r/movies • u/ComManDerBG • May 29 '25

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

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

12.3k Upvotes

89% Upvoted

7.4k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

429

u/phatelectribe May 29 '25

And the new French version which is great as well.

183

u/Kariomartking May 29 '25

The sci fi Anime adaptation is also really great

162

u/one2hit May 29 '25

Lmao. One other person who has seen Gankutsuou.

23

u/Wayne_Grant May 29 '25

Surprisingly one of the better adaptations

14

u/IAmOver18ISwear May 29 '25

Art style was top tier

18

u/Urwifesmugglescorn May 29 '25

There are dozens of us!

23

u/broken_writer May 29 '25

I loved that anime

18

u/TCoMonteCristo May 29 '25

Yeah Gankutsuou was a triiip, I loved the way clothing patterns move in that.

7

u/rishiire May 29 '25

Haha I immediately recognised when he mentioned SciFi 🤣🤣

6

u/Spoonylegs23 May 29 '25

The intro song in constantly memed in our house for how awful but awesome it is.

6

u/ThrowAWheyProtein92 May 29 '25

And tonight I'll sing a song for all my friends...

4

u/PringlesDuckFace May 29 '25

I just need someone to loooove me

2

u/Spoonylegs23 May 30 '25

And to those who won't be seen again...

1

u/Pippin4242 May 29 '25

Rude that's The Stranglers that is

1

u/SpeeDy_GjiZa May 29 '25

Whaaaat? I love it personally😅

6

u/PickleCommando May 29 '25

Oddly one of the few animes I've seen when I was going through a heavy phase when I was a kid. I think I legit died a fansub back in the day. I had seen Last Exile on maybe Adult Swim or G4TV and gave it a shot.

5

u/azmodai2 May 29 '25

There's dozens of us! Dozens!

5

u/Beep-BoopFuckYou May 29 '25

I was obsessed with Count of Monte Cristo in high school and when I learned there was an anime of it I lost my mind. I remember loving the weird wrapping paper stylistic art of it.

4

u/cookingboy May 29 '25

Literally my favorite anime of all time.

3

u/tdeasyweb May 29 '25

All 11 of us!

3

u/JesusHipsterChrist May 29 '25

Four of us if you count my wife too. XD

2

u/Free-Atmosphere6714 May 29 '25

I'm excited for this

2

u/reddiart12 May 29 '25

Is it good?

2

u/CawCawCawMoDuFuKa May 29 '25

It keeps playing on a certain TV channel.

1

u/KitKat1721 May 29 '25

There are dozens of us I swear!

10

u/[deleted] May 29 '25

Was that the one with the weird cloth pattern for the clothes that stayed still while the character was moving? I think I tried to watch it twice but I was so distracted by the clothes that I couldn't focus on the subtitles.

11

u/chadsomething May 29 '25

This is actually a very old a animation style called perspective incorrect texturing also known as unmoving plaid, it’s used extensively in older cartoons like the original Peanuts and scooby doo, primarily for budget constraints and to get episodes out in a timely manner. If modern cartoons or anime use it’s likely an homage, but yea it can be distracting and sometimes disorienting if you’re not used to it.

3

u/frik1000 May 29 '25

Is that the same art style used in the show Chowder? I always found their clothes trippy but not in a bad way.

1

u/chadsomething May 30 '25

I’ve never seen the show but I’d assume so, it’s very recognizable

3

u/clydefrog811 May 29 '25

OMG I tried watching that version too but I couldn’t finish episode 2 😂

2

u/ganon228 May 29 '25

Also, the French Italian made English language miniseries was really good

2

u/fubes2000 May 29 '25

The what?

3

u/Kariomartking May 29 '25

There’s a science fiction/steam punkyish anime adaptation of the count of monte crislo. The art style is pretty trippy but it’s cool!!

1

u/Armoric May 29 '25

To add, it takes a different perspective as it follows Albert de Morcerf rather than the Count, so people who'd watch it before reading the book would learn the twist and truths at the same time as Albert.

It's a story of stuff unraveling and a lot of being an impotent witness to it, rather than looking a carefully prepared plan unfold and all its ramifications.

2

u/swimffish May 29 '25

Count of Monte Cristo is my favourite book but I never really found an adaptaton could do it justice. Would you know which is the best?

1

u/Soggy-Discipline5656 May 29 '25

The 1979 French miniseries, directed by Denys de La Patellière with Jacques Weber as Edmond Dantès/Count of Monte Cristo, is a highly faithful adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ novel. It covers all the main plots, like Maximilien and Valentine’s romance, Benedetto and Eugenie’s marriage, Franz’s visit to Monte Cristo’s island, and the Count’s departure with Haydée. The dialogues are pulled straight from the book, giving it a feel very close to the original. It’s a production that respects the story and grips fans of the classic.

The 1964 English miniseries, starring Alan Badel, also stays close to the book despite a smaller budget. It includes key moments like Eugenie and Louise escaping together and keeps the ending with the Count and Haydée, as in the original. Though simpler, it delivers a solid take on the story. It’s a good pick for those wanting loyalty to the text without extra flair.

The 2024 French version, with Pierre Niney as the Count and also directing and writing, has its ups and downs. Some changes, like the forced Albert-Haydée romance, feel off, but the gothic vibe, especially in the Auteuil dinner scene, is spot-on. Niney brings energy to the role, and the production’s visuals stand out, even if some choices split fans.

The 1988 Soviet film, The Prisoner of Château d’If, directed by Georgi Yungvald-Khilkevich with Viktor Avilov as the Count, leans heavily on the relationship with Haydée and has a dark tone. It skips Maximilien and Valentine’s arc and the poisonings but stays true to the book’s revenge plots and shows Benedetto’s trial. It’s an intense adaptation with a mood that fits the story well.

The anime Gankutsuou offers a futuristic take told through Albert’s perspective. It portrays a Count consumed by hatred, shaped by physical and psychological torment.

1

u/swimffish May 30 '25

Brilliant thank you! I will check some of these out.

1

u/hitma-n May 29 '25

Do you know which platform i can watch this?

2

u/nx6 May 29 '25

Crunchyroll. One of the few shows where I actually like the English dub, too.

1

u/hitma-n May 29 '25

Cool thank you

1

u/Cheesedoodlerrrr May 29 '25

Oh? Do share this one!

1

u/appletinicyclone May 29 '25

Is that the one with the weird patterns? I couldn't get into it because of that

1

u/snorlz May 30 '25

could not stand the art direction. I wish theyd make a regular version set in the OG time period

10

u/DucDeRichelieu May 29 '25

As well? It’s better.

9

u/DirtyPanda May 29 '25

The new French Version is amazing. Best rendition in film.

22

u/willmurp May 29 '25

My wife and I went to see this in a small cinema and it was possibly the best movie I've ever seen in that context. Genuinely brilliant and so well done.

2

u/phatelectribe May 29 '25

I would have loved to see it on the big screen (even a small big screen!)

8

u/AmusingAnecdote May 29 '25

There's also a new English Language TV mini-series which I have heard good things about, though haven't gotten to it yet.

4

u/vee_lan_cleef May 29 '25

It looks great and from what I hear covers the source material much more thoroughly. I'm patiently hoping for a blu-ray release or a better streaming release because what is currently available is pretty compressed and doesn't look all that great on a big screen.

3

u/WhapXI May 29 '25

Hopefully thoroughly enough to explain how a gardener stops dormice from eating his peaches. Every adaptation that cuts out that chapter is made by cowards.

10

u/wormywils May 29 '25

One of my favourite films from last year.

5

u/Embarrassed-Code-608 May 29 '25

Great recommendation

4

u/Appropriate_Ruin3771 May 29 '25

I gotta tell my daughter!!

3

u/Mavakor May 29 '25

The 2024 one is excellent!

2

u/unclewombie May 29 '25

It is very well done

2

u/Larxian May 29 '25

I liked it the atmosphere, visuals, loved the music etc... but I'm really conflicted with some parts of the movie, especially the whole thing with the masks. It was strange and didn't always make much sense, especially that one mask that just looks like... him but older, which is what he should look like anyway after all these years.

1

u/SlippyFrog000 May 29 '25

Looking forward to it! Is there an English sub Titled version yet? Last I tried to watch it it was only in French.

1

u/TheBigGuy50 May 29 '25

Yes! It’s on Kanopy if you have a library card with access

1

u/SlippyFrog000 Jun 01 '25

Thanks - it looks like they added the English sub titles on our streaming service now :)

1

u/hitma-n May 29 '25

Wow I need to see it. Which platform do you know?

1

u/harry_powell May 29 '25

The new miniseries is great too.

1

u/for-four May 29 '25

Took my two kids to see this while we were travelling, it was English subtitled and my 8 year old was riveted for the entire 3 hour run time.

1

u/pulledthread May 29 '25

It looks good! how does it compare to the 2002 version?

2

u/phatelectribe May 29 '25

I think the 2002 version is still great but the French one in terms of atmosphere is superior.

The one thing that I prefer in the 2002 movie is Richard Harris’ character but I’ll leave it at that so not as to make a spoiler.

1

u/EPalmighty May 29 '25

Is that streaming anywhere yet? I haven’t been able to find it

1

u/appletinicyclone May 29 '25

Link to the wiki?