What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedAbsolution
Hans Petter Moland · Film · 2024
If you loved Absolution, start with MobLand (Ronan Bennett, 2025) — a series on the same thread. Below: 4 books, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to Absolution across media.
What hooked you in Absolution is the desperate, grit-filled race to reconcile with family before the shadows of your past converge.
Books on the same thread
The Hunter
Tana French · Book
Explores: Outsider status, Protecting family, Hidden pasts.
Much like the aging protagonist of Absolution, the lead here finds his hard-won peace threatened by hidden pasts as he fights to protect the family he holds dear.
The Reckoning: A gritty Nordic Noir detective thriller
Michael Katz Krefeld · Book · 2026
Shares 2 threads with Absolution: Redemption, Crime Thriller.
If you valued the weary, grief-stricken tone of Absolution, you will connect with this detective’s struggle to find redemption while navigating a world defined by violence and personal loss.
Billy Summers
Stephen King · Book · 2021
Shares a thread with Absolution: neo-noir.
This novel echoes the moral weight of Absolution, following a professional at the end of his career who seeks a final, meaningful act of redemption amidst inevitable danger.
The Confession: A Novel
John Grisham · Book · 2010
Shares a thread with Absolution: Redemption.
The drive to rectify past sins before time runs out is the core of both Absolution and this story, where a terminal diagnosis forces a reckoning with justice.
Series on the same thread
MobLand
Ronan Bennett · Series · 2025
Explores: Family Loyalty, Power Struggles, Betrayal.
The violent power struggles and complex family loyalties found here provide a broader look at the criminal underworld that traps the main character in Absolution.
Dexter: Resurrection
Clyde Phillips · Series · 2025
Shares 2 threads with Absolution: Redemption, Past Sins.
Similar to the journey in Absolution, this narrative focuses on a man haunted by his history who must overcome his past to mend a fractured father-son relationship.
High Potential
Drew Goddard · Series · 2024
Explores: Unlikely Partnerships, Brilliant Outsider, Single Parent.
While lighter in tone than Absolution, the focus on a character balancing their personal life with the demands of the criminal world creates a familiar tension.
I Will Find You
Series · 2026
Explores: parental devotion, search for truth, institutional corruption.
The intense parental devotion driving the protagonist in Absolution is mirrored here, as a man risks everything to find the truth and reconnect with his own child.
Podcasts on the same thread
Kinahans Downfall
Podcast · 2026
Shares a thread with Absolution: Criminal Underworld.
Fans of the gritty, realistic criminal underworld depicted in Absolution will appreciate this deep dive into the real-world violence and high-stakes legacy of organized crime syndicates.
Criminal
Podcast
Shares a thread with Absolution: Redemption.
This podcast explores the same themes of morality and human behavior that define the struggle of the lead character in Absolution, highlighting the complexity of redemption.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is Absolution about an ex-boxer?
Yes, the protagonist of Absolution is an aging ex-boxer who works as muscle for a Boston crime boss. The story follows his attempt to rectify his past mistakes and reconnect with his estranged children after receiving an upsetting medical diagnosis.
Does Absolution feature a criminal underworld?
Yes, Absolution centers on an aging gangster who tries to leave his criminal life behind. He struggles to reconnect with his family while the criminal underworld refuses to loosen its grip on him, creating the primary conflict throughout the film.
Does the main character in Absolution have memory issues?
Yes, the protagonist in Absolution deals with a faltering memory. This cognitive decline complicates his efforts to fix his past sins and establish a positive legacy for his grandson before his time runs out.
Is Absolution a story about family redemption?
Yes, Absolution focuses on the protagonist's desire to redeem himself by reconnecting with his estranged children. His primary motivation is ensuring a positive legacy for his grandson, even as he faces significant pressure from his former criminal associates.