20 movies like Barton Fink, ordered by similarity : I Wake Up Screaming(1941), Hotel(1967), The Saxon Charm(1948), Dr. Mabuse, King of Crime(1922), The Reckless Moment(1949), Somewhere(2010), The Killers(1946), The Maltese Falcon(1941), Counsellor-at-Law(1933), Sunset Blvd.(1950), Ikiru(1952), In a Lonely Place(1950) ...
Drama
UK|USA
1991
116 Minutes
John Turturro John Goodman Judy Davis Michael Lerner John Mahoney Tony Shalhoub Jon Polito Steve Buscemi David Warrilow Richard Portnow Christopher Murney
playwright neighbor insurance salesman producer drunk detective dark quirky intricate new york city hollywood, calif. hotel elevator movie studio writer's block death show business daunting task dance curse
A renowned New York playwright is enticed to California to write for the movies and discovers the hellish truth of Hollywood.
Crime, Drama
USA
1941
82 Minutes
Betty Grable Victor Mature Carole Landis Laird Cregar William Gargan Alan Mowbray Allyn Joslyn Elisha Cook Jr.
promoter victim sister police detective murderer hotel desk clerk dark intricate suspenseful new york city apartment police station restaurant murder obsessive love false accusations show business new love revenge love
Why is Inspector Ed Cornell trying to railroad Frankie Christopher for the murder of model Vicky Lynn?
Drama
1967
124 Minutes
Rod Taylor Catherine Spaak Karl Malden Melvyn Douglas Richard Conte Michael Rennie Merle Oberon Kevin McCarthy
hotel owner hotel manager thief duke duchess guest frenetic melodramatic new orleans hotel lobby hotel room office louisiana scandal blackmail schemes financial troubles drunken driving robbery
The manager (Rod Taylor) of a posh New Orleans hotel handles a hostile takeover, a scandal and a thief (Karl Malden).
Drama
USA
1948
88 Minutes
Robert Montgomery Susan Hayward John Payne Audrey Totter Harry Morgan Harry von Zell Cara Williams Chill Wills Heather Angel
writer wife theatrical producer singer ex-wife intense uneasy brash new york city hospital apartment nightclub beach hollywood, calif. show business egoism writing marriage singing drinking
In order to get his way, New York producer Matt Saxon manipulates and controls everyone around him but his latest protégé, novelist Eric Busch, finally stands-up to him.
Mystery & Thriller, Crime, Drama
Germany
1922
93 Minutes
Rudolf Klein-Rogge Aud Egede Nissen Gertrude Welcker Alfred Abel Bernhard Goetzke Paul Richter
criminal hypnotist gambler police detective businessman murderer dark intricate suspenseful thrilling nightclub city berlin police station asylum germany crime mind control psychiatry business
Arch-criminal Dr. Mabuse sets out to make a fortune and run Berlin. Detective Wenk sets out to stop him.
Mystery & Thriller, Drama
USA
1949
82 Minutes
James Mason Joan Bennett Geraldine Brooks Henry O'Neill Shepperd Strudwick David Bair Roy Roberts Frances E. Williams Paul E. Burns Danny Jackson Claire Carleton
wife daughter boyfriend gangster murder suspect police officer dark intricate intense family home boat crime scene police station southern california accidental death murder blackmail cover-up unlikely allies crime
After discovering the dead body of her teenage daughter's lover, a housewife takes desperate measures to protect her family from scandal.
Drama, Comedy
USA|UK|Italy|Japan
2010
98 Minutes
Stephen Dorff Elle Fanning Chris Pontius Michelle Monaghan Laura Chiatti Simona Ventura Benicio Del Toro Lala Sloatman
actor daughter father party girl mother stripper dreamy offbeat melodramatic engaging touching dark hollywood, calif. hotel ice-skating rink italy car city father/daughter relationship debauchery
After withdrawing to the Chateau Marmont, a passionless Hollywood actor reexamines his life when his eleven-year-old daughter surprises him with a visit.
Crime, Drama
USA
1946
105 Minutes
Burt Lancaster Ava Gardner Edmond O'Brien Albert Van Dekker Sam Levene Virginia Christine John Miljan Vince Barnett Charles D. Brown Donald MacBride
gas station attendant detective insurance investigator hitman femme fatale boxer dark brooding gritty powerful small town diner brentwood, n.j. city robbery crime deception love murder mystery
Hit men kill an unresisting victim, and investigator Reardon uncovers his past involvement with beautiful, deadly Kitty Collins.
Crime, Drama
USA
1941
100 Minutes
Humphrey Bogart Mary Astor Peter Lorre Gladys George Barton MacLane Sydney Greenstreet Lee Patrick Ward Bond Jerome Cowan Elisha Cook Jr. James Burke
detective femme fatale criminal police officer secretary dark gritty brooding intricate san francisco hotel office dangerous assignment shady dealings deception murder greed mystery pursuit temptation
A private detective takes on a case that involves him with three eccentric criminals, a gorgeous liar, and their quest for a priceless statuette.
Comedy, Drama
USA
1933
78 Minutes
John Barrymore Bebe Daniels Doris Kenyon Isabel Jewell Melvyn Douglas Onslow Stevens Thelma Todd Clara Langsner
attorney rival wife lover secretary emotional dark family home new york city law office social standing infidelity scandal dark secrets class distinctions jewish identity fall transformation discovery 1930s
Successful attorney has his Jewish heritage and poverty-stricken background brought home to him when he learns his wife has been unfaithful.
Drama
USA
1950
110 Minutes
William Holden Gloria Swanson Erich von Stroheim Nancy Olson Fred Clark Jack Webb
writer actress lover butler police officer chilling dark creepy mansion hollywood madness insanity death romance silent movies suicide fall wretched excess 1950s
A screenwriter develops a dangerous relationship with a faded film star determined to make a triumphant return.
Gay & Lesbian, Drama
1952
143 Minutes
Takashi Shimura Miki Odagiri Kyôko Seki
bureaucrat co-worker writer mayor prostitute sad emotional dark office japan illness politics death alcoholism loneliness meaning of life transformation fall 1950s
A rigid clerk (Takashi Shimura) resolves to do something of lasting importance after learning that he is dying of cancer.
Drama
USA
1950
91 Minutes
Humphrey Bogart Gloria Grahame Frank Lovejoy Carl Benton Reid Art Smith Jeff Donnell Martha Stewart Robert Warwick Morris Ankrum William Ching Steven Geray
lover screenwriter dead person detective agent engaging dark gripping hollywood, calif. police station nightclub love unusual behavior murder investigation fall mystery 1940s
A potentially violent screenwriter is a murder suspect until his lovely neighbor clears him. However, she soon starts to have her doubts.
Drama
USA
1945
101 Minutes
Ray Milland Jane Wyman Howard da Silva Phillip Terry Doris Dowling Frank Faylen Mary Young Anita Sharp-Bolster Lillian Fontaine Lewis Russell Frank Orth
writer alcoholic brother girlfriend bartender dark bleak intense new york city bar hotel opera house hospital addiction alcoholism lying self-destruction love wretched excess temptation
The desperate life of a chronic alcoholic is followed through a four-day drinking bout.
Crime, Drama
USA
2018
133 Minutes
Amandla Stenberg Regina Hall Russell Hornsby KJ Apa Anthony Mackie Sabrina Carpenter Common Issa Rae Lamar Johnson Dominique Fishback Algee Smith
teen girl teen boy neighbor high-school student friend police officer uneasy tense emotional profound passionate neighborhood high school party car police station house police brutality activism racial tension
Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Now, facing pressure from all sides of the community, Starr must find her voice and stand up for what's right.
Mystery & Thriller, Crime, Drama
Norway
1997
99 Minutes
Stellan Skarsgård Sverre Anker Ousdal Bjørn Floberg Gisken Armand Maria Bonnevie Maria Mathiesen Thor Michael Aamodt Frode Rasmussen
detective police officer writer murderer suspect partner dark dreamy somber norway arctic beach small town insomnia murder investigation cover-up guilt accidental death fall mystery
In a Norwegian city with a 24-hour daylight cycle a Swedish murder investigator has been brought in on a special case. Sleep deprived, he makes a horrible mistake which is discovered by the killer he has been hunting.
Crime, Drama
USA
1951
81 Minutes
Barry Sullivan Arlene Dahl Jean Hagen George Murphy Richard Anderson Moroni Olsen Dan Dayton Dick Simmons Howard Petrie William Reynolds Mauritz Hugo
lawyer boss fiancée girlfriend detective gangster suspenseful gritty intricate thrilling new york city hotel apartment nightclub courtroom betrayal frame-ups mob law second chance
An insurance lawyer unhappy with his rate of company advancement becomes a middleman in deals to recover stolen property from the Mob, thus earning a nice living. But his actions attract police attention and set him up for a double-cross.
Drama
USA
1992
100 Minutes
Al Pacino Jack Lemmon Alec Baldwin Ed Harris Alan Arkin Kevin Spacey Jonathan Pryce Bruce Altman Jude Ciccolella Paul Butler
salesman manager client motivational speaker bleak dark disheartening new york city office business family money ambition real estate wretched excess fall revenge 1980s
An examination of the machinations behind the scenes at a real estate office.
Crime, Drama
USA
1948
95 Minutes
Victor Mature Richard Conte Shelley Winters Fred Clark Berry Kroeger Debra Paget Betty Garde Tommy Cook
police detective murderer girlfriend lawyer thief brutal chilling dark suspenseful new york city hospital prison murder theft investigation imprisonment escape fall pursuit mystery
Police Lieut. Candella, longtime friend of the Rome family, walks a tightrope in the case of cop-killer Martin Rome.
Comedy, Drama
UK
1996
94 Minutes
Ewan McGregor Ewen Bremner Jonny Lee Miller Kevin McKidd Robert Carlyle Kelly Macdonald Peter Mullan James Cosmo Eileen Nicholas Susan Vidler Pauline Lynch
drug addict friend student girlfriend drug dealer sociopath amusing dark gritty edinburgh london household apartment pub hotel addiction abandonment friendship crime death
Renton, deeply immersed in the Edinburgh drug scene, tries to clean up and get out, despite the allure of the drugs and influence of friends.
Comedy, Drama
USA
2002
114 Minutes
Nicolas Cage Meryl Streep Chris Cooper Tilda Swinton Cara Seymour Brian Cox Judy Greer Maggie Gyllenhaal Ron Livingston Jay Tavare Stephen Tobolowsky
screenwriter writer twin thief waitress quirky frenetic household jungle movie set restaurant new york city swamp evolution movie making robbery romance writer's block obsession pursuit
A lovelorn screenwriter becomes desperate as he tries and fails to adapt 'The Orchid Thief' by Susan Orlean for the screen.