Political Thriller backdrop

Political Thriller movies

High-stakes suspense inside institutions: corruption, influence, leverage, and decisions affecting many lives.

171. District B13

District B13
Action Thriller Science Fiction Epic Action Dystopian Sci-Fi
7.1
20041h 24minFrance
Director: Pierre Morel

Overview

Set in the ghettos of Paris in 2010, an undercover cop and ex-thug try to infiltrate a gang in order to defuse a neutron bomb.

Themes

Class inequality, Deception and betrayal, Loyalty under pressure, Survival under siege, State oppression, Urban marginalization

Available on

fuboTV
Google Play Movies
YouTube
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

172. The Manchurian Candidate

The Manchurian Candidate
Drama Thriller Mystery Political Thriller Political Drama
6.6
20042h 9minUnited States
Director: Jonathan Demme

Overview

Years after his squad was ambushed during the Gulf War, Major Ben Marco finds himself having terrible nightmares. He begins to doubt that his fellow squad-mate Sergeant Raymond Shaw, now a vice-presidential candidate, is the hero he remembers him being. As Marco's doubts deepen, Shaw's political power grows, and, when Marco finds a mysterious implant embedded in his back, the memory of what really happened begins to return.

Themes

Memory manipulation ethics, Surveillance and control, Power and legitimacy, Political manipulation by corporate power, Image versus reality in politics, Deception through memory implants

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

173. The Assassination of Richard Nixon

The Assassination of Richard Nixon
Drama History Thriller Crime Psychological Drama
6.9
20041h 35minUnited States, Australia
Director: Niels Mueller

Overview

It’s 1974 and Sam Bicke has lost everything. His wife leaves him with his three kids, his boss fires him, his brother turns away from him, and the bank won’t give him any money to start anew. He tries to find someone to blame for his misfortunes and comes up with the President of the United States who he plans to murder.

Themes

Economic precarity, Disillusion with institutions, Fragile masculinity, Family fragmentation, Desperation and violence, Mental breakdown under strain

Available on

Rakuten TV
Google Play Movies
Amazon Video
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

174. Spartan

Spartan
Mystery Action Drama Thriller Crime
6.5
20041h 42minGermany, United States
Director: David Mamet

Overview

U.S. government agent Scott is assigned to rescue the daughter of a high-ranking government official. As willing as he is to bend the rules to get things done, though, Scott is shocked to find that others are willing to go even further to protect a political career.

Themes

Loyalty under pressure, Sex trafficking networks, Deception within protection, Political coverups, Power and rule bending, Elite accountability

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

175. Once Upon a Time in Mexico

Once Upon a Time in Mexico
Action Crime Thriller One-Person Army Narcotics Crime
6.3
20031h 42minUnited States
Director: Robert Rodriguez

Overview

A corrupt CIA agent Sands hires hitman El Mariachi to assassinate a Mexican general hired by a drug kingpin attempting a coup d'état of the President of Mexico.

Themes

Deception and manipulation, Corruption and state overreach, Vengeance and loyalty, Criminal networks pressuring governance, Power struggles during instability, Justice and pragmatism under duress

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

176. The Recruit

The Recruit
Action Thriller Spy Action Political Thriller
6.6
20031h 55minUnited States
Director: Roger Donaldson

Overview

A brilliant CIA trainee must prove his worth at the Farm, the agency's secret training grounds, where he learns to watch his back and trust no one.

Themes

Loyalty under pressure, Deception and loyalty, Trust under surveillance, Romance under secrecy, Security testing ethics, Identity under cover

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

177. Dark Blue

Dark Blue
Crime Thriller Police Procedural Political Thriller
6.6
20021h 58minGermany, United Kingdom
Director: Ron Shelton

Overview

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.

Themes

Deception and manipulation, Abuse of power, Police corruption, Institutional complicity, Moral conflict in policing, Riot era violence

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
fuboTV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

178. Star Trek: Nemesis

Star Trek: Nemesis
Science Fiction Action Adventure Thriller Space Sci-Fi
6.4
20021h 56minUnited States
Director: Stuart Baird

Overview

En route to the honeymoon of William Riker to Deanna Troi on her home planet of Betazed, Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise receives word from Starfleet that a coup has resulted in the installation of a new Romulan political leader, Shinzon, who claims to seek peace with the human-backed United Federation of Planets. Once in enemy territory, the captain and his crew make a startling discovery: Shinzon is human, a slave from the Romulan sister planet of Remus, and has a secret, shocking relationship to Picard himself.

Themes

Deception and manipulation, Loyalty under pressure, Legitimacy of leadership, Peace through coercion, Clone ethics, Ambush tactics

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
fuboTV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

179. Equilibrium

Equilibrium
Action Science Fiction Thriller Dystopian Sci-Fi Epic Action
7.3
20021h 47minUnited States
Director: Kurt Wimmer

Overview

In a dystopian future, a totalitarian regime maintains peace by subduing the populace with a drug, and displays of emotion are punishable by death. A man in charge of enforcing the law rises to overthrow the system.

Themes

Betrayal and deception, Underground resistance, Emotion suppression, Authoritarian enforcement, Drug-based control, State propaganda

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
fuboTV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

180. The Quiet American

The Quiet American
Romance Thriller Drama War Bittersweet Romance
7.0
20021h 41minFrance, Germany
Director: Phillip Noyce

Overview

Cynical British journalist Fowler falls in love with a young Vietnamese woman but is dismayed when a naïve U.S. official also begins vying for her attention. In retaliation, Fowler informs the communists that the American is selling arms to their enemy.

Themes

Love triangle dynamics, Aid worker guise, Journalist involvement, Growing american involvement, Vietnam war escalation, Indochina tensions

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
fuboTV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.