Oscar winners, coming-of-age dramas, and international thrillers have all drawn from the well of incredible books and turned them into unforgettable cinematic experiences.
As part of CinemaBlend’s ongoing partnership with Plex, where you can find multiple movies based on books streaming for free, we’ve put together a list of 11 movies that fall into that category. From critically acclaimed international films to moving coming-of-age dramas to thrillers that push the viewer to the limit, there’s a little something for everyone on this list.
One for the Money (2012)
Released in 2012, Julie Anne Robinson’s One for the Money is based on Janet Evanovich’s novel of the same name and follows inexperienced bounty hunter Stephanie Plum (Katherine Heigl) as she starts a new chapter in her life. There’s just one problem: Stephanie’s first bounty is her high school boyfriend who is wanted for the murder of a drug dealer.
Just like the source material, which kick-started a book franchise nearly 20 years earlier, One for the Money blends elements from the action, comedy, and romance genres to create a story with all kinds of twists and turns.
Stream One for the Money on Plex.
Horns (2013)
Directed by Alexandre Aja, the filmmaker behind creature features like Piranha 3D and Crawl (as well as other horror films High Tension and The Hills Have Eyes remake), Horns is a dark fantasy horror comedy about a young man named Ignatius Perrish (Daniel Radcliffe) who somehow sprouts horns that give him great powers.
Based on Joe Hill’s novel of the same name, the movie follows “Ig” as he attempts to come to terms with his girlfriend’s murder, tries to clear his name, and makes use of his horns that give him the ability to make people let go of their deepest and darkest secrets. Fans of religious satire, horror, and the fantastical should take note.
Sin City: A Dame To Kill For (2014)
In 2014, Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller teamed up once again to unleash Sin City: A Dame to Kill For upon the world. Based on Miller’s Sin City graphic novel series, this anthology film dives back into the seedy underworld of the titular metropolis and its various inhabitants.
Over the course of five interwoven short stories, Miller and Rodriguez explore the good, the bad, and the ugly of the bustling metropolis and its dangerous outskirts, a journey that includes returning characters from the first Sin City movie like Marv (Mickey Rourke), Nancy Callahan (Jessica Alba), and John Hartigan (Bruce Willis), as well as some not-so-familiar faces.
Stream Sin City: A Dame To Kill For on Plex.
The Perks of Being A Wallflower (2012)
One of the rare book-to-screen adaptations in which the author of the book goes on to adapt the screenplay and direct the movie, Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a coming-of-age drama about a young teenager finding his place in the world. The film centers on Charlie Kelmeckis (Logan Lerman), a shy, clinically depressed, and awkward freshman as he becomes friends with step-siblings Sam Button (Emma Watson) and Patrick Stewart (Ezra Miller), which forever changes his life.
At times hilarious, other times harrowing, this highly relatable drama captures the ups, downs, and awkward in-between moments of the high school experience. It’s unflinching, raw, and a transformative experience.
Stream The Perks of Being a Wallflower on Plex.
L.A. Confidential (1997)
Several of James Ellroy’s books have been turned into movies and TV shows over the years, with the most notable being the 1997 Academy Award-winning crime noir drama, L.A. Confidential. This 1997 adaptation, which was directed by Curtis Hanson, follows a trio of LAPD detectives (Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, and Kevin Spacey) as they attempt to solve a brutal murder in a coffee shop, an investigation that could uncover a world of corruption in the “City of Angels.”
Kim Bassinger, in an Oscar-winning performance, Danny DeVito, James Cromwell, and David Strathairn round out the cast in this modern classic about revenge, corruption, murder, and all kinds of scandal.
Stream L.A. Confidential on Plex.
Battle Royale (2000)
Kinji Fukasaku’s 2000 adaptation of Koushun Takami’s novel, Battle Royale, is an exciting and incredibly violent story set in a near-future dystopian society in which teenagers are forced to fight in massive deathmatches orchestrated by the Japanese government.
Often considered one of the most violent and controversial movies of the 21st century, Fukasaku’s blood-soaked thriller follows a group of 42 teenagers as they are taken to a remote island and given three days to bring that number down to one. Imagine The Hunger Games but without the pageantry or optimism.
Requiem For A Dream (2000)
In 2000, Darren Aronofsky turned Hubert Selby Jr.’s Requiem for a Dream, a depressing and grueling 1976 novel, into one of the most unsettling films in recent memory. The film follows four New Yorkers (Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly, and Marlon Wayans) as they attempt to battle their respective addictions and make a better life for themselves. Only, there’s no hope of these dreams coming true for these ill-fated souls.
A mesmerizing and transfixing – albeit brutally depressing – downward spiral, this tour de force remains one of the most iconic movies of the early 21st century, but also one of its most difficult.
Stream Requiem for a Dream on Plex.
The Road (2009)
Cormac McCarthy’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Road was given the book-to-screen adaptation treatment with John Hillcoat’s 2009 post-apocalyptic thriller of the same name. This dark and unyielding drama follows a father (Viggo Mortensen) and his son (Kodi Smit-McPhee) as they traverse the ash-covered American landscape in hopes of finding a warmer and more hospitable place to survive years after an unspecified catastrophic event.
Much like the source material, the movie is tense, terse, and unnerving, yet at times strikingly beautiful and heartfelt.
A Walk To Remember (2002)
Based on Nicholas Sparks’ coming-of-age romantic drama of the same name, Adam Shankman’s A Walk to Remember follows rebellious high school senior Landon Carter (Shane West), as he falls in love with Jamie Sullivan (Mandy Moore), the daughter of a local preacher. Despite their differences, the pair fall for one another, but their relationship is soon faced with the ultimate test.
With scenes that’ll make you laugh, and others that will break your heart, A Walk to Remember is quite an emotional experience.
Stream A Walk to Remember on Plex.
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2009)
Not to be confused with David Fincher’s 2011 film of the same name, Niels Arden Oplev’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a crime thriller based on Stieg Larsson’s 2005 novel about a journalist (Michael Nyqvist) who teams up with a hacker Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) to solve a decades-long missing persons case.
With a plot with too many twists and turns to count, a wealthy family with all kinds of secrets, and masterful portrayals by the two leads, this thrilling mystery film has it all.
Stream The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo on Plex.
The Reader (2009)
Based on Bernhard Schlink’s novel, Der Vorleser, Stephen Daldry’s The Reader tells the story of German lawyer Michael Berg (Ralph Fiennes) as he defends a woman facing war crimes stemming from her role at a Nazi concentration camp. The delicate case is further complicated by the fact that the woman, Hanna Schmitz (Kate Winslet) had an affair with the lawyer when he was a teenager (David Kross).
Winslet would end up winning an Oscar for her performance in the movie which also received several other nominations including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay.
Each of these movies, and countless other films, TV shows, and documentaries, are streaming for free on Plex right now. Why not give one, two, or all 11 of these titles a spin.
