Movies Like I Just Want to Be Wanted

If you liked I Just Want to Be Wanted (2024), a crime and thriller movie directed by Kaiwen Li, 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
Suburbicon (2017)
★ 5.9/10Also thriller and crime
In the quiet family town of Suburbicon during the 1950s, the best and worst of humanity is hilariously reflected through the deeds of seemingly ordinary people. When a home invasion turns deadly, a picture-perfect…
2
In Cold Blood (1967)
★ 7.5/10Also crime
After a botched robbery results in the brutal murder of a rural family, two drifters elude police, in the end coming to terms with their own mortality and the repercussions of their vile atrocity.
3
Mr. Six (2015)
★ 6.8/10Also crime
Many years ago Mr. Six was a notorious gangster. That was back when there was still such a thing as honour among thieves, when criminals earned respect and maintained principles. These days Mr. Six is all but…
4
Fear of Rain (2021)
★ 6.9/10Also thriller
A teenage girl living with schizophrenia begins to suspect her neighbor has kidnapped a child. Her parents try desperately to help her live a normal life, without exposing their own tragic secrets, and the only person…
5
The Parts You Lose (2019)
★ 6.7/10Also crime and thriller
An unlikely friendship unfolds between a young deaf boy, Wesley, and a fugitive criminal who takes refuge in an abandoned barn on the family’s rural North Dakota farm.
6
The Last House on the Left (2009)
★ 6.5/10Also crime and thriller
When athletic teen Mari Collingwood opts to hang out with her friend Paige in town rather than spend an evening in with her parents vacationing at the family's remote lake house, it marks the beginning of a night no…
7
Safe Haven (2013)
★ 7.2/10Also thriller
A young woman with a mysterious past lands in Southport, North Carolina where her bond with a widower forces her to confront the dark secret that haunts her.
8
Trapped (2002)
★ 6.2/10Also crime and thriller
Held hostage in different cities after their daughter is kidnapped by a master extortionist, a desperate couple must find a way to outsmart a seemingly foolproof plot.
9
Wardriver (2026)
★ 7.5/10Also thriller and crime
He’s a Wardriver: a hacker who steals from banks, not people—until he’s noticed. Now the money turns violent, and the woman caught in it could save him or kill them both.
10
Maniac (1963)
★ 6.2/10Also crime and thriller
When a stranger enters a quiet, country town and is seduced by a sensuous married woman he unwittingly finds himself at the centre of a storm of sexual guilt and murder.
11
All the Money in the World (2017)
★ 6.5/10Also crime and thriller
The story of the kidnapping of 16-year-old John Paul Getty III and the desperate attempt by his devoted mother to convince his billionaire grandfather Jean Paul Getty to pay the ransom.
12
Fallen Angel (1945)
★ 6.6/10Also crime
An unemployed drifter, Eric Stanton wanders into a small California town and begins hanging around the local diner. While Eric falls for the lovely waitress Stella, he also begins romancing a quiet and well-to-do woman…
13
All the Devils Are Here (2025)
★ 6.2/10Also crime 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.
14
Only the River Flows (2023)
★ 6.5/10Also thriller and crime
Dedicated police detective Ma Zhe is tasked with solving a series of brutal murders in a rural Chinese town. As pressure mounts from his superiors, a hasty arrest is made, but while his colleagues celebrate, several…
15
Don't Breathe (2016)
★ 7/10Also thriller
A group of teens break into a blind man's home thinking they'll get away with the perfect crime. They're wrong.
16
The Pig, the Snake and the Pigeon (2023)
★ 7.3/10Also crime and thriller
The arrogant, third most-wanted criminal in Taiwan, decides to get rid of the top two competitors and crowns himself the most-wanted criminal before dying.
17
Police Story: Lockdown (2013)
★ 6.2/10Also crime
A man looking for the release of a long-time prisoner takes a police officer, his daughter, and a group of strangers hostage.
18
Red Right Hand (2024)
★ 6.6/10Also crime and thriller
Cash is trying to live a quiet, honest life in a small Appalachian town. When a vicious crime boss forces him back into her services, he soon learns he's capable of anything -- even killing -- to protect his family and…
19
Awake (2007)
★ 6.6/10Also thriller and crime
While undergoing heart surgery, a man experiences a phenomenon called ‘anesthetic awareness’, which leaves him awake but paralyzed throughout the operation. As various obstacles present themselves, his wife must make…
20
The Protector (1985)
★ 5.9/10Also crime
Billy Wong is a New York City cop whose partner is gunned down during a robbery. Billy and his new partner, Danny Garoni, are working security at a fashion show when a wealthy man's daughter, Laura Shapiro, is…