Movies Like Messenger in the Cradle

If you liked Messenger in the Cradle (2010), a drama and mystery movie directed by Timo Puustinen, here are 20 movies with a similar feel, based on TMDB's recommendations. Each one links to its cast, trailer and where it's streaming.

1
SAS: Red Notice (2021)
★ 5.8/10Also drama and thriller
An off-duty SAS soldier, Tom Buckingham, must thwart a terror attack on a train running through the Channel Tunnel. As the action escalates on the train, events transpire in the corridors of power that may make the…
2
Triage (2009)
★ 6/10Also drama and thriller
The wife of a photojournalist sets out to discover why he came home from a recent assignment without his colleague.
3
The Good Doctor (2011)
★ 6.2/10Also drama and thriller
Dr. Martin Blake, who has spent his life looking for respect, meets an 18-year-old patient named Diane, suffering from a kidney infection, and gets a much-needed boost of self-esteem. However, when her health starts…
4
The Ritual Killer (2023)
★ 5.8/10Also mystery and thriller
Unable to process the death of his daughter, Detective Boyd embarks on a hunt for a serial killer who murders according to a brutal tribal ritual: Muti. The only person who can help Boyd is Professor Mackles, an…
5
Run (1991)
★ 6/10Also thriller and drama
When a law student accidentally kills the son of a mob boss in a fight, he finds himself relentlessly pursued by the mob and the police.
6
Cleaner (2007)
★ 6.1/10Also thriller and mystery
Single father and former cop Tom Cutler has an unusual occupation: he cleans up death scenes. But when he's called in to sterilize a wealthy suburban residence after a brutal shooting, Cutler is shocked to learn he may…
7
All the Devils Are Here (2025)
★ 6.2/10Also mystery and thriller
After a heist, four criminals lay low in a remote safehouse, waiting for orders. As paranoia builds, one thing becomes clear — the real threat may not be outside, but among them.
8
The International (2009)
★ 6.3/10Also thriller and mystery
An interpol agent and an attorney are determined to bring one of the world's most powerful banks to justice. Uncovering money laundering, arms trading, and conspiracy to destabilize world governments, their…
9
Last Man Down (2021)
★ 6.1/10Also thriller and mystery
After civilization succumbs to a deadly pandemic and his wife is murdered, a special forces soldier abandons his duty and becomes a hermit in the Nordic wilderness. Years later, a wounded woman appears on his doorstep…
10
The Infernal Machine (2022)
★ 6.2/10Also thriller and mystery
Reclusive and controversial author Bruce Cogburn is drawn out of hiding by an obsessive fan, forcing the novelist to confront a past that he thought he could escape, and to account for events set in motion by his…
11
The Deadly Affair (1967)
★ 6.3/10Also thriller and mystery
Charles Dobbs is a British secret agent investigating the apparent suicide of Foreign Office official Samuel Fennan. Dobbs suspects that Fennan's wife, Elsa, a survivor of a Nazi Germany extermination camp, might have…
12
Stowaway (2022)
★ 6/10Also mystery and thriller
A tenacious party girl fights to survive after three thieves commandeer her luxury yacht. Unable to escape and trapped on the yacht at high seas, the prey becomes the hunter as she turns the tables on the intruders and…
13
Inside Man (2023)
★ 6.2/10Also thriller and drama
Based on true events. A disgraced police detective seeking redemption goes undercover to expose a violent crime syndicate. But as he sinks deeper into the mob, the price for absolution may be higher than he can afford.
14
Barron's Cove (2025)
★ 7.1/10Also thriller and drama
When his young son is viciously murdered by a classmate, a grieving father with a history of violence kidnaps the child responsible, igniting a frenzied manhunt fueled by a powerful politician -- the father of the…
15
Black Site (2022)
★ 6/10Also thriller and drama
A group of officers based in a labyrinthine top-secret prison must fight for their lives against Hatchet, a brilliant and infamous high-value detainee. When he escapes, his mysterious and deadly agenda has far reaching…
16
Horns (2013)
★ 6.3/10Also drama and thriller
In the aftermath of his girlfriend's mysterious death, a young man awakens to strange horns sprouting from his temples.
17
The Engineer (2023)
★ 5.9/10Also thriller and mystery
As Israel is rocked by a series of terrorist bombings, a US senator's daughter is killed in one bloody explosion. Now, ex-Mossad agent Etan must lead an elite, covert team of agents and mercenaries to find the man…
18
The Black Book (2023)
★ 6.7/10Also mystery and thriller
After his son is wrongly accused of kidnapping, a deacon who has just lost his wife takes matters into his own hands and fights a crooked police gang to clear him.
19
Blood Ties (2013)
★ 6.1/10Also thriller and drama
Two brothers, on either side of the law, face off over organized crime in Brooklyn during the 1970s.
20
Trigger Point (2021)
★ 6.2/10Also thriller and mystery
Nicolas Shaw is a retired U.S. special operative who becomes part of an elite 'invisible' team that quietly takes out the worst villains around the world.