Top 10 Movies Like The Bone Collector That You Will Enjoy Watching Update 04/2024

Movies Like The Bone Collector

If you enjoyed The Bone Collector, you should see these 10 films.

It stars Denzel Washington as Lincoln Rhyme, an ex-homicide detective who is now paralyzed from the waist down, and Angelina Jolie as Police Officer Amelia Donaghy, who team up to find and apprehend a serial killer terrorizing New York City in 1999’s “The Bone Collector.” The film, directed by Phillip Noyce, is based on a novel of the same name by American mystery/crime author Jeffery Deaver. Washington and Jolie provide the film with its artistic strength and make ‘The Bone Collector’ an engaging watch despite its lack of critical acclaim in 1999. According to film critic Roger Ebert, the performances were excellent.

I compared ‘The Bone Collector’ to other films with similar plots for inspiration when writing this piece. While not all of the films on this list are crime dramas or psychological thrillers, they all feature a lone wolf serial killer stalking the streets in search of his next victim. Each story attempts to answer the question “who is the murderer?” in some way, whether it’s ten strangers trying to find an unknown killer who’s stalking them, or a young boy secretly spying on a potential assassin. With that being said, we’ve put together a list of our picks for the best films that are similar to ‘The Bone Collector.’ Watch ‘The Bone Collector’ and other titles like it on Netflix, Hulu or Amazon Prime.

1. Fallen (1998)

Fallen (1998)

Denzel Washington plays homicide detective John Hobbes in ‘Fallen,’ a supernatural detective thriller in which he visits Edgar Reese’s execution site after capturing the serial killer and apprehending him. To his surprise, Hobbes discovers a number of additional serial killings that are eerily similar to the work of the dreaded killer.

It was directed by Gregory Hoblit and written by Nicholas Kazan, but despite the fact that the film was successful in attracting interest because of its intriguing premise, it fails miserably on the technical front. No matter how difficult it is to watch, Denzel Washington does a fantastic job of tying everything together by injecting the right amount of machismo and melancholy into what is already an enthralling supernatural thriller.

2. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992)

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, directed by David Lynch, is a psychological horror film about the murder of Teresa Banks (played by Pamela Gidley) and the final seven days of Laura Palmer (played by Sheryl Lee), a popular high school student in the fictional town of Twin Peaks. The film, which serves as a prequel to Lynch and Frost’s critically acclaimed mystery television series ‘Twin Peaks,’ which aired from 1990 to 1991, received a scathing reception from critics and filmgoers alike at the Cannes Film Festival.

In addition, ‘Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me’ was criticized for its excessive gore and grotesqueness, which were considered a detriment to the original show. Despite the fact that people’s opinions have evolved over time, many people still view the film as a dud from the veteran director. Despite this, fans of thrillers and horror will enjoy ‘Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me,’ despite its polarizing nature.

3. Identity (2003)

Identity (2003)

Following ten strangers who find themselves stranded in a deserted Nevada motel during a storm and discover that they are being murdered one by one by an unknown killer, “Identity” is an adaptation of Agatha Christie’s masterful novel “And Then There Were None,” published in 1939. As a psychological thriller, directed by James Mangold and written by Cathy Konrad, the film slowly unearths the truth behind a murder. The film does not do justice to Christie’s murder mystery, but it does provide enough thrills and suspense to keep you glued to the television.

4. The Keeper of Lost Causes (2013)

It is a crime thriller directed by Mikkel Nrgaard about Police inspector Carl Mrck, played by Nikolaj Lie Kaas, who is given the task of leading ‘cold cases’ department. Assad, Fares Fares’ character’s assistant, joins him in the investigation, and the two come across a case involving a mysteriously vanished woman. While the movie moves at a glacially slow pace, it does so patiently as it seeks to uncover the truth behind these crimes’ gruesome details. ‘The Keeper of Lost Causes’ has a compelling storyline that makes it easy to watch again and again. Kaas and Fares both give strong performances.

5. Disturbia (2007)

Disturbia

Shia LaBeouf plays a teenager named Kale Brecht, who is put under house arrest after committing an assault. He begins spying on his neighbors out of boredom and begins to suspect that one of them is a possible serial killer. He begins to suspect Using narrative elements from Alfred Hitchcock’s 1954 classic ‘Rear Window,’ the film is subtle in its approach, making it a breath of fresh air in the wave of over-the-top mystery thrillers released at the same time as it was released. As a bonus, the film’s young star Shia LaBeouf turns in an engaging performance that helps the picture overcome its flaws. ‘Disturbia,’ with a score of 69 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, is a movie well worth seeing.

6. Copycat (1995)

Jon Amiel directs “Copycat,” a psychological thriller about agoraphobic psychologist Helen Hudson and detective M.J. Monahan, who work together to catch a serial killer known for copying other serial killers in the past. It’s a taut thriller with strong performances from “sci-fi queen” Sigourney Weaver as the phobic detective, and it’s well worth seeing. Rotten Tomatoes gives “Copycat” a low approval rating (it has a 76 percent rating) due to the critical and commercial success of the murder-mystery “Seven,” which came out the same year. Despite this, the film is a gripping suspense drama.

7. The Lincoln Lawyer (2011)

The Lincoln Lawyer (2011)

The Lincoln Lawyer is a neo-noir legal thriller in which Oscar-winner Matthew McConaughey plays Mickey Haller, a lawyer hired to defend Ryan Phillipp’s Louis Roulet, a young “playboy” accused of assault. To help him win the case, Haller gathers evidence that suggests Roulet is guilty of the crime and may be involved with similar ones in the future.

The film, directed by Brad Furman and written by John Romano, is based on the novel of the same name by American mystery writer Michael Connelly. Despite the fact that the story does not add much to the already well-trodden territory of courtroom and legal thrillers, McConaughey’s commanding performance propels the film forward, making for an exciting ride.

8. Big Bad Wolves (2013)

‘Big Bad Wolves,’ a black comedy horror-thriller, follows a string of brutal killings that put the lives of three men in jeopardy. A vigilante police detective who goes outside the law to correct injustice is the first suspect, while the father of the latest victim is the second, and the primary suspect is third.

Together with Navot Papushado, Aharon Keshales crafted an original script that successfully blends elements of both horror and comedy. While this is a crime thriller, the central plot point is whodunnit, and that remains the focus of the story throughout. Quentin Tarantino named it the best film of 2013, and moviegoers who enjoy this type of fare should not miss it. The film ‘Big Bad Wolves’ was well received by critics and was named “Best International Film” at the Saturn Awards.

9. The Pledge (2001)

The Pledge (2001)

The Pledge is a mystery drama about retired police detective Jerry Black (Jack Nicholson) who takes on the case of a young child’s murderer. The Pledge: Requiem for the Detective Novel, by Swiss author Friedrich Dürrenmatt, was published in 1958 and was adapted into a film by Sean Penn. Though it hasn’t held up over time, ‘The Pledge’ received high marks for its direction and performances when it was released. Also, the film was nominated for several awards, including the coveted Cannes Film Festival “Palme d’Or” and the “Grand Prix,” to name a few.

10. Sea of Love (1989)

After the box office failure of the historical drama ‘Revolution,’ in 1985, and a subsequent four-year hiatus, there was good reason to be wary of Al Pacino’s triumphant return as an actor. ‘Sea of Love,’ a neo-noir thriller directed by Harold Becker and written by Richard Price, follows Detective Frank Keller as he investigates a string of murders that may have been committed by Helen Cruger.

However, issues arise when he becomes romantically involved with her, which complicates matters even further. Even though it’s not an original take on the genre, the film is cognizant of its own narrative discipline, and that’s good enough for me. It was a commercial success, but Al Pacino’s portrayal of the detective who gets sidetracked garnered the majority of the attention, earning him a Golden Globe nomination.