Best movies like Lions for Lambs
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
Three stories told simultaneous in ninety minutes of real time: a Republican Senator who's a presidential hopeful gives an hour-long interview to a skeptical television reporter, detailing a strategy for victory in Afghanistan; two special forces ambushed on an Afghani ridge await rescue as Taliban forces close in; a poli-sci professor at a California college invites a student to re-engage.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 52000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller, War
Country: USA
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: serious, political, psychological, thought provoking, realistic, anamorphic, emotional, touching, action packed, contemplative
Best tv shows and movies like Lions for Lambs (2007):
Similar in 90%
Afghan Luke (2011)
Plot Summary:
Disheartened when his story about Canadian snipers possibly mutilating corpses in Afghanistan is buried, Luke (Nick Stahl) quits his job but is even more determined to return to Afghanistan to get the real story. With his offbeat buddy, Tom (Nicolas Wright), tagging along, Luke returns to Afghanistan and intends to gather enough evidence to get his old story into print. But he soon finds that the country is an even more dangerous place than when he left. To make matters worse, his old friend and fixer, Mateen (Stephen Lobo) has been hired away by Luke's journalistic nemesis, Imran Sahar (Vik Sahay). Soon the trip for Luke and Tom in Afghanistan turns into a surreal and perilous adventure, a journey into an alternate reality, filtered through a haze of gun smoke.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 811
Genere: Drama, War
Country: Canada
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: realistic, tense, thought provoking, captivating, psychological, rough, serious, semi serious
Similar in 80%
Redacted (2007)
Plot Summary:
Redacted is a film written and directed by Brian De Palma that is a fictional drama loosely based on the Mahmudiyah killings in Iraq.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Crime, Thriller, War
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, suspenseful, disturbing, bleak, sexy, thought provoking, mockumentary, captivating, realistic
Similar in 89%
Death of a President (2006)
Plot Summary:
A fictional investigative documentary looks back on the "assassination" of George W. Bush and attempts to answer the question of who committed the murder. Perhaps less morbid and disturbing to watch now than during Bush's presidency, the film doesn't address Bush's policies at all, instead focusing on the way a nation assigns blame in a time of crisis.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: controversial, mockumentary, satirical, stylized, serious, suspenseful, disturbing, political, rough, bleak
Similar in 78%
The Situation (2006)
Plot Summary:
The first U.S.-made film drama set during the Iraq war, THE SITUATION chronicles the tragic death of an Iraqi teenager at the hands of U.S. soldiers. The incident sets off an "investigation," a cover-up, and complications involving Iraqi mayor Sheikh Tahsin (Saïd Amadis), who has a complex relationship with the Americans.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 885
Genere: Drama, War
Country: USA
Duration: 111 min
Plot tags: serious, suspenseful, rough, realistic, extraordinary
Similar in 77%
Welcome to Sarajevo (1997)
Plot Summary:
Follow a group of international journalists into the heart of the once cosmopolitan city of Sarajevo—now a danger zone of sniper and mortar attacks where residents still live. While reporting on an American aid worker who’s trying to get children out of the country, a British correspondent decides to take an orphaned girl home to London.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Drama, War
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: disturbing, realistic, harsh, brutal, heartbreaking, political, emotional, thought provoking, touching, serious
Similar in 82%
Closed Circuit (2013)
Plot Summary:
A terrorist attack in London results in the capture of suspect Farroukh Erdogan (Denis Moschitto). The attorney general appoints Claudia Simmons-Howe (Rebecca Hall) as special advocate on Erdogan's legal team. On the eve of the trial, Erdogan's lawyer dies, and a new defense attorney, Martin Rose (Eric Bana), steps in. Martin and Claudia are former lovers, a fact which must remain hidden. As Martin assembles his case, he uncovers a sinister conspiracy, placing him and Claudia in danger.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 23000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: suspense, tense, serious, suspenseful, political, realistic, clever, exciting, surprise ending, bad ending
Similar in 79%
Brothers (2009)
Plot Summary:
When his helicopter goes down during his fourth tour of duty in Afghanistan, Marine Sam Cahill is presumed dead. Back home, brother Tommy steps in to look over Sam’s wife, Grace, and two children. Sam’s surprise homecoming triggers domestic mayhem.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 142000
Genere: Drama, Thriller, War
Country: USA
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: touching, psychological, emotional, tense, melancholic, suspense, heartbreaking, poignant, intense, rough
Similar in 77%
Under Fire (1983)
Plot Summary:
Three U.S. journalists (Nick Nolte, Joanna Cassidy, Gene Hackman) get too close to one another and their work in 1979 Nicaragua.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Drama, War
Country: USA, Mexico
Duration: 128 min
Plot tags: tense, realistic, political, atmospheric, serious, emotional, suspenseful, political thriller, cult classic, independent film
Similar in 88%
Live from Baghdad (2002)
Plot Summary:
A group of CNN reporters wrestle with journalistic ethics and the life-and-death perils of reporting during the Gulf War.A Directors Guild Award-winning movie for director Mick Jackson, starring Michael Keaton and Helena Bonham Carter. In 1990, CNN was a 24-hour news network in search of a 24-hour story. They were about to find it in Baghdad. Veteran CNN producer Robert Wiener and his longtime producing partner Ingrid Formanek find themselves in Iraq on the eve of war. Up against the big three networks, Weiner and his team are rebels with a cause, willing to take risks to get the biggest stories and - unlike their rivals - take them live at a moment's notice. As Baghdad becomes an inevitable US target, one by one the networks pull out of the city until only the crew from CNN remains. With a full-scale war soon to be launched all around them, and CNN ready to broadcast whatever happens 24 hours a day, Wiener and Formanek are about to risk their lives for the story of a lifetime.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Drama, War
Country: USA
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: serious, disturbing, sincere, emotional, realistic, cult classic, talky
Similar in 84%
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 77%
Kill the Messenger (2014)
Plot Summary:
A reporter becomes the target of a vicious smear campaign that drives him to the point of suicide after he exposes the CIA's role in arming Contra rebels in Nicaragua and importing cocaine into California. Based on the true story of journalist Gary Webb.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 48000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 112 min
Plot tags: political, tense, suspenseful, thought provoking, clever, captivating, disturbing, spiritual, neo noir, emotional
Similar in 78%
Stop-Loss (2008)
Plot Summary:
A veteran soldier returns from his completed tour of duty in Iraq, only to find his life turned upside down when he is arbitrarily ordered to return to field duty by the Army.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 21000
Genere: Drama, War
Country: USA
Duration: 112 min
Plot tags: emotional, sad, harsh, serious, thought provoking, realistic, suspense, cult classic, edutainment, psychological
Similar in 79%
Good Kill (2014)
Plot Summary:
In the shadowy world of drone warfare, combat unfolds like a video game–only with real lives at stake. After six tours of duty, Air Force pilot Tom Egan now fights the Taliban from an air-conditioned bunker in the Nevada desert. But as he yearns to get back in the cockpit of a real plane and becomes increasingly troubled by the collateral damage he causes each time he pushes a button, Egan’s nerves—and his relationship with his wife—begin to unravel.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 25000
Genere: Drama, Thriller, War
Country: USA
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: tense, psychological, intense, thought provoking, suspenseful, realistic, suspense, social, action thriller, serious
Similar in 85%
Courage Under Fire (1996)
Plot Summary:
A US Army officer had made a "friendly fire" mistake that was covered up and he was reassigned to a desk job. Later he was tasked to investigate a female chopper commander's worthiness to be awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously. At first all seemed in order then he begins to notice inconsistencies between the testimonies of the witnesses.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 59000
Genere: Action, Drama, Mystery, Thriller, War
Country: USA
Duration: 116 min
Plot tags: suspense, political, realistic, dark, sad, hood, cult classic, suspense thriller, rough, thought provoking
Similar in 84%
Nothing But the Truth (2008)
Plot Summary:
When reporter Rachel Armstrong writes a story that reveals the identity of a covert CIA operative, the government demands that Rachel reveal her source. She defies the special prosecutor and is thrown in jail. Meanwhile, her attorney, Albert Burnside argues her case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 40000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: suspense, psychological, serious, tense, suspenseful, political, tricky, twisted, emotional, thought provoking
Similar in 81%
State of Play (2009)
Plot Summary:
Handsome, unflappable U.S. Congressman Stephen Collins is the future of his political party: an honorable appointee who serves as the chairman of a committee overseeing defense spending. All eyes are upon the rising star to be his party's contender for the upcoming presidential race. Until his research assistant/mistress is brutally murdered and buried secrets come tumbling out.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 158000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA, UK, France
Duration: 127 min
Plot tags: suspense, political thriller, clever, political, tense, suspenseful, detective, exciting, tricky, psychological
Similar in 85%
Unthinkable (2010)
Plot Summary:
A convert to Islam sends the U.S. government a tape showing him in three nondescript storage rooms, each of which may contain a nuclear bomb set to detonate in less than a week. Helen Brody, an FBI agent in L.A., is tasked with finding the bombs while a CIA "consultant", known as H, interrogates the suspect who has allowed himself to be caught. The suspect, whose wife and children have left him and disappeared, seems to know exactly what the interrogation will entail. Even as H ratchets up the pressure, using torture over Brody's objection, the suspect doesn't crack. Should H do the unthinkable, and will Brody acquiesce? Is any Constitutional principle worth possible loss of life?.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 91000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: suspense, psychological, disturbing, rough, psychological thriller, unusual plot structure, intense, tense, thought provoking, clever
Similar in 80%
Three Days of the Condor (1975)
Plot Summary:
A bookish CIA researcher finds all his co-workers dead, and must outwit those responsible until he figures out who he can really trust.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 61000
Genere: Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 117 min
Plot tags: political thriller, tense, suspense, atmospheric, exciting, suspenseful, political, neo noir, psychological thriller, mysterious
Similar in 88%
The Manchurian Candidate (2004)
Plot Summary:
When his army unit was ambushed during the first Gulf War, Sergeant Raymond Shaw saved his fellow soldiers just as his commanding officer, then-Captain Ben Marco, was knocked unconscious. Brokering the incident for political capital, Shaw eventually becomes a vice-presidential nominee, while Marco is haunted by dreams of what happened -- or didn't happen -- in Kuwait. As Marco (now a Major) investigates, the story begins to unravel, to the point where he questions if it happened at all. Is it possible the entire unit was kidnapped and brainwashed to believe Shaw is a war hero as part of a plot to seize the White House? Some very powerful people at Manchurian Global corporation appear desperate to stop him from finding out.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 115000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 129 min
Plot tags: political thriller, suspense, psychological, clever, political, tense, suspenseful, twist ending, intense, stylized
Similar in 79%
Michael Collins (1996)
Plot Summary:
Michael Collins plays a crucial role in the establishment of the Irish Free State in the 1920s, but becomes vilified by those hoping to create a completely independent Irish republic.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 33000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Thriller, War
Country: USA, Ireland
Duration: 133 min
Plot tags: political, brutal, harsh, intense, factual, serious, captivating, dramatic, inspirational, costume drama
Similar in 79%
Salvador (1986)
Plot Summary:
A second rated journalist from the US tries his luck in El Salvador during the military dictatorship in the 1980s.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 23000
Genere: Drama, History, Thriller, War
Country: UK, Mexico, USA
Duration: 122 min
Plot tags: suspense, political, tense, harsh, factual, rough, thought provoking, bleak, serious, captivating
Similar in 77%
Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
Plot Summary:
A chronicle of the decade-long hunt for al-Qaeda terrorist leader Osama bin Laden after the September 2001 attacks, and his death at the hands of the Navy S.E.A.L. Team 6 in May, 2011.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 315000
Genere: Drama, History, Thriller, War
Country: USA, India
Duration: 157 min
Plot tags: tense, suspenseful, suspense, political, realistic, harsh, talky, controversial, brutal, motivational
Similar in 90%
Rendition (2007)
Plot Summary:
When an Egyptian terrorism suspect "disappears" on a flight from Africa to Washington DC, his American wife and a CIA analyst find themselves caught up in a struggle to secure his release from a secret detention facility somewhere outside the US.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 58000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 122 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, tense, suspenseful, disturbing, dramatic, realistic, psychological thriller, sincere, sexy
Similar in 89%
Syriana (2005)
Plot Summary:
The Middle Eastern oil industry is the backdrop of this tense drama, which weaves together numerous story lines. Bennett Holiday is an American lawyer in charge of facilitating a dubious merger of oil companies, while Bryan Woodman, a Switzerland-based energy analyst, experiences both personal tragedy and opportunity during a visit with Arabian royalty. Meanwhile, veteran CIA agent Bob Barnes uncovers an assassination plot with unsettling origins.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 133000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA, United Arab Emirates
Duration: 128 min
Plot tags: political thriller, suspense, cerebral, political, tense, realistic, intense, thought provoking, serious, disturbing
Similar in 79%
Born on the Fourth of July (1989)
Plot Summary:
The biography of Ron Kovic. Paralyzed in the Vietnam war, he becomes an anti-war and pro-human rights political activist after feeling betrayed by the country he fought for.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 114000
Genere: Biography, Drama, War
Country: USA
Duration: 145 min
Plot tags: factual, disturbing, emotional, realistic, intense, thought provoking, serious, captivating, psychological, sincere
Similar in 89%
The Contender (2000)
Plot Summary:
Political thriller about Laine Hanson's nomination and confirmation as Vice President. An allegation that she was involved in a sexual orgy at the age of 19 is leaked to the press. As pressure mounts on Laine, she's torn between fighting back or sticking to her principles and refusing to comment on the allegations.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 25000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA, Germany, UK
Duration: 126 min
Plot tags: political, clever, thought provoking, serious, sincere, suspense, realistic, talky, dark, independent film
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 90%
All the President's Men (1976)
Plot Summary:
In the run-up to the 1972 elections, Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward covers what seems to be a minor break-in at the Democratic Party National headquarters. He is surprised to find top lawyers already on the defense case, and the discovery of names and addresses of Republican fund organizers on the accused further arouses his suspicions. The editor of the Post is prepared to run with the story and assigns Woodward and Carl Bernstein to it. They find the trail leading higher and higher in the Republican Party, and eventually into the White House itself.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 124000
Genere: Drama, History, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 138 min
Plot tags: political thriller, political, cerebral, realistic, serious, suspense, factual, tense, captivating, neo noir
Similar in 88%
The Ides of March (2011)
Plot Summary:
Dirty tricks stand to soil an ambitious young press spokesman's idealism in a cutthroat presidential campaign where 'victory' is relative.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 229000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: political thriller, talky, political, suspense, clever, tense, realistic, psychological, suspenseful, tricky
Similar in 80%
The Hurt Locker (2008)
Plot Summary:
Forced to play a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse in the chaos of war, an elite Army bomb squad unit must come together in a city where everyone is a potential enemy and every object could be a deadly bomb.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 468000
Genere: Drama, Thriller, War
Country: USA
Duration: 131 min
Plot tags: realistic, suspense, emotional, tense, serious, rough, psychological, political, sad, factual