Movies like Mad City
If you like "Mad City" you are looking for intense, realistic and suspenseful movies about / with hostage, journalism, politics, media, journalist, kidnapper kidnapped relationship and investigation themes of Crime, Drama and Thriller genre shot in USA.
Find your next favorite and similar movies in two steps:
1. Identify all themes of interest from this film (block below).
2. Look for them in the presented list.
Mad City (1997)
22K
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 115 min.
Story:
A misguided museum guard who loses his job and then tries to get it back at gunpoint is thrown into the fierce world of ratings-driven TV gone mad.
Style:
intense, realistic, suspenseful, talky, tense, bleak, serious, political, suspense, clever ...
Plot:
hostage, journalism, politics, media, journalist, kidnapper kidnapped relationship, investigation, society, injustice, workplace intrigue, reporter, manipulation, scoop, violence, social commentary, fired from the job, media manipulation, news reporter, media hype, tv reporter, television reporter, anchorman, martial arts, swat team, kidnapping ...
Time:
90s, 1990s
Movie in categories
Most similar movies to Mad City
The list contains related movies ordered by similarity. Recommendation engine sorted out suspenseful, realistic, serious and suspense films with plots about investigation, police investigation, murder, reporter, media, journalism and journalist mostly in Drama, Thriller and Crime genres. Some movies like Mad City: All the President's Men (1976), The China Syndrome (1979), Kill the Messenger (2014), Absence of Malice (1981), Red Corner (1997). The matching attributes are highlighted in bold.
Genre: Drama, History, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 138 min.
Story:
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 ...
Style:
political thriller, political, cerebral, realistic, serious ...
Audience:
family outing
Plot:
journalism, newspaper, political conspiracy, politics, conspiracy, political corruption, investigation, american politics, white house, investigative journalism, whistleblower, president ...
Time:
70s, 20th century, year 1973, year 1972, year 1976
Place:
washington d.c., usa, north america, miami, florida
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 122 min.
Story:
A modern nightmare nearly becomes reality in this tension-filled story about an "incident" at a nuclear power plant. Jane Fonda stars as Kimberly Wells, an ambitious TV reporter covering a story on energy sources, who is present at the ...
Style:
suspense, tension, suspenseful, political, tense ...
Plot:
reporter, conspiracy, investigation, power plant, radiation, politics, journalism, nuclear power, whistleblower, disaster, murder, corruption ...
Time:
70s, 20th century, year 1979
Place:
california, usa, los angeles, southern california, pennsylvania
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Biography, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 112 min.
Story:
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 ...
Style:
political, clever, suspenseful, captivating, disturbing ...
Audience:
family friendly
Plot:
journalism, reporter, journalist, conspiracy, u.s. government, investigative journalism, politics, drug smuggling, investigative reporter, media manipulation, media, cia ...
Time:
80s, year 2014, 70s, 90s, 20th century ...
Place:
latin america, california, los angeles, nicaragua, usa ...
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Drama, Romance, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 116 min.
Story:
A prosecutor leaks a false story that liquor warehouse owner Michael Gallagher is involved in the murder of a union head, and as newspaper reporter Megan Carter picks up the story and attempts to find the real truth, Gallagher's life begins to ...
Style:
thought provoking, suspense, talky, realistic, serious ...
Plot:
journalism, legal, writers, murder, politics, investigation, courtroom, court, lawyer, manipulation, media, newspaper reporter ...
Time:
80s, 20th century, year 1981, 70s
Place:
usa, miami, florida
Similarity:
100%
Movie in collections
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 122 min.
Story:
An American attorney on business in China, ends up wrongfully on trial for murder and his only key to innocence is a female defense lawyer from the country.
Style:
suspense, suspenseful, political, thought provoking, intense ...
Audience:
girls' night
Plot:
courtroom drama, courtroom, death penalty, frame up, justice, political corruption, murder mystery, lawyer, male victim, court, conspiracy theory, false accusation ...
Time:
year 1997, 90s
Place:
china, asia, california
Similarity:
100%
153K
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 116 min.
Story:
John Quincy Archibald is a father and husband whose son is diagnosed with an enlarged heart and then finds out he cannot receive a transplant because HMO insurance will not cover it. Therefore, he decides to take a hospital full of patients hostage ...
Style:
sincere, tear jerker, tense, suspenseful, sentimental ...
Audience:
teens
Plot:
hostage, hospital, injustice, twists and turns, organ donation, insurance, sick child, father son relationship, fighting the system, doctor, medical, parent child relationship ...
Time:
year 2002, 2000s, 21st century
Place:
usa, chicago, illinois
Similarity:
50%
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Denmark
Duration: 90 min.
Story:
The five days when Copenhagen was held in a panic grip by an intelligent activist and former elite shooter, who takes to arms when a woman journalist writes about the government’s broken promises in an environmental question.
Style:
suspenseful, realistic, serious, captivating, disturbing ...
Plot:
sniper, politics, journalism, state affairs, environmentalism, society, media, reporter, hostage situation, die hard, environmental activism, manhunt ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
denmark, copenhagen, greenland
Similarity:
48%
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Sweden
Duration: 89 min.
Story:
A stripper at the club Studio Six is murdered. A political scandal takes off when the Minister of Commerce appears to have been at the club. He resigns - but only to hide an even bigger secret.
Style:
realistic, serious, suspenseful, erotic, suspense ...
Plot:
journalism, murder, life is a bitch, law enforcement, media, minister, female nudity, politics, dishonesty, violence, society, writers ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
europe, eastern europe, stockholm sweden
Similarity:
44%
Movie in collections
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Sweden
Duration: 89 min.
Story:
When David Lindholm, Sweden's most famous police officer, found shot in bed identifies herself quickly with his young wife Julia. Julia is threatened with life imprisonment for murder, both her husband and her missing four year old son ...
Style:
suspenseful, serious, realistic, disturbing, tense ...
Plot:
journalism, investigation, murder, dishonesty, race against time, murder investigation, crime investigation, murder mystery, missing child, criminal, private investigation, murderer ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
europe, eastern europe, stockholm sweden
Similarity:
44%
661K
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 117 min.
Story:
When Lou Bloom, desperate for work, muscles into the world of L.A. crime journalism, he blurs the line between observer and participant to become the star of his own story. Aiding him in his effort is Nina, a TV-news veteran.
Style:
neo noir, psychological, disturbing, suspense, atmospheric ...
Audience:
adult
Plot:
character study, sociopath, journalism, obsession, cynicism, psychopath, manipulation, morality, journalist, violence, deception, ethics ...
Time:
year 2014, 2010s, near future, 21st century
Place:
los angeles, california, usa, venice beach california, america ...
Similarity:
43%
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 102 min.
Story:
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 ...
Style:
disturbing, serious, suspenseful, bleak, independent film ...
Plot:
murder, serial killer, violent, dark hero, psychopath, journalism, investigation, master criminal, uncover truth, ira, trouble, violence ...
Time:
70s
Place:
ireland, northern ireland, england, europe, california
Similarity:
42%
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 173 min.
Story:
A corporate lawyer's interest in a decade-old murder case is piqued by a new confession that could clear the convicted killer, who sits on death row.
Style:
bleak, serious, tense, psychological, suspenseful ...
Plot:
legal, frame up, false accusation, investigation, lovers reunited, testimony, uncover truth, police investigation, rebellion, power relations, state affairs, murder ...
Similarity:
42%
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Sweden, Germany, Denmark
Duration: 90 min.
Story:
It is Midsummer's Eve and ten people are on a deserted castle for a TV recording. The next morning the program leader is shot dead. Kvällspressens Annika Bengtzon a mandate to monitor the murder, but she soon learns that her best friend Anne ...
Style:
suspenseful, realistic, serious, suspense
Plot:
journalism, murder, investigation, law enforcement, multiple suspects, false accusation, dishonesty, estate, who done it, nordic, swedish, investigative journalism ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
europe
Similarity:
41%
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 110 min.
Story:
Inspired by the 1982 Roberto Calvi Affair in which an Italian banker was found hanging from a bridge across the River Thames, the story follows Alan, a man from Northern England who is homeless after the loss of his wife and job. One night while ...
Style:
independent film, serious, realistic, mind bending, tense ...
Plot:
freemason, police, witness, reporter, chase, murder, homeless, best friend, uncover truth, protagonist as suspect, journalism, witnessing a crime ...
Time:
year 1996, 90s
Place:
london, england, europe, tower bridge london
Similarity:
41%
Genre: Crime, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 89 min.
Story:
A divorced father discovers that his 12-year-old son's new stepfather is not what he made himself out to be.
Style:
psychological, suspense, tense, suspenseful, psychological thriller ...
Audience:
teens, girls' night
Plot:
child in peril, amateur detective, divorce, boy, investigation, disbelieving adult, father son relationship, witness, family relations, parents and children, couples, family problems ...
Time:
year 2001
Place:
maryland, san francisco
Similarity:
40%
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min.
Story:
American Hostage pulls back the curtains on a terrorist plot centered on a group of terrorists holding two American soldiers hostage on U.S. soil. They demand the release of all prisoners of Guantanamo Bay or they will kill the soldiers.
Style:
tense, suspenseful, emotional, intense, thought provoking ...
Plot:
hostage, terrorism, kidnapping, extremism, violence, political activism, moral ambiguity, showdown, moral dilemma, propaganda, negotiation, claustrophobia ...
Similarity:
40%
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Sweden
Duration: 89 min.
Story:
A Swedish family found murdered in her home on the Costa del Sol in southern Spain - all except the 16-year-old daughter, who has disappeared. At first the police believe that there is a burglary gone wrong, but the more crime examined, the more ...
Style:
serious, suspenseful, realistic, psychological
Plot:
journalism, murder, danger, media, journalist, swedish, investigative journalism, european, reporter, mysticism, writers, hockey ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
spain, europe, morocco
Similarity:
40%
120K
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 127 min.
Story:
A juror on the inside and a woman on the outside manipulate a court trial involving a major gun manufacturer.
Style:
clever, suspense, captivating, political, cynical ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
lawyer, courtroom drama, court, corruption, courtroom, trial, jury, legal, justice, twists and turns, manipulation, court case ...
Time:
year 2003, 20th century, 21st century
Place:
louisiana, cincinnati ohio, indiana, ohio, new orleans ...
Similarity:
40%
Movie in collections
112K
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 98 min.
Story:
Financial TV host Lee Gates and his producer Patty are put in an extreme situation when an irate investor takes over their studio.
Style:
suspense, clever, entertaining, suspenseful, tense ...
Plot:
hostage, stock market, police, wall street, finance, corruption, revenge, conspiracy, money, capitalism, hostage negotiator, sniper ...
Time:
2010s, year 2016, 21st century
Place:
south africa, new york, russia, reykjavik iceland, south korea ...
Similarity:
40%
Genre: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 99 min.
Story:
Monique Watson goes missing in Brooklyn, New York. Police are not doing anything to find a lead, instead they go after the family. The subject drops on the desk of the young journalist, Christian Baker.
Style:
thought provoking, suspenseful, rough, psychological, suspense ...
Plot:
missing girl, journalism, african american, ignorance, kidnapping, media, discrimination, investigation, missing person, investigative reporter, journalist, empathy ...
Place:
new york, brooklyn new york city, africa
Similarity:
39%
17K
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Germany, USA
Duration: 99 min.
Story:
Upon discovering a den of corrupt policemen, a fresh-faced journalist makes a shaky allies in a jaded reporter and investigator for a powerful district attorney.
Style:
intense, suspense, realistic, rough, suspenseful ...
Plot:
police corruption, conspiracy, fighting the system, justice, police brutality, investigative reporter, police investigation, investigation, police, uncover truth, dishonesty, legal ...
Time:
year 2005
Place:
boston, new orleans, los angeles
Similarity:
39%
116K
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA, Germany
Duration: 113 min.
Story:
When a mafia accountant is taken hostage on his beat, a police officer – wracked by guilt from a prior stint as a negotiator – must negotiate the standoff, even as his own family is held captive by the mob.
Style:
perverse, suspenseful, suspense, tense, intense ...
Audience:
boys' night, teens, adult
Plot:
kidnapping, hostage, home invasion, twists and turns, hostage negotiator, organized crime, police investigation, fbi, family in danger, kidnapped, rescue, family problems ...
Time:
year 2005, 2000s, 21st century
Place:
california, iran, los angeles
Similarity:
39%
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Sweden
Duration: 88 min.
Story:
The Swedish tabloid Kvällspressen has set their crime reporter, Annika Bengtzon, to monitor a complex murder case. The victim is a colleague and the only witness is a 15-year-old boy. Bengtzons inquiries may be an unexpected turn when the tracks ...
Style:
suspenseful, serious, realistic, disturbing
Plot:
journalism, murder, danger, investigation, dishonesty, nordic, family relations, husband wife relationship, writers, investigative journalism, swedish, mysticism ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
europe
Similarity:
39%
Movie in collections
25K
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: UK, Germany, USA
Duration: 118 min.
Story:
Set during the Rodney King riots, a robbery homicide investigation triggers a series of events that will cause a corrupt LAPD officer to question his tactics.
Style:
tense, neo noir, detective, intense, harsh ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
police corruption, police officer, police investigation, police brutality, cop, corruption, investigation, profanity, rookie, robbery, partner, fighting the system ...
Time:
20th century, year 1992, y2k, 90s
Place:
los angeles, california, usa, southern california, new jersey
Similarity:
39%
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Mexico, Ecuador
Duration: 108 min.
Story:
A suspense thriller about a reporter from Miami who travels to Ecuador in pursuit of a serial killer known as the "Monster of Babahoyo."
Style:
tense, psychological, suspenseful, atmospheric, stylized ...
Audience:
girls' night
Plot:
serial killer, investigation, psychopath, journalism, media, obsession, insanity, greed, uncover truth, ambition, journalist, reporter ...
Time:
year 2004, 21st century
Place:
ecuador, latin america, florida, miami, new jersey ...
Similarity:
39%
Genre: Thriller, Crime, Drama
Country: Australia
Duration: 104 min.
Story:
A duel between a suspected murderer and a detective pressed by people who want results. But whose skin is really wanted.
Style:
clever, suspense, dark, independent film, detective ...
Plot:
serial killer, obsession, plot twist, police, mind game, police investigation, psychology, nypd, politics, police station, supernatural horror, life changing ...
Time:
20th century, 90s
Place:
australia, oceania, new zealand
Similarity:
38%
34K
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: France, Algeria
Duration: 127 min.
Story:
Repression is the rule of the day in this film that skewers Greek governance of the 1960s. Z, a leftist rabble rouser, is killed in what appears to be a traffic accident. But given the political climate, the death of such a prominent activist raises ...
Style:
political thriller, political, realistic, tense, suspenseful ...
Plot:
conspiracy, politics, military, investigation, corruption, police, government, government corruption, justice, political corruption, politician, violence ...
Time:
year 1969, 60s, 20th century, 70s
Place:
greece, france, africa, europe
Similarity:
38%
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 141 min.
Story:
Two Supreme Court Justices have been assassinated. One lone law student has stumbled upon the truth. An investigative journalist wants her story. Everybody else wants her dead.
Style:
political, suspense, suspenseful, tense, political thriller ...
Audience:
chick flick, girls' night
Plot:
political conspiracy, politics, investigation, conspiracy, conspiracy theory, lawyer, spy, political corruption, corruption, secret service, fbi, surveillance ...
Time:
90s, future, 20th century
Place:
washington d.c., new orleans, southern usa, new york
Similarity:
38%
Genre: Biography, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 125 min.
Story:
A man robs a bank to pay for his lover's operation; it turns into a hostage situation and a media circus.
Style:
cerebral, tense, dark comedy, suspenseful, clever ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
bank robbery, hostage, bank, heist, lgbtq, hostage situation, bank robber, character study, heat wave, fbi agent, true crime, gay ...
Time:
20th century, year 1975, year 1972, 70s
Place:
new york, brooklyn new york city, persia, usa, north america ...
Similarity:
38%
114K
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 105 min.
Story:
Freddy Heflin is the sheriff of a place everyone calls “Cop Land” — a small and seemingly peaceful town populated by the big city police officers he’s long admired. Yet something ugly is taking place behind the town’s peaceful facade. And ...
Style:
suspenseful, neo noir, sexy, intense, talky ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
mafia, corruption, nypd, dirty cop, police, police corruption, internal affairs, sheriff, organized crime, justice, investigation, corrupt cop ...
Time:
90s, 20th century
Place:
new jersey, new york, usa, manhattan new york city, california ...
Similarity:
38%
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