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Movies Like One Who Died in Vain

If you liked One Who Died in Vain (1986), a drama movie directed by Kazuyuki Izutsu, 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. 1Home

    Home (2021)

    ★ 6.7/10Also drama

    An ex-felon returns home from prison and must confront the demons of his past.

  2. 2The Young One

    The Young One (1960)

    ★ 7/10Also drama

    A jazz musician seeks refuge from a lynch mob on a remote island, where he meets a hostile game warden and the young object of his attentions.

  3. 3Mexicali

    Mexicali (2026)

    ★ 7.7/10Also drama

    A former special forces contractor is forced out of retirement as an avocado farmer in Mexico when local gangsters try to force him and his family off their farm.

  4. 4Embattled

    Embattled (2020)

    ★ 6.7/10Also drama

    The eldest son of a ruthlessly tough MMA champion must fight his way out of the abusive cycle his father has continued.

  5. 5The Good Neighbor

    The Good Neighbor (2022)

    ★ 6.6/10Also drama

    A nightmarish evening unfolds for neighbors David and Robert when they accidentally hit a woman on her bike and flee the scene. While David is increasingly plagued by feelings of guilt, Robert shows no remorse and…

  6. 6Beast

    Beast (2026)

    ★ 7.5/10Also drama

    MMA legend Patton James, now a commercial fisherman, is pulled back into the cage when his brother is in danger. Reuniting with his old coach Sammy, he commits to one final fight in one championship against the brutal…

  7. 7Adopt a Highway

    Adopt a Highway (2019)

    ★ 6.9/10Also drama

    Russ Millings has just been released from prison after serving 21 years for a 3rd strike conviction for possessing an ounce of marijuana. As he tries to adapt to a world he doesn’t recognize – including trying to learn…

  8. 8Home Run

    Home Run (2013)

    ★ 6.2/10Also drama

    A pro ball player with a substance abuse problem is forced into rehab in his hometown, finding new hope when he gets honest about his checkered past, and takes on coaching duties for a misfit Little League team

  9. 9Hardball

    Hardball (2001)

    ★ 6.5/10Also drama

    An aimless young man who is scalping tickets, gambling and drinking, agrees to coach a Little League team from the Cabrini Green housing project in Chicago as a condition of getting a loan from a friend.

  10. 10180

    180 (2026)

    ★ 5.9/10Also drama

    When an unexpected road rage incident puts his son in critical condition, an enraged father spirals down a dark path of emotional turmoil and vengeance.

  11. 11Eleanor the Great

    Eleanor the Great (2025)

    ★ 6.8/10Also drama

    94-year-old Eleanor Morgenstein tries to rebuild her life after the death of her best friend. As a result, she moves back to New York City after living in Florida for decades.

  12. 12Sergio

    Sergio (2020)

    ★ 6.5/10Also drama

    A sweeping drama set in the chaotic aftermath of the US invasion of Iraq, where the life of top UN diplomat Brazilian Sérgio Vieira de Mello hangs in the balance during the most treacherous mission of his career.

  13. 13The Nest

    The Nest (2020)

    ★ 6.1/10Also drama

    Rory is an ambitious entrepreneur who brings his American wife and kids to his native country, England, to explore new business opportunities. After abandoning the sanctuary of their safe American suburban…

  14. 14Cardboard Boxer

    Cardboard Boxer (2016)

    ★ 6.5/10Also drama

    Gentle and broken, a homeless man fights others on video for money but soon finds comfort in an unlikely friend and the lost diary of a young girl.

  15. 15The Sound of Silence

    The Sound of Silence (2019)

    ★ 5.9/10Also drama

    A successful "house tuner" in New York City, who calibrates the sound in people's homes in order to adjust their moods, meets a client with a problem he can't solve.

  16. 16That Evening Sun

    That Evening Sun (2009)

    ★ 6.8/10Also drama

    An aging Tennessee farmer returns to his homestead and must confront a family betrayal, the reappearance of an old enemy, and the loss of his farm.

  17. 17The Cut

    The Cut (2025)

    ★ 5.9/10Also drama

    A retired boxer intends to return to the ring for one last shot at the title, but first he must make the weight. Holed up in a room in Las Vegas with an unscrupulous trainer, he embarks on an intensive and illegal…

  18. 18Adam

    Adam (2020)

    ★ 6.3/10Also drama

    A hard-living salesman becomes a quadriplegic after an accident.

  19. 19What Maisie Knew

    What Maisie Knew (2013)

    ★ 7.1/10Also drama

    In New York City, six-year-old Maisie is caught in the middle of a bitter custody battle between her self-absorbed parents—an aging rock singer mother and a distracted art dealer father. As both quickly marry new…

  20. 20The Eel

    The Eel (1997)

    ★ 6.9/10Also drama

    A businessman kills his adulterous wife and is sent to prison. After his release, he opens a barbershop and meets new people, talking to almost no one except for an eel he befriended while in prison.

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