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Just Play Dead

Just Play Dead

Thriller · Crime · 2026

A criminal mastermind plans to fake his death for insurance money while framing his wife's lover. His wife plots to kill him for real and take it all. Both race to outmanoeuvre each other in a deadly battle of wits.

Movie details

Just Play Dead

“Til death do they part.”

2026 Thriller · Crime 1h 37m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

5.9 / 10

Community rating

A criminal mastermind plans to fake his death for insurance money while framing his wife's lover. His wife plots to kill him for real and take it all. Both race to outmanoeuvre each other in a deadly battle of wits.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Just Play Dead?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

City of Ghosts

City of Ghosts

Thriller · 2002

A con man who is on the run from law enforcement in the U.S. travels to Cambodia to collect his share in an insurance scam but discovers more than he bargained for.

The Jackal

The Jackal

Action · 1997

Hired by a powerful member of the Russian mafia to avenge an FBI sting that left his brother dead, a psychopathic hitman known only as The Jackal proves an elusive target for the people charged with the task of bringing him down: a deputy FBI director, a Russian MVK Major, and a jailed IRA terrorist who can recognize him.

Shade

Shade

Action · 2003

Tiffany, Charlie and Vernon are con artists looking to up the ante from their typical scams. They figure a good way of doing this is taking down Dean "The Dean" Stevens, a well-known cardsharp, in a rigged game. However, they first need enough money to enter a game with Stevens, so they decide to strike a deal with fellow crook Larry Jennings to scam a local gangster -- which turns out to be a bad idea.

Red Right Hand

Red Right Hand

Crime · 2024

Cash is trying to live a quiet, honest life in a small Appalachian town. When a vicious crime boss forces him back into her services, he soon learns he's capable of anything -- even killing -- to protect his family and his home.

Maximum Risk

Maximum Risk

Action · 1996

Alain Moreau's investigation into the death of his identical twin brother leads him from the beauty of the south of France to the mean streets of New York City and into the arms of his brother's beautiful girlfriend. Pursued by ruthless Russian mobsters and renegade FBI agents, the duo race against time to solve his brother's murder and expose an international conspiracy.

Hangman

Hangman

Mystery · 2017

A homicide detective teams up with a criminal profiler to catch a serial killer whose crimes are inspired by the children's game, Hangman.

Ca$h

Ca$h

Crime · 2010

A stroke of good luck turns lethal for Sam Phelan and his wife Leslie when they are faced with a life-changing decision that brings strange and sinister Pyke Kubic to their doorstep. As Pyke leads Sam and Leslie on a tumultuous adventure through the streets of Chicago, each are pulled deeper and deeper into a desperate spiral of deception and violence – all in the name of money.

Too Late for Tears

Too Late for Tears

Crime · 1949

Through a fluke circumstance, a ruthless woman stumbles across a suitcase filled with $60,000, and is determined to hold onto it even if it means murder.

How to Make a Killing

How to Make a Killing

Comedy · 2026

Disowned at birth by his obscenely wealthy family, blue-collar Becket Redfellow will stop at nothing to reclaim his inheritance, no matter how many relatives stand in his way.

3000 Miles to Graceland

3000 Miles to Graceland

Action · 2001

It was an ingenious enough plan: rob the Riviera Casino's count room during an Elvis impersonator convention. But Thomas Murphy decided to keep all the money for himself and shot all his partners, including recently-freed ex-con Michael Zane. With $3.2 million at stake, the Marshals Service closing in, Michael must track down Murphy.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Martin Campbell

Written by

Dan Gordon

Samuel L. Jackson

Samuel L. Jackson

Jack Wolfe

Eva Green

Eva Green

Nora Wolfe

María Pedraza

María Pedraza

Bianca

Eoin Macken

Eoin Macken

Dani

Jason Fernández

Jason Fernández

Chad

Paulo Rivera

Paulo Rivera

Dr.Castro

Nicole Ansari-Cox

Nicole Ansari-Cox

Sister Rachel

Court is in session

Put Just Play Dead on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Adrenaline Seeker

“Restraint trusts the audience.”

It leaves emotional space unlabelled, trusting viewers to notice what the characters cannot say aloud.

The prosecution The Prestige Tourist

“Distance mistaken for discipline.”

The chill may look elegant, but withholding a heartbeat is not the same as having complicated feelings.