Movies Like Secret Defense (1998)

Secret Defense is a 1998 crime, drama, mystery, thriller film from Jacques Rivette with a MovieMagicScore of 6.3/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with The Black Windmill and Haider.

Crime Drama Mystery Thriller

The Black Windmill

1974

A British agent's son is kidnapped and held for a ransom of diamonds. The agent finds out that he can't even count on the people he thought were on his side to help him, so he decides to track down the kidnappers himself.

6.2

MagicScore

Haider

2014

A young man returns to Kashmir after his father's disappearance to confront his uncle - the man he suspects to have a role in his father's fate.

7.2

MagicScore

The Italian Job

2003

Charlie Croker pulled off the crime of a lifetime. The one thing that he didn't plan on was being double-crossed. Along with a drop-dead gorgeous safecracker, Croker and his team take off to re-steal the loot and end up in a pulse-pounding, pedal-to-the-metal chase that careens up, down, above and below the streets of Los Angeles.

6.8

MagicScore

The Karate Kid Part II

1986

Summoned by his dying father, Miyagi returns to his homeland of Okinawa, with Daniel, after a 40-year exile. There he must confront Yukie, the love of his youth, and Sato, his former best friend turned vengeful rival. Sato is bent on a fight to the death, even if it means the destruction of their village. Daniel finds his own love in Yukia's niece, Kumiko, and his own enemy in Sato's nephew, the vicious Chozen. Now, far away from the tournaments, cheering crowds and safety of home, Daniel will face his greatest challenge ever when the cost of honor is life itself.

6.3

MagicScore

The Northman

2022

Prince Amleth is on the verge of becoming a man when his father is brutally murdered by his uncle, who kidnaps the boy's mother. Two decades later, Amleth is now a Viking who's on a mission to save his mother, kill his uncle and avenge his father.

7.0

MagicScore

Beck 08 - Trails in Darkness

1998

A serial killer that decapitates people is on the loose in the Stockholm subway. Martin Beck and his colleagues try to catch the killer, while the panic in the city increases.

6.7

MagicScore

Exposed

2016

After witnessing a miracle, a young Latina woman experiences strange things as a police detective searches for the truth behind his partner's death.

4.9

MagicScore

Kontroll

2003

A tale about a strange young man, Bulcsú, and the fellow ticket inspectors on his team who work aboard the subterranean Budapest Metro. A tale about racing along the tracks, and about a mysterious serial killer. And a tale about love.

7.2

MagicScore

Nimic

2020

A professional cellist has an encounter with a stranger on the subway which has unexpected and far-reaching ramifications on his life.

6.6

MagicScore

#10

Boy Wonder

2010

A young Brooklyn boy witnesses the brutal murder of his mother and grows up obsessed with finding her killer. Thus begins his life as a quiet, straight-A student by day and a self-appointed hero at night. But what is a real hero? And who decides what is right or wrong? As the boundaries blur, Sean's dual life wears on his psyche and his two worlds careen dangerously close to colliding. Like a graphic novel you can't put down, Boy Wonder challenges morality, distorting perceptions of what is right and what is justified, as it races to its shocking conclusion.

6.3

MagicScore

#11

The Yards

2000

In the rail yards of Queens, contractors repair and rebuild the city's subway cars. These contracts are lucrative, so graft and corruption are rife. When Leo Handler gets out of prison, he finds his aunt married to Frank Olchin, one of the big contractors; he's battling with a minority-owned firm for contracts.

6.2

MagicScore

#12

After Hours

1985

Desperate to escape his mind-numbing routine, uptown Manhattan office worker Paul Hackett ventures downtown for a hookup with a mystery woman.

7.5

MagicScore

#13

Jacob's Ladder

1990

After returning home from the Vietnam War, veteran Jacob Singer struggles to maintain his sanity. Plagued by hallucinations and flashbacks, Singer rapidly falls apart as the world and people around him morph and twist into disturbing images. His girlfriend, Jezzie, and ex-wife, Sarah, try to help, but to little avail. Even Singer's chiropractor friend, Louis, fails to reach him as he descends into madness.

7.3

MagicScore

#14

Run Lola Run

1998

Lola receives a phone call from her boyfriend Manni. He lost 100,000 DM in a subway train that belongs to a very bad guy. She has 20 minutes to raise this amount and meet Manni. Otherwise, he will rob a store to get the money. Three different alternatives may happen depending on some minor event along Lola's run.

7.3

MagicScore

#15

Dressed to Kill

1980

After witnessing a mysterious woman brutally slay a homemaker, prostitute Liz Blake finds herself trapped in a dangerous situation. While the police thinks she is the murderer, the real killer is intent on silencing her only witness.

7.0

MagicScore

#16

21 Bridges

2019

An embattled NYPD detective, is thrust into a citywide manhunt for a pair of cop killers after uncovering a massive and unexpected conspiracy. As the night unfolds, lines become blurred on who he is pursuing, and who is in pursuit of him.

6.8

MagicScore

#17

Diva

1981

Jules, a young Parisian postman, secretly records a concert performance given by the opera singer Cynthia Hawkins, whom he idolises. The following day, Jules runs into a woman who is being pursued by armed thugs. Before she is killed, the woman slips an audio cassette into his mail bag...

6.7

MagicScore

#18

The Double

2014

An awkward office drone becomes increasingly unhinged after a charismatic and confident look-alike takes a job at his workplace and seduces the woman he desires.

6.5

MagicScore

#19

Swimming Pool

2003

A British crime novelist travels to her publisher's upmarket summer house in Southern France to seek solitude in order to work on her next book. However, the unexpected arrival of the publisher's daughter induces complications and a subsequent crime.

6.5

MagicScore

#20

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

2011

A highly intelligent chimpanzee named Caesar has been living a peaceful suburban life ever since he was born. But when he gets taken to a cruel primate facility, Caesar decides to revolt against those who have harmed him.

7.3

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Secret Defense?

The top films similar to Secret Defense by MovieMagicScore are The Black Windmill (6.2), Haider (7.2), The Italian Job (6.8). Each shares crime/drama/mystery/thriller themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Secret Defense worth watching?

Secret Defense holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.3/10 from 22 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Secret Defense?

Secret Defense (1998) is a crime, drama, mystery, thriller film directed by Jacques Rivette, starring Sandrine Bonnaire, Laure Marsac, Françoise Fabian.

Where can I find more recommendations like Secret Defense?

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 Black Windmill Movies like Haider Movies like The Italian Job Movies like The Karate Kid Part II Movies like The Northman Movies like Beck 08 - Trails in Darkness

About movies like Secret Defense

This ranked list pairs Secret Defense (1998), a crime and drama and mystery and thriller film from Jacques Rivette, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Sandrine Bonnaire 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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