Sort by Popularity - Most Popular Movies and TV Shows tagged with keyword "escalation"
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1. The Dark Knight (2008)
PG-13 | 152 min | Action, Crime, Drama
When the menace known as the Joker wreaks havoc and chaos on the people of Gotham, Batman must accept one of the greatest psychological and physical tests of his ability to fight injustice.
Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine
Votes: 2,869,577 | Gross: $534.86M
2. John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023)
R | 169 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
John Wick uncovers a path to defeating The High Table. But before he can earn his freedom, Wick must face off against a new enemy with powerful alliances across the globe and forces that turn old friends into foes.
Director: Chad Stahelski | Stars: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, George Georgiou, Lance Reddick
Votes: 333,075 | Gross: $187.13M
3. Arrival (II) (2016)
PG-13 | 116 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
A linguist works with the military to communicate with alien lifeforms after twelve mysterious spacecraft appear around the world.
Director: Denis Villeneuve | Stars: Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker, Michael Stuhlbarg
Votes: 770,574 | Gross: $100.55M
4. The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
PG-13 | 164 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
Eight years after the Joker's reign of chaos, Batman is coerced out of exile with the assistance of the mysterious Selina Kyle in order to defend Gotham City from the vicious guerrilla terrorist Bane.
Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, Gary Oldman
Votes: 1,826,591 | Gross: $448.14M
5. Heat (1995)
R | 170 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A group of high-end professional thieves start to feel the heat from the LAPD when they unknowingly leave a verbal clue at their latest heist.
Director: Michael Mann | Stars: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer, Jon Voight
Votes: 719,063 | Gross: $67.44M
6. Sicario (2015)
R | 121 min | Action, Crime, Drama
An idealistic FBI agent is enlisted by a government task force to aid in the escalating war against drugs at the border area between the U.S. and Mexico.
Director: Denis Villeneuve | Stars: Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin, Benicio Del Toro, Jon Bernthal
Votes: 476,430 | Gross: $46.89M
7. Wonder Woman (2017)
PG-13 | 141 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
When a pilot crashes and tells of conflict in the outside world, Diana, an Amazonian warrior in training, leaves home to fight a war, discovering her full powers and true destiny.
Director: Patty Jenkins | Stars: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Robin Wright, Lucy Davis
Votes: 699,477 | Gross: $412.56M
8. Sicario: Day of the Soldado (2018)
R | 122 min | Action, Crime, Drama
The drug war on the U.S.-Mexico border has escalated as the cartels have begun trafficking terrorists across the US border. To fight the war, federal agent Matt Graver re-teams with the mercurial Alejandro.
Director: Stefano Sollima | Stars: Benicio Del Toro, Josh Brolin, Isabela Merced, Jeffrey Donovan
Votes: 166,894 | Gross: $50.07M
9. Poltergeist (1982)
PG | 114 min | Horror, Thriller
A family's home is haunted by a host of demonic ghosts.
Director: Tobe Hooper | Stars: JoBeth Williams, Heather O'Rourke, Craig T. Nelson, Beatrice Straight
Votes: 179,509 | Gross: $76.61M
10. The Crush (1993)
R | 89 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
A journalist becomes the unwanted center of attention for a 14-year-old girl, who proceeds to sabotage his life after he refuses her sexual advances.
Director: Alan Shapiro | Stars: Cary Elwes, Alicia Silverstone, Jennifer Rubin, Kurtwood Smith
Votes: 22,287 | Gross: $13.61M
11. Allegiant (2016)
PG-13 | 120 min | Action, Adventure, Mystery
After the earth-shattering revelations of Insurgent, Tris must escape with Four beyond the wall that encircles Chicago, to finally discover the shocking truth of the world around them.
Director: Robert Schwentke | Stars: Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Jeff Daniels, Naomi Watts
Votes: 134,116 | Gross: $66.18M
12. Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)
PG-13 | 151 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Diana must contend with a work colleague, and with a businessman whose desire for extreme wealth sends the world down a path of destruction, after an ancient artifact that grants wishes goes missing.
Director: Patty Jenkins | Stars: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Kristen Wiig, Pedro Pascal
Votes: 291,699 | Gross: $46.37M
13. The Stand (1994)
Not Rated | 90 min | Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
After a deadly plague kills most of the world's population, the remaining survivors split into two groups - one led by a benevolent elder and the other by a malevolent being - to face each other in a final battle between good and evil.
Stars: Gary Sinise, Molly Ringwald, Jamey Sheridan, Laura San Giacomo
Votes: 38,399
14. The Day After (1983 TV Movie)
TV-PG | 127 min | Drama, Sci-Fi
The effects of a devastating nuclear holocaust on small-town residents of eastern Kansas.
Director: Nicholas Meyer | Stars: Jason Robards, JoBeth Williams, Steve Guttenberg, John Cullum
Votes: 18,148
15. Evil Dead (2013)
R | 91 min | Horror
Five friends head to a remote cabin, where the discovery of a Book of the Dead leads them to unwittingly summon up demons living in the nearby woods.
Director: Fede Alvarez | Stars: Jane Levy, Shiloh Fernandez, Jessica Lucas, Lou Taylor Pucci
Votes: 197,191 | Gross: $54.24M
16. Green Room (2015)
R | 95 min | Crime, Drama, Horror
A punk rock band is forced to fight for survival after witnessing a murder at a neo-Nazi skinhead bar.
Director: Jeremy Saulnier | Stars: Anton Yelchin, Imogen Poots, Alia Shawkat, Patrick Stewart
Votes: 139,188 | Gross: $3.22M
17. Robin Hood (2018)
PG-13 | 116 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A war-hardened Crusader and his Moorish commander mount an audacious revolt against the corrupt English crown.
Director: Otto Bathurst | Stars: Taron Egerton, Jamie Foxx, Ben Mendelsohn, Eve Hewson
Votes: 79,477 | Gross: $30.82M
18. Money Monster (2016)
R | 98 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Financial TV host Lee Gates and his producer Patty are put in an extreme situation when an irate investor takes them and their crew as hostage.
Director: Jodie Foster | Stars: George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Jack O'Connell, Dominic West
Votes: 105,200 | Gross: $41.01M
19. Peppermint (2018)
R | 101 min | Action, Thriller
Five years after her husband and daughter are killed in a senseless act of violence, a woman comes back from self-imposed exile to seek revenge against those responsible and the system that let them go free.
Director: Pierre Morel | Stars: Jennifer Garner, John Gallagher Jr., John Ortiz, Juan Pablo Raba
Votes: 70,863 | Gross: $35.42M
20. Eye in the Sky (2015)
R | 102 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
Col. Katherine Powell, a military officer in command of an operation to capture terrorists in Kenya, sees her mission escalate when a girl enters the kill zone triggering an international dispute over the implications of modern warfare.
Director: Gavin Hood | Stars: Helen Mirren, Aaron Paul, Alan Rickman, Barkhad Abdi
Votes: 91,466 | Gross: $18.70M
21. Amistad (1997)
R | 155 min | Biography, Drama, History
In 1839, the revolt of Mende captives aboard a Spanish owned ship causes a major controversy in the United States when the ship is captured off the coast of Long Island. The courts must decide whether the Mende are slaves or legally free.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Djimon Hounsou, Matthew McConaughey, Anthony Hopkins, Morgan Freeman
Votes: 82,753 | Gross: $44.18M
22. Flatliners (1990)
R | 115 min | Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi
Five medical students experiment with "near death" experiences, until the dark consequences of past tragedies begin to jeopardize their lives.
Director: Joel Schumacher | Stars: Kiefer Sutherland, Kevin Bacon, Julia Roberts, William Baldwin
Votes: 93,399 | Gross: $61.49M
23. Nerve (I) (2016)
PG-13 | 96 min | Action, Adventure, Crime
A high school senior finds herself immersed in an online game of truth or dare, where her every move starts to become manipulated by an anonymous community of "watchers."
Directors: Henry Joost, Ariel Schulman | Stars: Emma Roberts, Dave Franco, Emily Meade, Miles Heizer
Votes: 140,245 | Gross: $38.58M
24. Jigsaw (I) (2017)
R | 92 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Bodies are turning up around the city, each having met a uniquely gruesome demise. As the investigation proceeds, evidence points to one suspect: John Kramer, the man known as Jigsaw, who has been dead for over 10 years.
Directors: Michael Spierig, Peter Spierig | Stars: Matt Passmore, Tobin Bell, Callum Keith Rennie, Hannah Emily Anderson
Votes: 92,212 | Gross: $38.05M
25. Convoy (1978)
PG | 110 min | Action, Drama
Truckers form a mile-long "convoy" in support of a trucker's vendetta with an abusive sheriff - Based on the country song of the same title by C.W. McCall.
Director: Sam Peckinpah | Stars: Kris Kristofferson, Ali MacGraw, Ernest Borgnine, Burt Young
Votes: 18,592 | Gross: $45.00M
26. Windfall (2022)
R | 92 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A man breaks into a tech billionaire's empty vacation home, but things go sideways when the arrogant mogul and his wife arrive for a last-minute getaway.
Director: Charlie McDowell | Stars: Jason Segel, Lily Collins, Jesse Plemons, Omar Leyva
Votes: 26,698
27. Southland Tales (2006)
R | 145 min | Comedy, Drama, Mystery
During a three-day heat wave just before a huge 4th of July celebration, an action star stricken with amnesia meets up with a porn star who is developing her own reality TV project, and a policeman who holds the key to a vast conspiracy.
Director: Richard Kelly | Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Seann William Scott, Carlos Amezcua
Votes: 40,622 | Gross: $0.28M
28. The Wave (2008)
Not Rated | 107 min | Drama, Thriller
A high school teacher's experiment to demonstrate to his students what life is like under a dictatorship spins horribly out of control when he forms a social unit with a life of its own.
Director: Dennis Gansel | Stars: Jürgen Vogel, Frederick Lau, Max Riemelt, Jennifer Ulrich
Votes: 115,077
29. Superman: The Animated Series (1996–2000)
TV-PG | 30 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
The last son of the planet Krypton protects his adoptive home of Earth as the greatest of the superheroes.
Stars: Tim Daly, Joseph Bologna, Dana Delany, David Kaufman
Votes: 17,657
30. Carnage (2011)
R | 80 min | Comedy, Drama
Two pairs of parents hold a cordial meeting after their sons are involved in a fight, though as their time together progresses, increasingly childish behavior throws the discussion into chaos.
Director: Roman Polanski | Stars: Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz, John C. Reilly
Votes: 132,998 | Gross: $2.55M
31. Recoil (I) (2011)
R | 94 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A cop turns vigilante after his family is murdered, exacting vengeance on the killers - and then on all criminals who have slipped through the system.
Director: Terry Miles | Stars: Steve Austin, Serinda Swan, Danny Trejo, Keith Jardine
Votes: 5,894
32. Life After Beth (2014)
R | 89 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Horror
A young man's recently deceased girlfriend mysteriously returns from the dead, but he slowly realizes she is not the way he remembered her.
Director: Jeff Baena | Stars: Aubrey Plaza, Dane DeHaan, John C. Reilly, Molly Shannon
Votes: 23,822 | Gross: $0.08M
33. Bandidas (2006)
PG-13 | 93 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
In turn-of-the-century Mexico, two very different women become a bank-robbing duo in an effort to combat a ruthless enforcer terrorizing their town.
Directors: Joachim Rønning, Espen Sandberg | Stars: Penélope Cruz, Salma Hayek, Steve Zahn, Dwight Yoakam
Votes: 37,286
34. Athena (2022)
R | 99 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
Hours after the tragic death of their youngest brother in unexplained circumstances, three siblings have their lives thrown into chaos.
Director: Romain Gavras | Stars: Dali Benssalah, Sami Slimane, Anthony Bajon, Ouassini Embarek
Votes: 22,313
35. Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (2013 Video)
PG-13 | 75 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
The Flash finds himself in a war torn alternate timeline and teams up with alternate versions of his fellow heroes to return home and restore the timeline.
Director: Jay Oliva | Stars: Justin Chambers, C. Thomas Howell, Michael B. Jordan, Kevin McKidd
Votes: 59,771
36. Injustice (2021)
R | 78 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
On an alternate Earth, the Joker tricks Superman into killing Lois Lane, which causes a rampage in the hero. Superman decides to take control of Earth; Batman and his allies will have to attempt to stop him.
Director: Matt Peters | Stars: Justin Hartley, Anson Mount, Laura Bailey, Zach Callison
Votes: 16,049
37. Teaching Mrs. Tingle (1999)
PG-13 | 96 min | Comedy, Thriller
The story of a girl who is willing to do anything to become Valedictorian, even if it means murdering the teacher that stands in her way.
Director: Kevin Williamson | Stars: Helen Mirren, Marisa Coughlan, Katie Holmes, Jeffrey Tambor
Votes: 21,711 | Gross: $8.95M
38. Final Score (2018)
R | 104 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
After deadly terrorists abduct his niece at a soccer match, an ex-soldier with lethal fighting skills wages a one-man war to save her and prevent mass destruction.
Director: Scott Mann | Stars: Martyn Ford, Gordon Alexander, Alexandra Dinu, Peter Pedrero
Votes: 14,152
39. Rogue City (2020)
TV-MA | 116 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Caught in the cross hairs of police corruption and Marseille's warring gangs, a loyal cop must protect his squad by taking matters into his own hands.
Director: Olivier Marchal | Stars: Lannick Gautry, Stanislas Merhar, Kaaris, David Belle
Votes: 9,972
40. Blood and Wine (1996)
R | 101 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A man who has failed as a father and husband commits a heist to make money for his fledging business, but things become complicated when his wife interferes.
Director: Bob Rafelson | Stars: Jack Nicholson, Michael Caine, Stephen Dorff, Jennifer Lopez
Votes: 10,764 | Gross: $1.08M
41. Infamous (2020)
Not Rated | 100 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
Two young lovers rob their way across the southland, posting their exploits to social media and gaining fame and followers as a result.
Director: Joshua Caldwell | Stars: Bella Thorne, Jake Manley, Amber Riley, Michael Sirow
Votes: 3,463
42. Vigilante (1982)
R | 90 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
After his wife and son got brutalized by a street gang, and a corrupt criminal justice system puts the perpetrators back on the street, a NYC factory worker teams up with a vigilante group to find some measure of bloody justice.
Director: William Lustig | Stars: Robert Forster, Fred Williamson, Richard Bright, Rutanya Alda
Votes: 4,536
43. Superman: Red Son (2020 Video)
PG-13 | 84 min | Animation, Action, Sci-Fi
What if baby Kal-El's rocket landed not in Kansas, but in the Soviet Union? That is the premise of this Elseworld's tale from DC Comics.
Director: Sam Liu | Stars: Jason Isaacs, Amy Acker, Diedrich Bader, Vanessa Marshall
Votes: 16,858
44. Taffin (1988)
R | 96 min | Action, Thriller
An Irish tough-guy debt collector is asked by his local community to help rid the town of developers bent on building a chemical plant on the outskirts of town. The developers are ruthless ... See full summary »
Director: Francis Megahy | Stars: Pierce Brosnan, Ray McAnally, Alison Doody, Jeremy Child
Votes: 2,115 | Gross: $0.16M
45. By Dawn's Early Light (1990 TV Movie)
PG-13 | 100 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
A non-NATO nuclear missile is fired from Turkey at USSR, where it detonates. Soviet response is automatic as it's seen as a NATO missile. Can continued escalation be avoided? We follow the US president and a bomber crew.
Director: Jack Sholder | Stars: Powers Boothe, Rebecca De Mornay, James Earl Jones, Martin Landau
Votes: 4,091
46. Bumperkleef (2019)
86 min | Action, Horror, Thriller
A cocksure, road-raging family man finds himself pursued and terrorized by the vengeful van driver he chooses to tailgate.
Director: Lodewijk Crijns | Stars: Jeroen Spitzenberger, Anniek Pheifer, Roosmarijn van der Hoek, Liz Vergeer
Votes: 4,355
47. Doodlebug (1997)
Not Rated | 3 min | Short, Fantasy, Mystery
In his squalid apartment, a man tries to squash with his shoe an insect of some kind that is moving around the room.
Director: Christopher Nolan | Star: Jeremy Theobald
Votes: 19,031
48. Hider in the House (1989)
R | 108 min | Thriller
A deranged man hides in the attic of a new house and becomes obsessed with the unsuspecting family that moves in.
Director: Matthew Patrick | Stars: Gary Busey, Mimi Rogers, Michael McKean, Kurt Christopher Kinder
Votes: 1,907
49. Countdown to Looking Glass (1984 TV Movie)
90 min | Drama
Dramatic doomsday scenario in which the Cold War fully escalates. The story is told through a live news report that follows the apocalyptic world-ending nuclear exchange between the U.S.A. and the U.S.S.R.
Director: Fred Barzyk | Stars: Scott Glenn, Michael Murphy, Helen Shaver, Patrick Watson
Votes: 715
50. Web of Make Believe: Death, Lies and the Internet (2022)
TV-MA | 60 min | Documentary, Crime
Conspiracy. Fraud. Violence. Murder. What starts out virtual can get real all too quickly--and when the web is worldwide, so are the consequences.
Stars: Paul Black, Daniel Rigmaiden, Devin McGee, Aaron Kuban
Votes: 2,449