When the Fifty Shades of Grey movie was released in 2015, it made a splash, but plenty of great movies are comparable to the Fifty Shades series. Based on the books by E.L. James, Fifty Shades of Grey focuses on the central relationship between Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson) and Christian Grey (Jamie Doran), who push each other emotionally and through physical intimacy. While the most famous parts of the books and movies are the depictions of sex and BDSM, they’re not entirely accurate, and the films have faced criticism for their weak plot and mishandling of sex positivity.
However, films that fall into the romance and eroticism genres don’t necessarily have to distance themselves from a compelling story structure. Including elements like the importance of self-discovery, sexual liberation, and even the humor that can be found in intimate moments makes these projects worthwhile. Onscreen depictions of sex have faced great criticism in recent years, and rightly so, as they are a sensitive subject. Though every Fifty Shades movie doesn’t handle these topics perfectly, they encourage people to seek out the best of the genre and find the films they connect with.
15 Deep Water (2022)
Directed By Adrian Lyne
Deep Water 
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Based on the celebrated novel by popular mystery writer Patricia Highsmith (The Talented Mr. Ripley), Deep Water takes us inside the marriage of a seemingly perfect couple, Vic and Melinda Van Allen, to discover the dangerous mind games they play and what happens to the people that get caught up in them. Revealing to various lovers that they have an open relationship, their neighbors begin to talk, and bodies begin to appear in perceived acts of passion.
Director Adrian Lyne Release Date March 18, 2022 Cast Ana De Armas , Lil Rel Howery , Michael Braun , Dash Mihok , Brendan C. Miller , Kristen Connolly , Jeff Pope , Rachel Blanchard , Finn Wittrock , Devyn Tyler , Grace Jenkins , Tracy Letts , Jacob Elordi , Ben Affleck , Jade Fernandez Runtime 153 minutes Expand
Almost all movies like 50 Shades are erotic thrillers. The highly sexually charged trilogy was infamous for its suggestive and steamy scenes, after all. However, 50 Shades of Grey and its sequels definitely leaned into the erotic more than they did the thriller aspect of the subgenre. There was a sense of danger surrounding Christian Grey throughout, though it never really came to anything too sinister. This is where 2022’s Deep Water stands out, as it falls much more on the thriller side of the erotic thriller divide.
Directed by Adrian Lyne and based on the book of the same name by Patricia Highsmith, Deep Water stars Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas as Vic and Melinda Van Allen, a married couple who have an open relationship. However, this arrangement doesn’t sit as well with Vic as Melinda believes, and her encounters with new lovers quickly have sinister repercussions. While the film didn’t fare so well with critics, the mix of eroticism and danger in Deep Water is sure to appeal to fans of the 50 Shades movies.
14 Indecent Proposal (1993)
Directed By Adrian Lyne
Indecent Proposal 14
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Indecent Proposal is a drama film directed by Adrian Lyne. Released in 1993, the movie stars Demi Moore and Woody Harrelson as a couple facing financial struggles. Their lives are thrown into turmoil when a billionaire, portrayed by Robert Redford, offers them a million dollars in exchange for one night with the wife. The film explores the moral and emotional ramifications of this provocative proposition.
Director Adrian Lyne Release Date April 7, 1993 Cast Robert Redford , Demi Moore , Woody Harrelson , Oliver Platt , Seymour Cassel Runtime 118 Minutes
Deep Water isn’t the only movie like 50 Shades directed by Adrian Lyne, and while the 2022 erotic thriller wasn’t exactly a success, the same can’t be said for his steamy 1993 drama Indecent Proposal. Based on Jack Engelhard’s 1988 novel of the same name, Indecent Proposal is now considered a cult classic, and performed incredibly well at the box office when it released. The movie focuses on Demi Moore’s Diana Murphy and Woody Harrelson’s David Murphy, a married couple who receive an illicit offer from a stranger.
Essentially, Diana and David must wrestle with the moral implications of deciding to allow a stranger named John Gage (Robert Redford) to sleep with Diana for $1million dollars. It’s an interesting exploration of the nature of open relationships and, as the premise suggests, has some incredibly steamy moments. Like 50 Shades, it also explores the psychology between boundaries when it comes to physical intimacy, and there is no shortage of emotional fallout for Diana and David.
13 Nymphomaniac: Vol 1 (2013)
Directed By Lars Von Trier
Nymphomaniac: Vol. I 0
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Nymphomaniac, directed by Lars von Trier, is a provocative drama that explores the intricate life of a self-diagnosed nymphomaniac named Joe, portrayed by Charlotte Gainsbourg. The film delves into her complex sexual history and psychological struggles as she recounts her experiences to a man named Seligman, played by Stellan Skarsgård, who finds her injured in an alley. The narrative is divided into two parts, addressing themes of desire, guilt, and identity.
Director Lars von Trier Release Date December 25, 2013 Cast Charlotte Gainsbourg , Stellan Skarsgård , Stacy Martin , Shia LaBeouf , Christian Slater , Jamie Bell , Uma Thurman , Willem Dafoe , Mia Goth , Sophie Kennedy Clark , Connie Nielsen , Michaël Pas , Jean-Marc Barr , Udo Kier Runtime 241 Minutes Expand
Few directors are as notorious or controversial as filmmaker Lars Von Trier. His horror movies like Antichrist and Melancholia don’t only push boundaries, they break them and dare the audience to find out how far they’re willing to explore what is on the other side.
This made it clear from the outset that his foray into erotic movies, 2013’s Nymphomaniac: Vol I (and the sequel, Nymphomaniac: Vol II ), would challenge preconceptions about on-screen sensuality and sexuality. However, fans looking for movies like 50 Shades that lean incredibly heavily on the steamy and raunchy content will find that it more than satisfies.
Nymphomaniac focuses on discussions between middle-aged bachelor and fly-fishing enthusiast Seligman (Stellan Skarsgard) and self-diagnosed sex addict Joe (Charlotte Gainsborough in the present-day timeline, Stacy Martin in flashbacks). The movie may be beyond suggestive, but it was praised by critics and viewers alike, especially due to the incredibly dark sense of humor that runs throughout.
12 Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
Directed By Stanley Kubrick
Eyes Wide Shut 18
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Eyes Wide Shut is a 1999 drama mystery directed by Stanley Kubrick centering on a Manhattan doctor who goes to unexpected lengths to please his wife after she admits she was unsatisfied and almost had an affair a year earlier. Eyes Wide Shut stars Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman as husband and wife.
Director Stanley Kubrick Release Date July 16, 1999 Runtime 159 minutes
Eyes Wide Shut is the final movie from legendary director Stanley Kubrick, the filmmaker behind the likes of The Shining, A Clockwork Orange, Full Metal Jacket, and 2001: A Space Odyssey. Few movies like 50 Shades have such an esteemed presence behind the camera, and this becomes apparently incredibly quickly when watching Kubrick’s 1999 erotic mystery drama (which is based on the 1926 novella Dream Story by Arthur Schnitzler).
Starring Tom Cruise as Bill Harford and Nicole Kidman as his wife, Alice, Eyes Wide Shut is an incredibly intriguing movie that sees the central character thrust into the kind of world Christian Grey occupies due to misplaced jealousy.
Alice confesses to Bill that she’d considered having an affair, and the news sends him on a spiral that culminates in a night of debauchery at a masked group sex party with a secret society. The movie is peak Kubrick, with the shots and cinematography masterfully crafter throughout, making Eyes Wide Shut one of the highest quality movies like 50 Shades available from a filmmaking perspective.
11 Friends With Benefits (2011)
Directed By Will Gluck
Friends With Benefits 0
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A young man and a woman decide to take their friendship to the next level without becoming a couple, but they soon discover that choosing to have sex without a romantic relationship only involves complications.
Director Will Gluck Release Date July 21, 2011 Cast Justin Timberlake , Mila Kunis , Patricia Clarkson , Jenna Elfman , Bryan Greenberg , Richard Jenkins Runtime 109 minutes
While most movies like 50 Shades are dark erotic thrillers, dramas, or mysteries, this isn’t always the case. 2011’s Friends With Benefits takes the fun side of the steamy physicality of Christian and Ana’s relationship and transplants it into a subversive rom-com setting. As the title suggests, Friends With Benefits is about two friends who enter into a sexual relationship with the promise of no emotional attachment.
Of course, this quickly falls through as the pair develop feelings, but there’s plenty of 50 Shades-like raunchiness along the way. Of particular note are the performances of Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis as Dylan Harper and Jamie Rellis as the titular friends in Friends With Benefits.
The chemistry the pair have is palpable, and this definitely adds to the appeal of both the comedy elements and the moments Dylan and Jamie explore the benefits of their friendship.
The chemistry the pair have is palpable, and this definitely adds to the appeal of both the comedy elements and the moments Dylan and Jamie explore the benefits of their friendship. While it doesn’t really delve into the realms of BSDM the way 50 Shades does, it has similarities on the emotional level when it comes to the fact that Dylan and Jamie, like Christian and Ana, find themselves unable to prevent feelings blossoming against the backdrop of a purely physical relationship.
10 365 Days (2020)
Directed by Barbara Białowąs & Tomasz Mandes
365 Days DocumentaryRomance Where to Watch
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365 Days is a romantic drama directed by Barbara Białowąs and Tomasz Mandes. The story follows Laura Biel, a successful executive who becomes entangled with a dominant Sicilian gangster, Massimo Torricelli, who gives her 365 days to fall in love with him after kidnapping her. Micheline Morrone and Anna-Maria Sieklucka star in this adaptation of the first novel in a trilogy by Blanka Lipińska.
Director Barbara Bialowas Release Date February 7, 2020 Cast Michele Morrone , Anna Maria Sieklucka , Bronislaw Wroclawski , Otar Saralidze , Magdalena Lamparska , Natasza Urbanska Runtime 114 minutes
365 Days is remarkably similar to Fifty Shades of Grey in that both are based on books and deal with a sexually intense dynamic between the lead characters. However, 365 Days blurs the line between consent and abuse and has received criticism for its depiction of such an unhealthy dynamic. While Ana and Christian have their fair share of issues in the Fifty Shades movies, it’s not as blatantly problematic. Despite this, 365 Days was immediately popular when it was made available on Netflix.
However, when watching 365 Days, there’s no question that it was made purely as a sexual fantasy and doesn’t hold any real opinions or discussions about real life and the complex nature of sexuality. At times, the plot points become so out of touch with reality that it borders on laughable, but this is part of the fun of movies like 365 Days. Though there’s action and tension throughout the movie, the overarching story is weaker than the minimal plot of Fifty Shades of Grey.
Related Is Fifty Shades Of Grey Twilight Fan-Fiction? Origins & Inspiration Explained
Fifty Shades of Grey was a worldwide phenomenon, and there are questions about its inspiration and origins, as it’s said to be Twilight fan fiction.
9 Cruel Intentions (1999)
Directed by Roger Kumble
Cruel Intentions RDramaDocumentaryRomanceThriller Where to Watch
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With a screenplay and direction by Roger Kumble, Cruel Intentions is a Romance and Teen Drama film that stars Selma Blair, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Reese Witherspoon, and Ryan Phillippe. The plot revolves around a group of teens, with a man betting one of them that he can seduce a girl successfully.
Director Roger Kumble Release Date March 5, 1999 Cast Sarah Michelle Gellar , Ryan Phillippe , Reese Witherspoon , Selma Blair , Louise Fletcher , Joshua Jackson Runtime 97 minutes
This modernized take on the French book that became the American film Dangerous Liaisons features the performances of many talented young actors and is as dramatically intriguing as it is tragic. The lust and danger of youth are put on full display in Cruel Intentions, as Kathryn (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Sebastian (Ryan Phillippe) play out their masochistic fantasies by toying with the life and emotions of everyone in their orbit.
However, everything changes when Sebastian unexpectedly begins to fall for Annette (Reese Witherspoon). Though reactions to the film were mixed at its premiere, it’s something of a cult classic today. The star-studded cast compels the audience to keep watching the machinations of such unlikeable characters.
However, all the horrible ways the characters manipulate and hurt each other are on par with the source material. At the turn of the century, when the film came out, comedies and dramas that dealt with adolescent sexuality were reaching their height and becoming common in mainstream media. Fifty Shades deals with slightly older characters, but the blatant sexuality and wealth of the characters are similar.
8 The Piano Teacher (2001)
Directed by Michael Haneke
The Piano Teacher 0
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The Piano Teacher is a psychological drama directed by Michael Haneke that chronicles the life of Erika Kohut, a strict piano instructor portrayed by Isabelle Huppert. Living with her domineering mother, Erika’s repressed desires manifest in disturbing ways when she becomes involved with her student, Walter Klemmer, played by Benoît Magimel. The film delves into themes of control, obsession, and the complexities of human relationships.
Director Michael Haneke Release Date September 5, 2001 Cast Isabelle Huppert , Annie Girardot , Benoît Magimel , Susanne Lothar , Udo Samel , Anna Sigalevitch , Cornelia Köndgen , Thomas Weinhappel Runtime 131 Minutes
The Piano Teacher was immediately hailed as an influential film after premiering at Cannes in 2001, as it won the Grand Prix as well as the Best Actor and Actress awards for the two leads. Isabelle Huppert plays Erika, a piano teacher at an elite school who embarks upon an affair with her student, Walter (Benoît Magimel).
Watching
The Piano Teacher
is no casual undertaking and should be understood as a discussion of the impact of sexual repression on society.
Their relationship is complicated by the fact that Erike takes care of her ailing mother, who pushes Erika to repress her desires, sexual and otherwise. Unlike Fifty Shades, neither party in the relationship can fully express or understand their needs. Watching The Piano Teacher is no casual undertaking and should be understood as a discussion of the impact of sexual repression on society.
Dark, disturbing, and quietly biting against Western cultural relationships toward sexuality,The Piano Teacher is thematically brilliant and weaves together each aspect of its story perfectly. It is not at all a love story and is only comparable with Fifty Shades in that they touch upon BDSM. However, as a piece of art and cultural critique, The Piano Teacher is an amazing work of film.
7 After (2019)
Directed by Jenny Gage
After PG-13DocumentaryRomanceThriller Where to Watch
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After centers on a young woman who begins a romantic relationship with a mysterious student quickly after attending a new college. After was released in 2019 and based on Anna Todd’s 2014 romantic drama book of the same name. After launched a franchise, with four sequels coming out in the subsequent years.
Director Jenny Gage Release Date April 12, 2019 Cast Peter Gallagher , Josephine Langford , Khadijha Red Thunder , Pia Mia , Jennifer Beals , Swen Temmel , Meadow Williams , Samuel Larsen , Hero Fiennes Tiffin , Shane Paul McGhie , Inanna Sarkis , Dylan Arnold , Rebecca Lee Robertson , Selma Blair , José Alfredo Fernandez Runtime 106minutes Expand
The After movies and book series have the most in common with Fifty Shades of Grey, as they both started as hit novel series that loosely began as fan fiction. Today, fan fiction is well-known for being host to many discussions of sexual fantasies on the internet, and After is no exception. Tessa (Josephine Langford) and Hardin’s (Hero Fiennes Tiffin) relationship can easily be compared to Ana and Christian’s as a more sexually experienced man takes on the role of teacher within a relationship with a more emotionally available woman.
Related 15 Biggest Changes Fifty Shades Of Grey’s Movies Make To The Books
The Fifty Shades of Grey movies are better than the books on which they’re based because of the overall changes they make to the plot and characters.
Additionally, both After and Fifty Shades faced criticism for the treatment of women onscreen and depicted behavior that could be considered borderline abusive. This isn’t uncommon for films of this genre, and it should be remembered that these works aren’t aspirational and should be viewed through a lens of pure fantasy and escapism. Like Fifty Shades, the critical reception of After and its subsequent movies is dismal, but this doesn’t stop the series from being popular and well-known.
6 Bound (1996)
Directed by Lana Wachowski & Lilly Wachowski
Bound RCrimeDramaRomanceThriller Where to Watch
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Bound is a 1996 neo-noir crime thriller directed by the Wachowskis. The film stars Gina Gershon and Jennifer Tilly as a pair of women who develop a romantic relationship while conspiring to steal $2 million of mafia money. Joe Pantoliano co-stars as the unsuspecting mafioso boyfriend, creating a tense narrative filled with suspense and intrigue.
Director Lilly Wachowski , Lana Wachowski Release Date October 4, 1996 Cast Jennifer Tilly , Gina Gershon , Joe Pantoliano , John P. Ryan , Christopher Meloni , Richard C. Sarafian Runtime 109 Minutes
Written and directed by the Wachowski Sisters, Bound is an LGBTQ+ erotic thriller that’s inspired recent movies like Love Lies Bleeding starring Kristen Stewart. Centering a romantic entanglement between two women that celebrates and delves into the intricacies of their desires and sexualities, Bound is considered an enduring addition to the genre of new queer cinema. Even the most violent and tension-filled scenes are steeped in the attraction and chemistry between Gina Gershon and Jennifer Tilly.
Bound is also a great argument to be made for the importance and success of using a sex consultant and intimacy coordinator on set. The reason the scenes between Gershon and Tilly feel not only realistic but also comfortable and safe is because of the intensive work behind the scenes to achieve this. While Fifty Shades deals with a heterosexual couple, there are similarities in how the central characters are bonded together due to their attraction and then become embroiled in a large criminal plot.
5 Basic Instinct (1992)
Directed by Paul Verhoeve
Basic Instinct RDramaMysteryThriller Where to Watch
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Catherine Tramell is an extremely seductive writer and the main suspect in a murder case. Police officer Nick Curran is tasked with solving the crime, but becomes strongly attracted to Catherine, putting his own life at risk.
Director Paul Verhoeven Release Date May 8, 1992 Cast Michael Douglas , Sharon Stone , George Dzundza , Jeanne Tripplehorn , Wayne Knight , Denis Arndt , Leilani Sarelle , Bruce A. Young Runtime 128 minutes
While many films that play with erotic fantasies and role-play simulate games of cat-and-mouse, Basic Instinct genuinely places a psychological mind game at the center of the story. Unfortunately, Sharon Stone faced backlash for her exceptional performance as Catherine Tramell, a modernized iteration of the femme fatale in the landmark neo-noir movie.
Her complex and intense relationship with Nick Curran (Michael Douglas) leads both characters deeper into a web of lies and murder that keeps the audience guessing. Basic Instinct is not without its issues, as some explicit scenes have fallen under scrutiny and criticism.
Movies like Basic Instinct are a reminder of how movies that deal with intense subject matter and emotionally taxing performances can be great but must be approached with consent and communication throughout the production. Like Fifty Shades of Grey, Basic Instinct toes the line of misogyny, sometimes crossing it, but this isn’t so much because sex is depicted, but because of the overall context of the story.
4 Belle De Jour (1967)
Directed by Luis Buñuel
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Widely considered one of Luis Buñel’s best films, Belle de Jour stars Catherine Deneuve and broke ground in cinematic explorations of eroticism and discussions of class. Deneuve is well known for being an essential part of the French New Wave, a cinematic movement that challenged the genre conventions and expectations of film, changing filmmaking in the later half of the twentieth century.
Belle de Jour follows the life of Séverine Serizy (Deneuve), who’s sexually unfulfilled in her life with her husband and so starts working in a high-end brothel in the afternoons when her husband is at work. Blurring the line between fantasy and reality, Belle de Jour frequently depicts Séverine’s imagination and desires with the same realism as actual events.
Premiering in 1967, it’s an early example of women’s sexual desires being explored and depicted on film. Movies like Fifty Shades of Grey could not exist without Belle de Jour, and when looking back on the movie today, it’s just as relevant and boundary-pushing. Featuring surrealist styles and amazing use of color, Belle de Jour is as visually stimulating as it is emotionally.
3 Beyond The Lights (2014)
Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood
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Gina Prince-Bythewood is an amazing director who also created Love & Basketball, one of the best rom-coms of the early 2000s. She moved into new territory with Beyond The Lights, looking at the cost and pressures of fame alongside a budding relationship. Beyond The Lights has intimate scenes, but the core of the story is the emotional connection between Noni (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) and Kaz (Nate Parker).
After being pushed to her limit as a rising pop star, Noni finds comfort and safety with Kaz when no one else provides this for her. In Fifty Shades of Grey, Ana and Christian similarly take comfort in each other and step into the role of family, since their blood relations have let them down.
Related Fifty Shades Movies Ranked Worst To Best
E.L. James’ trilogy of erotic romance novels made a splash, and their adaptations became box office gold, but which Fifty Shades movie is the best?
Noni’s difficult relationship with her mother is a key theme in Beyond The Lights, and the way Kaz treats her shows her what a loving partnership can be. Additionally, fame, money, and success are a large part of Beyond The Lights and Fifty Shades. However, the former treats it with less reverence and engages in discussions about sacrifice and whether fame is worth its price.
2 Secretary (2002)
Directed by Steven Shainberg
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Secretary (2002) explores the complex relationship between a dominative lawyer, played by James Spader, and his submissive secretary, portrayed by Maggie Gyllenhaal. The film addresses themes of power dynamics and self-discovery within an unconventional romantic setting. Directed by Steven Shainberg, the narrative delves into the psychological intricacies of the main characters, setting it apart from traditional romantic dramas.
Director Steven Shainberg Release Date September 20, 2002 Cast James Spader , Maggie Gyllenhaal , Jeremy Davies , Patrick Bauchau , Stephen McHattie , Lesley Ann Warren Runtime 107 Minutes
The performances of Maggie Gyllenhaal and James Spader are what cement Secretary as a movie as funny as it is sexy. It’s been speculated that Fifty Shades of Grey might have taken inspiration from the movie, as Spader’s character is named E. Edward Grey, and the relationship between the two characters explores a dominant and submissive dynamic.
Though erotic films have existed since movies were invented, Secretary was met with mixed reactions due to its frank discussions and depictions of sexual encounters that media typically skirt around.bHowever, it’s abundantly clear throughout Secretary that the characters are expressing their truest desires and that the power dynamic between Grey and Lee (Gyllenhaal) is one they enjoy playing with.
Additionally, Secretary isn’t afraid to laugh at itself and includes elements of surrealism and hyper-stylization in its aesthetic choices. These choices and the tongue-in-cheek dialogue contribute to the intensity of the feelings between Grey and Lee and distinguish films like Secretary as pieces of art.
1 Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005)
Directed by Doug Liman
Mr. & Mrs. Smith PG-13CrimeActionComedyThriller Where to Watch
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Mr. & Mrs. Smith is a romantic comedy action film that follows a married couple who discover that they’re both assassins after years of maintaining a false relationship for cover when John and Jane discover on a hit job that they both have the same target, the failed mission results in the discovery that they’re both assigned to different agencies. Now tasked with eliminating one another, the two engage in a darkly comedic battle where they soon begin to fall in love – for real, this time.
Director Doug Liman Release Date June 10, 2005 Cast Keith David , Angelina Jolie , Kerry Washington , Vince Vaughn , Brad Pitt , Adam Brody Runtime 120 minutes
Prime Video recently released its own Mr. & Mrs. Smith show starring Donald Glover and Maya Erskine, and while the new show made waves, it’s vastly different from the original movie. In the film, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt star as world-renowned assassins who just so happen to fall in love without knowing the other’s identity.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith
successfully combines action and thriller elements with electric chemistry between the two leads.
Tonally, Mr. & Mrs. Smith successfully combines action and thriller elements with electric chemistry between the two leads. A large portion of the story is dedicated to the couple rediscovering their desire for each other. One of the biggest differences between Mr. & Mrs. Smith and Fifty Shades of Grey is that the encounters depicted between the lead characters don’t involve BDSM.
However, the tension that each movie builds leading up to these moments is equally compelling. Mr. & Mrs. Smith takes the mystery and stakes that Fifty Shades of Grey uses as a secondary element and makes it the most important part of the story. In this way, the plot of Mr. & Mrs. Smith is clearer, so the audience feels even more invested in the romantic entanglements.