Best Movies like The Usual Suspects (1995)

Memento explores unreliable narration and fractured storytelling, challenging viewers to piece together the truth as the protagonist tries to make sense of his reality, just as The Usual Suspects uses its central character to keep the audience guessing about which parts of the story can be trusted.

Leonard Shelby is tracking down the man who raped and murdered his wife. The difficulty of locating his wife's killer, however, is compounded by the fact that he suffers from a rare, untreatable form of short-term memory loss. Although he can recall details of life before his accident, Leonard cannot remember what happened fifteen minutes ago, where he's going, or why. Memento is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 53m runtime, released in 2000 with an average rating of 8.2 by 16,510 people. The movie made an estimated total of $40,060,108 in the box office.

The Prestige, like The Usual Suspects, intricately weaves together drama and deception, placing multiple protagonists in a world where trust is a rare commodity and personal ambitions drive complex, secretive schemes with unexpected twists.

A mysterious story of two magicians whose intense rivalry leads them on a life-long battle for supremacy -- full of obsession, deceit and jealousy with dangerous and deadly consequences. The Prestige is a movie from United Kingdom in English, with a total 2h 10m runtime, released in 2006 with an average rating of 8.2 by 17,870 people. The movie made an estimated total of $109,676,311 in the box office.

Primal Fear and The Usual Suspects both revolve around high-stakes criminal investigations where interrogations play a central role and the supposed truth is constantly undermined by the characters' manipulations and hidden motives.

Defense attorney Martin Vail takes on jobs for money and prestige rather than any sense of the greater good. His latest case involves an altar boy, accused of brutally murdering the archbishop of Chicago. Vail finds himself up against his ex-pupil and ex-lover, but as the case progresses and the Church's dark secrets are revealed, Vail finds that what appeared a simple case takes on a darker, more dangerous aspect. Primal Fear is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 2h 10m runtime, released in 1996 with an average rating of 7.7 by 4,055 people. The movie made an estimated total of $102,616,183 in the box office.

L.A. Confidential is set in Los Angeles and delves into the intersection of law enforcement and criminal underworld dealings, mirroring The Usual Suspects' backdrop of crime and the pursuit of elusive, possibly mythic figures within the city.

Three detectives in the corrupt and brutal L.A. police force of the 1950s use differing methods to uncover a conspiracy behind the shotgun slayings of the patrons at an all-night diner. L.A. Confidential is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 2h 18m runtime, released in 1997 with an average rating of 7.8 by 5,634 people. The movie made an estimated total of $126,216,940 in the box office.

Gone Baby Gone features a tangled criminal investigation where the line between right and wrong is blurred. The focus on morally complex decisions and the aftermath of violent crime echoes the themes present in The Usual Suspects.

When 4 year old Amanda McCready disappears from her home and the police make little headway in solving the case, the girl's aunt, Beatrice McCready hires two private detectives, Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro. The detectives freely admit that they have little experience with this type of case, but the family wants them for two reasons—they're not cops and they know the tough neighborhood in which they all live. Gone Baby Gone is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 53m runtime, released in 2007 with an average rating of 7.3 by 4,253 people. The movie made an estimated total of $34,600,000 in the box office.

Inside Man unravels a complex heist with layers of planning and reveals hidden motivations, paralleling The Usual Suspects in its use of flashbacks and a mysterious mastermind guiding events from the shadows.

When an armed, masked gang enter a Manhattan bank, lock the doors and take hostages, the detective assigned to effect their release enters negotiations preoccupied with corruption charges he is facing. Inside Man is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 2h 9m runtime, released in 2006 with an average rating of 7.4 by 6,463 people. The movie made an estimated total of $186,003,591 in the box office.

The Game involves an ordinary man pulled into a series of elaborate manipulations where appearance and reality are deliberately confused, much like the web of deception at the center of The Usual Suspects.

In honor of his birthday, San Francisco banker Nicholas Van Orton, a financial genius and a cold-hearted loner, receives an unusual present from his younger brother, Conrad: a gift certificate to play a unique kind of game. In nary a nanosecond, Nicholas finds himself consumed by a dangerous set of ever-changing rules, unable to distinguish where the charade ends and reality begins. The Game is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 2h 9m runtime, released in 1997 with an average rating of 7.6 by 7,457 people. The movie made an estimated total of $109,423,648 in the box office.

Fight Club, similar to The Usual Suspects, dismantles narrative expectations using a central unreliable narrator, inviting viewers to puzzle out what is real and what is constructed as the story unfolds.

A ticking-time-bomb insomniac and a slippery soap salesman channel primal male aggression into a shocking new form of therapy. Their concept catches on, with underground "fight clubs" forming in every town, until an eccentric gets in the way and ignites an out-of-control spiral toward oblivion. Fight Club is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 2h 19m runtime, released in 1999 with an average rating of 8.4 by 32,496 people. The movie made an estimated total of $100,853,753 in the box office.

Se7en shares both the crime-thriller genre and the investigation of a cryptic, phantom-like antagonist whose identity and motives remain shrouded, reflecting The Usual Suspects' exploration of legendary underworld figures.

Two homicide detectives are on a desperate hunt for a serial killer whose crimes are based on the "seven deadly sins" in this dark and haunting film that takes viewers from the tortured remains of one victim to the next. The seasoned Det. Somerset researches each sin in an effort to get inside the killer's mind, while his novice partner, Mills, scoffs at his efforts to unravel the case. Se7en is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 2h 7m runtime, released in 1995 with an average rating of 8.4 by 23,456 people. The movie made an estimated total of $327,311,859 in the box office.

The Departed navigates the blurred boundaries between cops and criminals, focusing on infiltration, deception, and the exposure of hidden identities within criminal operations—core elements also found in The Usual Suspects.

To take down South Boston's Irish Mafia, the police send in one of their own to infiltrate the underworld, not realizing the syndicate has done likewise. While an undercover cop curries favor with the mob kingpin, a career criminal rises through the police ranks. But both sides soon discover there's a mole among them. The Departed is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 2h 31m runtime, released in 2006 with an average rating of 8.2 by 16,437 people. The movie made an estimated total of $291,465,000 in the box office.

The Spanish Prisoner and The Usual Suspects both feature protagonists ensnared in intricate cons, where seemingly ordinary situations spiral into elaborate betrayals and the identity of the true mastermind remains at the story’s heart.

An inventor of a secret process suddenly finds himself alone as both his friends and the corporation he works for turn against him. The Spanish Prisoner is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 50m runtime, released in 1997 with an average rating of 6.8 by 319 people. The movie made an estimated total of $13,835,130 in the box office.

Lucky Number Slevin unfolds around an innocent man caught in the crosshairs of rival gangsters, with identity confusion and orchestrated crime at its center, echoing the multi-layered underworld machinations of The Usual Suspects.

Slevin is mistakenly put in the middle of a personal war between the city’s biggest criminal bosses. Under constant watch, Slevin must try not to get killed by an infamous assassin and come up with an idea of how to get out of his current dilemma. Lucky Number Slevin is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 50m runtime, released in 2006 with an average rating of 7.5 by 4,547 people. The movie made an estimated total of $56,300,000 in the box office.

Oldboy presents a protagonist held captive and manipulated by unseen forces, with revelations about relationships and identities surfacing gradually, reflecting similar narrative surprises and psychological manipulation found in The Usual Suspects.

With no clue how he came to be imprisoned, drugged and tortured for 15 years, a desperate man seeks revenge on his captors. Oldboy is a movie from South Korea in Korean, with a total 2h 0m runtime, released in 2003 with an average rating of 8.2 by 10,035 people. The movie made an estimated total of $17,500,000 in the box office.

Mystic River delves into the aftermath of violent crime and the mystery of hidden truths among a group of men whose past connects them—resonating with The Usual Suspects’ focus on group dynamics, secrets, and the devastating impact of crime.

The lives of three men who were childhood friends are shattered when one of them suffers a family tragedy. Mystic River is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 2h 18m runtime, released in 2003 with an average rating of 7.7 by 7,577 people. The movie made an estimated total of $156,800,000 in the box office.

The Big Sleep is a classic crime mystery with a convoluted investigation and a cast of ambiguous characters, establishing storytelling traditions that influenced the layered narrative and shifting loyalties of The Usual Suspects.

Private Investigator Philip Marlowe is hired by wealthy General Sternwood regarding a matter involving his youngest daughter Carmen. Before the complex case is over, Marlowe sees murder, blackmail, deception, and what might be love. The Big Sleep is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 54m runtime, released in 1946 with an average rating of 7.6 by 1,177 people. The movie made an estimated total of $10,682,000 in the box office.

Chinatown explores a labyrinthine criminal conspiracy, set against an urban backdrop, where the pursuit of truth leads to morally ambiguous revelations—similar to the tone and investigative structure seen in The Usual Suspects.

Private eye Jake Gittes lives off of the murky moral climate of sunbaked, pre-World War II Southern California. Hired by a beautiful socialite to investigate her husband's extra-marital affair, Gittes is swept into a maelstrom of double dealings and deadly deceits, uncovering a web of personal and political scandals that come crashing together. Chinatown is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 2h 10m runtime, released in 1974 with an average rating of 7.9 by 4,323 people. The movie made an estimated total of $30,000,000 in the box office.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy dissects an investigation surrounded by paranoia, secretiveness, and ever-shifting alliances, much as The Usual Suspects weaves its crime narrative through betrayals and a relentless search for the truth about the mastermind.

George Smiley, the aging master spy of the Cold War and once heir apparent to Control, is brought back out of retirement to flush out a top level mole within the Circus. Smiley must travel back through his life and murky workings of the Circus to unravel the net spun by his nemesis Karla 'The Sandman' of the KGB and reveal the identity of the mole before he disappears. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a movie from United Kingdom in English, with a total 2h 7m runtime, released in 2011 with an average rating of 6.6 by 2,968 people. The movie made an estimated total of $81,515,369 in the box office.

The Long Good Friday is immersed in the criminal underworld, following a protagonist's desperate attempts to control events as unseen enemies undermine him, paralleling the interplay of criminal factions and hidden agendas in The Usual Suspects.

In the late 1970s, Cockney crime boss Harold Shand, a gangster trying to become a legitimate property mogul, has big plans to get the American Mafia to bankroll his transformation of a derelict area of London into the possible venue for a future Olympic Games. However, a series of bombings targets his empire on the very weekend the Americans are in town. Shand is convinced there is a traitor in his organization, and sets out to eliminate the rat in typically ruthless fashion. The Long Good Friday is a movie from United Kingdom in English, with a total 1h 54m runtime, released in 1980 with an average rating of 7.2 by 437 people. The movie made an estimated total of $500,000 in the box office.

Infernal Affairs tracks the cat-and-mouse game between law enforcement and crime syndicates, with both sides planting moles—mirroring the double-crosses and unreliable alliances at the core of The Usual Suspects.

Chan Wing Yan, a young police officer, has been sent undercover as a mole in the local mafia. Lau Kin Ming, a young mafia member, infiltrates the police force. Years later, their older counterparts, Chen Wing Yan and Inspector Lau Kin Ming, respectively, race against time to expose the mole within their midst. Infernal Affairs is a movie from Hong Kong in Cantonese, with a total 1h 41m runtime, released in 2002 with an average rating of 7.8 by 1,893 people. The movie made an estimated total of $8,836,958 in the box office.

The Third Man investigates crime amid postwar chaos, introducing a legendary and elusive figure whose supposed death is questioned—recalling The Usual Suspects’ enigmatic Keyser Soze and the story’s uncertainty over who is real or imagined.

In postwar Vienna, Austria, Holly Martins, a writer of pulp Westerns, arrives penniless as a guest of his childhood chum Harry Lime, only to learn he has died. Martins develops a conspiracy theory after learning of a "third man" present at the time of Harry's death, running into interference from British officer Major Calloway, and falling head-over-heels for Harry's grief-stricken lover, Anna. The Third Man is a movie from United Kingdom in English, with a total 1h 45m runtime, released in 1949 with an average rating of 7.9 by 2,141 people. The movie made an estimated total of $1,226,098 in the box office.

Heat is structured around a high-stakes heist involving a tightly knit group of criminals, their internal tensions, and the ensuing manhunt, similar to the central crime and group dynamics that drive The Usual Suspects.

Obsessive master thief Neil McCauley leads a top-notch crew on various daring heists throughout Los Angeles while determined detective Vincent Hanna pursues him without rest. Each man recognizes and respects the ability and the dedication of the other even though they are aware their cat-and-mouse game may end in violence. Heat is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 2h 50m runtime, released in 1995 with an average rating of 7.9 by 8,529 people. The movie made an estimated total of $187,400,000 in the box office.

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead examines the dire consequences of a carefully planned heist gone wrong, focusing on flawed partners and the chain reaction of lies—closely reflecting the unraveling partnerships and betrayals in The Usual Suspects.

When two brothers organize the robbery of their parents' jewelry store, the job goes horribly wrong, triggering a series of events that send them and their family hurtling towards a shattering climax. Before the Devil Knows You're Dead is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 57m runtime, released in 2007 with an average rating of 7.1 by 1,763 people. The movie made an estimated total of $25,005,257 in the box office.

No Way Out centers on an elaborate investigation where layers of deceit and mistaken identity threaten the protagonist, echoing the labyrinthine interrogations and shifting loyalties present in The Usual Suspects.

Navy Lt. Tom Farrell meets a young woman, Susan Atwell, and they share a passionate fling. Farrell then finds out that his superior, Defense Secretary David Brice, is also romantically involved with Atwell. When the young woman turns up dead, Farrell is put in charge of the murder investigation. He begins to uncover shocking clues about the case, but when details of his encounter with Susan surface, he becomes a suspect as well. No Way Out is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 54m runtime, released in 1987 with an average rating of 6.9 by 823 people. The movie made an estimated total of $35,509,515 in the box office.

The Secret in Their Eyes investigates a past crime's lingering effects, shifting between timelines as investigators try to untangle truth from fiction, similar to The Usual Suspects' use of delayed revelations and intertwining stories.

Hoping to put to rest years of unease concerning a past case, retired criminal investigator Benjamín begins writing a novel based on the unsolved mystery of a newlywed’s rape and murder. With the help of a former colleague, judge Irene, he attempts to make sense of the past. The Secret in Their Eyes is a movie from Spain in Spanish, with a total 2h 10m runtime, released in 2009 with an average rating of 8.0 by 2,907 people. The movie made an estimated total of $33,965,843 in the box office.

The Machinist follows a man whose grip on reality is fragile, driven by guilt and paranoia, with the audience piecing together the mystery from his unreliable perspective—a narrative technique reminiscent of The Usual Suspects.

Trevor, an insomniac lathe operator, experiences unusual occurrences at work and home. A strange man follows him everywhere, but no one else seems to notice him. The Machinist is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 42m runtime, released in 2004 with an average rating of 7.5 by 6,253 people. The movie made an estimated total of $8,203,235 in the box office.

Zodiac depicts the dogged search for a criminal whose identity remains a mystery, entwining multiple characters and perspectives within an investigation, just as The Usual Suspects builds suspense around mythic criminal figures and their elusive truth.

Over the course of a decade, editors of the San Francisco Chronicle entice themselves in the murders of the Zodiac Killer. However, as time runs its course, interest in the case dwindles in the eyes of the professionals. The Killer stops interacting with the public. However, believing he has the answers, an amateur cartoonist from the initial sightings races against time to prevent what he believes is another murder. Zodiac is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 2h 37m runtime, released in 2007 with an average rating of 7.5 by 11,714 people. The movie made an estimated total of $84,785,914 in the box office.

Gone Girl interrogates the reliability of its narratives, shifting viewer sympathies and revealing deceptions at each turn, a structure reflecting The Usual Suspects’ focus on manipulation and perspective-driven storytelling.

With his wife's disappearance having become the focus of an intense media circus, a man sees the spotlight turned on him when it's suspected that he may not be innocent. Gone Girl is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 2h 29m runtime, released in 2014 with an average rating of 7.9 by 20,182 people. The movie made an estimated total of $370,890,259 in the box office.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo pursues a puzzling crime case while delving into characters whose dark secrets hold the key to understanding a deadly mystery, paralleling The Usual Suspects' complex investigation and elusive answers.

Disgraced journalist Mikael Blomkvist investigates the disappearance of a weary patriarch's niece from 40 years ago. He is aided by the pierced, tattooed, punk computer hacker named Lisbeth Salander. As they work together in the investigation, Blomkvist and Salander uncover immense corruption beyond anything they have ever imagined. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 2h 38m runtime, released in 2011 with an average rating of 7.4 by 7,707 people. The movie made an estimated total of $232,617,430 in the box office.

A Simple Plan follows ordinary people drawn into criminality by greed and desperation, with mounting mistrust among conspirators—key thematic parallels with The Usual Suspects, where hidden motives and betrayal shape the outcome.

Captivated by the lure of sudden wealth, the quiet rural lives of two brothers erupt into conflicts of greed, paranoia and distrust when over $4 million in cash is discovered at the remote site of a downed small airplane. Their simple plan to retain the money while avoiding detection opens a Pandora's box when the fear of getting caught triggers panicked behavior and leads to virulent consequences. A Simple Plan is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 2h 1m runtime, released in 1998 with an average rating of 7.2 by 1,105 people. The movie made an estimated total of $16,316,273 in the box office.

Bound centers on the plotting of a heist within a world rife with shifting loyalties, where characters must outwit one another as they face the threat of betrayal, much like the double-crosses and suspicion in The Usual Suspects.

Corky, a tough female ex-convict working on an apartment renovation in a Chicago building, meets a couple living next door, Caesar, a paranoid mobster, and Violet, his seductive girlfriend, who is immediately attracted to her. Bound is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 45m runtime, released in 1996 with an average rating of 7.2 by 1,115 people. The movie made an estimated total of $7,011,317 in the box office.

The Double presents layers of mistaken identity and psychological tension, as the protagonist becomes obsessed with an enigmatic counterpart—a tale of duplicity echoing the shifting truths and unreliable accounts of The Usual Suspects.

Igor Uspensky's popularity is growing faster than he can find time for social events, parties, photo shoots, and interacting with the public. At the same time, in one of the small beauty salons, a local masseur named Seva, who looks exactly like Uspensky, is filming a commercial. Igor finds a solution to his problem and offers Seva a partnership. The Double is a movie from Russia in Russian, with a total 1h 25m runtime, released in 2013 with an average rating of 4.5 by 31 people.

The Crying Game features a core mystery involving identity and shifting allegiances, with characters hiding secrets until pivotal revelations, sharing key narrative elements of surprise and transformation found in The Usual Suspects.

Irish Republican Army member Fergus forms an unexpected bond with Jody, a kidnapped British soldier in his custody, despite the warnings of fellow IRA members Jude and Maguire. Jody makes Fergus promise he'll visit his girlfriend, Dil, in London, and when Fergus flees to the city, he seeks her out. Hounded by his former IRA colleagues, he finds himself increasingly drawn to the enigmatic, and surprising, Dil. The Crying Game is a movie from United Kingdom in English, with a total 1h 52m runtime, released in 1992 with an average rating of 6.8 by 859 people. The movie made an estimated total of $62,548,947 in the box office.

The Conversation portrays an investigation grounded in surveillance and suspicion, following a protagonist whose discoveries shake his perception of reality—a mood and narrative style that resonates with The Usual Suspects’ unfolding of hidden truths.

A paranoid, secretive surveillance expert has a crisis of conscience when he suspects that the couple he is spying on will be murdered. The Conversation is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 55m runtime, released in 1974 with an average rating of 7.5 by 2,065 people. The movie made an estimated total of $4,794,457 in the box office.

The Limey pursues a vengeance-driven investigation where the central character seeks justice amid false leads and concealed motives, echoing the narrative structure and sense of uncertainty characteristic of The Usual Suspects.

The Limey follows Wilson, a tough English ex-con who travels to Los Angeles to avenge his daughter's death. Upon arrival, Wilson goes to task battling Valentine and an army of L.A.'s toughest criminals, hoping to find clues and piece together what happened. After surviving a near-death beating, getting thrown from a building and being chased down a dangerous mountain road, the Englishman decides to dole out some bodily harm of his own. The Limey is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 29m runtime, released in 1999 with an average rating of 6.5 by 505 people. The movie made an estimated total of $3,204,663 in the box office.

Miller's Crossing explores crime syndicates and shifting alliances, with a protagonist caught between loyalty and survival—themes that run parallel to The Usual Suspects' depiction of group dynamics and criminal intrigue.

Set in 1929, a political boss and his advisor have a parting of the ways when they both fall for the same woman. Miller's Crossing is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 55m runtime, released in 1990 with an average rating of 7.4 by 1,878 people. The movie made an estimated total of $5,080,409 in the box office.

Sleuth is structured around an intricate battle of wits and elaborate deception between two men, playing with audience expectations and hidden motivations, a storytelling approach reminiscent of The Usual Suspects.

A man who loves games and theatre invites his wife's lover to meet, setting up a battle of wits with potentially deadly results. Sleuth is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 2h 18m runtime, released in 1972 with an average rating of 7.7 by 731 people. The movie made an estimated total of $5,750,000 in the box office.

Insomnia investigates a crime in which perspective and moral ambiguity cloud the investigation, focusing on a protagonist whose decisions are increasingly compromised, paralleling narrative complexity and internal conflict present in The Usual Suspects.

Two Los Angeles homicide detectives are dispatched to a northern town where the sun doesn't set to investigate the methodical murder of a local teen. Insomnia is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 58m runtime, released in 2002 with an average rating of 7.0 by 5,410 people. The movie made an estimated total of $113,714,830 in the box office.

Tell No One follows a protagonist drawn back into a crime from the past, racing to uncover the truth as he faces danger and increasing suspicion, a structure echoing The Usual Suspects' twisting investigation and persistent uncertainties.

A man receives a mysterious email appearing to be from his wife, who was murdered years earlier. As he frantically tries to find out whether she's alive, he finds himself being implicated in her death. Tell No One is a movie from France in French, with a total 2h 11m runtime, released in 2006 with an average rating of 7.2 by 1,536 people.