28 Mar 2025
11 MIN READ
Movies like Molly’s Game: Best crime thrillers if you like Molly's Game
Idris Elba and Jessica Chastain in Molly's Game (2017). Source: IMDb
Intro: Molly’s Game is a biographical crime drama based on the true story of a 26-year-old woman who organized an exclusive underground poker game. The movie swiftly reveals how an injury took her out of competitive skiing, bringing her into the dark side of money and poker, and how her poker adventures brought her close to the FBI.
Summary: The thrilling story of Molly Bloom was first introduced in a book published in 2014, which carries the same name as the movie. Aaron Sorkin, who has previously written the screenplay for films like Moneyball and The Social Network (he won Oscars for Best Adapted Screenplay), decided to make his directorial debut with the story of the “Poker Princess.”
The movie stars Jessica Chastain in the titular role, while Idris Elba, Kevin Costner, and Michael Cera play the supporting characters. Aaron Sorkin bagged Best Screenwriter and Best Adaptive Screenplay awards from the AARP Movies for Grownups Awards and the Los Angeles Online Film Critics Society Awards with Golden Globe and Oscars nominations.
Plot: The movie centers on the true story of "Hollywood’s poker princess," who has gambled everything, won big, and then lost it all. It incorporates a non-linear narrative to take us through her crushing injury, overbearing father, venturing into the poker world, and succumbing to the weight of the powerful. We see her journey from the undergrounds of LA to the towering heights of New York until she fell under the radar of the FBI.
With fast-paced intercuts and a scintillating background score, the film keeps our attention steady. Driven mainly by dialogue, this movie will demand a certain level of attention. This movie deftly explores the ups and downs of Molly Bloom’s life. Though the movie underscores that she has not committed any serious crime, it keeps you second-guessing where the movie leads and questions one’s moral stand.
Best films like Molly’s Game: ranked by fans
Just in case you loved Molly’s Game, here are some movies similar to Molly’s Game, ranked by fans.
#1 Miss Sloane (2016)
In this tense thriller drama, Elizabeth Sloane, one of the most desired lobbyists in Washington, DC, is entrusted to fight a bill that imposes firearms. It has been reviewed that Miss Sloane and Molly’s Game share similar visual aspects in screen style, tone, cinematography, and direction.
Jessica Chastain finds herself at the center of a Senate hearing in “Miss Sloane”. Source: Bloomberg
Director: John Madden
Awards:
Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture Drama in 2017
The Writers Guild of Great Britain awarded Jonathan Perera for Best Screenplay in 2018.
Summary: “ Anticipating your opponent’s moves and devising counter-measures. I was hired to win,” says Elizabeth Sloane, the titular character of this movie, played by the brilliant Jessica Chastain. A political drama directed by John Madden perfectly screens the world of politics and political power brokers. Elizabeth Sloane, who has a moral compass, is led into a gun lobby case where the head of the gun lobby calls her to help convince women to oppose a bill that will impose new regulations on the sale of firearms. However, as a person who sees every threat as an opportunity, she latches on and follows through with the case and the dark world behind it.
Jessica Chastain’s acting prowess ensures that Elizabeth Sloane doesn’t come off as a stereotypical character. The movie starts as a lean thriller and transforms into a twist-filled jumble. It also features Mark Strong, Allison Pill, and Sam Waterston, among others. A political thriller based on personal and professional challenges, this 2016 film centers on power, ambition, and ethical compromise.
#2 The Card Counter (2021)
The 2021 film sets screens similarly to Molly’s Game, a crime thriller that explores card games captured with an interwoven personal narrative. It is a movie about a solitary gambler, played by Oscar Isaac, who is haunted by his past and becomes entangled in the vengeful schemes of a young man.
Oscar Isaac in The Card Counter (2021): Source: IMDb
Director: Paul Schrader
Screenplay: Paul Schrader
Awards:
Nominated for Best Film and Best Screenplay at the Venice Film Festival.
Awarded Best Actor to Oscar Isaac from the Indiana Film Journalists Association.
Summary: The Card Counter plays on Paul Schrader's long inquiry into man's moral responsibility and is themed on guilt, redemption, and retribution. It is artfully pleasing and perfectly sounds the voices of human emotions in the dramas of poker games and calculated decisions. A movie reaching its peak with a stellar cast, including Tiffany Haddish and Willem Dafoe,
Oscar Isaac's gripping performance is well captured on the screen as he plays William Tell, a gambler who taught himself how to count cards during an eight-year stint in military prison. Critics and reviewers portray Isaac as an army veteran who had become a professional gambler when a chance for a grim rebalancing appears in Paul Schrader’s vehement drama.
#3 Rounders (2021)
A 1998 crime drama and thriller starring Matt Damon as Mike, a young ex-gambler who is forced to return to the underground world of poker when a friend requests his assistance in paying back a loan shark.
Matt Damon and Famke Janssen in Rounders (1998). Source: IMDb
Director: John Dahl
Story by: Brian Koppelman, David Levien
Screenplay: Brian Koppelman, David Levien
Awards:
Won the Southeastern Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor.
Nominated John Dahl for the Golden Lion in 1998 at the Venice Film Festival.
Summary: Both ‘Rounders’ and ‘Molly’s Game’ incredibly explore the underground of the poker circuit. Viewers who loved watching Molly’s Game will find this movie captivating as it captures the intensity of poker games and the casino underbelly. Every scene is an effort to capture the intensity and the thrilling tension of each card dealt, channeling an adrenaline rush and high stakes, which is seen in Molly Bloom's world.
Matt Damon plays the movie's central figure, Mike McDermott, a law student who is a young, reformed gambler. In John Dahl's exploration of New York private clubs, Mike returns to the poker table after childhood friend Lester "Worm" Murphy (Edward Norton) is released from prison. Following the scene, Mike predictably becomes his friend's co-guarantor. They struggle to win a lot of money quickly or face consequences. The movie is about the places they go and the weird people they encounter.
Must-watch films if you loved Molly’s Game
From the book to the motion picture, Molly's Game captured an audience who loved the perfect setting of a poker-themed crime drama. If fans of Molly’s Game are thrilled with such intense crime and courtroom drama, the following is just the right movie for you to capture a similar essence.
#1 The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)
This courtroom drama stemmed from a peaceful protest that became a violent clash with the police and one of the most notorious trials in history. It perfectly portrays modern courtroom drama, starring Sacha Baron Cohen, Eddie Redmayne, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. The screenwriter and director of the movie, Aaron Sorkin, bagged the Golden Globe for Best Screenplay.
Mark Rylance, Ben Shenkman, Eddie Redmayne, Alex Sharp, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II in The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020). Source: IMDb
Director: Aaron Sorkin
Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin
Awards: Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.
Summary: This courtroom drama is adapted from the charges surrounding the uprising at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois. The movie is a thrilling experience of an infamous trial for seven activists in US history. The activists were on trial for their protests in response to the 1968 Democratic National Convention held in Chicago on August 26‒29, 1969.
The movie dramatizes the tribe and deals with issues that still trouble America. It is enhanced by Alan Baumgarten's crisp editing and outstanding cast members, including Sacha Baren Cohen, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The trial of the Chicago 7 showcases that for a country that values freedom of speech, America has a long way to go in dealing with dissent.
It is themed on what was intended to be a peaceful protest that turned into a violent clash with the police and the National Guard. It is screened as the story of the trial that followed. Aaron Sorkin’s captivating dramatisation of the trial of a group of '60s radicals illuminates issues that still trouble America and its history.
#2 The Wizard of Lies (2017)
A movie that personifies ambition and legal challenges, much like Molly Bloom’s world. In the film, Madoff's hubris, played by Robert De Niro, overlaps with Molly's legal conflicts and moral dilemmas; his downfall provides a narrative juncture on high-stakes legal drama.
Robert De Niro, Alessandro Nivola, and Nathan Darrow in The Wizard of Lies (2017). Source: IMDb
Director: Barry Levinson
Story by: Diane Henriques
Based On: The Wizard of Lies: Bernie Madoff and the Death of Trust, by Diana B. Henriques
Awards: Satellite Award for Best Motion Picture Made for Television in 2018
Summary: The Wizard of Lies portrays one of the largest financial frauds in U.S. history. The cinematic lens captures Bernie Madoff’s infamous Ponzi scheme and unravels the deception and the emotional toll on his family following his arrest.
A subtle and appealing performance by all-time favorite star Robert De Niro, who chronicles a man who alters many lives, including those of his family members, through his financial fraud and Ponzi scheme. An HBO Original Film capturing the revelation in the aftermath of Bernie Madoff's arrest in 2008 for his Ponzi scheme, the biggest in U.S. history.
The movie is based on New York Times journalist Diane Henriques’s account of the Madoff affair. It chronicles Bernie’s impact on his family, particularly his wife, Ruth (Michelle Pfeiffer), and sons Mark and Andrew (Alessandro Nivola and Nathan Darrow).
Why watch the movie about Molly
Jessica Chastain and Khalid Karim in Molly's Game (2017). Source: IMDb
Firstly, the faithful story adaptation of the infamous “Poker Princess” is accurate in the movie until Molly Bloom moves to LA. Even when The Viper Room, where the high-stakes poker game took place in real life, was renamed The Cobra Lounge, it still bears a great resemblance.
In addition to watching a crime drama, experience the world of underground poker and the most exclusive poker games in Los Angeles and New York City. Accurately captures the essence of the book title that the movie is based on: Molly’s Game: From Hollywood's Elite to Wall Street's Billionaire Boys Club, My High-Stakes Adventure in the World of Underground Poker.
The book, written by Molly Bloom herself, is a true account of her life in the poker world and how she moves up through the ranks, soon hosting her own games. The movie depicts narration that offers honest insight into Molly’s mind and settles for a book-like experience.
People also ask
What celebrity is Harlan in Molly's Game?
The actor Bill Camp plays A. Harlan Eustice in Molly’s Game.
Is Tobey Maguire portrayed in Molly's Game?
Michael Cera confirms that his character as Player X was inspired by Tobey Maguire.
What is the Netflix movie about the poker girl?
It is Molly's Game, a 2017 American biographical film written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, based on the 2014 memoir by Molly Bloom.
Who was Bad Brad in Molly's game?
Bad Brad or Brad Marion, played by Brian d'Arcy James, portrays real-life Bradley Ruderman.
Is Molly Bloom a true story?
It is based on the book of the same name and the true story of Molly Bloom.