30 Best Movies Like Prisoners
Prisoners is one of the best mystery movies of all time. It is made on a short story by Aaron Guzikowski, which is also a bit of a true story and is definitely one of the best kidnapping movies of all time. If you are looking for more similar movies to it, we have you covered, as in this article, we are bringing you the best movies like Prisoners you need to see.
Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman) is facing every parent’s worst nightmare. His 6-year-old daughter Anna and her friend Joy are missing. The best clue is provided by a dilapidated van that was parked on their street just before. The main investigator, Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal) arrests the driver, Alex Jones (Paul Dano), but has to let him go due to lack of evidence. As the police follow several leads and tension rises, knowing his child’s life is at stake, a crazed Dover decides to take matters into his own hands. How far is a desperate father willing to go for his family?
Now let’s check other similar movies to Prisoners and we will let you know what are they about so you can choose your next watch quickly.
Along Came a Spider (2001)
After two years of peaceful work at the school, the teacher kidnaps the senator’s daughter and very quickly reports to the criminal psychologist Alex Cross (Morgan Freeman) in order to, it seems, play cat and mouse. Morgan Freeman as an experienced police psychologist will find himself playing a game of tricks with a cunning kidnapper in the tense “The Spider’s Conspiracy”.
Cross is convinced that he was contacted only to provide the kidnapper with some media fame, and his assumptions are confirmed when he finds books about the famous case in the kidnapper’s hideout. “Lindenburg”. One of the agents who was in charge of guarding the girl offers her help to the experienced Cross, who doesn’t know who he should trust, if he wants the abductee to survive…
Se7en (1995)
A series of incredibly brutal murders has shocked the public, and detectives Sommerset (Morgan Freeman) and Mills (Brad Pitt) seem to be facing an unsolvable puzzle. The model by which an unknown criminal chooses and kills his victims is taken from biblical tradition; one by one, people who can be blamed for one of the seven deadly sins are killed, in cruel ways that leave no doubt as to the motives of the maniacal killer.
The experienced and well-read Sommerset studies the legend of the seven deadly sins in order to better understand the killer’s motives and means, while his younger colleague Mills fears the possibility of understanding a deranged mind. The situation for the detectives becomes even more complicated when the killer involves them more concretely in the realization of his incredible plan.
Changeling (2008)
One morning in 1928, in a working-class suburb of Los Angeles, Christine goes to work and greets her son. When she returns home, her son is gone. The search for him lasts for years and Christine finally receives information that her son will be returned to her.
However, instead of being happy about the return of the child, Christine experiences a shock, because the returned child is not hers. Faced with corrupt police and a skeptical public, Christine is desperate for answers. She finally comes to the truth that will change her forever.
Insomnia (2002)
Experienced police detective Will Dormer (Al Pacino) comes with his partner, detective Eckhart (Marin Donovan), to a small town in Alaska to solve the murder of a teenage girl. He is assisted in the investigation by the local police, especially the young detective Ellie Burr (Hilary Swank) who is fascinated by Dormer’s reputation.
Catching the suspect in the fog, Dormer hits his partner, then decides to cover it up. However, the fugitive calls him and informs him that he saw what happened, and offers a settlement – he will not reveal that Dormer killed his partner, and Dormer will give up his pursuit and blame the murdered boy…
The Girl on the Train (2016)
Rachel Watson (E. Blunt) is an alcoholic and has been aimlessly riding the train ever since she got fired. She is obsessed with the life of her ex-husband Tom Watson (J. Theroux) and his new wife Anna (R. Ferguson) and their idealized neighbors Scott (L. Evans) and Megan (H. Bennett) Hipwell. Megan was a nanny for the Watsons, but recently quit her job.
Rachel sees Megan kissing a stranger from the train and it infuriates her. He intends to call Megan out on this, however, he wakes up a few hours later in his bed, covered in blood. Megan is missing, and Rachel is questioned by Detective Riley (A. Janney) because she was last seen near Megan’s house that day…
Law Abiding Citizen (2009)
Clyde Shelton (Gerard Butler) is enjoying a quiet dinner in a family environment when two robbers break into his house and brutally rape and kill Shelton’s wife and young daughter.
Ten years later, outraged by a justice system that sentenced one murderer to death and acquitted another completely, Clyde embarks on a revenge campaign never seen before: first he will take care of the murderers, and then all those who participated in his case, topped with District Attorney Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx)
Gone Baby Gone (2007)
Private detectives, Patrick Kenzie (Casey Affleck) and Angie Gennaro (Michelle Monaghan), are hired to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a little girl.
Using their knowledge of the underworld they soon uncover a tangled web of deception and lies where nothing is as it seems. Ultimately, they must risk everything – their relationship, their sanity, and even their lives – to find the missing girl.
Nightcrawler (2014)
It’s no secret that blood sells news these days. The more brutal and shocking the event, the more media space it will receive. The sociopath Lou Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal) understood this too, and after unsuccessfully looking for a job, he decided to become a freelance TV reporter who follows the blackest of all chronicles – the night ones.
Man on Fire (2004)
Creasy (D. Washington) is a former soldier and mercenary who now finds it difficult to deal with the horrors he committed before, and finds solace in alcohol. He visits his friend and former comrade Rayburn (C. Walken), who has retired and lives in Mexico, and there he accepts a job as a bodyguard for Pita (D. Fanning), the daughter of a businessman.
Despite the initial distance, Pita manages to soften the bodyguard’s rigidity and the two become friends, and Creasy begins to look at life with optimism. But then they kidnap Pete and Creasy is seriously wounded. While he is lying in bed, the handover of the money fails, the kidnapper’s nephew is killed, and he kills the girl in revenge. When he recovers, Creasy decides to go on a revenge spree and kill everyone who had anything to do with Pete’s kidnapping.
Shutter Island (2010)
Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his new partner, Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo), are two federal sheriffs investigating the disappearance of a convicted murderer who escaped from a mental institution and is suspected of hiding on remote Shutter Island.
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The whole situation suddenly gets complicated after the island is hit by a big storm that separates them from the rest of the world.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
Forty years ago, Harriet Vanger disappeared from a family gathering on an island owned by the powerful Vanger clan. Her body has never been found, and her uncle is convinced that the killer is a member of his close-knit but dysfunctional family. He hires journalist Mikael Blomkvist and the tattooed, troubled but skilled hacker Lisbeth Salander to investigate the case.
When they connect the disappearance of Harriet and numerous grotesque murders forty years ago, they begin to uncover the family’s dark history. But the Vangers are a strong clan and Blomkvist and Salander will have to find out how far they are willing to go to protect themselves…
The Captive (2014)
Eight years after the disappearance of Cassandra, her father, frustrated by the lack of news and police involvement, decides to take matters into his own hands.
Gone Girl (2014)
Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike will star in the tense story about a wife who doesn’t show up for her 5th wedding anniversary. They play the perfect married couple, Nick and Amy, who live peacefully in the provinces after moving from New York.
The beloved members of the tiny community will become #1 national news when the search for the missing Amy reveals that Nick is the prime suspect, and her diary reveals an entirely different side of their perfect marriage…
Horsemen (2009)
After the sudden death of his wife, detective Aidan Breslin (Dennis Quaid) became estranged from his sons and the rest of the world. Aidan became obsessed with his work.
In addition, he has to face one of the most difficult cases in his career, where he discovers a shocking connection with four murder suspects. Namely, they are connected with the four horsemen of the apocalypse who herald the end of the world.
Mystic River (2003)
Boston, mid-seventies. Three boys, Sean (K. Bacon), Jimmy (S. Penn) and Dave (T. Robbins), are carefree playing until their game is interrupted by several unknown men. They pose as policemen, kidnap Dave, lock him in the basement and rape him for several days. Some thirty years later, they still live in Boston, all are married, Jimmy owns a store, Sean is a police detective, and Dave is a laborer, forever scarred by a childhood tragedy.
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One day, Jimmy’s eldest daughter is found tortured to death in a nearby park. During the police investigation, some details are revealed that are not able to immediately shed light on the case, but a lot indicates that the killer could be Dave.
Blue Ruin (2013)
Blue Ruin follows a mysterious vagabond whose life is turned upside down after the terrible news of a long-ago tragedy. He embarks on a revenge campaign to protect the family from which he was estranged long ago, but he turns out to be inadequate for this new heroic role.
Nocturnal Animals (2016)
If you loved someone, you can’t just erase them from your life. The manuscript of a novel by her ex-husband Edward Sheffield (Jake Gyllenhaal) arrives at the address of art gallery owner Susan Morrow (Amy Adams), who asks for her opinion. With the novel comes an invitation to dinner because Edward is coming to Los Angeles soon.
By the way, Susan Morrow’s current marriage is about to break up due to the infidelity of her husband, businessman Hutton Morrow (Armie Hammer), so she becomes obsessed with a novel dedicated to her, the title of which is “Nocturnal Animals” chosen after the nickname Edward gave her.
Reading the novel, which exudes a dark atmosphere, Susan recalls her first meeting with Edward and their relationship, which her mother opposed, believing that Edward was not worthy of her daughter and that, due to his romantic views, he would never achieve any goals.
The Secret in Their Eyes (2009)
BenjamÃn Chaparro has just retired after a lifetime of working as an employee of the Criminal Court. To fill his free time, he decides to write a novel based on a real story he witnessed and in which he played a leading role. At first glance, the novel is a story about a murder that happened in Buenos Aires in 1973 and about the investigation of the perpetrator.
But once he opens the door to the past, it becomes impossible for Chaparro to close it again. Namely, the turbulent Argentina of those times permeates the lives of his characters with its burden of violence and death. Although Chaparro believes that the story he is telling is only about the past, his search begins to shed light on his own present life and forces him to face the love dilemma that has haunted him for too long.
Reconstructing the past will encourage him to delve deep into his own feelings, behavior and decisions. By discovering the truth, he will not only achieve his literary goal, but also find the key that will open the door to the rest of his life.
Searching (2018)
After David’s 16-year-old daughter goes missing, a local investigation is opened, and the case is assigned to a detective. But 37 hours later and without a single trace, David decides to search the only place that no one has checked yet, where all the secrets are kept today: his daughter’s laptop.
In a thriller told through the technological devices we use every day to communicate, David must follow his daughter’s digital footprints before she disappears forever.
Wind River (2017)
When Cory Lambert discovers a body in the wilderness of the Wind River Indian Reservation, the FBI sends its agent Jane Banner to investigate the murder. Since she is not prepared for the winter conditions in Wyoming, she asks Cory to help her investigate.
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
The FBI is desperate to find a vicious serial killer known as Buffalo Bill, who kidnaps and flays women. The director of the FBI’s Behavioral Sciences Division, Jack Crawford, sends Clarice Starling, an FBI academy recruit, to interrogate the infamous Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant forensic psychiatrist turned cannibalistic serial killer, in the hopes of encountering a clue.
The highly educated Lecter initially refuses to give any information, but eventually calls Clarice back to his cell and tells her in the form of riddles about one of his former patients. In exchange for details from her past, he gives her clues that may lead her to the killer.
Solving the puzzle leads Starling to land owned by Benjamin Raspail, a late patient of Lecter’s, in whose car she finds a head in a bowl…
Solace (2015)
In order to catch a notorious serial killer, the FBI enlists the help of a psychic who would help them hunt down this extremely dangerous man. This is a thriller that will keep you in suspense until the very end!
Taken (2008)
Liam Neeson is Bryan, an experienced secret agent who has decided to quit his job so he can spend more time with his young daughter, Kim (Maggie Grace).
But when he suddenly receives a call from Paris, in which a shocked Kim informs him that unknown people have broken into the apartment and attacked her friend, he will have to use all his skills to save his daughter before she is lost forever.
The Pledge (2001)
Jerry Black is a homicide detective in Nevada. On the day of his retirement, he goes to the scene of the murder for the last time to help his colleagues with advice. A little girl was killed in a secluded village.
The girl’s mother, a Christian, makes him swear on a crucifix that he will not give up until he finds the perpetrator. The police soon arrest the suspected demented Indian. Convinced that the perpetrator is still at large, Black begins a private investigation that turns into an obsession.
The Chaser (2008)
Former policeman Eom Joong-ho (Kim Yoon-seok) is now a pimp. Joong-Ho finds himself in big financial trouble after two of his prostitutes go missing. Among those left at his disposal is the beautiful Kim Mi-jin (Seo Yeong-he), the mother of the little girl Eun-ji (Kim Yoo-jeong).
Only after sending Mi-Jin to a client does the pimp realize that the client may be responsible for his girls’ disappearance. The unfortunate Mi-Jin soon finds herself in the basement of a brutal serial killer…
Edge of Darkness (2010)
Thomas Craven (M. Gibson) is happy that his daughter is coming to visit him. Since she moved away and got a job in another city, he rarely sees her and knows little about her. Despite this, the relationship between them is close and Emma (B. Novakovic) loves her father as much as he loves her. During the evening she feels bad, and when her nose bleeds, she decides to admit to her father that she needs to see a doctor.
She was hit by a bullet in front of the house door and Emma died on the spot. Craven is desperate, but decides to start an investigation. Officially, he has the right to that because everyone believes that he was the real target, and that Emma was killed by accident…
The Lovely Bones (2009)
The story takes place in 1973 in a small town in Pennsylvania where 14-year-old Susie Salmon (Saoirse Ronan) lives with her parents and younger brother and sister. Her carefree childhood is brutally interrupted when her neighbor George Harvey (Tucci) lures her into a specially built den. Soon after, Susie discovers that she is no longer alive, that is, that she has fallen victim to Harvey’s twisted urges.
After that, he refuses to cross over to the “other side” and instead wanders as a ghost through a world he no longer has any influence over. Thus, he cannot prevent her grief-stricken parents from breaking up their marriage, nor can he help police detective Fenerman (Imperioli) to solve her murder. In the meantime, her younger sister Lindsey (McIver) grew up, and thus became the object of Harvey’s interest.
You Were Never Really Here (2017)
Traumatized veteran and ex-FBI agent Joe, who is no stranger to violence, has recently been making a living by finding missing young girls. When a prominent New York politician hires him to find his missing daughter, the job soon spirals out of control, and Joe begins to suffer nightmares while uncovering a networked conspiracy that may lead him to ultimate redemption… Or to his own death.
Zodiac (2007)
The link between a string of murders in Northern California during the 60s and 70s are letters the killer apparently sent to San Francisco dailies, demanding they be published or he would kill someone again. The letters are accompanied by numbers – coded messages – which the killer says contain clues to his identity.
Robert Graysmith, a cartoonist for one of the papers – the San Francisco Chronicle – and also an amateur cryptologist, becomes fascinated … actually obsessed … with solving the case.
Jar City (2006)
The dead body of Holdberg, a single man who was almost never in contact with anyone, was found in the basement of the apartment. But when the seemingly ordinary murder is taken over by detective Erlendur Sveinsso, he notices similarities with a 30-year-old rape case that seems to him to have been sloppily investigated and closed too quickly…
