Best tv shows like Swallow the Sun
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
Jung-woo was abandoned by his birth parents when he was a baby and became friends with Soo-hyun, who became his sweetheart. After rescuing Chairman Jang, he is adopted by him and becomes a bodyguard to the chairman’s son. Jung-woo is reunited with Soo-hyun at Tae-hyuk’s school but even though Soo-hyun loves him, she chooses Tae-hyuk who offers to help her achieve her dream career. So both Tae-hyuk and Soo-hyun go to USA for their studies. Jung-woo is eventually betrayed by Chairman Jang but he is called to Las Vegas by Jackson Lee, a military buddy, who offers him an opportunity to rebuild his life. In Las Vegas, Jung-woo meets Soo-hyun and Tae-hyuk by coincidence. In his line of work as a private bodyguard, Jung-woo saves the life of the king of a small African nation and is asked by the king to rescue his son from the rebels in return for rights to a diamond mine. So Jung-woo heads to Africa, risking his life to claim the mine. Meanwhile, Tae-hyuk and Soo-hyun return to Seogwipo city on Jeju island at Chairman Jang’s request. Tae-hyuk is put in charge of managing a hotel there while Soo-hyun becomes the head of event planning. After gaining control of the diamond mine in African, Jung-woo returns to Jeju and engages in a struggle against chairman Jang and Tae-hyuk… He learns a shocking secret that shakes the foundation of his very existence.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 81
Genere: Drama
Country: South Korea
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: captivating, suspense, disturbing
Best tv shows and movies like Swallow the Sun (2009):
Similar in 88%
EXIT (2018)
Plot Summary:
Kang Soo is a loan shark that tries to get by day to day in his depressing reality. His father's abuse lead to his mother running away from home. Thanks to his father's crippling debt, he began to work under Hwang Tae Bok. Happiness wasn't something that was allowed to him. His only dream is to find his mother and live a happy life. However, this is impossible in his life. No matter how hard he tries, he can't escape the nightmare of his reality, and when he was about to give up on his life, he sees a flier asking, "Do you want to become happy?" With the smallest inkling of hope, he goes to the research center, so he can experience a bit of happiness. However, he learns that happiness comes at a steep price of 300,000 dollars. He decides to steal the money from Tae Bok. Will he be able to achieve happiness?.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 15
Genere: Drama
Country: South Korea
Duration:
Plot tags: psychological, captivating, suspense, disturbing
Similar in 90%
Human, Space, Time and Human (2018)
Plot Summary:
A group of very different people set sail on an old warship. The passengers include a senator with his son, a newly-wed couple, a mysterious old man, a group of sex workers and a gang of violent criminals. At first the aggressive behaviour of the thugs and their leader is directed at the first class passengers, but then more and more indiscriminately against the rest of those on board. Rape is followed by murder and it’s not long before the first of numerous and increasingly brutal mutinies takes place.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: South Korea
Duration: 122 min
Plot tags: tense, captivating, disturbing
Similar in 78%
Clean Break (2015)
Plot Summary:
Car dealer Frank Mallon (Adam Fergus, Being Erica) is watching his life fall apart around him. His wife has left, his cars aren't selling, and his teenage daughter is out of control. Desperate for a solution, Frank devises a plan to fix his money problems while also getting revenge on the people who make his life miserable.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 230
Genere: Drama
Country: Ireland
Duration:
Plot tags: psychological, tense, captivating, suspense, disturbing, detective
Similar in 80%
One Against All (2016)
Plot Summary:
The story of Cadu, a public defender who sees his life change after being mistaken for a drug dealer.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 387
Genere: Drama
Country: Brazil
Duration:
Plot tags: tense, captivating, suspense, disturbing
Similar in 87%
A Line in the Sand (2008)
Plot Summary:
A human story unfolds when detectives aggravated by a major bust gone wrong are forced to deal with a tormented man thrown into the cage after urinating on the Mayor's limo. The explosive combination of character and situation balances intense drama with laugh out loud comedy.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 79
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: tense, captivating, disturbing, semi serious
Similar in 79%
Beyond the Clouds (2014)
Plot Summary:
Jung Se Ro (Yoon Kye Sang) lost his father and his life was destroyed by a murder case in Thailand which also involved stolen diamonds. After that incident, Se Ro lives his life as a swindler. Park Kang Jae (Jo Jin Woong) is his partner in crime and they are close like brothers. Se Ro then falls in love with Han Young Won (Han Ji Hye) whose her fiance died because of Jung Se Ro.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 89
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: South Korea
Duration:
Plot tags: psychological, captivating, suspense, disturbing
Similar in 77%
Malverde: El Santo Patrón (2021)
Plot Summary:
From Netflix: Jesús Juárez overcomes his childhood as an orphan to become a Robin Hood like hero During the Mexican Revolution, but can't forget his first love - Isabel.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 104
Genere: Drama
Country: Mexico
Duration:
Plot tags: tense, captivating, realistic, disturbing, semi autobiographical
Similar in 83%
Black Cats (2013)
Plot Summary:
1947 Hunger and devastation reign in the war-drained country. Bread is worth its weight in gold, and the cost of human life is zero. Cities are controlled by criminal gangs: like black cats, they come undetected under the cover of darkness and easily disappear from the crime scene. A gang operating in Rostov-on-Don is robbing a food warehouse, but OBB Major Yegor Dragun suspects that this is not the work of ordinary criminals.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 50
Genere: Drama
Country: Russia
Duration:
Plot tags: captivating, exciting, serious, suspenseful, disturbing, stylized
Similar in 76%
Secret Boutique (2019)
Plot Summary:
Jenny Jang is poor and works at bathhouse in Gangnam, Seoul. She starts a new job as a housemaid for a conglomerate family. She becomes successful and then runs J Boutique. She also begins work as a lobbyist. Jenny Jang gets involved in an international city development project.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 41
Genere: Drama
Country: South Korea
Duration:
Plot tags: suspense, suspenseful, non-linear, disturbing, depressing
Similar in 85%
Pure (2017)
Plot Summary:
A newly-elected Mennonite pastor, who is determined to rid his community of drug traffickers. But Noah's actions trigger an ultimatum from "Menno mob" leader Eli Voss.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: Canada
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: psychological, tense, captivating, suspense, suspenseful, disturbing
Similar in 81%
Vlad (2019)
Plot Summary:
Adrian, a young man who was unjustly jailed after his friends betrayed him during a heist, gets the chance at a new life, guided by Caesar, his mentor.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: Romania
Duration:
Plot tags: tense, captivating, suspense, disturbing, interesting
Similar in 87%
Limbo (2020)
Plot Summary:
When Ana, a young compliance manager, discovers unusually high bills among her company's records, she can't imagine what an avalanche her research will set off. Not only does she cross paths with an aging small-time crook and a Viennese Mafia lord at an illegal bare-knuckle fight, she also runs into Carsten, an undercover investigator. He has long been on the trail of a network of money launderers and now faces a difficult decision — since he knows Ana all too well.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 238
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Germany
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: tense, captivating, suspense, disturbing
Similar in 89%
One-Line (2017)
Plot Summary:
A group of professional con artists scam poor, unsuspecting citizens with fraudulent bank loans. The scams go well for a while, but then they begin to distrust each other.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 320
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: South Korea
Duration: 131 min
Plot tags: tense, captivating, disturbing
Similar in 89%
Judgement (2019)
Plot Summary:
The tragic death of Gabrielle and the acquittal of her killer plunges the Dessureaux family into a living hell.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 114
Genere: Drama
Country: Canada
Duration:
Plot tags: psychological, tense, captivating, suspense, suspenseful, disturbing, psychological thriller
Similar in 89%
Temptation of an Angel (2009)
Plot Summary:
Joo Ah-Ran and Shin Hyun-Woo have an elaborate wedding at a luxurious hotel. Shin Hyun-Woo sincerely loves Joo Ah-Ran, but Joo Ah-Ran has ulterior motives for the marriage. Joo Ah-Rans family was destroyed by Shin Hyun-Woo's parents and, because of this, she is marrying Shin Hyun-Woo in a secret plan to exact revenge.Sometime after their marriage, Shin Hyun-Woo is involved in a horrible car accident, leaving him in a coma. Once Shin Hyun-Woo awakes from his coma he learns of Joo Ah-Ran's revenge plot and then sets out on his own path for revenge.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 51
Genere: Drama
Country: South Korea
Duration:
Plot tags: psychological, tense, captivating, suspense, suspenseful, disturbing, dorama
Similar in 85%
Wrong Side of the Tracks (2021)
Plot Summary:
When his teenage granddaughter falls victim to the drug dealers overtaking his neighborhood, a fed-up war veteran takes matters into his own hands.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama
Country: Spain
Duration: 79 min
Plot tags: tense, captivating, suspense, disturbing
Similar in 82%
Next 2 (2003)
Plot Summary:
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IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 98
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Russia
Duration:
Plot tags: captivating, disturbing
Similar in 85%
Surviving Escobar - Alias JJ (2017)
Plot Summary:
As the Medellín Cartel crumbles, Pablo Escobar's No. 1 hit man struggles to stay alive and gain respect in the prison hierarchy.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: Colombia
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: serious, semi documentary, psychological, tense, captivating, suspense, disturbing
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Boone: The Bounty Hunter (2017)
Plot Summary:
When fame-seeking reality show bounty hunter, Boone, attempts to bring down a drug lord and his empire, he uncovers more than he bargains for and learns that justice means more than ratings.
IMDB Rating: 5.0
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Action, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 86 min
Plot tags: tense, captivating, suspense, disturbing
Similar in 87%
No Regrets (2010)
Plot Summary:
No Regrets is a 2010 TVB Hong Kong television drama created and produced by Lee Tim-shing. It originally aired on the Jade and HD Jade networks from 18 October to 28 November 2010, consisting of 32 episodes. The final two episodes were aired back to back on 28 November 2010. No Regrets is the companion piece of the award-winning drama Rosy Business, which was the second most-viewed television drama in Hong Kong of 2009. It is one of two grand TVB productions used to celebrate the channel's 43rd anniversary, the other being Gun Metal Grey, both which were the first Hong Kong dramas to broadcast live in English subtitles. Set in the late 1930s to late 1940s in Canton, Republic of China during World War II, No Regrets is an epic drama that centers on a triad family, the Canton police force, and the Japanese occupation of the city. The Chinese title of No Regrets literally translates to "Veiled Heroine, Ruthless Hero: Righteous Sea, Heroic Passion", referring to both the chaotic period of war and the complicated relationship shared by the two main characters, Cheng Kau-mui and Lau Sing. The drama and cast received eleven TVB Anniversary Award nominations, winning four of them. The awards include Best Actress for Tang, Best Actor for Lai, Best Supporting Actress for Fala Chen, Best Supporting Actor for Mak Cheung-ching, and Most Improved Male Artiste for Raymond Wong. Meanwhile, No Regrets also gains other awards and achievement, including all four Mingpao Weekly awards for TV programmes, the first Shanghai Television Festival nomination for a Hong Kong TV drama and two awards for supporting actors at Asian Television Awards.
IMDB Rating: 8.6
IMDB Votes: 114
Genere: Drama
Country: Hong Kong
Duration:
Plot tags: tense, captivating, disturbing
Similar in 84%
Bright-eyed Revenge (2016)
Plot Summary:
Ten years after surviving a car accident in which her mother and brother were murdered, Olivia, returns to the French Riviera with a new identity and a single purpose: Retribution.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 168
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: France
Duration: 52 min
Plot tags: tense, captivating, suspense, disturbing
Similar in 80%
Justice Served (2022)
Plot Summary:
A band of freedom fighters invade the trial of a white police officer who shot a Black man — and a hostage situation unfolds on screens nationwide.
IMDB Rating: 5.2
IMDB Votes: 595
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: South Africa
Duration: 40 min
Plot tags: tense, captivating, suspense, disturbing
Similar in 88%
Banshee Origins (2013)
Plot Summary:
Banshee: Origins is a series of webisodes based on the American drama television series produced by Cinemax called Banshee. The series offers flashbacks in-between the time where Lucas Hood was arrested and when Sheriff Lucas Hood first arrived in Banshee.
IMDB Rating: 8.6
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration:
Plot tags: realistic, suspenseful, rough, serious, tense, captivating, suspense, disturbing
Similar in 79%
Under the Same Sky (2015)
Plot Summary:
Adela morales has been an active gang member her whole life. But now she must escape. She meets Carlos, a man who has worked hard for his kids. Together, they must get Adela to safety, before the gang catches them.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 103
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration:
Plot tags: tense, captivating, suspense, disturbing
Similar in 77%
How I Fell in Love with a Gangster (2022)
Plot Summary:
A mysterious woman recounts the rise and fall of Nikodem "Nikoś" Skotarczak, one of the biggest gangsters in Poland's history. Inspired by a true story.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: Poland
Duration: 185 min
Plot tags: tense, captivating, suspense, disturbing, enigmatic
Similar in 81%
The Queen of Hollywood Blvd (2017)
Plot Summary:
On her 60th birthday, the proud owner of a Los Angeles strip club, finds herself in hot water over a twenty-five year old debt to the mob, leading her on a downward spiral of violence and revenge through the underbelly of Los Angeles.
IMDB Rating: 4.7
IMDB Votes: 300
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: neo noir, tense, captivating, suspense, suspenseful, disturbing
Similar in 79%
The Family Business (2018)
Plot Summary:
By day, the Duncan's are an upstanding family who run a thriving exotic car dealership in New York. By night, they live a dangerous secret life. When they come under siege the Duncan's will have to stick together or die separately.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 50 min
Plot tags: crime drama, tense, captivating, suspense, disturbing
Similar in 82%
Besa (2018)
Plot Summary:
Besa is a strong promise for the Albanians, which must be maintained, even at the cost of living. It is most often used in the form of blood feuds, which is certainly a suitable ground for the action of the series that is in front of us.
IMDB Rating: 8.8
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: Serbia
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: tense, captivating, suspense, disturbing, interesting
Similar in 78%
Kin (2021)
Plot Summary:
The lives of a Dublin family embroiled in a gangland war and the consequences of their choices.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: Ireland, Canada, UK
Duration:
Plot tags: tense, captivating, disturbing
Similar in 90%
Power Book IV: Force (2022)
Plot Summary:
Tommy Egan leaves New York behind and plans to take on Chicago, using his outsider status to break all the local rules and rewrite them on his quest to become the biggest drug dealer in the city.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: psychological, tense, captivating, suspense, disturbing