Best movies like Smoke & Mirrors
Last updated March 2024
Looking for movies related to Smoke & Mirrors? Offer your expertise to direct others to films and tv shows you've already seen that might likewise engross them. Assist in widening the community of people alluding videos amongst one another. We value your input!
Plot Summary:
A tale of cheats and impostors, taking its inspiration from true facts and from one of the most intriguing characters of recent decades: the spy Francisco Paesa.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Biography, Thriller
Country: Spain
Duration: 123 min
Plot tags: tense, suspense, rough, touching, disturbing, hispanic, crime thriller, thrilling
Best tv shows and movies like Smoke & Mirrors (2016):
Similar in 75%
Unit 7 (2012)
Plot Summary:
Angel, a young intelligent and kind, aims to be a police inspector. Rafael instead is an expeditious, forceful and arrogant policeman. Meanwhile, Miguel and Mateo are part of Group 7, a group of rogue cops ready to do anything to achieve their goals.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Action, Drama, Thriller
Country: Spain
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: tense, rough, serious, suspenseful, social, realistic, stylized
Similar in 85%
Maixabel (2021)
Plot Summary:
In the year 2000, Maixabel Lasa’s husband, Juan Maria Jauregi, was killed by ETA. Eleven years later, she receives an incredible request: one of the men who killed Juan wants to meet with her in the Nanclares de la Oca prison in Araba (Spain), where he is serving his sentence after breaking ties with the terrorist group. Despite her reservations and her immense pain, Maixabel Lasa agrees to meet face to face with those who ended the life of the person who had been her companion since she was 16 years old. ‘Everyone deserves a second chance’, she said, when asked why she was willing to confront the man who killed her husband.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: Spain
Duration: 115 min
Plot tags: crying
Similar in 78%
Far from the Sea (2015)
Plot Summary:
A love story between a terrorist and his victim.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 267
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: Spain
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: tense, suspense, psychological, unusual plot structure, disturbing, contemplative
Similar in 87%
Spider in the Web (2019)
Plot Summary:
A young operative is sent on a mission to follow an older agent who's behavior has come into question.
IMDB Rating: 4.5
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Thriller
Country: Israel, Belgium, UK, Netherlands
Duration: 113 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, suspense, bleak
Similar in 83%
The Candidate (2018)
Plot Summary:
Manuel is a crooked politician who enjoys the lifestyle that kickbacks afford. He eats at fancy restaurants, parties with his friends on yachts, and provides a very luxurious lifestyle for his family. Manuel brazenly bribes, extorts, and pays off anyone who threatens to expose the activities of his inner circle. When he is singled out to take the fall for a case of fraudulent government contracts, rather than admit to any wrongdoing, Manuel decides to sell out his whole party in an effort to avoid jail time. It's a decision that puts many lives at risk.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Spain, France
Duration: 132 min
Plot tags: suspense, tense, psychological, captivating
Similar in 85%
Wasp Network (2019)
Plot Summary:
Havana, early 90’s. René González, a Cuban pilot, steals a plane and flees Cuba, leaving behind his beloved wife and daughter. He starts a new life in Miami. Other Cuban defectors soon follow and start a spy network. Their mission is to infiltrate violent anti-Castroist organizations responsible for terror attacks on the island.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: France, Brazil, Spain, Belgium
Duration: 127 min
Plot tags: tense, political, suspense, suspenseful, exciting, touching, feel good, philosophical
Similar in 78%
Wolf (2004)
Plot Summary:
Based on a true story. In the 70s, during the last stages of Franco's dictatorship, Txema, a basque construction worker, is arrested because of his connection to some terrorists who have just committed a murder. The secret service see in him an ideal candidate to infiltrate the terrorist band ETA and become a mole, so they try to offer him a deal if he will do so.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Thriller
Country: Spain
Duration: 125 min
Plot tags: tense, rough, serious, suspenseful, political, exciting, realistic
Similar in 80%
The Angel (2018)
Plot Summary:
True story of Ashraf Marwan, who was President Nasser's son-in-law and special adviser and confidant to his successor Anwar Sadat - while simultaneously Israeli Intelligence's most precious asset of the 20th century. Based on NYT bestselling book 'The Angel: The Egyptian Spy Who Saved Israel' by Uri Bar-Joseph.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 15000
Genere: Action, Biography, Drama, Thriller
Country: Israel, UK, Egypt
Duration: 114 min
Plot tags: clever, surprise ending, atmospheric, suspenseful, serious, realistic, inspirational, political
Similar in 80%
The Trick (2021)
Plot Summary:
The Trick tells the story of world-renowned Professor Philip Jones; Director of Climate Research at the University of East Anglia, who back in 2009 found himself at the eye of an international media storm and the victim of cyberterrorism. With time running out against an unseen enemy, The Trick looks at the potentially devastating consequences to humanity from climate change denial; how a media storm undermined public confidence in the science and how the concept of ‘truth’ took a back seat causing us to lose a decade of action.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 756
Genere: Biography, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: psychological, tense, thought provoking, captivating, suspense, disturbing, political
Similar in 81%
Colosio (2012)
Plot Summary:
It's 1994 in Mexico, the nation was witnessing a turbulent year since its beginnings. An indigenous rebellion shakes the country. Three months later, the ruling party's presidential candidate is brutally murdered during a rally in Tijuana. The country is concerned. Nobody knows who's behind this event, it all points to a conspiracy. Andrés Vázquez, an intelligence expert, is commissioned to lead a secret investigation parallel to the official government issued one. But another expert agent, el Seco, has received orders to wipe out all witnesses and get rid of the evidence surrounding the candidate's murder. As Andrés begins putting the pieces of this intricate puzzle together and comes closer to the truth, he realizes he's also putting his life and that of his loved ones in peril.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Thriller
Country: Mexico, Spain, France, Colombia
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: tense, enigmatic, captivating, suspense, disturbing, political thriller
Similar in 85%
Secrets of State (2008)
Plot Summary:
In France, terrorist groups and intelligence agencies battle in a merciless war everyday, in the name of radically opposed ideologies. Yet, terrorist and secret agents lead almost the same lives. Condemned to secrecy, these masters of manipulation follow the same methods. Alex and Al Barad are two of them. The former is the head of the D.G.S.E.'s (Direction Générale de la Sécurité Extérieure, the French equivalent of the CIA or the MI6) counter-terrorism unit while the latter reigns over a terrorist network, and both fight using the most ruthless of weapons: human beings.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Thriller
Country: France
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: realistic, suspenseful, exciting, serious, suspense, psychological thriller
Similar in 77%
Team Spirit (2016)
Plot Summary:
An engaging drama about the less known aspects of the trading activity inside one of the biggest banks in the world - Société Générale. The movie tracks the rise and fall of anonymous trader turned superstar turned escape goat - Jérôme Kerviel - just as the 2008 financial crisis was unfolding.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Thriller
Country: France
Duration: 117 min
Plot tags: exciting, touching, tense, captivating, suspense, suspenseful
Similar in 90%
Neerja (2016)
Plot Summary:
Neerja is a portrayal on the life of the courageous Neerja Bhanot, who sacrificed her life while protecting the lives of 359 passengers on the Pan Am flight 73 in 1986. The flight was hijacked by a terrorist organization.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 24000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Thriller
Country: India
Duration: 122 min
Plot tags: patriotic, psychological, tense, captivating, suspense, disturbing, exciting, motivational, feel good, sad
Similar in 84%
Jack Strong (2014)
Plot Summary:
A spy thriller telling a historically based story of a man who alone dares to challenge Soviets being in the middle of the communistic system himself. Planning the maneuvers of Warsaw Pact forces he discovers that the American plans of nuclear counterattack against Soviet forces is planned to be executed on Polish territory. Thanks to his determination he starts a long, lonely and psychologically exhausting cooperation with CIA. From that moment the life of his and his family is in danger as one careless move can lead to tragedy.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Thriller
Country: Poland
Duration: 128 min
Plot tags: captivating, realistic, serious, suspenseful, exciting, political, factual
Similar in 81%
The People vs. Fritz Bauer (2015)
Plot Summary:
It is the late 1950s. Flourishing under the economic miracle, Germany grows increasingly apathetic about confronting the horrors of its recent past. Nevertheless, Fritz Bauer doggedly devotes his energies to bringing the Third Reich to justice. One day Bauer receives a letter from Argentina, written by a man who is certain that his daughter is dating the son of Adolph Eichmann. Excited by the promising lead, and mistrustful of a corrupt judiciary system where Nazis still lurk, Bauer journeys to Jerusalem to seek alliance with Mossad, the Israeli secret service. To do so is treason — yet committing treason is the only way Bauer can serve his country.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Thriller
Country: Germany
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: suspense, tense, rough, suspenseful, disturbing, social, unusual plot structure
Similar in 85%
Spy Game (2001)
Plot Summary:
Veteran spy Nathan Muir is on the verge of retiring from the CIA when he learns that his one-time protégé and close friend, Tom Bishop, is a political prisoner sentenced to die in Beijing. Although their friendship has been marred by bad blood and resentment, Muir agrees to take on the most dangerous mission of his career and rescue Bishop.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 165000
Genere: Action, Crime, Thriller
Country: USA, Germany, Japan, France, UK
Duration: 126 min
Plot tags: suspense, tense, suspenseful, stylized, rough, clever, political, political thriller, action thriller, psychological
Similar in 85%
Seberg (2019)
Plot Summary:
An ambitious young FBI agent is assigned to investigate iconic actress Jean Seberg when she becomes embroiled in the tumultuous civil rights movement in late 1960s Los Angeles.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Thriller
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: political thriller, tense, captivating, realistic, disturbing, depressing, political, suspense, sad, period drama
Similar in 75%
The Iceman (2012)
Plot Summary:
The true story of Richard Kuklinski, the notorious contract killer and family man.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 78000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: tense, suspenseful, brutal, stylized, suspense, intense, realistic, rough, serious, factual
Similar in 82%
Van Diemen's Land (2009)
Plot Summary:
The true story of Australia’s most notorious convict, Alexander Pearce and his infamous journey into the beautiful yet brutal Tasmanian wilderness. A point of no return for convicts banished from their homeland, Van Diemen’s Land was a feared and dreaded penal settlement at the end of the earth.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Biography, Thriller
Country: Australia
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: tense, rough, suspenseful, disturbing, atmospheric, bleak, serious, realistic
Similar in 77%
6 Below: Miracle on the Mountain (2017)
Plot Summary:
An adrenaline seeking snowboarder gets lost in a massive winter storm in the back country of the High Sierras where he is pushed to the limits of human endurance and forced to battle his own personal demons as he fights for survival.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Sport, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: disturbing, suspense, rough, suspenseful, sentimental, crying, independent film
Similar in 87%
The Infiltrator (2016)
Plot Summary:
A U.S Customs official uncovers a massive money laundering scheme involving Pablo Escobar.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 78000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 127 min
Plot tags: suspense, tense, realistic, dramatic, factual, clever, political, detective, novela, action adventure
Similar in 89%
The 15:17 to Paris (2018)
Plot Summary:
In August 2015, an ISIS terrorist boarded train #9364 from Brussels to Paris. Armed with an AK-47 and enough ammo to kill more than 500 people, the terrorist might have succeeded except for three American friends who refused to give in to fear. One was a college student, one was a martial arts enthusiast and airman first class in the U.S. Air Force, and the other was a member of the Oregon National Guard, and all three pals proved fearless as they charged and ultimately overpowered the gunman after he emerged from a bathroom armed and ready to kill.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 35000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: psychological, tense, rough, realistic, suspenseful, social, historical drama, non-linear, independent film
Similar in 79%
Midnight Express (1978)
Plot Summary:
Billy Hayes is caught attempting to smuggle drugs out of Turkey. The Turkish courts decide to make an example of him, sentencing him to more than 30 years in prison. Hayes has two opportunities for release: the appeals made by his lawyer, his family, and the American government, or the "Midnight Express".
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 87000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 121 min
Plot tags: disturbing, realistic, suspense, depressing, psychological, serious, tense, controversial, grim, bleak
Similar in 78%
Official Secrets (2019)
Plot Summary:
The true story of British intelligence whistleblower Katharine Gun, who prior to the 2003 Iraq invasion leaked a top-secret NSA memo exposing a joint US-UK illegal spying operation against members of the UN Security Council. The memo proposed blackmailing member states into voting for war.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 53000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama, Thriller, War
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 112 min
Plot tags: political, psychological, suspenseful, surprise ending, serious, tense, thought provoking, captivating, motivational, inspirational
Similar in 77%
The Falcon and the Snowman (1985)
Plot Summary:
The true story of a disillusioned military contractor employee and his drug pusher childhood friend who became walk-in spies for the Soviet Union.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: UK, USA, Mexico
Duration: 131 min
Plot tags: tense, realistic, psychological, captivating, serious, political, suspenseful, factual, retro, neo noir
Similar in 76%
Breach (2007)
Plot Summary:
Eric O'Neill, a computer specialist who wants to be made an agent is assigned to clerk for Robert Hanssen, a senior agent with 25 years in the FBI, and to write down everything Hanssen does. O'Neill's told it's an investigation of Hanssen's sexual habits, however Hanssen is really suspected of spying for the Soviet Union and Russia for years and being responsible for the deaths of agents working for the United States.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 61000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama, History, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: political thriller, tense, realistic, suspenseful, suspense, intense, clever, political, dramatic, psychological thriller
Similar in 78%
Fair Game (2010)
Plot Summary:
Wife and mother Valerie Plame (Naomi Watts) has a double life as a CIA operative, hiding her vocation from family and friends. Her husband, Joseph Wilson (Sean Penn), writes a controversial article in The New York Times, refuting stories about the sale of enriched uranium to Iraq, Then Valerie's secret work and identity is leaked to the press. With her cover blown and other people endangered, Valerie's career and personal life begin to unravel.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 51000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA, United Arab Emirates
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: political, intense, factual, political thriller, thought provoking, realistic, serious, suspenseful, controversial, inspirational
Similar in 83%
The Insider (1999)
Plot Summary:
Tells the true story of a 60 Minutes television series exposé of the tobacco industry, as seen through the eyes of a real tobacco executive, Jeffrey Wigand.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 178000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 157 min
Plot tags: political, suspense, cerebral, clever, intense, fast paced, tense, sincere, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 81%
Snowden (2016)
Plot Summary:
CIA employee Edward Snowden leaks thousands of classified documents to the press.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 160000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA, Germany, France
Duration: 134 min
Plot tags: realistic, factual, political thriller, thought provoking, serious, political, intense, clever, tense, informative
Similar in 85%
Argo (2012)
Plot Summary:
As the Iranian revolution reaches a boiling point, a CIA 'exfiltration' specialist concocts a risky plan to free six Americans who have found shelter at the home of the Canadian ambassador.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 633000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Thriller
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: tense, suspenseful, clever, captivating, political, intense, suspense, breathtaking, political thriller, realistic