Best movies like Shadow Dancer
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
Set in 1990s Belfast, a woman is forced to betray all she believes in for the sake of her son.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK, Ireland
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: political thriller, serious, tense, suspenseful, realistic, psychological thriller, political, suspense, cult classic, visually stunning
Best tv shows and movies like Shadow Dancer (2012):
Similar in 83%
Thunder Point (1998)
Plot Summary:
Former IRA agent Sean Dillon comes to the rescue when a woman discovers a briefcase containing plans that could destroy all of Europe. Dillon's assignment is to protect her until the plans can be properly destroyed.
IMDB Rating: 5.2
IMDB Votes: 273
Genere: Thriller
Country: UK, Canada
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: exciting, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 90%
Cal (1984)
Plot Summary:
Cal, a young man on the fringes of the IRA, falls in love with Marcella, a Catholic woman whose husband, a Protestant policeman, was killed one year earlier by the IRA.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Thriller, Romance
Country: UK, Ireland
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: political, art house, tense, sincere, bleak, serious, realistic, contemplative
Similar in 88%
State Affairs (2009)
Plot Summary:
A plane explodes above the Gulf of Guinea. An escort girl is murdered in a Parisian park. Thousands of miles separate these two events, and yet Nora Chahyd, believes there's a connection between them, much to his superiors chagrin. As Nora investigates, getting dangerously close to the powers that be, the murders and betrayals accumulate, and signs point to a state affair at the heart of it all.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 656
Genere: Mystery, Thriller
Country: France
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: political thriller, serious, suspenseful, rough, realistic, clever, cynical
Similar in 89%
The Outsider (1979)
Plot Summary:
Michael Flaherty (Craig Wasson), an American Vietnam veteran of Irish descent, returns to Belfast to join the cause of his grandfather, Seamus (Sterling Hayden). Soon he finds that he is not as welcomed in his home country as he imagined he would be. Even worse, he's the target of an IRA assassination plot designed to make the British forces look bad in order to elicit financial support from wealthy Americans.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 314
Genere: Drama, History, Thriller
Country: USA, Netherlands
Duration: 122 min
Plot tags: neo noir, independent film, bleak, serious, captivating, emotional, realistic, disturbing
Similar in 83%
The Silent War (2012)
Plot Summary:
An espionage thriller set in the 1950s and adapted from the novel "Year Suan/Plot Against" by May Jia. Tony Leung Chiu Wai plays a blind man who works for a piano tuner. He is recruited for a spy mission because of his exceptional hearing.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Hong Kong, China
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: serious, suspenseful, tense, realistic, captivating
Similar in 82%
Resurrection Man (1998)
Plot Summary:
Belfast, in 1970s. Victor Kelly is a young protestant man who hates the Catholics so much that one night he begins to brutally murder them. A reporter soon tries to uncover the murder and obtained prestige for himself, while Victor sinks deeper into madness.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 826
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: disturbing, bleak, serious, suspenseful, independent film, tense, rough, realistic, parody, sexy
Similar in 87%
Turks & Caicos (2014)
Plot Summary:
The second movie in David Hare's Johnny Worricker trilogy. Loose-limbed spy Johnny Worricker, last seen whistleblowing at MI5 in Page Eight, has a new life. He is hiding out in Ray-Bans on the Caribbean islands of the title, eating lobster and calling himself Tom Eliot (he’s a poet at heart). We’re drawn into his world and his predicament when Christopher Walken strolls in as a shadowy American who claims to know Johnny. The encounter forces him into the company of some ambiguous American businessmen who claim to be on the islands for a conference on the global financial crisis. When one of them falls in the sea, their financial PR seems to know more than she's letting on. Worricker soon learns the extent of their shady activities and he must act quickly to survive when links to British prime minister Alec Beasley come to light.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Action, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: tense, serious, captivating, suspense, political, political thriller, cult classic, realistic
Similar in 81%
A Few Days in September (2006)
Plot Summary:
1 September 2001. Elliot, an American C.I.A. agent holding top secret information on the immediate future of the world, disappears. His sole aim was to meet his daughter Orlando, whom he abandoned ten years before. Irène, a French agent who used to work with him, and David, his adoptive son, will help him and lead the girl to her father. Chased by William Pound, a strangely poetic psycho, they will defy the dangers of international espionage from Paris to Venice and finally get to Elliot on 11 September 2001.
IMDB Rating: 5.2
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: Italy, France, Portugal
Duration: 116 min
Plot tags: realistic, suspenseful, serious, political thriller, tense
Similar in 87%
Hennessy (1975)
Plot Summary:
Set in the Seventies, Hennessy is a Irishman who believes in peace, but who has had connections to the IRA. Hennessy's family is killed, and he plots revenge, setting out to assassinate Queen Elizabeth of England.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 824
Genere: Action, Drama, Thriller
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: offbeat, political, grindhouse, independent film, exciting, rough, bleak, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 86%
Midnight Man (1997)
Plot Summary:
British soldiers force a recently captured IRA terrorist to cooperate with them and then assign him to go undercover with a gang of terrorists and prevent them from killing the U.S. President. But the spy isn't in long before he realizes that the first plot is but a ruse for a more sinister scheme that could result in trouble between China and Great Britain. - Written by Ørnås.
IMDB Rating: 4.7
IMDB Votes: 226
Genere: Action, Drama, Thriller
Country: UK, Canada, Luxembourg, USA
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: independent film, exciting, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 87%
The Informant (1997)
Plot Summary:
A former Irish Republican Army fighter, Gingy McAnally (Anthony Brophy), is reluctant about being called back into service after serving time in prison. He executes the grisly task but ends up captured by a sympathetic British police lieutenant named Ferris (Cary Elwes). The intimidating Chief Inspector of the Belfast Police (Timothy Dalton) convinces Gingy that his best hope is to become an informant and turn in other IRA operatives. As Gingy's marriage unravels under the stress, he is forced to come to terms with the fact that in this war both sides lose. Three men, three political circles, each fighting for their lives, each with their own agenda in the battle for Northern Ireland.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 673
Genere: Drama
Country: Ireland, USA
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: tense, serious, realistic, suspenseful, independent film
Similar in 87%
Möbius (2013)
Plot Summary:
An FSB officer fall in love with his agent, an American woman who works as a trader in a Russian bank.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: France, Belgium, Luxembourg
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: tense, serious, realistic, suspenseful, political thriller, stylized
Similar in 76%
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 87%
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 87%
The Little Drummer Girl (1984)
Plot Summary:
An American Actress with a penchant for lying is forceably recruited by Mosad, the Israeli intelligence agency to trap a Palestinian bomber, by pretending to be the girlfriend of his dead brother.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 130 min
Plot tags: political thriller, realistic, suspenseful, tense, serious, political, eighties
Similar in 82%
Half Moon Street (1986)
Plot Summary:
Dr. Lauren Slaughter, a research fellow at the Arab-Anglo Institute in London is utterly frustrated by her job. To supplement her income, she starts moonlighting at the Jasmine Escort Service, where she has more control over men and money than she does at the office. On one of her 'dates', Lauren meets the politician Lord Bulbeck who is trying to mediate a peace accord between the Arabs and Israelis. Bulbeck falls in love with his escort, and unwittingly, Lauren becomes a pawn in some very dirty politics.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: political thriller, psychological, serious, realistic, suspense, independent film, sexual, erotic, light, romantic
Similar in 79%
The Secret Agent (1996)
Plot Summary:
London of the late 19th century is a haven for political exiles of all sorts - refugees, partisans, anarchists. Verloc has made his living spying for the Russian goverment, an agent provacateur of sorts, while simultaneously providing information to the London police, specifically Chief Inspector Heat. When the new Russian ambassador demands he prove his worth or lose his salary, Verloc sets off a tragic chain of events that involves his pretty young wife Winnie, her retarded brother Stevie, and a figure called the Professor, whose fascination with explosives and destruction makes him the person to call on when Verloc needs a bomb.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: psychological, harsh, realistic, suspenseful, tense, serious, political thriller, bleak, light, romantic
Similar in 86%
Legacy (2013)
Plot Summary:
Set in the 1970s London during the height of the Cold War when a young spy discovers the disturbing truth about his father's complex past. Based on Alan Judd's 2001 novel Legacy, the second in the Thoroughgood series after 1981's A Breed Of Heroes (adapted by the BBC in 1994). As the three day week, petrol rationing and industrial strife plunge Britain into a state of emergency, MI6 trainee spy Charles Thoroughgood is asked to reconnect with an old university friend, Russian diplomat Viktor Koslov, with a view to 'turning' him. Viktor has his own agenda, though, and reveals a shocking truth about Charles's own family that threatens to derail him, both personally and professionally. He is catapulted into a dangerous personal odyssey to uncover the truth but finds himself drawn into a lethal KGB plot to mount an attack within the UK. His life is further complicated by a relationship with the wife of another agent, which forces him to realise that betrayal can take many forms.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 461
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: serious, captivating, tense, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 77%
The Enemy Within (1994)
Plot Summary:
Colonel Casey discovers what appears to be plans by General Lloyd to use fake military excercises to assist Jack Giddings in his plans to remove President Foster from office. Colonel Casey, and President Foster must find evidence that there is a coup planned and stop it, before it takes place. Unfortunately, there isn't much time.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 86 min
Plot tags: serious, suspenseful, tense, realistic, political thriller
Similar in 81%
Fifty Dead Men Walking (2008)
Plot Summary:
Based on Martin McGartland's real life story as a informant for the British Police to spy on the IRA. Taking place from 1987-1991, Martin (Jim Sturgess) works his way up the ranks of the IRA, while keeping his informant with the police Fergis (Ben Kingsley) at bay. In the process he saved numerous lives and is still in hiding from the IRA today.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: UK, Canada
Duration: 117 min
Plot tags: factual, captivating, stylized, tense, political, suspense, realistic, sincere, sexy, serious
Similar in 85%
The International (2009)
Plot Summary:
An interpol agent and an attorney are determined to bring one of the world's most powerful banks to justice. Uncovering money laundering, arms trading, and conspiracy to destabilize world governments, their investigation takes them from Berlin, Milan, New York and Istanbul. Finding themselves in a chase across the globe, their relentless tenacity puts their own lives at risk.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 99000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA, Germany, UK, France
Duration: 118 min
Plot tags: clever, exciting, suspenseful, sexy, enigmatic, suspense, intense, tricky, serious, action packed
Similar in 78%
Gorky Park (1983)
Plot Summary:
Police Inspector Renko tries to solve the case of three bodies found in Moscow's Gorky Park but finds his attempts to solve the crime impeded by his superiors. Working on his own, Renko seeks out more information and stumbles across a conspiracy involving the highest levels of the government.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 16000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 128 min
Plot tags: detective, political, suspense, tense, bleak, suspenseful, neo noir, political thriller, action thriller, serious
Similar in 88%
The Game (2014)
Plot Summary:
London 1972. When a defecting KGB officer, Arkady Malinov, reveals Operation Glass, a devastating Soviet plot that could change the course of the Cold War, Daddy, the head of MI5, assembles a secret team to investigate. As the Soviets awaken a list of sleeper agents all over Britain, Daddy's team must move swiftly to gain information about the plot.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 59 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, suspenseful, tense, clever, serious, captivating, realistic, stylized, period drama
Similar in 81%
Page Eight (2011)
Plot Summary:
Page Eight is lovingly turned, with elegant writing, a flawless cast and a heartfelt message from writer/director David Hare about the danger zone where spies and politicians meet. The tension builds gently as we follow the fortunes of Johnny Worricker, a jazz-loving charmer who works high up at MI5 as an intelligence analyst. It’s a part made for Bill Nighy and he purrs out bon mots with a weary panache that women 20 years younger find irresistible. One such is his neighbour, Nancy Pierpan (Rachel Weisz), in a Battersea mansion block. The question for Johnny is whether her interest in him is genuine or hides something darker. As his boss (Michael Gambon) puts it: “Distrust is a terrible habit.” Questions of trust, honour and friendship rumble through the play. The characters exchange oblique repartee as a plot about a damning dossier unwinds. It’s not to be missed.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 19000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: political thriller, tense, serious, realistic, political, captivating, psychological, exciting, sincere, suspense
Similar in 83%
Topaz (1969)
Plot Summary:
A French intelligence agent becomes embroiled in the Cold War politics first with uncovering the events leading up to the 1962 Cuban Missle Crisis, and then back to France to break up an international Russian spy ring.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 19000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 143 min
Plot tags: suspense, tense, suspenseful, psychological, political thriller, enigmatic, psychological thriller, exciting, retro, art house
Similar in 77%
The Ipcress File (1965)
Plot Summary:
This espionage thriller represents a landmark in spy movies introducing the sly, dry intelligence agent Harry Palmer. The story, centers on Palmer's investigation into British Intelligence security. He's soon enmeshed in a world of double-dealing, kidnap and murder and finds a traitor is operating at the heart of the secret service. Will the mysterious 'Ipcress File' reveal who the traitor is?.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 17000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 109 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, suspenseful, suspense, exciting, tense, enigmatic, clever, realistic, cynical, retro
Similar in 75%
The Lives of Others (2006)
Plot Summary:
A tragic love story set in East Berlin with the backdrop of an undercover Stasi controlled culture. Stasi captain Wieler is ordered to follow author Dreyman and plunges deeper and deeper into his life until he reaches the threshold of doubting the system.
IMDB Rating: 8.4
IMDB Votes: 405000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Germany, France
Duration: 137 min
Plot tags: political thriller, gloomy, tense, political, atmospheric, sincere, suspense, breathtaking, harsh, bleak
Similar in 83%
The Tailor of Panama (2001)
Plot Summary:
A British spy is banished to Panama after having an affair with an ambassador's mistress. Once there he makes connection with a local tailor with a nefarious past and connections to all of the top political and gangster figures in Panama. The tailor also has a wife, who works for the Panamanian president and a huge debt. The mission is to learn what the President intends to do with the Canal.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 31000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA, Ireland
Duration: 109 min
Plot tags: political, talky, stylized, suspense, sexy, realistic, serious, clever, cynical, entertaining
Similar in 80%
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 80%
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)
Plot Summary:
In the bleak days of the Cold War, espionage veteran George Smiley is forced from semi-retirement to uncover a Soviet mole within his former colleagues at the heart of MI6.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 210000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK, France, Germany, USA
Duration: 127 min
Plot tags: suspense, clever, tense, confusing, bleak, non-linear, atmospheric, thought provoking, period piece, political