Best movies like Istanbul
Last updated March 2024
Looking for movies related to Istanbul? Offer your familiarity to direct others to tv series and films you've already watched that might similarly intrigue them. Aid in widening the community of people alluding videos among one another. We encourage your input!
Plot Summary:
Willy, a student, quits his vacationjob to go to Istanbul with the sinister yet facinating Klamski. On the way from Ostend to Arlon some chance meetings unpuzzle the truth about Klamski, but Willy turns out to have a dark side as well.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 259
Genere: Thriller, Drama
Country: Belgium, Luxembourg, West Germany
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: road movie, crying, tense, rough, serious, realistic, gloomy, independent film
Best tv shows and movies like Istanbul (1985):
Similar in 88%
Sonny Boy (1989)
Plot Summary:
A small-town car thief and his transvestite wife come across an abandoned infant; they amputate his tongue and train him for a life in crime.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 938
Genere: Action, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA, Italy
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: disturbing, controversial, independent film, serious, realistic, suspenseful, weird, bizarre
Similar in 89%
The Christening (2010)
Plot Summary:
Michal has what he always dreamed of: a beautiful wife named Magda, a newborn son, his own firm. He chooses an old friend, Janek, to be the godfather of his child. This is just the beginning of Michal's plan, who asks his friend to take an interest in his wife... At the beginning the plan works out, but it becomes increasingly difficult for Michal to come to terms with it. Michal knows his deeply hidden past will inevitably come back to him, and Janek will have to make a decision, of which he will never forget the consequences.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 713
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: Poland
Duration: 86 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, serious, realistic, bleak, gloomy
Similar in 79%
Waste Land (2014)
Plot Summary:
A Brussels homicide cop (Jérémie Renier) begins to lose control of his life as he tries to solve a bizarre murder.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 311
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: Belgium
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: psychological, tense, serious, suspenseful, neo noir, bleak, realistic, stylized, gloomy, detective
Similar in 77%
The Big Picture (2010)
Plot Summary:
Paul Exben is a success story – partner in one of Paris's most exclusive law firms, big salary, big house, glamorous wife and two sons straight out of a Gap catalog. But when he finds out that Sarah, his wife, is cheating on him with Greg Kremer, a local photographer, a rush of blood provokes Paul into a fatal error.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: France
Duration: 114 min
Plot tags: sincere, serious, suspenseful, tense, realistic, gloomy
Similar in 84%
A Second Chance (2014)
Plot Summary:
Detectives and best friends Andreas and Simon lead vastly different lives; Andreas has settled down with his beautiful wife and son; while Simon, recently divorced, spends most of his waking hours getting drunk at the local strip club. But all that changes when the two of them are called out to a domestic dispute between a junkie couple, caught in a vicious cycle of violence and drugs. It all looks very routine – until Andreas finds the couple's infant son, crying in a closet. The usually collected policeman finds himself confronted with his own powerlessness and is shaken to his core. As Andreas slowly loses his grip on justice, it suddenly becomes up to the unruly Simon to restore the balance between right and wrong.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: Denmark, Sweden
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: touching, tense, serious, rough, realistic, suspense, dark, tear jerker, poignant, bleak
Similar in 78%
Live Once, Die Twice (2006)
Plot Summary:
Nicole Lauker unexpectedly loses her husband to a boating explosion accident that claims the lives of two people. An FBI investigation sparks speculation that it may not have been an accident after all.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 517
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: Canada
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, suspenseful, realistic
Similar in 85%
The Other Side of the Street (2004)
Plot Summary:
Regina, a lonely 65 year old who works on the neighborhood watch for the police in Copacabana, believes to have witnessed a murder in the building across the street, and ends up getting involved with the suspect in a potentially dangerous chain of events that will force her to take stock of her life.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 992
Genere: Thriller, Drama
Country: Brazil, France
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: psychological, serious, suspenseful, tense, realistic, romantic drama, gloomy
Similar in 86%
The Invader (2011)
Plot Summary:
An African immigrant living illegally in Belgium is desperate to find his own sense of belonging.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 852
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: Belgium, Sweden
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: thought provoking, serious, tense, bleak, realistic, contemplative
Similar in 80%
Eat Your Bones (2014)
Plot Summary:
18 year old Jason Dorkel belongs to a community of gypsies. He is about to celebrate his baptism when his half-brother Fred returns after fifteen years in prison. Together, with their last brother, the violent, hot-headed Michael and their Christian activist cousin, the four young people set off on a binge among the "gadjos" in search of a cargo of copper.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 515
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: France
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: tense, realistic, psychological, captivating, suspense, rough, serious, semi autobiographical, road movie
Similar in 89%
The Memory of a Killer (2003)
Plot Summary:
Vincke and Verstuyft are one of the best detective teams of the Antwerp police force. When they are confronted with the disappearance of a top official and the murder of two prostitutes, the trail leads to the almost retired assassin Angelo Ledda. Since Ledda starts showing symptoms of Alzheimer's, it's getting more and more difficult to complete his contracts. When he has to murder a 12-year old call-girl, he refuses and becomes a target himself. While Vincke and Verstuyft are chasing him and counting the corpses, Ledda is taking care of his employers.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Belgium, Netherlands
Duration: 123 min
Plot tags: tense, suspenseful, detective, psychological, rough, neo noir, dramatic, psychological thriller, cult classic, atmospheric
Similar in 80%
The Last Deadly Mission (2008)
Plot Summary:
A washed-up Marseilles cop (Auteuil) earns a chance at redemption by protecting a woman from the man who killed her parents as he is about to be released from prison.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: France
Duration: 125 min
Plot tags: psychological, suspenseful, tense, rough, bleak, erotic, sexy, serious, realistic, gloomy
Similar in 78%
The Box (2003)
Plot Summary:
An ex-con tries to go straight but also wants to get back money he's owed for the job that put him in prison. He meets a waitress who's also seen her share of trouble and they start up a tenuous relationship. Then there's a murder and things get complicated. It's noir so the plot isn't the main focus but the mood of the film is consistent and properly downbeat. The characters can't seem to shake the fate that hangs over them.
IMDB Rating: 4.9
IMDB Votes: 481
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: tense, rough, serious, suspenseful, realistic
Similar in 76%
Her Name Is Carla (2005)
Plot Summary:
Two strangers refuse to leave the seaside home of a couple, which leads to sexual tension and crime.
IMDB Rating: 5.0
IMDB Votes: 216
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 85 min
Plot tags: psychological, tense, serious, suspenseful, erotic, suspense, realistic, crying
Similar in 87%
Bright Angel (1990)
Plot Summary:
Road-movie from Montana to Wyoming. A gullible, innocent young man (Mulroney) assists a versatile girl (Taylor) on her long quest to get her brother out of jail.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 707
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: road movie, serious, suspenseful, realistic, neo noir, independent film, bleak, contemplative, gloomy
Similar in 85%
Tucked Away (2007)
Plot Summary:
On the surface, Ray Ryan has it all. He's a successful advertising executive with a new promotion. He has a nice home and a beautiful fiancée. Underneath it all is a dark secret he's finding harder to hide. Ray's nightmares are giving way to visions of his abusive father, unlocking a suppressed violence he's unable to control. When ray brutally assaults a man in a parking lot, it leads to an investigation by an aging detective with a connected past. Neither is prepared as the secrets begin to unfold over a thirty-year-old murder they've both struggled to keep buried.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 29
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, independent film
Similar in 86%
Ghosted (2011)
Plot Summary:
‘GHOSTED’ tells a story of survival inside a British Prison. Jack a model prisoner, has kept his head down and done his time. After his wife confirms that she is leaving him, on the anniversary of their son’s death, the only thing that keeps him from going under is the new prisoner, Paul. Jack’s cell mate Ahmed, attempts to guide him on a path of salvation, a path that involves saving Paul from the clutches of the wing beast, Clay.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 660
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: rough, suspenseful, serious, bleak, tense, realistic
Similar in 82%
Final Recourse (2013)
Plot Summary:
A wealthy high powered woman suffers a horrible tragedy after which she descends into substance abuse,turning her back on her family. She later discovers that someone close to her may be behind her subsequent abduction and kidnapping.
IMDB Rating: 5.1
IMDB Votes: 451
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: suspenseful, serious, realistic, tense, suspense, captivating
Similar in 77%
See the Sea (1997)
Plot Summary:
Sasha, a young British woman, is living with her baby daughter at Ile d'Yeu, a peaceful beach community. A stranger appears. Her name is Tatiana, she's passing through, and pitches her tent in Sasha's yard. The two women build an odd rapport, and tension builds as events unfold.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: France
Duration: 52 min
Plot tags: disturbing, erotic, art house, psychological, tense, atmospheric, sexual, psychological thriller, controversial, serious
Similar in 76%
The King (2005)
Plot Summary:
A motiveless malignancy? Elvis leaves the Navy and heads for Texas where he contacts his father, whom he's never met, the pastor at a Christian community church. Pastor Dave tells Elvis to stay away and, without telling his family that Elvis is his son from a pre-conversion liaison, tells them to have nothing to do with him. But Elvis has already connected with Malerie, the pastor's 16-year old daughter. Elvis embarks on the seduction of Malerie, while Dave examines his conscience and comes to a new conclusion. Can anyone get right with the Lord? Does the Lord hear?.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: psychological, serious, realistic, suspenseful, erotic, suspense, independent film, tense, clever, contemplative
Similar in 80%
Rapt (2009)
Plot Summary:
A rich industrialist is brutally kidnapped. While he physically and mentally degenerates in imprisonment, the kidnappers, police and the board of the company of which he is director negotiate about the ransom of 50 million euro.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: France, Belgium
Duration: 125 min
Plot tags: tense, serious, realistic, suspenseful, psychological thriller, bleak, contemplative
Similar in 83%
The Passenger (1975)
Plot Summary:
David Locke (Jack Nicholson) is a world-weary American journalist who has been sent to cover a conflict in northern Africa, but he makes little progress with the story. When he discovers the body of a stranger who looks similar to him, Locke assumes the dead man's identity. However, he soon finds out that the man was an arms dealer, leading Locke into dangerous situations. Aided by a beautiful woman (Maria Schneider), Locke attempts to avoid both the police and criminals out to get him.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 26000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: Italy, France, Spain
Duration: 126 min
Plot tags: road movie, stylized, cerebral, philosophical, existential, tense, slow cinema, psychedelic, gothic, political
Similar in 77%
A Show of Force (1990)
Plot Summary:
In this thriller, television reporter Kate Ryan de Meléndez investigates the death of two radical Puerto Rican activists, whom she begins to believe may have been framed and murdered by undercover American agents.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 842
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 77%
Manuscripts Don't Burn (2013)
Plot Summary:
Khosrow and Morteza set out on a mission to kill someone. The assassination ought to be arranged as a suicide. At the last minute however, they are obliged to change their initial plans….
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: Iran
Duration: 125 min
Plot tags: realistic, suspenseful, tense, rough, serious, political, controversial
Similar in 81%
The Field (1990)
Plot Summary:
"Bull" McCabe's family has farmed a field for generations, sacrificing much in the name of the land. When the widow who owns the field decides to sell it in a public auction, McCabe knows that he must own it. While no local dare bid against him, a wealthy American decides he requires the field to build a highway. "Bull" and his son decide they must try to convince the American to let go of his ambition and return home, but the consequences of their plot prove sinister.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: Ireland
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: realistic, talky, serious, bleak, psychological, suspense, rough, independent film, sentimental, road movie
Similar in 82%
Hidden Agenda (1990)
Plot Summary:
In Ireland, American lawyer Ingrid Jessner and her activist partner, Paul Sullivan, struggle to uncover atrocities committed by the British government against the Northern Irish during the "Troubles." But when Sullivan is assassinated in the streets, Jessner teams up with Peter Kerrigan, a British investigator acting against the will of his own government, and struggles to uncover a conspiracy that may even implicate one of Kerrigan's colleagues.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: controversial, political, political thriller, suspense, mysterious, independent film, tense, rough, thought provoking, bleak
Similar in 77%
A Dry White Season (1989)
Plot Summary:
Taking place during the 1976 Soweto uprising, the story follows a white school teacher whose life and values are threatened when he asks questions about the death of a young black boy who died in police custody.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: talky, emotional, disturbing, rough, thought provoking, serious, realistic, political, retro, thinking
Similar in 81%
The Hunt for the Unicorn Killer (1999)
Plot Summary:
An account of early 1970s social activist Ira Einhorn, who allegedly murdered his girlfriend and then fled the country.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 763
Genere: Thriller, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 240 min
Plot tags: tense, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, factual
Similar in 81%
Keane (2004)
Plot Summary:
A mentally ill man searches New York for his missing eight year old daughter. He recreates her steps each day hoping for some clue to her disappearance, until he meets and befriend a woman with a daughter the same age. Could she help him with the missing piece of the puzzle?.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: sincere, touching, psychological, serious, independent film, mind twisting, mind bending, suspense, art house, art film
Similar in 83%
Travellers (2011)
Plot Summary:
Four friends set out on a motorcycle adventure weekend, clocking up miles in an attempt to outrun their age and urban lifestyles. After bartering with a local land owner for a place to set up camp, they spend the night reminiscing over their wasted youth. The following morning they spot an ominous looking caravan, and decide to investigate. Within minutes, an idiotic prank leads to a series of brutal events and a deadly race for survival. A modern plunge back into the worlds created by movies such as 'Deliverance' and 'Southern Comfort' but with a gritty British twang. Kidnap, murder and a hidden past are just some of the reasons these four adventurers should have stayed at home. An action thriller that will make you question who the villains really are. You cant outrun what's in your blood.
IMDB Rating: 4.3
IMDB Votes: 559
Genere: Action, Drama, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 84 min
Plot tags: suspenseful, atmospheric, rough, serious, tense, captivating, bleak, realistic
Similar in 85%
The Statement (2003)
Plot Summary:
The film is set in France in the 1990s, the French were defeated by the Germans early in World War II, an armistice was signed in 1940 which effectively split France into a German occupied part in the North and a semi-independent part in the south which became known as Vichy France. In reality the Vichy government was a puppet regime controlled by the Germans. Part of the agreement was that the Vichy Government would assist with the 'cleansing' of Jews from France. The Vichy government formed a police force called the Milice, who worked with the Germans.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: Canada, France, UK
Duration: 114 min
Plot tags: tense, suspenseful, political, intense, serious, cult classic, bleak, realistic, psychological, brutal