Code 46

Code 46

How do you solve a crime when the last thing you want to know is the truth?

Directed by Michael Winterbottom

Produced by BBC Film, Kailash Picture Company

200393 min6.2 / 10

A noir-tinged sci-fi thriller about an investigator torn between duty and forbidden love in a dystopian future, where the truth may be worse than the lie.

In a dystopian future, insurance fraud investigator William Gold arrives in Shanghai to investigate a forgery ring for "papelles", futuristic passports that record people's identities and genetics. Gold falls for Maria Gonzalez, the woman in charge of the forgeries. After a passionate affair, Gold returns home, having named a coworker as the culprit. But when one of Gonzalez's customers is found dead, Gold is sent back to Shanghai to complete the investigation.

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Questions people ask

  • Is Code 46 sad? Yes. More sad than 88% of films.

  • Is Code 46 scary? Yes. More frightening than 82% of films.

  • Does Code 46 end with hope? Barely. Less hopeful than 80% of films.

  • Is Code 46 easy watching? Not especially. Less comforting than 61% of films.

  • Is Code 46 violent? About average. Almost exactly mid-range.

These describe how the film comes across, measured across the whole film and compared with other well-known films. They are not a content list — nothing here was counted or checked scene by scene, so for age-suitability or specific content use a classification board or a dedicated content-warning service.

43/ 100

Cinnamon Score

How much this film gives you that nothing else will, and whether it delivers.

You have seen this shape before.

Rarity63

How unlike any other film this one feels

Surprise39

How much more it delivers than it promises

Love30

How much audiences actually like it

The highest scores in the catalogue →

Ensemble

Everything like Code 46, and what each one shares →

Like Code 46

Nearest across the full emotional profile.

Same Mood as Code 46

Nearest on what's most distinctive about this one.

Like Code 46, But Darker

Similar, pushed toward heavier and more intense.

Like Code 46, But Lighter

Similar, pushed toward warmer and easier.

Like Code 46, But Less Popular

Same territory, far fewer people have seen it.

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