Best movies like Pendulum
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
The nature and lure of power: in Dallas, a councilman is on trial for corruption, the D.A. is running for the US Senate, a serial killer is slashing prostitutes, and a professor is murdered. Amanda Reeve is assigned to investigate the law-school killing. She hears rumors that the dead man offered women students good grades in exchange for sex. The trail leads her to two wealthy, beautiful students whose alibi is provided by a librarian. At the same time, the cops close in on the slasher. Meanwhile, Amanda misses her former lover, next in line to become D.A., and a reporter is fired for getting close to the truth about the Senate candidate. Is a cover-up or conspiracy in the works?.
IMDB Rating: 4.5
IMDB Votes: 378
Genere: Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: serious, suspenseful, realistic, exciting, tense, disturbing, independent film
Best tv shows and movies like Pendulum (2001):
Similar in 88%
Bloodline (1979)
Plot Summary:
When her father is murdered, a cosmetics heiress becomes the next target of an unknown killer amid the international jet set.
IMDB Rating: 4.6
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Romance, Thriller
Country: West Germany, USA
Duration: 116 min
Plot tags: tense, serious, suspenseful, captivating, independent film, detective, realistic
Similar in 75%
The Hidden Child (2013)
Plot Summary:
Erica's parents are killed in a traffic accident. She moves to Fjällbacka and discovers she has a brother.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Thriller
Country: Sweden, Germany
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, suspenseful, tense, serious, realistic
Similar in 83%
Cause of Death (2001)
Plot Summary:
A deputy-district attorney, assigned to investigate the murder of the mayor's cousin, finds himself falling for the victim's wife.
IMDB Rating: 4.4
IMDB Votes: 332
Genere: Crime, Mystery, Romance, Thriller
Country: Canada
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: tense, serious, realistic, suspenseful, scary, sexual, surprise ending, independent film, sexy
Similar in 83%
Slow Burn (2000)
Plot Summary:
The murder of the ex-wife of Doctor Sam Charney (Rutger Hauer) leads Detective Della Wilder (Pam Grier) to uncover a series of women's murders somehow linked to a big pharmaceutical company.
IMDB Rating: 4.9
IMDB Votes: 542
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Canada
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, suspense, detective
Similar in 87%
Vice (2008)
Plot Summary:
Michael Madsen stars as Max Walker, a down-and-out cop who becomes the target of a bloodthirsty drug cartel after he leads a narcotics bust to intercept a large shipment of heroin. When someone starts picking off his team members -- and the drugs seized in the raid suddenly disappear -- Walker pairs up with one of his detectives (Daryl Hannah) to uncover a conspiracy that may go straight up the chain of command.
IMDB Rating: 4.9
IMDB Votes: 937
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, suspenseful, realistic
Similar in 83%
The Only Witness (2002)
Plot Summary:
After witnessing a brutal murder, a little girl is quickly surrounded by a group of law-enforcement professionals and a psychologist.
IMDB Rating: 4.6
IMDB Votes: 283
Genere: Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: tense, serious, realistic, suspenseful, independent film, bleak
Similar in 90%
Bad Bizness (2003)
Plot Summary:
After three women get killed, policewoman gets involved in the underworld of drugs and pornographic movies, when she starts investigating the case.
IMDB Rating: 3.2
IMDB Votes: 577
Genere: Crime, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: suspenseful, serious, realistic, independent film, rough, hood, sexploitation film
Similar in 84%
The Reckoning (2014)
Plot Summary:
When a detective is called in to investigate the roadside execution of his partner, he discovers at the crime scene a data card from a video camera. The card contains footage shot by two runaway teenagers who are making a documentary about the drug related death of a sibling. The detective retraces the teen's journey and soon begins to uncover a trail of the dead that leads all the way back to police headquarters.
IMDB Rating: 5.0
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Australia
Duration: 86 min
Plot tags: serious, tense, realistic, suspenseful, suspense, bleak
Similar in 89%
Bound by Lies (2005)
Plot Summary:
When Detecive Max Garrett is assigned to protect the sultry photographer Laura Cross from a ruthless killer, he has no idea what he's in for. The more involved Garrett gets in the case, the more attracted he is to Cross, but as they get closer, so does the killer.
IMDB Rating: 3.8
IMDB Votes: 593
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: tense, serious, realistic, suspenseful, detective, sexual, sexy
Similar in 79%
Quiet Kill (2004)
Plot Summary:
An attractive married woman and a member of the 'Country Club Tennis Set', is being neglected by her workaholic doctor husband, Jerry (Corbin Bernsen). Lonely and insecure, Amy foolishly falls for the seductive charms of a much younger man, Steve Sterns (Nicholas Celozzi) who is introduced to Amy by her good friend, Sheila. The love affair is very brief, as she realizes that Steve has a dark, sinister and obsessive side to his personality, or is it personalities? Amy tries to break off the relationship, only to find that her adulterous lover has become her stalker. She also fears that Steve is responsible for the numerous brutal murders of local prostitutes.
IMDB Rating: 3.6
IMDB Votes: 224
Genere: Crime, Romance, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 82 min
Plot tags: tense, serious, realistic, suspenseful, christian film, independent film, detective
Similar in 83%
Never Forget (2008)
Plot Summary:
A man (Phillips) who wakes up with amnesia also finds his supposed friend has accused him of murder.
IMDB Rating: 4.3
IMDB Votes: 357
Genere: Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: psychological, exciting, tense, rough, mind bending, realistic, suspenseful, suspense, serious
Similar in 77%
Letters from a Killer (1998)
Plot Summary:
A man is falsely convicted of the murder of his wife. During his time in jail, he finds comfort from four women with whom he corresponds. After his second court appearance, he is finally freed from prison only to be framed for yet 2 more murders which he did not commit. With the help of his former prison guard, he once again sets out to clear his name.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: psychological thriller, independent film, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, surprise ending, suspense
Similar in 79%
American Crime (2004)
Plot Summary:
A young smalltown reporter, Jessie St. Claire, begins investigating a killer stalking his victims making video tapes. This might just be the career opportunity, which she has hoped for. When she herself becomes a target and suddenly disappears, the case attracts a colleague from the nationally syndicated television show "American Crime" as well. Together with Jessie's camera-man and later joined by her producer he tries to solve the mysterious case. Written by Oliver Heidelbach (IMDB).
IMDB Rating: 4.4
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: scary, serious, tense, rough, realistic, suspenseful, suspense
Similar in 79%
Sketch Artist (1992)
Plot Summary:
A sketch artist for the police helps a witness recall who she saw leaving the scene of a murder, and discovers that the person is his wife. Not willing to believe she was responsible, he resketches the pictures so they don't look like her, and he begins his own investigation of the murder.
IMDB Rating: 5.1
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, suspenseful, tense, captivating, neo noir
Similar in 90%
The River Murders (2011)
Plot Summary:
The sins of the past are not forgotten in this chilling suspense thriller. When the first body was discovered, it seemed a coincidence. But now homicide detective Jack Verdon has cause to worry: the victims of a series of brutal sex murders are all his former girlfriends. Suspected by the FBI agent who’s taken over the case and suspended by his captain, Jack must work outside the law if he’s to find the killer, save his future and protect what’s left of his past.
IMDB Rating: 5.2
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: tense, rough, serious, suspenseful, neo noir, realistic
Similar in 80%
1st to Die (2003)
Plot Summary:
A homicide inspector -- Lindsay Boxer -- who teams with three other professional women to catch an ingenious serial killer targeting newlyweds on their wedding nights.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 714
Genere: Action, Thriller, Drama, Crime, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 180 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, dark, detective
Similar in 88%
Double Bang (2001)
Plot Summary:
An honest cop enters the dark world of murder and corruption.
IMDB Rating: 4.9
IMDB Votes: 463
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, suspenseful, independent film
Similar in 81%
Chasing Ghosts (2005)
Plot Summary:
A serial killer targeting the city's mobsters taunts police with clues and photos left behind at the crime scenes. A veteran cop takes on a rookie partner hoping to crack one last case before retiring. As the web of deception and lies unravels, the truth slowly begins to reveal itself.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 119 min
Plot tags: tense, rough, serious, suspenseful, neo noir, realistic, surprise ending
Similar in 75%
Murder Eleven (2013)
Plot Summary:
A serial killer is loose on the streets of Atlantic City. His ten victims are prostitutes, his methods are ruthless and yet his motives are unknown. Two embattled homicide detectives, Mayfield and Jesse, are in a race against time to catch this killer. They have just a few hours to utilize all of their resources and prevent murder number eleven. But with very few leads, very little support, and luck playing against them they are in for a long night because being wrong is unforgiving and number eleven is already gone.
IMDB Rating: 3.8
IMDB Votes: 246
Genere: Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, suspenseful, suspense, slasher, mind bending, realistic
Similar in 85%
Small Town Conspiracy (2002)
Plot Summary:
Crime - Set in Florida at the close of 1941, this film noir follows small-town police chief John Haleran's (Zen Gesner) investigation of the murder of a young Japanese girl, a case that leads to a top secret government conspiracy. With the help of retired cop Taylor (William Morgan Sheppard), Haleran discovers a connection between the victim and an imminent Japanese attack. - Zen Gesner, Jeannetta Arnette, William Morgan Sheppard.
IMDB Rating: 4.9
IMDB Votes: 127
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, War
Country: USA
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, suspenseful, tense, bleak
Similar in 90%
After Alice (2000)
Plot Summary:
A washed-up detective discovers his own psychic ability when assigned to investigate a serial murder case. The killer has a deranged obsession with the novel "Alice in Wonderland." As the psychopath's bloody reign of terror continues, the cop spirals deeper and deeper into the case where the horrors of the past and present come together.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK, Germany, Canada
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: tense, serious, suspenseful, enigmatic, surprise ending, detective
Similar in 90%
True Blue (2001)
Plot Summary:
Rembrandt Macy (Tom Berenger) is a maverick cop assigned to a case where the primary evidence is a woman's hand found in a pond. Investigators identify the dead, and Macy is lead into a young woman's past. Macy's primary path to understanding the victim is through one of her roommates, Nikki. Through Nikki and others, Macy learns of the victim's shady contacts at City Hall, the involvement of a gang of Asian drug runners, and the sordid affairs of one of the city's bigwigs. As Macy begins to understand how all these crimes fit together, he learns that his new friend Nikki is not an innocent bystander.
IMDB Rating: 5.2
IMDB Votes: 905
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: suspenseful, tense, suspense, intense, neo noir, serious, realistic
Similar in 78%
Tightrope (1984)
Plot Summary:
Wes Block is a detective who's put on the case of a serial killer. His victims are young and pretty women, which he rapes and murders. The murders are getting personal when the killer chooses victims who are acquaintances of Block. Even his daughters are threatened.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 19000
Genere: Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 114 min
Plot tags: psychological, tense, suspenseful, detective, sexual, intense, neo noir, suspense, sexy, tricky
Similar in 83%
Skeletons in the Closet (2001)
Plot Summary:
A father suspects his son to be a murderer...or is he just paranoid and trying to cover up his own past which involves his wife being killed in a fire?.
IMDB Rating: 5.1
IMDB Votes: 712
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: psychological, bleak, serious, suspenseful, realistic
Similar in 87%
When the Bough Breaks (1994)
Plot Summary:
A police detective investigates the apparent serial killing of several children which is linked to an institutionalized, autistic child.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: scary, rough, psychological, serious, tense, suspenseful, psychological thriller, independent film
Similar in 76%
The Gunman (2004)
Plot Summary:
When Detective Ben Simm's wife is killed, he has to learn to be both father and mother to his little girl while searching for a Vigilante that has his own sense of justice.
IMDB Rating: 4.5
IMDB Votes: 465
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: disturbing, tense, serious, suspenseful, independent film, bleak, realistic
Similar in 78%
Pavement (2002)
Plot Summary:
Samuel Browne is a tracker in Alaska. When his sister meets a grisly death in San Francisco, he goes there to hunt her killer. As more murders occur, police investigator Buckley Clarke reluctantly joins forces with Sam. The brass are convinced this is a serial killer choosing victims at random, but Sam and Buckley discover a pattern involving health personnel who work in neonatal intensive care. Doctors aren't supposed to play god, but someone's decision years before has driven a killer over the brink. Can they find him?.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 997
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: South Africa, Germany
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, suspenseful, tense, bleak, realistic
Similar in 76%
Murder in Greenwich (2002)
Plot Summary:
The story of Martha Moxley, 15 year old girl murdered in Greenwich in the 1970's, her murder going unsolved for 25 years.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, suspenseful, suspense, novela, talky
Similar in 86%
Gone but Not Forgotten (2005)
Plot Summary:
An Oregon woman vanishes. In her wake remains a single black rose & a note reading gone but not forgotten. Now a man stands accused: a private eye has gone missing: a detective knows more than she lets on: & a tough female attorney has entered a web of duplicity revenge & multiple murder.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 705
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 150 min
Plot tags: tense, realistic, psychological, serious, suspenseful
Similar in 77%
The Rosary Murders (1987)
Plot Summary:
A killer of Detroit clergy confesses to a priest (Donald Sutherland), who turns sleuth because he cannot tell the police.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: disturbing, atmospheric, bleak, serious, neo noir, suspense, independent film, tense, rough, realistic