnable island fortress and take him down.

Themes

Duty vs loyalty, Nerve gas threat, Island prison siege, Terrorist threat dynamics, Chemical weapons ethics, Hostage situation pressure

Available on

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

Ghost in the Shell

325. Ghost in the Shell

Action Animation Science Fiction Cyberpunk Adult Animation
7.9

19951h 23min

Japan, United Kingdom

Director: Mamoru Oshii

In the year 2029, the barriers of our world have been broken down by the net and by cybernetics, but this brings new vulnerability to humans in the form of brain-hacking. When a highly-wanted hacker known as 'The Puppetmaster' begins involving them in politics, Section 9, a group of cybernetically enhanced cops, are called in to investigate and stop the Puppetmaster.

Themes

Surveillance and control, Consciousness emergence, Human machine boundary, Political manipulation of tech

Available on

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

Se7en

326. Se7en

Crime Mystery Thriller Serial Killer Crime Investigation Mystery
8.6

19952h 7min

United States

Director: David Fincher

A weary detective just wants to finish his last week on the job, UNTIL a sadistic killer starts staging murders after the seven deadly sins and drags him and his hot-headed new partner into a citywide nightmare they cannot walk away from.

Themes

Deception and manipulation, Obsession with sin, Moral decay in urban setting, Police burnout under pressure, Cycle of victimization, Investigative ritual pattern

Available on

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

Apollo 13

327. Apollo 13

Drama History Historical Drama Historical Event
7.7

19952h 20min

United States

Director: Ron Howard

The film tells the story of the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission to the Moon, meant to be the third crewed lunar landing, but instead the crew is forced to fight for their survival and a safe return home.

Themes

Survival under pressure, Moon driven resilience, Teamwork under crisis, Disaster driven improvisation, Space rescue ethos

Available on

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

Die Hard: With a Vengeance

328. Die Hard: With a Vengeance

Action Thriller Buddy Action Investigation Suspense
7.6

19952h 8min

United States

Director: John McTiernan

New York detective John McClane is back and kicking bad-guy butt in the third installment of this action-packed series, which finds him teaming with civilian Zeus Carver to prevent the loss of innocent lives. McClane thought he'd seen it all, until a genius named Simon engages McClane, his new "partner" -- and his beloved city -- in a deadly game that demands their concentration.

Themes

Deception and misdirection, Urban siege pressures, Time-based coercion, Loyalties tested under stress, Economic destabilization, Collaboration across strangers

Available on

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

Schindler's List

329. Schindler's List

Drama History War Historical Event World War II
9.0

19933h 15min

United States

Director: Steven Spielberg

The true story of how businessman Oskar Schindler saved over a thousand Jewish lives from the Nazis while they worked as slaves in his factory during World War II.

Themes

Survival over profit, Labor instrumentalization, War profiteering ethics, Memory and postwar recognition, Moral calculus under threat, Power through bribery

Available on

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

A Few Good Men

330. A Few Good Men

Drama Legal Drama
7.7

19922h 18min

United States

Director: Rob Reiner

When cocky military lawyer Lt. Daniel Kaffee and his co-counsel, Lt. Cmdr. JoAnne Galloway, are assigned to a murder case, they uncover a hazing ritual that could implicate high-ranking officials such as shady Col. Nathan Jessep.

Themes

Code red consequences, Court martial proceedings, Military court legitimacy, Military law scrutiny, Navy command pressure, Military base scrutiny

Available on

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