Movies Like Shake Hands with the Devil (1959)

Shake Hands with the Devil is a 1959 action, drama film from Michael Anderson with a MovieMagicScore of 6.5/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with In the Name of the Father and Bloody Sunday.

Action Drama

In the Name of the Father

1993

A small-time Belfast thief, Gerry Conlon, is wrongly convicted of an IRA bombing in London, along with his father and friends, and spends 15 years in prison fighting to prove his innocence.

7.9

MagicScore

Bloody Sunday

2002

The dramatised story of the Irish civil rights protest march on January 30 1972 which ended in a massacre by British troops.

7.2

MagicScore

The Wind That Shakes the Barley

2006

In 1920s Ireland young doctor Damien O'Donovan prepares to depart for a new job in a London hospital. As he says his goodbyes at a friend's farm, British Black and Tans arrive, and a young man is killed. Damien joins his brother Teddy in the Irish Republican Army, but political events are soon set in motion that tear the brothers apart.

7.3

MagicScore

Black '47

2018

In 1847, when Ireland is in the grip of the Great Famine that has ravaged the country for two long years, Feeney, a hardened Irish Ranger who has been fighting for the British Army abroad, returns home to reunite with his estranged family, only to discover the cruelest reality, a black land where death reigns.

6.6

MagicScore

Michael Collins

1996

Michael Collins plays a crucial role in the establishment of the Irish Free State in the 1920s, but becomes vilified by those hoping to create a completely independent Irish republic.

6.9

MagicScore

Cal

1984

Cal, a young man on the fringes of the IRA, falls in love with Marcella, a Catholic woman whose husband, a Protestant policeman, was killed one year earlier by the IRA.

5.7

MagicScore

Patriot Games

1992

When CIA Analyst Jack Ryan interferes with an IRA assassination, a renegade faction targets Jack and his family as revenge.

6.7

MagicScore

Once

2007

A vacuum repairman moonlights as a street musician and hopes for his big break. One day a Czech immigrant, who earns a living selling flowers, approaches him with the news that she is also an aspiring singer-songwriter. The pair decide to collaborate, and the songs that they compose reflect the story of their blossoming love.

7.4

MagicScore

Philomena

2013

A woman searches for her adult son, who was taken away from her decades ago when she was forced to live in a convent.

7.3

MagicScore

#10

Angela's Ashes

1999

An Irish Catholic family returns to 1930s Limerick after a child's death in America. The unemployed I.R.A. veteran father struggles with poverty, prejudice, and alcoholism as the family endures harsh slum conditions.

7.3

MagicScore

#11

Coda

2013

A lost soul stumbles drunken through the city. In a park, Death finds him and shows him many things.

7.3

MagicScore

#12

The Field

1990

"Bull" McCabe's family has farmed a field for generations, sacrificing much in the name of the land. When the widow who owns the field decides to sell it in a public auction, McCabe knows that he must own it. While no local dare bid against him, a wealthy American decides he requires the field to build a highway. "Bull" and his son decide they must try to convince the American to let go of his ambition and return home, but the consequences of their plot prove sinister.

7.0

MagicScore

#13

The Guard

2011

When a small-town Irish cop with a crass personality is partnered with a straight-laced FBI agent to bust an international drug-trafficking ring, they must settle their differences in order to take down a dangerous gang.

7.0

MagicScore

#14

Garage

2007

Due to a learning disability, Josie's life in a tiny town revolves around a menial job taking care of a garage that could close at any day. Things start to change, however, when David, the son of his boss' girlfriend, comes to work with him. Josie hangs out with David and his teenage friends, bringing them beer, and despite being a grown man himself, finds that the new company lifts his spirits. But his simple-mindedness blinds him to some potential legal dangers.

6.6

MagicScore

#15

New Boy

2007

A young African boy with a haunting back story starts school in Ireland, and finds out quickly exactly what it means to be the new kid. Winner of Best Narrative Short at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival and nominated for an Oscar.

6.5

MagicScore

#16

Into the West

1992

Accused of a crime they didn't commit, two city kids and a magical horse are about to become the coolest outlaws ever to ride Into The West.

6.4

MagicScore

#17

Joyride

2022

12-year-old Mully has lost his mother and discovers his debt-ridden father stealing the charity money they've raised in her name. Grabbing the cash, Mully steals a taxi and is shocked to find a woman, Joy, in the back seat with a baby. A straight-talking solicitor who didn't expect to get pregnant, Joy is struggling with motherhood and planning to give her baby to a friend who will raise the child as her own. She joins Mully on a wild journey across Ireland, stealing cars, hitch-hiking, catching ferries and breaking police barricades.

5.9

MagicScore

#18

The Foreigner

2017

Quan is a humble London businessman whose long-buried past erupts in a revenge-fueled vendetta when the only person left for him to love – his teenage daughter – dies in an Irish Republican Army car bombing. His relentless search to find the terrorists leads to a cat-and-mouse conflict with a British government official whose own past may hold the clues to the identities of the elusive killers.

7.0

MagicScore

#19

The General

1998

The real-life story of Dublin folk hero and criminal Martin Cahill, who pulled off two daring robberies in Ireland with his team, but attracted unwanted attention from the police, the I.R.A., the U.V.F., and members of his own team.

6.7

MagicScore

#20

Song of the Sea

2014

The story of the last Seal Child’s journey home. After their mother’s disappearance, Ben and Saoirse are sent to live with Granny in the city. When they resolve to return to their home by the sea, their journey becomes a race against time as they are drawn into a world Ben knows only from his mother’s folktales. But this is no bedtime story; these fairy folk have been in our world far too long. It soon becomes clear to Ben that Saoirse is the key to their survival.

8.0

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Shake Hands with the Devil?

The top films similar to Shake Hands with the Devil by MovieMagicScore are In the Name of the Father (7.9), Bloody Sunday (7.2), The Wind That Shakes the Barley (7.3). Each shares action/drama themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Shake Hands with the Devil worth watching?

Shake Hands with the Devil holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.5/10 from 23 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Shake Hands with the Devil?

Shake Hands with the Devil (1959) is a action, drama film directed by Michael Anderson, starring James Cagney, Don Murray, Dana Wynter.

Where can I find more recommendations like Shake Hands with the Devil?

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

Keep exploring

Movies like In the Name of the Father Movies like Bloody Sunday Movies like The Wind That Shakes the Barley Movies like Black '47 Movies like Michael Collins Movies like Cal

About movies like Shake Hands with the Devil

This ranked list pairs Shake Hands with the Devil (1959), a action and drama film from Michael Anderson, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of James Cagney 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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