Movies and TV shows set in washington d.c.
The list contains the best, new and most relevant movies set in washington d.c. ordered by relevance. The recommendation service has sorted out realistic, suspense, cult classic, political, serious and entertaining films and TV shows about / with mentor, dialogue, storytelling, death, violence, corruption, catastrophe, politics, conspiracy and murder plots mostly in Drama, Thriller and Action genres shot in USA, UK, Canada and other countries.
953
TOP 10 movies tagged as washington d.c.: Olympus Has Fallen (2013), Vice (2018), Broadcast News (1987), The Butler (2013), Advise & Consent (1962), Thank You for Smoking (2005), No Way Out (1987), Murder at 1600 (1997), Charlie Wilson's War (2007), Being There (1979).
Best films
New films
| Warhorse One (2023) | 5.4 | |
| The Sweet East (2023) | 6.4 | |
| Zero Day (2025) | 7.0 | |
| Cross (2024) | 7.2 | |
| Alien: Rubicon (2024) | 2.4 |
List of movies set in washington d.c.
Genre: Action, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 119 min.
Story:
When the White House (Secret Service Code: "Olympus") is captured by a terrorist mastermind and the President is kidnapped, disgraced former Presidential guard Mike Banning finds himself trapped within the building. As the national ...
Style:
rough, political thriller, serious, suspense, intense ...
Audience:
chick flick, manly, girls' night, teens, boys' night
Plot:
terrorism, secret service, president, hostage, white house, terrorist attack, one man army, politics, daring rescue, u.s. president, commando mission, propaganda ...
Time:
year 2013, 2010s, 21st century
Place:
washington d.c., north korea, usa, north america, pentagon
Is relevant?
174K
Genre: Biography, Comedy, Drama, History
Country: USA
Duration: 132 min.
Story:
George W. Bush picks Dick Cheney, the CEO of Halliburton Co., to be his Republican running mate in the 2000 presidential election. No stranger to politics, Cheney's impressive résumé includes stints as White House chief of staff, House ...
Style:
political, serious, captivating, realistic, humorous ...
Audience:
date night, adult
Plot:
usa politics, politics, u.s. vice president, u.s. president, u.s. government, american politics, heart attack, iraq war, war on terror, politician, al qaeda, republican party ...
Time:
september 11 2001, 2010s, year 1963, year 1980, year 2003 ...
Place:
washington d.c., north america, wyoming, cambodia, usa ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 133 min.
Story:
Basket-case network news producer Jane Craig falls for new reporter Tom Grunnick, a pretty boy who represents the trend towards entertainment news she despises. Aaron Altman, a talented but plain correspondent, carries an unrequited torch for Jane. ...
Style:
talky, realistic, funny, romantic, melancholic ...
Audience:
date night
Plot:
journalism, workplace romance, satire, media, workaholic, friendship, slutty attitude, workplace, love triangle, unlikely friendships, reporter, couples ...
Time:
80s, 20th century, year 1987, 60s
Place:
washington d.c., usa, boston, atlanta georgia
Is relevant?
123K
Genre: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 132 min.
Story:
A look at the life of Cecil Gaines who served eight presidents as the White House's head butler from 1952 to 1986, and had a unique front-row seat as political and racial history was made.
Style:
touching, inspirational, political, factual, historical drama ...
Audience:
teens, date night
Plot:
racism, president, u.s. president, civil rights, black history, racial discrimination, butler, injustice, african american, politics, civil rights movement, father son relationship ...
Time:
80s, 70s, year 2013, 60s, year 1961 ...
Place:
washington d.c., usa, birmingham alabama, nashville tennessee, america ...
Is relevant?
Related movie lists
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 139 min.
Story:
A Senate investigation into the President's newly-nominated Secretary of State gives light to a secret from the past, which may not only ruin the candidate, but the President's character as well.
Style:
political, black and white, realistic, clever, thought provoking ...
Plot:
closeted homosexual, politics, gay bar, courtroom drama, president, cold war, political corruption, journalism, american politics, corruption, government, secret past ...
Time:
year 1962, 60s, 20th century, 70s, 1930s
Place:
washington d.c., new york, usa, manhattan new york city
Is relevant?
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 92 min.
Story:
Nick Naylor is a charismatic spin-doctor for Big Tobacco who'll fight to protect America's right to smoke -- even if it kills him -- while still remaining a role model for his 12-year old son. When he incurs the wrath of a senator bent on ...
Style:
satirical, black comedy, entertaining, dark comedy, witty ...
Audience:
family friendly
Plot:
marketing, advertising, business, lobbyist, satire, social satire, tobacco, reporter, lung cancer, politics, journalism, political satire ...
Time:
year 2005, 2000s, 21st century
Place:
washington d.c., vermont, usa, los angeles, japan ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Romance, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 114 min.
Story:
Navy Lt. Tom Farrell meets a young woman, Susan Atwell , and they share a passionate fling. Farrell then finds out that his superior, Defense Secretary David Brice, is also romantically involved with Atwell. When the young woman turns up dead, ...
Style:
neo noir, sexy, suspense, suspenseful, political thriller ...
Audience:
girls' night
Plot:
twists and turns, espionage, murder, conspiracy, cold war, investigation, sex scene, spy, undercover, love triangle, accidental killing, political corruption ...
Time:
80s, year 1987, 20th century
Place:
washington d.c., pentagon, manila philippines, usa
Is relevant?
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 107 min.
Story:
A secretary is found dead in a White House bathroom during an international crisis, and Detective Harlan Regis is in charge of the investigation. Despite resistance from the Secret Service, Regis partners with agent Nina Chance. As political ...
Style:
detective, suspenseful, suspense, political, neo noir ...
Audience:
girls' night
Plot:
conspiracy, politics, murder, president, secret service, corruption, political conspiracy, assassin, murder investigation, framed for murder, illicit affair, white house ...
Time:
90s
Place:
washington d.c., usa, korea, asia, north korea
Is relevant?
Genre: Biography, Comedy, Drama, History
Country: Germany, USA
Duration: 102 min.
Story:
The true story of Texas congressman Charlie Wilson's covert dealings in Afghanistan, where his efforts to assist rebels in their war with the Soviets had some unforeseen and long-reaching effects.
Style:
clever, political, factual, realistic, humorous ...
Audience:
adult
Plot:
cold war, cia, politics, womanizer, satire, spy, politician, propaganda, swimming pool, soviet afghanistan war, congressman, brutality ...
Time:
20th century, year 1980, year 1988, 2000s, year 2007 ...
Place:
afghanistan, washington d.c., texas, pakistan, helsinki finland ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 130 min.
Story:
A simple-minded gardener named Chance has spent all his life in the Washington D.C. house of an old man. When the man dies, Chance is put out on the street with no knowledge of the world except what he has learned from television.
Style:
political, clever, witty, black comedy, satirical ...
Plot:
politics, satire, comedy of errors, lawyer, secret service, impotence, mansion, funeral, eviction, country estate, wealth, garden ...
Time:
year 1979, 20th century, 70s
Place:
washington d.c., north carolina, usa
Is relevant?
84K
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 43 min.
TV show
Story:
Everyone has secrets and Olivia Pope has dedicated her life to protecting and defending the public images of the elite by keeping those secrets under wraps. Pope and her team are at the top of their game when it comes to getting the job done for ...
Style:
political thriller, serious, clever, sexy, political ...
Audience:
teens
Plot:
white house, relationship vs career, workplace situations, politics, lawyer, president, senator, politician, twists and turns, coworker, teamwork, young woman ...
Time:
2010s, 21st century
Place:
usa, washington d.c., indiana
Is relevant?
405K
Genre: Action, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 124 min.
Story:
John McClane is an off-duty cop gripped with a feeling of déjà vu when on a snowy Christmas Eve in the nation's capital, terrorists seize a major international airport, holding thousands of holiday travelers hostage. Renegade military ...
Style:
exciting, clever, suspense, tense, detective ...
Audience:
boys' night, chick flick, manly
Plot:
gunfight, airplane, christmas, fight scenes, airport, police, hostage, one man army, airplane accident, chase, lone hero, terrorism ...
Time:
90s, 20th century, year 1990, 80s
Place:
washington d.c., virginia, washington state, usa, los angeles ...
Is relevant?
Related movie lists
Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA, Mexico
Duration: 108 min.
Story:
Firefighter Gordon Brewer is plunged into the complex and dangerous world of international terrorism after he loses his wife and child in a bombing credited to Claudio 'The Wolf' Perrini.
Style:
exciting, intense, tech noir, action packed, rough ...
Audience:
boys' night, manly
Plot:
terrorism, revenge, terrorist, vigilante, vigilantism, heroes, one man army, vengeance, firefighter, righteous rage, loss of son, loss of wife ...
Time:
year 2002, 2000s, 21st century
Place:
colombia, washington d.c., south america, latin america, los angeles
Is relevant?
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: UK, France, USA
Duration: 96 min.
Story:
When a disc containing memoirs of a former CIA analyst falls into the hands of Linda Litzke and Chad Feldheimer, the two gym employees see a chance to make enough money for her to have life-changing cosmetic surgery. Predictably, events whirl out of ...
Style:
dark comedy, black comedy, funny, cynical, absurd ...
Audience:
date night
Plot:
stupidity, espionage, satire, paranoia, farce, divorce, gym, dark humor, infidelity, internet dating, online dating, sarcasm ...
Time:
year 2008, 2000s, 21st century
Place:
washington d.c., usa, virginia, persia, america ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Action, Thriller
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 128 min.
Story:
John McClane is back and badder than ever, and this time he's working for Homeland Security. He calls on the services of a young hacker in his bid to stop a ring of Internet terrorists intent on taking control of America's computer ...
Style:
exciting, entertaining, action thriller, saga, realistic ...
Audience:
manly, chick flick, boys' night, teens
Plot:
hacking, computer hacker, hacker, terrorism, conspiracy, gunfight, one man army, tough cop, lone hero, fbi, chaos, surveillance ...
Time:
year 2007, 2000s, 20th century, 21st century
Place:
washington d.c., maryland, los angeles, new york, baltimore ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Horror
Country: USA
Duration: 117 min.
Story:
Bizarre nightmares plague Regan MacNeil four years after her possession and exorcism. Has the demon returned? And if so, can the combined faith and knowledge of a Vatican investigator and a hypnotic research specialist free her from its grasp?
Style:
demonic, scary, cult horror, religious horror, surreal ...
Audience:
teens, adult
Plot:
possession, exorcism, demon, good versus evil, demonic possession, priest, supernatural, surrealism, psychic, teenage girl, fire, hypnosis ...
Time:
70s, 20th century
Place:
washington d.c., africa, usa, latin america, new york state ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 141 min.
Story:
CIA Analyst Jack Ryan is drawn into an illegal war fought by the US government against a Colombian drug cartel.
Style:
suspense, political, exciting, suspenseful, political thriller ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
spy, conspiracy, cia, mercenary, politics, assassination, espionage, sniper, covert operation, ambush, violence, drug cartel ...
Time:
90s, 20th century
Place:
colombia, washington d.c., langley virginia, usa, iraq ...
Is relevant?
50K
Genre: Action, Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min.
Story:
Ex-special operative MacGruber (Forte) is called back into action to take down his archenemy, Dieter Von Cunth (Kilmer), who's in possession of a nuclear warhead and bent on destroying Washington, DC.
Style:
parody, funny, humorous, satirical, spoof ...
Audience:
boys' night, teens
Plot:
undercover, dumb, satire, sarcasm, hotshot hero, danger, escapades, chases and races, uninhibited rivalry, stoner, secret agent, gross out humor ...
Time:
year 2010, 80s, 21st century
Place:
washington d.c., virginia, usa, las vegas, colorado ...
Is relevant?
Related movie lists
263K
Genre: Action, Thriller, War
Country: USA, UK, Finland
Duration: 109 min.
Story:
In the near future, a group of war journalists attempt to survive while reporting the truth as the United States stands on the brink of civil war.
Style:
epic, thrilling, independent film, road movie, suspense ...
Plot:
civil war, war photographer, fictional war, president, photojournalist, dystopia, violence, soldier, photographer, journalist, white house, photograph ...
Time:
future, near future
Place:
washington d.c., west virginia, brooklyn new york city, texas, new york ...
Is relevant?
128K
Genre: Action, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 117 min.
Story:
When CIA Analyst Jack Ryan interferes with an IRA assassination, a renegade faction targets Jack and his family as revenge.
Style:
exciting, suspense, political, political thriller, suspenseful ...
Audience:
boys' night, girls' night, adult
Plot:
terrorism, revenge, cia, espionage, spy, terrorist, assassination, cia agent, politics, ira, hitman, traitor ...
Time:
90s, 20th century
Place:
washington d.c., ireland, north africa, scotland yard, usa ...
Is relevant?
122K
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 44 min.
TV show
Story:
Set during the Cold War period in the 1980s, The Americans is the story of Elizabeth and Philip Jennings, two Soviet KGB officers posing as an American married couple in the suburbs of Washington D.C. and their neighbor, Stan Beeman, an FBI ...
Style:
exciting, captivating, sexy, realistic, atmospheric ...
Audience:
adult
Plot:
cold war, espionage, spy, undercover, working undercover, mission, top secret, kgb, mole, government agency, couple relations, investigation ...
Time:
80s, 2010s, 20th century
Place:
washington d.c., soviet union, usa, ussr
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama, Family, Fantasy, Romance
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 84 min.
Story:
Allie, a veterinarian in Evergreen, reluctantly will spend Christmas with her long-distance boyfriend. Bound for the airport, she has engine trouble, and Ryan, headed to Florida with his daughter Zoe, stops to help. Sure they won’t meet again, ...
Style:
touching, sincere, disturbing, sweet, light ...
Audience:
chick flick, family outing, boys' night
Plot:
christmas, holiday, christmas romance, festival, airport, making a wish, snowstorm, party, winter, love, snow, christmas time ...
Place:
washington d.c., canada, new england, vermont
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama, History, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 45 min.
TV show
Story:
Heroic U.S. Army scientist Dr. Nancy Jaax, working with a secret military specialized team, puts her life on the line to head off an Ebola outbreak before it spread to the human population.
Style:
rough, suspenseful, apocalyptic, terrifying, psychological ...
Plot:
virus, infection, research, death, laboratory, female protagonist, military, doctor, disease, scientist, quarantine, hysteria ...
Time:
80s, 2000s, september 11 2001, year 1989
Place:
washington d.c., africa, virginia, texas, dallas texas ...
Is relevant?
Related movie lists
663K
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 138 min.
Story:
Two low-level astronomers, upon discovering that a meteor will strike the Earth in six months, go on a media tour to try to warn the world but find an unreceptive and unbelieving populace.
Style:
cerebral, apocalyptic, feel good, political, dark comedy ...
Audience:
kids, date night, adult
Plot:
disaster, asteroid, end of the world, social satire, danger, satire, politics, meteorite, chaos, comet, mass hysteria, social commentary ...
Time:
future, 2020s, year 1994, distant future, 21st century
Place:
washington d.c., usa, london, illinois, north america ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 25 min.
TV show
Story:
Four Republican senators share the same D.C. house rental, and face re-election battles, looming indictments, and parties -- all with a sense of humor.
Style:
political, suspenseful, captivating, tense, rough ...
Plot:
politics, political satire, american politics, politician, u.s. senator, senator, satire, senate, danger, mentor, world politics, scandal ...
Place:
washington d.c.
Is relevant?
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
Is relevant?
146K
Genre: Action, Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Germany, USA
Duration: 112 min.
Story:
Cocky researcher, Sebastian Caine is working on a project to make living creatures invisible and he's so confident he's found the right formula that he tests it on himself and soon begins to vanish. The only problem is – no-one can ...
Style:
sexy, medical horror, suspenseful, suspense, exciting ...
Audience:
boys' night, date night, teens, adult
Plot:
invisible man, mad scientist, invisibility, psychopath, insanity, rape, experiment, sexualized violence, murder, animal experimentation, violence, voyeurism ...
Time:
20th century, year 2000, 2000s, y2k, future ...
Place:
washington d.c., pentagon, usa
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 138 min.
Story:
When cocky military lawyer Lt. Daniel Kaffee and his co-counsel, Lt. Cmdr. JoAnne Galloway, are assigned to a murder case, they uncover a hazing ritual that could implicate high-ranking officials such as shady Col. Nathan Jessep.
Style:
suspense, tense, intense, tricky, realistic ...
Audience:
date night, girls' night
Plot:
courtroom drama, courtroom, lawyer, justice, army investigation, trial, military, suicide, u.s. navy, court martial, destiny, hotshot lawyer ...
Time:
20th century, 90s, year 1992
Place:
washington d.c., cuba, persia, caribbean, usa
Is relevant?
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 124 min.
Story:
After years of increases in the greenhouse effect, havoc is wreaked globally in the form of catastrophic hurricanes, tornadoes, tidal waves, floods and the beginning of a new Ice Age. Paleoclimatologist, Jack Hall tries to warn the world while also ...
Style:
futuristic, apocalyptic, suspenseful, exciting, entertaining ...
Audience:
teens, kids, boys' night, family outing
Plot:
disaster, end of the world, natural disaster, catastrophe, apocalypse, climate change, survival, environmental, post apocalypse, tsunami, global warming, environment ...
Time:
year 2004, 2000s, future, 20th century, distant future ...
Place:
new york, washington d.c., los angeles, antarctic, california ...
Is relevant?
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
Is relevant?
Related movie lists
