Felony

Felony

Year: 2014

Runtime: 105 min

Language: English

Director: Matthew Saville

Thriller

A respected police officer finds his life and career thrown into turmoil after a fatal car accident reveals a hidden secret. Two determined detectives launch an investigation, uncovering a complex network of lies and deceit. As they delve deeper into the incident, the officer's carefully constructed world begins to crumble, forcing him to confront the consequences of his actions and fight to protect his reputation.

Warning: spoilers below!

Haven’t seen Felony yet? This summary contains major spoilers. Bookmark the page, watch the movie, and come back for the full breakdown. If you're ready, scroll on and relive the story!

Timeline & Setting – Felony (2014)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Felony (2014). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Location

Last Updated: October 03, 2025 at 19:49

Main Characters – Felony (2014)

Meet the key characters of Felony (2014), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Malcolm 'Mal' Toohey (Joel Edgerton)

A seasoned detective whose competence is shadowed by a devastating accident. He grapples with guilt after hitting a boy and contemplates confessing, risking professional peril and tearing apart his family. His moral conflict drives the plot and drives him toward a controversial truth.

🔎 Detective 🩸 Guilt 💔 Family

Jim Melic (Jai Courtney)

An earnest young detective drawn to the boy's mother and torn between personal feelings and professional duty. He relentlessly pursues the truth, resisting attempts to back off, and ends up forming a complex, evolving partnership with Mal. His idealism clashes with cynicism around the system.

🕵️‍♂️ Young idealistic detective 💔 Forbidden romance ⚖️ Moral resolve

Carl Summer (Tom Wilkinson)

A cynical veteran detective driven by an obsessive view of justice. He belittles Mal, pressures Jim, and is willing to manipulate the system to prove his case. His arc ends in a physical collapse, symbolizing the cost of moral rigidity within law enforcement.

🗣️ Cynical elder ⚖️ Obsession with justice 💥 Power dynamics

Last Updated: October 03, 2025 at 19:49

Major Themes – Felony (2014)

Explore the central themes of Felony (2014), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🩸 Guilt & Consequences

An accidental hit-and-run triggers a chain of moral choices that haunt Mal and his family. The act reveals how guilt reshapes relationships and public image, forcing Mal to weigh confession against personal and professional risk. The film uses this event to explore how a single mistake can ripple through careers, marriages, and the ethics of policing. The tension of whether to come clean drives much of the dramatic momentum.

⚖️ Justice vs Truth

Power dynamics in law enforcement push characters toward secrecy and manipulation. Carl's cynical view of the legal system and his obsession with catching Victor show how justice can be subverted by personal vendetta. Jim's pursuit of truth stands in contrast to Carl's pressure to protect Mal, highlighting that the system is fallible and morally complex. The conflict between duty and integrity fuels the film's moral labyrinth.

🕵️‍♂️ Moral Ambiguity

Two detectives navigate competing loyalties—duty to peers and loyalty to the truth—leading to uneasy alliances. Mal's willingness to reveal the truth reshapes his relationships and signals a shift in how justice is pursued. The ending suggests that moral compromise can yield ambiguous alliances and new partnerships. The story uses these tensions to question what right and wrong look like within a flawed system.

Last Updated: October 03, 2025 at 19:49

Mobile App Preview

Coming soon on iOS and Android

The Plot Explained Mobile App

From blockbusters to hidden gems — dive into movie stories anytime, anywhere. Save your favorites, discover plots faster, and never miss a twist again.

Sign up to be the first to know when we launch. Your email stays private — always.

Explore Movie Threads

Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

Ethical police thrillers with moral collapse like in Felony

Thrillers where a single lie forces a good cop to confront his own corruption.If you liked the tense, internal conflict of Felony, you'll find similar movies here. These stories explore police corruption and moral compromise, featuring steady-paced investigations and heavy emotional weight. They are for viewers who enjoy character-driven thrillers about the consequences of a single bad decision.

morally conflictedtenseanxioussomberclaustrophobicguilt-ridden

Narrative Summary

Stories in this thread typically follow a respected professional, often in law enforcement, who makes a catastrophic error in judgment. The plot revolves around their attempts to conceal the truth, the mounting psychological pressure, and the gradual exposure of their lies, leading to a personal and professional downfall.

Why These Movies?

Movies are grouped here for their shared exploration of guilt, institutional pressure, and the slow-motion collapse of a principled individual. They share a dark tone, steady pacing that builds tension, and a heavy emotional focus on the cost of moral compromise.

Movies about a lie destroying a life like Felony

Character studies where a secret deed initiates a psychological and social disintegration.Fans of Felony seeking similar narratives will find movies here about a single event causing a life to unravel. These dramas feature high tension, a somber mood, and a bittersweet resolution. They are intense character studies about guilt, consequences, and the heavy burden of a secret.

anxioussombermelancholicclaustrophobicguilt and confessioncareer downfall

Narrative Summary

The defining pattern is a 'butterfly effect' narrative triggered by one concealed event. The story meticulously documents the protagonist's increasing isolation and paranoia as the lie expands, threatening their career, family, and identity, often culminating in a bittersweet or bleak resolution that offers catharsis at a great cost.

Why These Movies?

These films are connected by their core premise: a secret that metastasizes and destroys. They share a high-intensity, claustrophobic vibe, a focus on heavy themes like grief and guilt, and a steady pacing that makes the protagonist's psychological disintegration feel inevitable and gripping.

Unlock the Full Story of Felony

Don't stop at just watching — explore Felony in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what Felony is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

Felony Summary

Read a complete plot summary of Felony, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.

Felony Summary

Felony Timeline

Track the full timeline of Felony with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.

Felony Timeline

Felony Spoiler-Free Summary

Get a quick, spoiler-free overview of Felony that covers the main plot points and key details without revealing any major twists or spoilers. Perfect for those who want to know what to expect before diving in.

Felony Spoiler-Free Summary

More About Felony

Visit What's After the Movie to explore more about Felony: box office results, cast and crew info, production details, post-credit scenes, and external links — all in one place for movie fans and researchers.

More About Felony

Similar Movies to Felony

Discover movies like Felony that share similar genres, themes, and storytelling elements. Whether you’re drawn to the atmosphere, character arcs, or plot structure, these curated recommendations will help you explore more films you’ll love.