Movies Like Carlos (2010)

Carlos is a 2010 crime, drama, history, thriller film from Olivier Assayas with a MovieMagicScore of 7.0/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with The Siege and The Hurt Locker.

Crime Drama History Thriller

The Siege

1998

The secret US abduction of a suspected terrorist from his Middle East homeland leads to a wave of terrorist attacks in New York. An FBI senior agent and his team attempt to locate and decommission the enemy cells, but must also deal with an Army General gone rogue and a female CIA agent of uncertain loyalties.

6.3

MagicScore

The Hurt Locker

2008

During the Iraq War, a Sergeant recently assigned to an army bomb squad is put at odds with his squad mates due to his maverick way of handling his work.

7.3

MagicScore

Yannick

2023

In the middle of a performance of the play "Le Cocu", a bad boulevard comedy at a Parisian theatre, Yannick gets up and interrupts the show to take the evening back in hand.

7.1

MagicScore

September 5

2024

During the 1972 Munich Olympics, an American sports broadcasting crew finds itself thrust into covering the hostage crisis involving Israeli athletes.

7.0

MagicScore

Raid on Entebbe

1976

Based on a true operation by Israeli commandos. An Air France flight is hijacked by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. The airplane landed in Uganda. The terrorists released some passengers, keeping 94 Jews and 12 air crew hostage. The Israeli government would not negotiate. A rescue plan was devised, and less than 100 commandos were flown across Africa to rescue the passengers in surprisingly successful operation.

6.0

MagicScore

The Rock

1996

When vengeful General Francis X. Hummel seizes control of Alcatraz Island and threatens to launch missiles loaded with deadly chemical weapons into San Francisco, only a young FBI chemical weapons expert and notorious Federal prisoner have the skills to penetrate the impregnable island fortress and take him down.

7.1

MagicScore

Held for Ransom

2019

HELD FOR RANSOM tells the true story of Danish photojournalist Daniel Rye who was held hostage for 398 days in Syria by the terror organization ISIS along with several other foreign nationals including the American journalist, James Foley. The film follows Daniel’s struggle to survive in captivity, his friendship with James, and the nightmare of the Rye family back home in Denmark as they try to do everything in their power to save their son. At the center of this crisis, we find hostage negotiator, Arthur, who plays a pivotal role in securing Daniel’s release.

7.0

MagicScore

Major

2022

This biopic follows the life of Indian Army officer Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, from his childhood to his heroic actions during the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

7.0

MagicScore

True Lies

1994

A fearless, globe-trotting, terrorist-battling secret agent has his life turned upside down when he discovers his wife might be having an affair with a used car salesman while terrorists smuggle nuclear war heads into the United States.

7.1

MagicScore

#10

22 July

2018

On 22 July 2011, neo-Nazi terrorist Anders Behring Breivik murdered 77 young people attending a Labour Party Youth Camp on Utøya Island outside of Oslo. This three-part story focuses on the survivors, the political leadership of Norway, and the lawyers involved.

7.1

MagicScore

#11

Four Days in September

1997

Fernando, a journalist, and his friend César join terrorist group MR8 in order to fight Brazilian dictatorial regime during the late sixties. César, however, is wounded and captured during a bank hold up. Fernando then decides to kidnap the American ambassador in Brazil and ask for the release of fifteen political prisoners in exchange for his life.

7.5

MagicScore

#12

Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song

1971

After saving a Black Panther from some racist cops, a black male prostitute goes on the run from "the man" with the help of the ghetto community and some disillusioned Hells Angels.

5.1

MagicScore

#13

Hard Hit

2021

On his way to work, a bank manager receives an anonymous call claiming there's a bomb under his car seat, and if anyone exits the car, it will explode unless he can pay a ransom.

7.5

MagicScore

#14

Lord of War

2005

Yuri Orlov is a globetrotting arms dealer and, through some of the deadliest war zones, he struggles to stay one step ahead of a relentless Interpol agent, his business rivals and even some of his customers who include many of the world's most notorious dictators. Finally, he must also face his own conscience.

7.3

MagicScore

#15

The Long Good Friday

1980

In the late 1970s, Cockney crime boss Harold Shand, a gangster trying to become a legitimate property mogul, has big plans to get the American Mafia to bankroll his transformation of a derelict area of London into the possible venue for a future Olympic Games. However, a series of bombings targets his empire on the very weekend the Americans are in town. Shand is convinced there is a traitor in his organization, and sets out to eliminate the rat in typically ruthless fashion.

7.1

MagicScore

#16

Traitor

2008

When straight arrow FBI agent Roy Clayton heads up the investigation into a dangerous international conspiracy, all clues seem to lead back to former U.S. Special Operations officer Samir Horn.

6.7

MagicScore

#17

The Deliberate Stranger

1986

Based on a true story, this film depicts the life of Ted Bundy, the serial killer. In 1974, after having murdered several young women, he leaves Seattle for Utah, where he is a law student and where other girls disappear. It takes the cooperation of a number of police forces to work efficiently on this case. Soon, but not soon enough, the police eliminate endless possibilities and close in on him. Bundy is tried in the media and his good-boy attitude brings him sympathy but also the hatred of many.

6.2

MagicScore

#18

Viva Zapata!

1952

The story of Mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata, who led a rebellion against the corrupt, oppressive dictatorship of president Porfirio Díaz in the early 20th century.

6.9

MagicScore

#19

We Believed

2010

1828. In the wake of the repression of revolutionary uprisings in the monarchist South, three young friends join Giuseppe Mazzini's patriotic cause, seeking to finally unify Italy under a republican government. Their idealism will clash with the inevitable disillusionment as they grow apart over the following fifty years.

6.6

MagicScore

#20

Kiss of the Spider Woman

2025

Valentín, a political prisoner, shares a cell with Molina, a window dresser convicted of public indecency. The two form an unlikely bond as Molina recounts the plot of a Hollywood musical starring his favorite silver screen diva, Ingrid Luna.

6.1

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Carlos?

The top films similar to Carlos by MovieMagicScore are The Siege (6.3), The Hurt Locker (7.3), Yannick (7.1). Each shares crime/drama/history/thriller themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Carlos worth watching?

Carlos holds a MovieMagicScore of 7.0/10 from 226 viewer ratings, putting it among the better-reviewed titles in its genre.

What kind of movie is Carlos?

Carlos (2010) is a crime, drama, history, thriller film directed by Olivier Assayas, starring Edgar Ramírez, Alexander Scheer, Nora Waldstätten.

Where can I find more recommendations like Carlos?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more crime recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like The Siege Movies like The Hurt Locker Movies like Yannick Movies like September 5 Movies like Raid on Entebbe Movies like The Rock

About movies like Carlos

This ranked list pairs Carlos (2010), a crime and drama and history and thriller film from Olivier Assayas, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Edgar Ramírez take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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