Investigative journalism action-thrillers are by far the most sought after genres of cinema that have evolved prominently over the previous few decades. The Tom McCarthy directed 2015 film, Spotlight is one such biographical drama which is based on a series of stories by the ‘Spotlight’ team of The Boston Globe American daily newspaper, about systemic child abuse by Roman Catholic priests in the city of Boston.
The film portrays the story of the harrowing real-life investigation by The Boston Globe of this matter, that won the newspaper the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in 2003. The film version of this investigation stars popular actors including Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams, John Slattery and Michael Keaton among others.
The movie was an instant success as soon it hit the screens, grossing about $100 million worldwide. It won the Academy Award for the Best Film and the Best Original Screenplay award. The movie boasts a stellar cast and tackles the intense and grave theme in a grounded way without sensationalism.
It represents the power of investigative journalism and how it can make a genuine change in the world. If you are looking for more powerful stories that touch upon similar subject matters, here are some must-watch movies like Spotlight for you to binge watch.
Here is the list of Best Movies like Spotlight:
All the President’s Men
Available on Netflix | Amazon Prime
This film is a quintessential example of the genre of investigative-journalism. Directed by Alan J. Paula, this historical and political thriller came out in 1976 as the screen adaptation of the non-fiction book by Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward – the two Washington Post’s journalists who investigated the infamous Watergate scandal that brought down the presidency of the former US President, Richard Nixon. It stars Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman brilliantly playing the reporters.
The movie’s release came out as an aplomb reinstating the power of true and serious journalism. As a result, it attained massive success at the box office, grossing around $70.6 million against a budget of $1.6 million. Also, the film fared well with critics who called it an ingenious cinematic adaptation, that presents real events without over-sensationalism, just as in movies like Spotlight.
Argo
Available on Netflix | Amazon Prime
Argo is a 2012 historical drama and spy thriller, directed by Ben Affleck. Based on real events, the film follows the dangerous real-life operation to rescue six Americans from militants during the Iranian Revolution. Ben Affleck himself stars in the lead role of Tony Mendez, a CIA expert who must devise a plan that will safely extract the Americans before they are discovered.
Under the guise of filming a science fiction feature during the 1979–1981 Iran hostage crisis, the film takes through a roller coaster ride full of adventure, action, drama and above all, some atypical spying sequences, that made the movie an instant success.
The movie was acclaimed both by the film critics and the audience alike. They highly praised it for direction, action sequences, fine details and complex portrayal of well-wrought characters, with interpolated bits of stark humor. Performing commercially well, the film grossed about $232 million globally, making it one of the highest hitting in the American box office.
By the Grace of God
Available on Amazon Prime
This French-Belgian drama, directed by François Ozon, hit the screens in 2019 and is based on similar themes of movies like Spotlight such as the abuse existent in the civilized space of the catholic Church. Alexandre, François and Emmanuel had been victimized as children by the venerable and predatory Father Bernard Preynat, a real-life priest of the Catholic Church.
As adults, when they discover that their former assaulter has been reassigned and has apparently been shielded all along by the Catholic Church, the three men, still scarred and facing insurmountable challenges to their faith, begin a movement to bring the guilty to account.
The movie stars Melvil Poupaud, Denis Ménochet and Swann Arlaud as the three leads. It became a moderate success at the box office, grossing around $7.8 million against a production budget of $6.8 million. Also, the critical consensus for the film was largely positive. After the film’s release, the Archbishop of Lyon along with Bernand Preynat were made to resign from their respective posts and also, sentenced to imprisonment.
Capote
Available on Amazon Prime
Directed by Bennett Miller, this 2005 film is a biographical thriller about an American writer, Truman Garcia Capote. The plot follows the events during the time frame when the author had been writing his famous novel, ‘In Cold Blood’.
Philip Seymour Hoffman plays the protagonist, Capote, the high-class and flamboyant author who visits the small town of Kansas, which is the site of a gruesome murder. There, he speaks with the townspeople and the criminals in order to write his novel. During his investigation, he harbors compassion for the killers and even develops a profound relationship with one of them.
For this film, Hoffman won several awards for his portrayal of Capote including the Academy Award for the Best Actor. The film was a big commercial success and grossed a worldwide total of $50 million against a production budget of $7 million. As much as it topped the charts at the box office, it received widespread critical acclaim for its screenplay, Hoffman’s performance and its gritting, unconventional story.
Doubt
Available on Amazon Prime
This film is based on the Pulitzer prize-winning stage play, Doubt: A Parable. Directed by John Patrick Shanley, the movie is set in St. Nicholas, a Roman Catholic elementary school headed over by Sister Aloyius, the character portrayed by the talented actress Meryl Streep.
The movie also stars Philip Seymour Hoffman as a popular priest, Father Flynn. When Sister James, played by Amy Adams, observes Father Flynn’s closeness with Donald, a black student and the altar boy, she reports her suspicions to the Sister Aloyius, she begins a crusade against Flynn. Just as movies like Spotlight, Doubt touches upon the ills and abuses existing within the Catholic Church.
This film, which was released in 2009, achieved largely positive reviews from the critics, who especially expressed appreciation for Hoffman and Streep’s performance on-screen. Streep went on to win the Critics’ Choice Award for the Best Actress for her portrayal in the film. The film grossed $50 million against a budget of $20 million, making it a huge success at the box office.
Erin Brockovich
Available on Netflix | Amazon Prime
Erin Brockovich is the name of a real-life American legal associate and environment activist, who played an instrumental role in filing a case against the Pacific Gas and Electric Company of California in 1993. Her successful lawsuit, which formed several contemporary headlines, became the basis of the 2000 biographical and investigative-journalistic drama, Erin Brockovich.
The movie stars Julia Roberts playing the protagonist, Erin Brockovich, a strong-willed mother to three. The film is a dramatization of the true story, when PG & E was held responsible for the industrial poisoning of the Hinkley community’s water supply, that led to genetic dysfunctionality and various diseases in the residents. When Erin is recruited as a file clerk in Ed Masry’s firm, she comes across the case and finds that the facts do not add up.
This case was one of the largest settlements ever paid in a direct-action lawsuit. If one thing that makes this film stand out from other movies like Spotlight, is the enigmatic performance of Julia Roberts. For her acting, she won widespread critical acclaim as well as a $20 million paycheck – one of the highest ever amounts, paid to an actress up till that time. Also, the movie became a massive commercial success, grossing $253 million at the box office.
Nothing But the Truth
Available on Amazon Prime
This 2008 movie borrows its starting point from the case of a celebrated journalist, Judith Miller, who was jailed for contempt of court in 2005. However, the story that follows in the film is purely fictional. Rachel Armstrong, an ambitious and headstrong reporter for the Capital Sun Times, pens a story that divulges the identity of a secret CIA operative.
The US government orders that she reveal her source, but she defies the special prosecutor and is jailed. Meanwhile, her attorney, Albert Burnside – the character played by Alan Alda – argues her case, taking it all the way to the Supreme Court.
Although the film was never officially released in American theatres, it managed to earn a $4.09 lakhs from the international box office. Also, the critics who watched the film screenings received the film with mixed critical favor. Some found the movie abruptly pasted together, while others appreciated it as a finely crafted movie of thinking people.
State of Play
Available on Netflix | Amazon Prime
Directed by Kevin Macdonald, this film is a screen adaptation of the British television series by the same name, created by Paul Abbott. It revolves around a journalist, played by Russell Crowe, who probes into the suspicious death of the mistress of a Congressman, portrayed by Ben Affleck. What follows is the revelation that things are not as plain and simple as they seem and the discovery that when billions are at stake, one’s integrity, love or life is never safe.
Throughout, the film explores the dubious relationship shared by the politicians and the press, journalistic independence and privatization of the American Homeland Security.
The film earned universal acclaim, with the critics praising its ability to keep the audience guessing in vain. Commercially also, the film bagged a worldwide total $88.8 million at the box office. If you are looking for a film about investigative journalism that embraces the thrills, State of Play being an excellent choice, will not disappoint you.
The Fifth Estate
Available on Netflix | Amazon Prime
The Fifth Estate is a 2013 biographical thriller, based on the real-life events that exposed the other side of the burgeoning Internet and the deception and corruption inherent in it. WikiLeaks’ founding duo work as watchdogs and leak secret data to the world.
However, they find themselves in a fix, when they obtain access to confidential documents related to the US Intelligence. What follows in the movie, makes the audience question the cost of keeping secrets in a free society and the cost of exposing them.
Directed by Bill Condon, the film received widespread acclaim, but only for the portrayal of Julian Assange by Benedict Cumberbatch. Other than this, the film failed miserably at the box office and garnered largely negative reviews from the critics. However, for fans of movies like Spotlight, this film makes for a great one time watch.
The Insider
Available on Netflix | Amazon Prime
Released in 1999, this drama film is an adaptation of a Vanity Fair article by Marie Brenner, titled ‘The Man who Knew Too Much’. Russell Crowe plays an eminent research chemist, Jefferey Wigand, who decides to go on 60 Minutes, an American magazine to expose the truth about Big Tobacco.
The thrilling true story also stars Al Pacino as the 60 Minutes producer Lowell Bergman, as they defend his testimony against efforts of suppression by the CBS and Wigand’s former employer. This fictionalized account of a real story is an enigmatic and intense drama about the power of speaking out.
The Michael Mann directorial, although not a huge commercial success, fared well with the critics. They acclaimed it for its intelligent portrayal and especially Crowe’s portrayal of Wigand. Also, it won several prestigious awards and nominations, including seven Academy Award nominations.
The Paper
Available on Netflix | Amazon Prime
This 1994 drama thriller revolves around a beleaguered reporter at a New York City’s tabloid. It depicts the hectic 24-hours in a newspaper editor’s professional and personal life. Almost at the verge of quitting his job, Henry Hackett comes across an intriguing story – the murder of a couple of visiting businessmen.
He discovers certain evidence that suggests a police cover-up of the suspects’ innocence, and rushes to scoop the story in the midst of professional, private and financial chaos. The role of Hackett is played by Michael Keaton – the same actor who starred in Spotlight. The movie fared well with the critics and audience alike, grossing a generous amount of $48.4 million.
Critics’ share of reviews of the film also suggest favor and acclaim. The film is one of its kind newspaper movies, instilling subtle moments of humorous relief, in the majorly serious plot. This one-day interlude makes for an excellent watch, for the movie buffs.
The Post
Available on Netflix | Amazon Prime
The fact that this film is directed by the legendary director, Steven Spielberg and stars the brilliant actors, Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks in the lead roles, are reasons enough to watch this film. It is a historical-political thriller that was released in 2017.
Streep plays the role of Katharine Graham – the first woman publisher of a leading American newspaper – and Tom Hanks can be seen playing Ben Bradlee – the executive editor of The Washington Post. The plot represents the true story of the Washington Post’s decision to publish the infamous Pentagon Papers, a classified document that revealed the shocking government secrets regarding the US Government’s involvement in the Vietnam War and the end of the Second World War.
The film portrays an attempt and celebration of truthful, unbiased and skilled journalism. It grossed a global total of $179 million, becoming one of the biggest commercial successes of the decade. Also, the film received prestigious award nominations, including the two Academy Award nominations and six nominations at 75th Golden Globe Awards. Similar to other movies like Spotlight, it presents the dubious relationships of the government and the press.
Veronica Guerin
Available on Amazon Prime
Veronica Guerin is the name of an Irish journalist and crime reporter, who was murdered following her investigation of the drug trade in Dublin. This biographical crime thriller derives its plot from the same real life occurrence. Cate Blanchett stars as Guerin and delivers an enigmatic performance.
As the drug trade begins to bleed into the mainstream working class, Guerin decides to take on and expose those that are responsible. Beginning at the bottom with addicts, when Veronica gets in touch with John Traynor, a paranoid informant, he leads her instead, to John Gilligan – the ruthless head of the operation, who does not take kindly to Guerin’s interference.
The film is a second screen adaption, inspired by the case of Veronica Guerin, after the movie When the Sky Falls. Although the film was appreciated for Blanchett’s performance, it failed to achieve critical acclaim and box office success. Certain critics said that the movie was led down with clichés and predictability of the plot.
When the Sky Falls
Available on Amazon Prime
This film is another example of cinéma à clef, based on the life of the Irish crime reporter, Veronica Guerin. It was released in 2000 and narrates the incidents that led to the murder of Guerin. The film is a directorial venture of John Mackenzie and starred Joan Allen, playing the main role.
In this film, unlike the later adaptation, the names of the concerned parties were altered for avoiding legal controversies. The film was filmed in Ireland and met with much critical disapproval for its screenplay, acting and direction.
Majority of the critics called it a sentimentalizing portrayal of a true and revered investigative reporter. Similar to movies like Spotlight, When the Sky Falls still proves to be a representation of the power of journalism and the press and makes for a great watch.
Zodiac
Available on Netflix | Amazon Prime
Zodiac is a mystery thriller drama masterpiece, that first hit the screens in 2007 and was directed by David Fincher. The screenplay is an adaptation of the non-fiction book by the same name, penned by Robert Graysmith. The film explores the infamous Zodiac killings, in which a serial murderer terrorized the San Francisco Bay area during the late 1960s.
It focuses on the police and reporters who spent several years investigating the yet unsolved murders. Though the scenes of the killings are hauntingly recreated, the film spends most of its time on the investigation. The film was received well, both critically as well as commercially. It grossed a worldwide total of $84 million and won appraisal for direction, acting and historical authenticity.
The film bagged the Dublin Films Critics’ Circle Award for the Best Director. This meticulous true crime story presents a mountain of evidence, suggests interesting conclusions, yet still leaves a sense of mystery, making it one of the best must-watch movies like Spotlight.
Conclusion:
So, do not forget to steal a glance at these ingenious masterpieces full of mystery, investigations, crime and drama. These and other movies like Spotlight will challenge the audience into the guessing game, and then, betray their conclusions right as they are formed. This precisely, is the reason why investigative-journalistic thrillers never go out of style and of popular choice.