Movie

Batman: Year One

2011 · 64 min

A gritty, grounded crime story that feels like a noir procedural with a slow-building sense of dread.

Directed by: Lauren Montgomery, Sam Liu
Genres: Action, Animation, Crime
Starring: Ben McKenzie, Bryan Cranston, Eliza Dushku

Tagline: A merciless crime turns a man into an outlaw.
Overview: A wealthy playboy named Bruce Wayne and a Chicago cop named Jim Gordon both return to Gotham City where their lives unexpectedly intersect.

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: Batman: Year One

Rent or buy in the UK

Apple TV Store
Rakuten TV
Amazon Video

More options Data from JustWatch

Directed by: Lauren Montgomery, Sam Liu
Genres: Action, Animation, Crime
Starring: Ben McKenzie, Bryan Cranston, Eliza Dushku

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: slow-burn, 1 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention: engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes: crime
corruption
justice
identity
guilt
Places: big city
Era: contemporary
Audience: adult
Form: animated
Content intensity: Gore mild
Language mild
Violence strong
Sex mild

All scales, 0 to 10

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

Titles like Batman: Year One

Movie

The Dark Knight

2008

A brooding, tightly wound crime epic that feels like a pressure cooker of moral dilemmas and escalating chaos.

Dark, tense · about corruption and justice

Via: dark
tense
corruption
justice
Pacing: measured
Attention: demanding
Runtime: 152 min

Details

The Dark KnightHidden from your suggestions.

TV series

The Penguin

2024

A grimy, slow-burning crime saga that wraps you in tension and moral rot, with flashes of black humour.

Dark, tense, slow-burn · about crime and corruption

Via: dark
tense
crime
corruption
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: engaged
Seasons: 1

Details

The PenguinHidden from your suggestions.

TV series

Gotham

2014–2019

A pulpy, brooding crime saga that blends police procedural grit with comic-book theatrics, veering between grim intensity and gleeful villainous excess.

Dark, tense · about crime and corruption

Via: dark
tense
crime
corruption
Pacing: brisk
Attention: engaged
Seasons: 5

Details

GothamHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Drive

2011

A stylish, brooding neo-noir that blends tender romance with shocking bursts of violence, demanding your full attention.

Dark, tense, slow-burn · about crime

Via: dark
tense
crime
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 100 min

Details

DriveHidden from your suggestions.

TV series

Beware the Batman

2013–2014

A sleek, shadowy animated thrill ride with crisp action and a moody, early-career Batman vibe.

Same director: Sam Liu · Dark, tense · about crime and justice

Also: Same director: Sam Liu
Via: dark
tense
crime
justice
Pacing: brisk
Attention: easy-watch
Seasons: 1

Details

Beware the BatmanHidden from your suggestions.

TV series

Young Justice

2010–2022

A smart, serialized superhero drama that balances teen angst with covert missions and moral complexity, rewarding close attention.

Same director: Sam Liu · Dark, tense · about identity

Also: Same director: Sam Liu
Via: dark
tense
identity
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Seasons: 4

Details

Young JusticeHidden from your suggestions.

TV series

Breaking Bad

2008–2013

A slow, suffocating descent into moral rot, powered by magnetic performances and a constant sense of dread.

Dark, tense, slow-burn · about corruption and identity

Via: dark
tense
corruption
identity
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: demanding
Seasons: 5

Details

Breaking BadHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Joker

2019

A slow, suffocating descent into madness that unsettles and provokes, anchored by a mesmerizing performance.

Dark, tense, slow-burn · about identity

Via: dark
tense
identity
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: demanding
Runtime: 122 min

Details

JokerHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Crime Story

1993

A grim, propulsive procedural that trades Jackie Chan's usual charm for raw tension and bruising, serious-minded action.

Dark, tense · about crime and corruption

Via: dark
tense
crime
corruption
Pacing: brisk
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 107 min

Details

Crime StoryHidden from your suggestions.

TV series

Batman Beyond

1999–2001

A sleek, moody neon-lit thrill ride that balances teen drama with brooding superhero noir, easy to dip into and surprisingly weighty.

Dark, tense · about crime and justice · animated

Via: dark
tense
crime
justice
animated
Pacing: brisk
Attention: easy-watch
Seasons: 3

Details

Batman BeyondHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Ghost in the Shell 2.0

2008

A cool, cerebral plunge into neon-drenched existential dread, equal parts philosophical meditation and slow-burning cyber-thriller.

Dark, tense, slow-burn · about identity · animated

Via: dark
tense
identity
animated
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: demanding
Runtime: 85 min

Details

Ghost in the Shell 2.0Hidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker

2000

A dark, tense animated thriller that mixes superhero action with psychological horror and emotional weight.

Dark, tense · about identity and guilt · animated

Via: dark
tense
identity
guilt
animated
Pacing: brisk
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 77 min

Details

Batman Beyond: Return of the JokerHidden from your suggestions.

Where to watch in the UK

Rent or buy

Apple TV Store
Rakuten TV
Amazon Video
Sky Store
YouTube

Streaming data from JustWatch.All options on TMDB

Details

Genres: action, animation, crime, drama, thriller
Directed by: Lauren Montgomery, Sam Liu
Written by: Tab Murphy
Starring: Ben McKenzie, Bryan Cranston, Eliza Dushku, Jon Polito, Alex Rocco, Katee Sackhoff, Sara Ballantine, Jeff Bennett
Music: Christopher Drake
Runtime: 64 min
Country: United States of America
Languages: English, French, Spanish

TMDB IMDb Letterboxd Wikipedia Wikidata

Something wrong on this page? Tell us.

Batman: Year One

How it feels

More like this

Titles like Batman: Year One

Where to watch in the UK

Details