tense backdrop

Movies with tense vibe

The story of the kidnapping of 16-year-old John Paul Getty III and the desperate attempt by his devoted mother to convince his billionaire grandfather Jean Paul Getty to pay the ransom.

Themes

Wealth vs custody power, Legal loopholes and taxation tactics, Ransom leverage and negotiation, Organized crime and family wealth, Parental desperation and resilience, Media pressure and public scrutiny

Available on

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

The Greatest Showman

1392. The Greatest Showman

Drama Historical Drama
7.5

20171h 45min

United States

Director: Michael Gracey

The story of American showman P.T. Barnum, founder of the circus that became the famous traveling Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

Themes

Class inequality, Social acceptance, Public image pressure, Ambition vs loyalty, Spectacle and humanity, Inclusion of outsiders

Available on

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

Journey's End

1393. Journey's End

War Drama Action World War I Psychological Drama
6.7

20171h 48min

United Kingdom

Director: Saul Dibb

Set in a dugout in Aisne in 1918, a group of British officers, led by the mentally disintegrating young officer Stanhope, variously await their fate.

Themes

Dugout isolation under stress, Trenches camaraderie under threat, No man's land danger, German spring offensive threat, No man's land memory, Dugout dinners routine

Available on

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

The Pirates of Somalia

1394. The Pirates of Somalia

Drama Professional Drama
6.7

20171h 57min

United States

Director: Bryan Buckley

After an inspiring chance encounter with his idol, rookie journalist Jay Bahadur uproots his life and moves to Somalia looking for the story of a lifetime. Hooking up with a local fixer, he attempts to get embedded with the local Somali pirates, only to quickly find himself in over his head.

Themes

Embedded journalism ethics, Media gatekeeping and censorship, Risk in field reporting, Outsider influence on piracy, Ethics of portraying crime, Recognition of cultural complexity

Available on

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

El Camino Christmas

1395. El Camino Christmas

Comedy Crime Drama Dark Comedy Organized Crime
5.7

20171h 29min

United States

Director: David E. Talbert

A young man seeking a father he has never met, through no fault of his own, ends up barricaded in a liquor store with five other people on Christmas Eve in the fictitious town of El Camino, NV.

Themes

"movie: el camino christmas. genres: comedy, Crime, Drama, Comedy, Crime, Drama main themes: dark comedy, Police standoff, Christmas, Dark comedy, Police standoff, Christmas full keywords list: dark comedy, Police standoff, Christmas, Christmas eve. concept analysis: the film explores themes of familial estrangement and the quest for connection in the face of adversity. it highlights the transformative power of shared experiences and the possibility of redemption through human relationships."

Available on

Netflix
Netflix Standard with Ads
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

1396. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Crime Drama Detective Mystery Crime Tragic Drama
8.1

20171h 55min

United Kingdom, United States

Director: Martin McDonagh

After seven months have passed without a culprit in her daughter's murder case, Mildred Hayes makes a bold move, painting three signs leading into her town with a controversial message directed at Bill Willoughby, the town's revered chief of police. When his second-in-command Officer Jason Dixon, an immature mother's boy with a penchant for violence, gets involved, the battle between Mildred and Ebbing's law enforcement is only exacerbated.

Themes

Small town pressure, Billboard protest ethics, Police brutality tensions, Arson as retaliation, Molotov cocktail risk

Available on

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

The Shape of Water

1397. The Shape of Water

Drama Fantasy Romance Sword & Sorcery Dark Romance
7.3

20172h 3min

United States

Director: Guillermo del Toro

An other-worldly story, set against the backdrop of Cold War era America circa 1962, where a mute janitor working at a lab falls in love with an amphibious man being held captive there and devises a plan to help him escape.

Themes

Cold war paranoia, Otherness and belonging, Interspecies romance, State power vs science, Prejudice and discrimination, Humanity through empathy

Available on

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

Wonder Wheel

1398. Wonder Wheel

Drama Romance Relationship Drama Passionate Romance
6.2

20171h 41min

United States

Director: Woody Allen

The story of four characters whose lives intertwine amid the hustle and bustle of the Coney Island amusement park in the 1950s: Ginny, an emotionally volatile former actress now working as a waitress in a clam house; Humpty, Ginny’s rough-hewn carousel operator husband; Mickey, a handsome young lifeguard who dreams of becoming a playwright; and Carolina, Humpty’s long-estranged daughter, who is now hiding out from gangsters at her father’s apartment.

Themes

Class pressure erodes loyalty, Lifeguard ambitions collide with duty, Amusement park presence shapes desire, 1950s mood fuels secrecy, Housewife vulnerability under strain, Coney island tensions ripple through family

Available on

Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Video
Fandango At Home
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Cured

1399. The Cured

Horror Drama Science Fiction Zombie Horror Psychological Drama
5.6

20171h 35min

Ireland

Director: David Freyne

What happens when the undead return to life? In a world ravaged for years by a virus that turns the infected into zombie-like cannibals, a cure is at last found and the wrenching process of reintegrating the survivors back into society begins.

Themes

"movie: the cured. genres: horror, Drama, Science fiction, Horror, Drama, Science fiction main themes: infection, Flashback, Zombie, Infection, Flashback, Zombie full keywords list: infection, Flashback, Zombie, Disease, Military, Cure, Pack. concept analysis: the film explores the themes of redemption and societal reintegration in the face of trauma and stigma. it raises ethical questions about the treatment of those deemed dangerous and the moral implications of survival in a post-apocalyptic world."

Available on

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

In the Fade

1400. In the Fade

Drama Crime Tragic Drama Organized Crime
7.1

20171h 46min

Germany, France

Director: Fatih Akin

Katja's life collapses after the deaths of her husband and son in a bomb attack. After a time of mourning and injustice, Katja seeks revenge.

Themes

Revenge and consequences, Trauma and coping, Racism and violence, Political extremism and fear, Vigilantism versus justice, Social fragmentation in cities

Available on

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