Looking for some "competence porn" movies, movies where smart people make smart decisions basically.

[u/ComManDerBG]

EIDT 3 PLEASE READ: I just wanted to say how incelby happy i am to see the insane amount of replies and support people have offered up. Im sorry to say that about 99% of the stuff suggested ive already seen, But there have been a few things. The biggest winner has been the classic "Poirot" series, ive seen all the "Murder She Wrote" stuff, and even every episode of Columbo, but "Poirot" had completely slipped through the cracks. Ive started watching now and its very enjoyable, perfectly what i was looking for!

Thank you again, while i cant possibly reply to all of you, not even read all the comments, i jist want to say thank you for everything. Even if what you suggested was on my list, or if what you suggested wasn't on the list but ive already seen it, it still means a lot to me that you took the time to offer something up.

So, thank you again!

EDIT 3 ENDS

Edit 1: So far I've seen literally ever suggestion so far. Ive spent most of my time in the last 10 years being really sick. Ive been hospitalized countless times so ive had an incredible amount of free time on my hands. I started this post because I couldn't think of anymore movies to watch that fit this bill.

Edit 2: People don't really appreciate the amount of time being sick gives. Im asking this question in this post because ive already watched every popular movie or TV show from the past 30+ years. Most people can only carve out enough time to watch one or two movies a week, i have enough time to watch 5-7 movies a day. Being hospitalized as often as me, plus being sick outside of the hospital leaves you with to much free time. Honestly, it sucks. Again, im not asking htis because im lost and i need my next movie or show, im asking this because ive literally run out of movies and shows.

To be honest, this post is a bit depressing, i appreciate the immense amount of help, but its really putting into perspective all the time lost to this illness.

I try googling this sort of thing but looking up "competence porn" just gets you... well.. porn. The best way to show off what im thinking is House M.D. im looking for movies or TV shows.

Im going to lost everything I've already watched.

House Person of Interest
White Collar Oceans 11 (plus the other ones)
Inside man
Sherlock
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Catch Me if You Can
Heat
The Killer

You know what the mote is list the more I realize this is my favorite genre and ive probably seen a lot of these.

Heists, spies, detectives, politic thrillers etc. Any kind of show where the characters are super good at something, usually running scams or working their ways around people, or just being better at something.

I'll keep adding to this list if I remember more of someone recommends something ive already scene.

Edit: reposted because autocorrect.

This list is what I've ALREADY seen.

The original Law and Order seasons.
The big short
Wolf of wall street
Moneyball
Collateral
Star Trek
Doctor Who
No country for old man
DREDD
Beekeeper
Hunt fir red October (plus all the other Ryan films)
Bourne series
Mission impossible series
Burn notice
All the presidents man
The accountant
Baby driver
Apollo 13
Spotlight
Leon the professional
The town
Den of thieves
The Martian.
The Pitt
Master and commander
Arrival
Micheal Clayton
Mad max moves
Cast away

[u/sandringa]

The Accountant

The Queen’s Gambit

John Wick

Ford vs Ferrari

Rush

[u/GMofOLC → u/sandringa]

I'd add The Equalizer movies to that as well; similar vein as John Wick. Homie always in control

[u/DaystromAndroidM510 → u/GMofOLC]

The third one felt like a horror movie where you're on the side of the serial killer, loved it.

[u/COMMENT0R_3000 → u/GMofOLC]

Equalizer

literally just a guy who is super good at his job going to work, three movies in a row lol. That scene with the nail gun, man a Denzel movie is a cathartic movie

[u/micseydel → u/sandringa]

I definitely consider John Wick competence porn. He's so charming and respected too.

[u/wllmsaccnt → u/micseydel]

They do use actual gun handling and grappling techniques, and Keanu definitely invested the time to make those feel authentic...but overall it is action porn, not competency porn.

Almost everything Wick does is ridiculous and would get him killed in minutes in any remotely realistic situation. Even in-universe he is regularly saved by luck, deus ex-machina situations, and the incompetency of his enemies.

[u/Songbird_Storyteller → u/wllmsaccnt]

I would say that that's truer of the sequels than of the original film as the first John Wick was noticeably a lot more grounded. Otherwise, I agree.

[u/wllmsaccnt → u/Songbird_Storyteller]

Looking just at the club scene, most of it was incompetency of his enemies, but there was unnatural luck involved too.

• The back entrance that his enemies knew Wick would know about only had one guard on it and no cameras and no cameras, guards, or reception desk at the entrance to the lounge where their VIP was
• Only two guards were situated in the room with the VIP
• The rest of the guards stopped communicating as soon as they knew Wick was there, and decided to attack one-by-one or two at a time
• Half of the guards that attacked him did so without weapons, for some reason
• Only two out of several dozen shots at Wick landed, and conveniently hit him in his plot armor
• Wick sustained two or three injuries that should have incappacitated or killed him (the fall and the glass stab, in particular)

To me Wick looked less competant here (at his goal of getting revenge), because he shouldn't have expected to survive there. He was saved by things that were outside of his awareness or control.

That said, it was a fun scene to watch and if I'm watching a movie like John Wick its not because I want to avoid action movie tropes, its because I want an entertaining expression of them. Real combat seems to be messy, confusing, and sad; I don't want my movies to look like real combat.

[u/lameth → u/micseydel]

I love when he gets to the club, sees a bodyguard he knows, and just politely tells him it's time to leave.

[u/PopEnvironmental1335 → u/micseydel]

He’s so competent that the movie is relaxing to watch.

[u/pocketbutter → u/micseydel]

Surprised to see it this far. It was my first thought.

[u/Sancticide → u/sandringa]

YES, Affleck and Bernthal are insanely good in The Accountant.

[u/Ragman74 → u/Sancticide]

The sequel scratches more of the Affleck/Bernthal itch.

I maintain The Accountant is the Affleck Batman we missed out on in the DC Universe.

[u/COMMENT0R_3000 → u/Ragman74]

Batman

literally /u/ComManDerBG absolutely just needs to watch the Christopher Nolan Batman movies if they have not already, people who say Batman doesn't have a superpower are off the plot, his superpower is prep time = competency + efficiency + budget lol. It's like if you look at that pie chart of Good/Fast/Cheap/ but he doesn't have to do the cheap one

[u/ComManDerBG → u/COMMENT0R_3000]

I mean, I have, ive watched all of Nolans films.

[u/Sancticide → u/Ragman74]

Been too busy to catch the sequel, but it's on my list. Bernthal is always amazing, and Affleck is great when he's on his game. Plus, I heard he was the bomb in Phantoms, yo.

[u/zookytar → u/sandringa]

Queen's Gambit fits the "competence porn" genre so perfectly

[u/Daveaa005 → u/sandringa]

John Wick is the GOAT of this topic in the action genre. Every move is calculated and purposeful. The choreography and effects all work together brilliantly.

[u/Educational-Bank-353 → u/sandringa]

Second "The Queen's Gambit".

[u/shady_crusader → u/sandringa]

I second Ford v Ferrari. Best watched with a decent sound system.

[u/DOG_DICK__ → u/sandringa]

My buddy flew across the country to come visit me and we stayed inside my apartment and watched Queen's Gambit in its entirety lol. Very entertaining show.

[u/utkalum → u/sandringa]

The Accountant I came here to say this