Naman Shrestha
With the directorial brilliance of Damien Power behind the production of the thriller movie ‘No Exit’, the gripping narrative keeps the viewers anticipating and looking forward to the next scene. The story revolves around Darby, a recovering drug addict, on her way to visit her hospitalized mother when the development of an intense blizzard forces her to take shelter with a bunch of strangers in a rest stop, high in the mountains. Looking for a signal, she goes outside and ends up discovering a kidnapped girl, gagged up and locked in a van, belonging to one of the people inside. The narrative gets even tenser and more enthralling as Darby tries to figure out who the kidnapper is.
The thriller drama movie is mainly centered upon the theme of rescuing and mystery, and it consists of several nail-biting scenes spread throughout the entirety of its runtime. If you are into suspenseful-themed films that keep you questioning “What happens next?”, then we have a list of some more cinematic gems that would intrigue you just the same. You can watch most of these films similar to ‘No Exit’ on Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime.
7. Kidnap (2017)
Living right up to its name, ‘Kidnap’ follows a gripping narrative about Karla, a mother who makes it her mission to rescue her kidnapped son. Her maternity instinct gets the better of her, making her reluctant to leave her only son’s life in someone else’s hands. Karla is seen in a close race against time and begins the chase to save her child and bring the kidnappers to justice.
Even though this thriller movie involves a mother chasing the kidnapper, unlike in ‘No Exit’ where the protagonist is not the mother of the kidnapped child, they both share the chasing narrative. One is literally chasing down the kidnappers of her child while the other is chasing the truth to find out who the kidnapper is. The mystery element in both films is also high enough to keep one on the edge of their seats at all times.
6. Trapped (2002)
A young doctor and his wife have their daughter abducted by an infamous gang of kidnappers and are held hostage while they are given 24 hours to pay the ransom. Since their young daughter suffers from asthma, it soon turns out to be a life and death race against the clock before the situation spirals out of hand and ends in a deadly manner. The theme of kidnapping and rescuing is shared between ‘Trapped’ and ‘No Exit’, making both of them an intriguing watch.
5. Along Came a Spider (2001)
Detective and psychologist Alex Cross is drawn to investigating a case while he is still mourning the loss of his partner when a senator’s daughter is kidnapped from a private school. What makes this a more interesting case for Cross as well as the audience is that the kidnapper demands to want to deal with Alex personally. Just like ‘No Exit’, this crime thriller also involves dealing with a trouble of a close person to the protagonist — the death of his partner in this case. In ‘No Exit’ the protagonist’s mother is in the hospital in critical condition, which makes the situation somewhat similar.
4. The Call (2013)
A highly experienced 911 operator named Jordan Turner makes an error in judgment, which makes the call end in a bad way. This births doubt in her mind and she contemplates if she should continue doing this job or not. However, soon enough, she receives a call from a kidnapped teenager named Casey, and Jordan is made to use all her experience in the field and quick-thinking skills to try and help her escape while ensuring that the culprit is brought to justice.
What makes both these crime thrillers similar is the fact that they involve the respective protagonists to come up with a way to rescue the victims from their kidnappers. Moreover, both of them are female-centric movies, effectively doing away with the damsel in distress trope that is often prevalent in the genre.
3. Run (2020)
Chloe is a homeschooled teenager that suffers from several conditions due to getting born prematurely. Her mother, Diane Sherman, who seems to love her daughter unconditionally soon turns into another version of herself when her daughter doubts that she is hiding some sinister secrets from her. Even though Chloe is kept at home due to her illnesses, it is as if she was held captive by her mother. By tying Chloe’s hands metaphorically with her so-called “affection” and keeping her inside a closed space, we are compelled to think of the van in which Darby finds the kidnapped child in ‘No Exit’.
2. The Hateful Eight (2015)
What happens when a room is filled with several strangers coming from different places, to get shelter from the intense blizzard outside? Sounds like the beginning of ‘No Exit’, doesn’t it? Well, the narrative of ‘The Hateful Eight’ also follows the same theme, only it is bound to be all the more bloody as it is directed by Quentin Tarantino.
Set in a time after the civil war, this mystery drama is mainly about a bounty hunter and his capture, finding shelter in a room full of strange and villainous characters amidst a violent blizzard. The blizzard-themed narrative, combined with the characters stuck in a room full of strangers, is what makes both these movies similar.
1. Don’t Breathe (2016)
‘Don’t Breathe’ is a thriller movie that centers upon a group of three friends breaking into a blind man’s house in hope of walking out with a massive fortune. However, things get out of control when they find out that the blind owner is not as helpless as he seems. So, the trio must find a way to escape before the situation becomes worse. Like ‘No Exit’, ‘Don’t Breathe’ also involves a group of characters stuck in a room and one of them isn’t who they think they are.
Read more: Who is Uncle Kenny in No Exit?
