Movie

Phoenix

1998 · 107 min

A sweaty, downbeat neo-noir that tightens like a vice, offering little relief and a bitter, fatalistic payoff.

Directed by: Danny Cannon
Genres: Drama, Thriller, Crime
Starring: Ray Liotta, Anthony LaPaglia, Anjelica Huston

Tagline: In this town, the heat can kill you.
Overview: Gambling fever -- along with a brutal bookie -- leads three crooked cops into a double-dealing scheme that lands them in hot water way over their heads.

Your rating is saved. See your suggestions, or find titles like this one below.

Rate it, and Mesmero finds titles that feel like it. You do not need an account.

Search YouTube for a trailer

Add to a list: Phoenix

In the UKNo streaming, rental or purchase options known.

Directed by: Danny Cannon
Genres: Drama, Thriller, Crime
Starring: Ray Liotta, Anthony LaPaglia, Anjelica Huston

In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone: darkstrength 3 of 3
tensestrength 2 of 3
cynicalstrength 2 of 3
melancholicstrength 1 of 3
Pacing: measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention: engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes: greed
corruption
betrayal
guilt
redemption
Places: big city
Era: contemporary
Audience: adult
Form: twist ending
Content intensity: Gore mild
Language strong
Violence strong
Sex mild

All scales, 0 to 10

Scales, 0 to 10
Scale	Value	0 to 10
Action	4
Horror	1
Humour	2
Realism	7
Romance	3
Tension	7
Darkness	8
Complexity	6
Emotional weight	6

Titles like Phoenix

Movie

The Grifters

1990

A sleek, sun-bleached noir that tightens like a wire, all charm and menace, leaving a cold, bitter aftertaste.

Dark, tense · about greed and betrayal · twist ending

Via: dark
tense
greed
betrayal
twist ending
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 110 min

Details

The GriftersHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Training Day

2001

A sweaty, nerve-jangling ride through LA's underworld that keeps you tense and morally off-balance from start to finish.

Dark, tense · about corruption and betrayal · twist ending

Via: dark
tense
corruption
betrayal
twist ending
Pacing: relentless
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 122 min

Details

Training DayHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

The Killing

1956

A taut, fatalistic heist thriller that tightens like a noose, its clockwork plot and doomed characters leaving a bitter aftertaste.

Dark, tense · about greed and betrayal

Via: dark
tense
greed
betrayal
Pacing: brisk
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 85 min

Details

The KillingHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

The Negotiator

1998

A taut, talky standoff that keeps you leaning in, trading gunfire for mind games and slow-burning suspicion.

Same composer: Graeme Revell · Dark, tense · about corruption and betrayal · twist ending

Also: Same composer: Graeme Revell
Via: dark
tense
corruption
betrayal
twist ending
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 140 min

Details

The NegotiatorHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Double Indemnity

1944

A sleek, shadowy descent into temptation and betrayal, told with sharp wit and mounting dread.

Dark, tense · about greed and betrayal · twist ending

Via: dark
tense
greed
betrayal
twist ending
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 107 min

Details

Double IndemnityHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Goodfellas

1990

A seductive, fast-paced rise-and-fall crime saga that immerses you in glamour and paranoia, with sharp dialogue and sudden violence.

Dark, tense · about greed and corruption

Via: dark
tense
greed
corruption
Pacing: brisk
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 145 min

Details

GoodfellasHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

A Simple Plan

1998

A slow, snowbound descent into paranoia and guilt, where ordinary people make one bad choice after another, suffocating under mounting dread.

Dark, tense · about greed and betrayal · twist ending

Via: dark
tense
greed
betrayal
twist ending
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 121 min

Details

A Simple PlanHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

L.A. Confidential

1997

A dense, stylish noir that pulls you into a web of corruption and moral compromise, rewarding close attention with sharp dialogue and escalating tension.

Dark, tense · about corruption and betrayal · twist ending