Movies Like The Salton Sea (2002)

The Salton Sea is a 2002 crime, drama, mystery, thriller film from D.J. Caruso with a MovieMagicScore of 6.5/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Insomnia and Nancy Drew.

Crime Drama Mystery Thriller

Insomnia

2002

Two Los Angeles homicide detectives are dispatched to a northern town where the sun doesn't set to investigate the methodical murder of a local teen.

7.0

MagicScore

Nancy Drew

2007

Intrepid teenage private eye Nancy Drew heads to Tinseltown with her father to investigate the unsolved murder of a movie star in this old-fashioned whodunit based on Carolyn Keene's popular series of books for young adults. But can the small-town girl cut through the Hollywood hype to solve the case?

6.1

MagicScore

Lost Highway

1997

A tormented jazz musician finds himself lost in an enigmatic story involving murder, surveillance, gangsters, doppelgängers, and an impossible transformation inside a prison cell.

7.5

MagicScore

The Hard Way

1991

Seeking to raise his credibility as an actor and to land a role as a tough cop on a new show, Hollywood action star Nick Lang works a deal with New York City Police Capt. Brix, who by chance is one of his fans. Nick will be paired with detective Lt. John Moss and learn how to act like a real cop. But when Nick drives John crazy with questions and imitating him, he gets in the way of John's pursuit of a serial killer.

6.1

MagicScore

Requiem for a Dream

2000

The drug-induced utopias of four Coney Island residents are shattered when their addictions run deep.

8.0

MagicScore

Mulholland Drive

2001

Blonde Betty Elms has only just arrived in Hollywood to become a movie star when she meets an enigmatic brunette with amnesia. Meanwhile, as the two set off to solve the second woman's identity, filmmaker Adam Kesher runs into ominous trouble while casting his latest project.

7.8

MagicScore

The Usual Suspects

1995

Held in an L.A. interrogation room, Verbal Kint attempts to convince the feds that a mythic crime lord, Keyser Soze, not only exists, but was also responsible for drawing him and his four partners into a multi-million dollar heist that ended with an explosion in San Pedro harbor – leaving few survivors. Verbal lures his interrogators with an incredible story of the crime lord's almost supernatural prowess.

8.2

MagicScore

Hammer

2019

A father faces a personal crisis when he discovers his estranged son fleeing a botched drug deal. The two men embark on a violent odyssey that grapples with themes of fatherhood, family and fate.

5.4

MagicScore

Training Day

2001

On his first day on the job as a narcotics officer, a rookie cop works with a rogue detective who isn't what he appears.

7.5

MagicScore

#10

Killing Them Softly

2012

Jackie Cogan is an enforcer hired to restore order after three dumb guys rob a Mob protected card game, causing the local criminal economy to collapse.

6.0

MagicScore

#11

Sicario

2015

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.

7.4

MagicScore

#12

Basic Instinct

1992

Catherine, a novelist with an insatiable sexual appetite, becomes a prime suspect when her boyfriend is brutally murdered -- a crime she had described in her latest story.

6.9

MagicScore

#13

Inherent Vice

2014

In Los Angeles at the turn of the 1970s, drug-fueled detective Larry "Doc" Sportello investigates the disappearance of an ex-girlfriend.

6.5

MagicScore

#14

Cop Land

1997

Freddy Heflin is the sheriff of a place everyone calls “Cop Land” — a small and seemingly peaceful town populated by the big city police officers he’s long admired. Yet something ugly is taking place behind the town’s peaceful facade. And when Freddy uncovers a massive, deadly conspiracy among these local residents, he is forced to take action and make a dangerous choice between protecting his idols and upholding the law.

6.8

MagicScore

#15

Brooklyn's Finest

2010

Enforcing the law within the notoriously rough Brownsville section of the city and especially within the Van Dyke housing projects is the NYPD's sixty-fifth precinct. Three police officers struggle with the sometimes fine line between right and wrong.

6.3

MagicScore

#16

A History of Violence

2005

An average family is thrust into the spotlight after the father commits a seemingly self-defense murder at his diner.

7.2

MagicScore

#17

Acts of Vengeance

2017

A fast-talking lawyer transforms his body and takes a vow of silence, not to be broken until he finds out who killed his wife and daughter and has his revenge.

5.9

MagicScore

#18

A Scanner Darkly

2006

An undercover cop in a not-too-distant future becomes involved with a dangerous new drug and begins to lose his own identity as a result.

6.8

MagicScore

#19

Cutter's Way

1981

Alex Cutter is a boozy, belligerent and deeply cynical Vietnam veteran whose encounter with a landmine during the war has left him minus an eye, a leg and an arm. When his drifter playboy friend Richard Bone is falsely accused of murder, Cutter sets out for revenge in his own inimitable style.

6.5

MagicScore

#20

The Body

2012

A woman’s body disappears mysteriously from the morgue without a trace. Police inspector Jaime Peña investigates the strange occurrence with the help of Álex Ulloa, the widower of the missing woman.

7.5

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like The Salton Sea?

The top films similar to The Salton Sea by MovieMagicScore are Insomnia (7.0), Nancy Drew (6.1), Lost Highway (7.5). Each shares crime/drama/mystery/thriller themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is The Salton Sea worth watching?

The Salton Sea holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.5/10 from 339 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is The Salton Sea?

The Salton Sea (2002) is a crime, drama, mystery, thriller film directed by D.J. Caruso, starring Val Kilmer, Vincent D'Onofrio, Adam Goldberg.

Where can I find more recommendations like The Salton Sea?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more crime recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like Insomnia Movies like Nancy Drew Movies like Lost Highway Movies like The Hard Way Movies like Requiem for a Dream Movies like Mulholland Drive

About movies like The Salton Sea

This ranked list pairs The Salton Sea (2002), a crime and drama and mystery and thriller film from D.J. Caruso, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Val Kilmer take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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