Image credit: New Line Cinema, Universal Pictures, SPE, TriStar Pictures, Orion Pictures, Dimension Films, Palm Pictures, Lions Gate Films, RADiUS-TWC, Revolution Studios, Paramount Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox, Miramax, Walt Disney Studios, Warner Bros.
If you're the kind who got a kick out of the dark, brooding streets of Gotham in Batman Begins, then gear up because there's a whole world of movies out there that'll give you that same thrill, and we've ranked the top 30 to make your choice easier.
From shadowy figures fighting against the odds in a corrupt city to tales of redemption and moral complexities, each movie on this list brings its own flavor of dark storytelling, suspense, and action, much like a skilled chef adds a unique twist to a classic recipe.
30. "The Spirit" (2008) Rotten Tomatoes score: 14% Rookie cop Denny Colt returns from the beyond as The Spirit, a hero whose mission is to fight against the bad forces in Central City, including his arch-nemesis, The Octopus. The Octopus is after the immortality serum, leading to a stylish and action-packed confrontation.
29. "The Shadow" (1994) Rotten Tomatoes score: 35% Lamont Cranston, a wealthy playboy, transforms into the vigilante "The Shadow," using his ability to cloud men's minds. He battles Shiwan Khan, a descendant of Genghis Khan, who plans to conquer the world with an atomic bomb, protecting New York City from his tyranny.
28. "Equilibrium" (2002) Rotten Tomatoes score: 40% In a dystopian future where emotions are suppressed by a drug and artistic expressions are banned, Cleric John Preston, an enforcement officer, misses a dose and begins to feel emotions, leading him to question the oppressive system and fight against the totalitarian regime.
27. "The Phantom" (1996) Rotten Tomatoes score: 43% The 21st in a line of crimefighters, Kit Walker battles to save the world from the evil industrialist Xander Drax. He seeks three magic skulls with immense power, traversing from the jungles of Africa to the streets of New York City.
26. "The Fountain" (2006) Rotten Tomatoes score: 53% This film intertwines three stories across different time periods – a 16th-century conquistador, a 21st-century scientist, and a 26th-century astronaut, all linked by the themes of life, death, and rebirth, as they seek to find the Tree of Life.
25. "Blade" (1998) Rotten Tomatoes score: 58% Blade, a half-vampire, half-mortal man, becomes a protector of the mortal race, fighting against the vampire world. He seeks to thwart Deacon Frost, a vampire who aims to awaken an ancient god and destroy humanity.
24. "Mystery Men" (1999) Rotten Tomatoes score: 60% A team of inept amateur superheroes must try to save their city from destruction when Champion City's real superhero, Captain Amazing, is kidnapped. The team, with their quirky powers, faces off against the villainous Casanova Frankenstein.
23. "Elysium" (2013) Rotten Tomatoes score: 64% In 2154, where the wealthy live on a luxurious space station called Elysium, and the rest reside on an overpopulated, ruined Earth, Max DeCosta takes on a dangerous mission that could bring equality to the polarized worlds if he succeeds.
22. "Watchmen" (2009) Rotten Tomatoes score: 65% In an alternate 1985 America, superheroes are part of everyday life. When one of his former colleagues is murdered, masked vigilante Rorschach uncovers a plot to kill and discredit all past and present superheroes, leading to a larger and more sinister plot.
21. "The Rocketeer" (1991) Rotten Tomatoes score: 67% Cliff Secord, a young pilot, stumbles upon a top-secret jetpack and becomes the Rocketeer, a hero who fights against the Nazis and the mob, aiming to save his girlfriend and stop the Nazis from using the jetpack as a weapon of war.
20. "Unbreakable" (2000) Rotten Tomatoes score: 70% David Dunn, a security guard, survives a horrific train crash without a scratch. Guided by the mysterious Elijah Price, who suffers from a rare disease making his bones extremely fragile, Dunn discovers he possesses superhuman abilities and confronts questions of destiny and identity.
19. "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow" (2004) Rotten Tomatoes score: 71% When giant robots attack New York City, reporter Polly Perkins and ace pilot Sky Captain Joe Sullivan team up to investigate. Their quest leads them into a world of danger involving a mad scientist's plot to create a utopian future.
18. "The Adjustment Bureau" (2011) Rotten Tomatoes score: 72% Politician David Norris discovers that his life is being controlled by a mysterious organization, The Adjustment Bureau. As he falls in love with ballet dancer Elise Sellas, he must outsmart and outrun the agents of Fate to be with her.
17. "V for Vendetta" (2005) Rotten Tomatoes score: 73% In a dystopian, totalitarian Britain, a shadowy freedom fighter known only as "V" uses terrorist tactics to fight the oppressive society. He rescues a young woman named Evey from the secret police, and she becomes his unlikely ally.
16. "Sin City" (2005) Rotten Tomatoes score: 76% This film interweaves multiple stories in the crime-ridden Basin City, featuring characters like Marv, a tough-as-nails street fighter seeking revenge for the death of his love, and Dwight, a private investigator trying to maintain peace in the underworld.
15. "Dark City" (1998) Rotten Tomatoes score: 76% John Murdoch awakens in a hotel room with no memory, accused of multiple murders. He discovers a nightmarish world controlled by a group of mysterious beings known as the Strangers, who manipulate reality and people's memories, leading him to uncover his true identity and the city's dark secrets.
14. "The Prestige" (2006) Rotten Tomatoes score: 77% In the late 19th century, two rival magicians, Robert Angier and Alfred Borden, engage in a bitter and deadly feud to create the ultimate illusion. The obsession leads them both down a path of tragedy, mystery, and deception.
13. "Dredd" (2012) Rotten Tomatoes score: 80% In a violent, futuristic city where the police have the authority to act as judge, jury, and executioner, Judge Dredd teams up with a new recruit, Judge Anderson, to take down a gang that deals the reality-altering drug, SLO-MO.
12. "Hellboy" (2004) Rotten Tomatoes score: 82% Hellboy, a demon raised from infancy after being conjured by and rescued from the Nazis, grows up to become a defender against the forces of darkness. As an agent for the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, he fights against otherworldly threats.
11. "Gattaca" (1997) Rotten Tomatoes score: 82% In a future where genetic engineering determines one's life prospects, Vincent Freeman, born naturally, assumes the identity of a genetically superior individual to pursue his dream of space travel, challenging the society's eugenic system.
10. "Darkman" (1990) Rotten Tomatoes score: 83% After being horrifically disfigured by a criminal gang, scientist Peyton Westlake becomes Darkman, using his synthetic skin invention to assume different identities and seek revenge against those who wronged him, leading to a battle for redemption and justice.
9. "The Crow" (1994) Rotten Tomatoes score: 84% Rock musician Eric Draven, brutally murdered alongside his fiancée, is resurrected by a mystical crow to exact vengeance. He becomes an avenging angel, methodically hunting the criminals responsible for their deaths.
8. "Chronicle" (2012) Rotten Tomatoes score: 85% Three high school students, Andrew, Matt, and Steve, gain superpowers after discovering a mysterious object. They develop a close bond, but as they explore their new abilities, their darker sides emerge, leading to tragic consequences.
7. "A History of Violence" (2005) Rotten Tomatoes score: 88% Tom Stall, a small-town diner owner, becomes a local hero after a self-defense killing. His newfound fame draws the attention of mobsters from Philadelphia, who believe he is a former hitman who betrayed them, leading to a violent reckoning with his past.
6. "Minority Report" (2002) Rotten Tomatoes score: 89% In a future where a special police unit can arrest murderers before they commit their crimes, an officer from that unit, John Anderton, is accused of a future murder. He sets out to discover the truth and prove his innocence in a system he believed was flawless.
5. "District 9" (2009) Rotten Tomatoes score: 90% Extraterrestrial refugees are forced to live in slum-like conditions on Earth, particularly in District 9 in South Africa. The story follows Wikus van der Merwe, who is exposed to their biotechnology, and his transformation leads to a shift in perspective about the aliens.
4. "RoboCop" (1987) Rotten Tomatoes score: 92% In a crime-ridden Detroit, a critically injured police officer is transformed into a powerful cyborg law enforcer, RoboCop. He battles street criminals, corruption within his police department, and the machinations of his corporate creators.
3. "Looper" (2012) Rotten Tomatoes score: 93% In a future where time travel is used by the mob to dispose of people, "loopers" are employed to execute these targets. Joe, a looper, faces a moral dilemma when his older self is sent back for assassination, leading to a complex battle with himself.
2. "Snowpiercer" (2013) Rotten Tomatoes score: 94% In a post-apocalyptic world, where Earth has become a frozen wasteland, the remnants of humanity inhabit a perpetually moving train divided by class. The oppressed tail-section passengers, led by Curtis, stage a revolt to fight for equal rights and access to the front of the train.
1. "Ghost in the Shell" (1995) Rotten Tomatoes score: 95% Set in a future where cybernetic enhancements are commonplace, Major Motoko Kusanagi, a cyborg policewoman, investigates the Puppet Master, a mysterious cyber-criminal who hacks into the minds of cyborg-human hybrids, leading to questions about her own identity and humanity.
