Best movies like Self Defense
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
A bunch of selfrighteous bullies want to set some "new rules" in town while the police in Halifax (Nova Scotia, Canada) are on strike. They try to scare all the gays and lesbians in a bar, but by accident the owner of the establishment is killed, and the leader of the bullies then decides to execute all witnesses. One guy, though, escapes and takes refuge in an isolated block of flats. The young tenants in the house refuse to hand over the survivor, and the bullies then decide to get rid of all the residents in the house. This turns out to be not so easy, because the young people in the house barricade their apartments, set up traps and arm themselves in order to fight back, and this inevitably leads to more bloodshed and killings.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Canada
Duration: 84 min
Plot tags: retro, suspense, slasher, independent film, cult film
Best tv shows and movies like Self Defense (1983):
Similar in 82%
The Killing Machine (1994)
Plot Summary:
Harlin Garret loses his memory and finds himself closed in a facility claimed to belong to the state security services. The manager of this place tells Garrett he used to be a killer for the mob but Garrett refuses to believe. Then he is forced to kill people that are a "Risk to the state security", but the whole story gets complicated when Garret falls in love with one of his victims.
IMDB Rating: 4.3
IMDB Votes: 341
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Canada
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: suspense, surprise ending, independent film
Similar in 82%
Evil Judgment (1984)
Plot Summary:
A girl starts her own investigation after the police fail to catch a local serial killer.
IMDB Rating: 5.2
IMDB Votes: 146
Genere: Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Canada
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: slasher, bloody, independent film
Similar in 83%
Rabid Dogs (2015)
Plot Summary:
After a bank job goes badly wrong, three desperate criminals take a young woman and a father and child hostage - it's the beginning of a frantic and violent road trip that not all of them will survive.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: France, Canada
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: suspense, exciting, tense, captivating, surprise ending, bloody, remake of cult film
Similar in 82%
Dead Bullet (2016)
Plot Summary:
Desperate to turn his life around, a hard-luck gambler risks everything to sell stolen casino chips to a ruthless gunslinger. It's the worst bet of his life.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 179
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: tense, captivating, exciting, suspense, independent film, detective, neo western
Similar in 83%
Outlaws (2017)
Plot Summary:
When an Australian motorcycle gang leader is released from prison, he finds his former deputy on the cusp of giving control of their lucrative drug trade to a rival gang. When the deal goes south, the ensuing violence threatens to spin out of control as the gangs must contend with external threats and subversion within their own ranks — culminating in a deadly face-off between the heavily-armed crews in this epic and action-packed biker thriller.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Australia
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: unusual plot structure, suspense, suspenseful, disturbing, retro, independent film
Similar in 76%
Psycho Raman (2016)
Plot Summary:
Set in present day Mumbai the story follows the life of a serial killer Ramanna who is inspired by an infamous serial killer from the 1960s Raman Raghav. His strange obsession with Raghavan, a young Cop keeps growing as he closely follows him without his knowledge and often creates situations where both of them come face to face.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 16000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: India
Duration: 133 min
Plot tags: exciting, suspense, tense, rough, suspenseful, perverse, avant garde, extraordinary
Similar in 82%
Red Ink (2000)
Plot Summary:
A female doctor is shot by police who think she pulled a gun on them. A reporter looks into the case and discovers links to the deaths of several black children.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 32
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: psychological, serious, suspense, suspenseful
Similar in 77%
Only God Can Judge Me (2017)
Plot Summary:
Ricky spent years behind bars after taking the rap for his brother Rafael and his buddy Latif after a failed robbery. Now, Latif wants to express gratitude by letting Ricky in on a coup that will bring lots of money. After some hesitation, Ricky agrees, and gets his brother Rafael on board. Everything runs smoothly, until police officer Diana turns up on the scene. A nerve-wracking cat and mouse game is set in motion. Director Özgür Yildirim’s most recent film offers insight into Frankfurt’s gangster world. As before in CHIKO – which also starred Moritz Bleibtreu – he portrays the daily life of the criminal underground scene in a large German city.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Germany
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: tense, suspense, suspenseful, disturbing
Similar in 80%
Murdered (2012)
Plot Summary:
Cathy has been preparing herself since early morning. She is about to celebrate her daughter Eva's 20th birthday. But on this very day, Cathy's life is turned upside-down with the shocking news that her daughter has been murdered. At first devastated and lost when faced with the workings of the police and the justice system, Cathy becomes determined to fight to know the truth.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 243
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: France
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: psychological, tense, unusual plot structure, suspense, suspenseful, contemplative
Similar in 82%
Enemy Territory (1987)
Plot Summary:
An insurance salesman inadvertently gets trapped after dark in an apartment building that is terrorized by a street gang called "The Vampires.".
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 961
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: rough, realistic, suspenseful, serious, suspense, hood, independent film
Similar in 86%
Init!ation (2020)
Plot Summary:
Whiton University unravels the night a star-athlete is murdered, kicking off a spree of social media slayings that force students to uncover the truth behind the school's hidden secrets and the horrifying meaning of an exclamation point.
IMDB Rating: 5.0
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: slasher, suspense, scary, suspenseful, tense, disturbing, bloody, dark, independent film, weird
Similar in 86%
Deep Dark Canyon (2013)
Plot Summary:
Bloom Towne is a small-town sheriff under the thumb of the well-established, deeply influential Mayor Dick Cavanaugh's family. When Bloom's two teenage sons, Nate and Skylar accidentally shoot and kill Dick during a deer-hunt, Bloom's long-held allegiance to the reigning Cavanaugh clan is tested. Skylar (still a minor) decides to take the wrap for his older brother Nate, claiming he fired the fatal shot. The Cavanaugh family's quick retaliation sends Skylar on his way to county jail, soon to be tried as an adult. Desperate and guilt-ridden, Nate breaks Skylar out of jail and sets off a chain of lawless acts, which send them deep into the woods and on the run. Bloom's choice between the law and his sons leads to revelations of old family secrets that threaten to destroy everything he loves.
IMDB Rating: 4.9
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Action, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: exciting, suspenseful, tense, captivating, suspense, serious, realistic, independent film
Similar in 75%
Nightmare Alley (2021)
Plot Summary:
An ambitious young carny with a talent for manipulating people with a few well-chosen words hooks up with a female psychiatrist who is even more dangerous than he is.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 160000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA, Mexico, Canada
Duration: 150 min
Plot tags: neo noir, suspense, exciting, suspenseful, psychological, period piece, psychotronic, noir, twist ending, gothic
Similar in 80%
Sunday in the Country (1974)
Plot Summary:
Three vicious thugs are on the run in rural America after robbing a local bank. They seek refuge at the home of a reclusive farmer, but he is prepared for their arrival and holds them at gunpoint. Unable to let them simply wait for the law, he decides to take them into into his cellar and torture them a little before the police arrive.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 677
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Canada
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: grindhouse, independent film, psychological, exciting, tense, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, poliziottesco
Similar in 81%
Targets (1968)
Plot Summary:
A Vietnam veteran quietly plans to go on a mass shooting spree. At the same time, an elderly horror film star prepares to make a public appearance at a drive-in theater.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: psychological, suspense, grindhouse, independent film, scary, tense, realistic, suspenseful, disturbing, neo noir
Similar in 76%
The Jingoist (2020)
Plot Summary:
In the wake of September 11th, two brothers believe they have stopped a mass terrorist attack in New York. Now they must face the consequences of taking justice into their own hands.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 45
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 78 min
Plot tags: neo noir, tense, suspense, suspenseful, disturbing, talky
Similar in 90%
Avenge the Crows (2017)
Plot Summary:
A former gang member and her young cousin become embroiled in a vendetta between L.A. gangs, as rivals seek revenge for old crimes.
IMDB Rating: 5.1
IMDB Votes: 423
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: tense, suspense, suspenseful, disturbing, crime drama
Similar in 84%
North Mountain (2015)
Plot Summary:
Wolf, a young métis hunter living on the mountain. While hunting deep in the woods he discovers Crane, an older man with a mysterious past and the scars to prove it. Wolf nurses him back to health. Over time their bond gets deeper and they fall in love. When outsiders begin to show up looking for Crane, blood begins to flow. Cornered by an army of crooked cops, Wolf and Crane work together to boobie trap the mountain, taking them out one at a time until they come face-to-face with the man who pulls the strings…. Bretten Hannam’s debut feature is an ambitious action/thriller with outstanding performances from Justin Rain (Defiance) and Festival favourite Glen Gould (Rhymes for Young Ghouls, Charlie Zone).
IMDB Rating: 3.9
IMDB Votes: 77
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Canada
Duration: 78 min
Plot tags: unusual plot structure, suspense, suspenseful, exciting, tense, contemplative, gay cinema
Similar in 78%
Bonded by Blood 2 (2017)
Plot Summary:
In the shadow of the Range Rover murders, drugs, violence and revenge continue to reign in a criminal underworld even darker and deadlier than before as a new generation of Essex Boys begin to carve their bloody mark.
IMDB Rating: 4.8
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: exciting, tense, suspense, disturbing
Similar in 86%
Tainted (2020)
Plot Summary:
An ex-con with ties to the Russian mob and Aryan brotherhood yearns to escape his past life of violence but ultimately decides to undertake one last assignment to escape the Russian mob and earn his freedom.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 528
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Canada
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: psychological, suspense, suspenseful, disturbing, exciting, contemplative
Similar in 83%
Beeba Boys (2015)
Plot Summary:
Gang leader Jeet Johar and his young, loyal, and often-brutal crew dress like peacocks, love attention, and openly compete with an old style Indo crime syndicate to take over the Vancouver drug and arms scene. Blood is spilled, hearts are broken, and family bonds shattered as the Beeba Boys do anything to be seen and to be feared in a white world.
IMDB Rating: 4.9
IMDB Votes: 631
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Canada
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: psychological, tense, brutal, suspense, suspenseful, disturbing
Similar in 80%
Marseille (2014)
Plot Summary:
Alex, the son of a gang boss from Marseilles, joins the French Foreign Legion to avoid a hit put out on him by the Corsican Mafia. Four years later, Alex deserts and returns to Marseilles to get back together with Katia, his former girlfriend. But in the city, relationships have changed.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 315
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: France
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: captivating, psychological, tense, suspense, rough, serious, emotional, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 75%
London to Brighton (2006)
Plot Summary:
It's 3:07am and two girls burst into a run down London toilet. Joanne is crying her eyes out and her clothing is ripped. Kelly's face is bruised and starting to swell. Duncan Allen lies in his bathroom bleeding to death. Duncan's son finds his father and wants answers. Derek – Kelly's pimp – needs to find Kelly or it will be him who pays.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 85 min
Plot tags: exciting, rough, suspenseful, suspense, emotional, hood, bleak, serious, realistic, crying
Similar in 75%
Locked In (2021)
Plot Summary:
A single mother must protect her daughter and herself during a heist gone wrong at a high-tech storage facility.
IMDB Rating: 4.2
IMDB Votes: 927
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: suspense, suspenseful, disturbing, psychological, tense
Similar in 81%
Judgment Night (1993)
Plot Summary:
While racing to a boxing match, Frank, Mike, John and Rey get more than they bargained for. A wrong turn lands them directly in the path of Fallon, a vicious, wise-cracking drug lord. After accidentally witnessing Fallon murder a disloyal henchman, the four become his unwilling prey in a savage game of cat & mouse as they are mercilessly stalked through the urban jungle in this taut suspense drama.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 18000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Japan, USA
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: suspense, suspenseful, exciting, harsh, intense, serious, rough, realistic, hood, twisted
Similar in 85%
The Hunted (2003)
Plot Summary:
In the wilderness of British Columbia, two hunters are tracked and viciously murdered by Aaron Hallum. Former Special Operations instructor, L.T. Bonham is approached and asked to apprehend Hallum, his former student, who has 'gone rogue' after suffering severe battle stress from his time in Kosovo.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 51000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: suspense, intense, brutal, slasher, psychological, tense, serious, suspenseful, rough, bleak
Similar in 78%
Deadly Outlaw: Rekka (2002)
Plot Summary:
After Kunisada's Yakuza leader and father figure is brutally murdered, he and his best friend go on a two-man mission to avenge his death, killing other Yakuza leaders leading to a final confrontation by the old man's killers.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, suspenseful, stylized, crime drama, realistic, fast
Similar in 88%
The Marine 4: Moving Target (2015)
Plot Summary:
WWE Superstar Mike "The Miz" Mizanin returns as Jake Carter where he is assigned to protect a whistleblower who wishes to expose a corrupt military defence contractor. However, the military hires a heavily armed team of mercenaries to kill her and it's up to Carter to stop them at any cost.
IMDB Rating: 5.2
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: captivating, suspense, exciting, tense, disturbing, cliffhanger, romantic, scenic, detective, contemplative
Similar in 80%
Internal Affairs (1990)
Plot Summary:
Keen young Raymold Avila joins the Internal Affairs Department of the Los Angeles police. He and partner Amy Wallace are soon looking closely at the activities of cop Dennis Peck whose financial holdings start to suggest something shady. Indeed Peck is involved in any number of dubious or downright criminal activities. He is also devious, a womaniser, and a clever manipulator, and he starts to turn his attention on Avila.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 22000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 115 min
Plot tags: tense, suspense, neo noir, suspenseful, erotic, atmospheric, intense, clever, brutal, rough
Similar in 86%
Panic Room (2002)
Plot Summary:
Trapped in their New York brownstone's panic room, a hidden chamber built as a sanctuary in the event of break-ins, newly divorced Meg Altman and her young daughter Sarah play a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with three intruders - Burnham, Raoul and Junior - during a brutal home invasion. But the room itself is the focal point because what the intruders really want is inside it.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 293000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 112 min
Plot tags: suspense, tense, neo noir, suspenseful, psychological thriller, stylized, psychological, tricky, suspense thriller, scary