Movies Like The Manchurian Candidate (1962)

The Manchurian Candidate is a 1962 drama, thriller film from John Frankenheimer with a MovieMagicScore of 7.5/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with State of the Union and Seven Days in May.

Drama Thriller

State of the Union

1948

An industrialist is urged to run for President, but this requires uncomfortable compromises on both political and marital levels.

6.6

MagicScore

Seven Days in May

1964

A U.S. Marine Corps colonel alerts the president of a planned military coup against him.

7.3

MagicScore

MAS*H

1970

The staff of a Korean War field hospital use humor and hijinks to keep their sanity in the face of the horror of war.

7.0

MagicScore

Propaganda

2013

An anti-western propaganda film about the influences of American visual and consumption culture on the rest of the world, as told from a North Korean perspective.

8.1

MagicScore

The Rack

1956

Army Captain Edward Hall returns to the U.S. after two years in a prison camp in the Korean War. In the camp, he was brainwashed and helped the Chinese convince the other prisoners that they were fighting an unjust war. When he comes back he is charged for collaboration with the enemy. Where does loyalty end in a prison camp, when the camp is a living hell?

6.6

MagicScore

The Mind Benders

1963

A British scientist is discovered to have been passing information to the Communists, then kills himself. Another scientist decides that they might have brainwashed him by a sensory deprivation technique, but he doesn’t know if someone really can be convinced to act against their strongest feelings. So he agrees to be the subject in an experiment in which others will try to make him stop loving his wife.

6.2

MagicScore

King's Game

2004

Starting a new job as a political journalist at a leading newspaper, Ulrik Torp witnesses a brutal struggle for power in the Midparty's ranks -- a struggle that coincides with the charismatic party leader's involvement in a near fatal car accident. A flurry of lies and media speculation surrounds the incident. Gradually, Ulrik unearths a ruthless conspiracy involving the incumbent prime minister.

6.8

MagicScore

Volunteers

1985

After his rich father refuses to pay his debt, compulsive gambler Lawrence Bourne III joins the Peace Corps to evade angry creditors. In Thailand, he is assigned to build a bridge for the local villagers with the help of American-As-Apple-Pie WSU Grad Tom Tuttle and the beautiful and down-to earth Beth Wexler. What they don't realize is that the bridge is coveted by the U.S. Army, a local Communist force, and a powerful drug lord. Together with the help of At Toon, the only English speaking native, they must fight off the three opposing forces and find out what is right for the villagers, as well as themselves.

5.5

MagicScore

Pork Chop Hill

1959

Korean War, April 1953. Lieutenant Clemons, leader of the King company of the United States Infantry, is ordered to recapture Pork Chop Hill, occupied by a powerful Chinese Army force, while, just seventy miles away, at nearby the village of Panmunjom, a tense cease-fire conference is celebrated.

6.6

MagicScore

#10

The Mongolian Conspiracy

2019

1963, the Soviet Union intercepts a rumour that China pretends to assassinate the president of the US in his visit to Mexico. Filiberto Garcia, a local policeman, has 72 hours to investigate the Mongolian Conspiracy.

6.4

MagicScore

#11

The Double Man

1967

In a complex piece of espionage the Russian secret service attempts to kidnap a high ranking officer in the CIA and replace him with a one of its own.

6.1

MagicScore

#12

The Spy Who Came In from the Cold

1965

British agent Alec Leamas refuses to come in from the Cold War during the 1960s, choosing to face another mission, which may prove to be his final one.

7.1

MagicScore

#13

Cold War

2018

A man and a woman meet in the ruins of post-war Poland. With vastly different backgrounds and temperaments, they are fatally mismatched and yet drawn to each other.

7.4

MagicScore

#14

The Fourth Man

2007

A man awakens from a two-month-long coma. Total amnesia. A bullet fired point blank. He doesn't remember anything. He's told that he had a wife and a son. They've been killed. He's revealed his past identity by the Colonel, who insists they are best friends. He's a Major of the Military Security Agency. An inspector from the State Security Agency appears affirming that he has information on people responsible for the massacre of his family. The Major is discharged from the hospital. He tries to patch together a normal life but is confronted with emptiness and despair. His only chance of discovering his identity and the assassin of his family is to accept the game that the Inspector has set up for him with the Businessman, the Mafioso and the Politician. He agrees... Discovers that he was a war criminal... Realizes who took a shot at him... Finds out who killed his family... Discovers the Fourth Man!

6.1

MagicScore

#15

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

1964

After the insane General Jack D. Ripper initiates a nuclear strike on the Soviet Union, a war room full of politicians, generals and a Russian diplomat all frantically try to stop it.

8.1

MagicScore

#16

Doctor Zhivago

1965

The life of a Russian physician and poet who, although married to another, falls in love with a political activist's wife and experiences hardship during World War I and then the October Revolution.

7.5

MagicScore

#17

Salt

2010

As a CIA officer, Evelyn Salt swore an oath to duty, honor and country. Her loyalty will be tested when a Russian defector accuses her of being a Russian sleeper spy. She goes on the run, using all her skills and years of experience as a covert operative to elude capture, protect her husband, and stay one step ahead of her colleagues at the CIA. Her efforts to prove her innocence only serve to cast doubt on her motives, as the hunt to uncover the truth behind her identity continues and the question remains: "Who is Salt?"

6.4

MagicScore

#18

The Lady Vanishes

1938

On a train headed for England a group of travelers is delayed by an avalanche. Holed up in a hotel in a fictional European country, young Iris befriends elderly Miss Froy. When the train resumes, Iris suffers a bout of unconsciousness and wakes to find the old woman has disappeared. The other passengers ominously deny Miss Froy ever existed, so Iris begins to investigate with another traveler and, as the pair sleuth, romantic sparks fly.

7.4

MagicScore

#19

The 39 Steps

1935

Richard Hanney has a rude awakening when a glamorous female spy falls into his bed - with a knife in her back. Having a bit of trouble explaining it all to Scotland Yard, he heads for the hills of Scotland to try to clear his name by locating the spy ring known as The 39 Steps.

7.3

MagicScore

#20

American Dreamz

2006

The new season of "American Dreamz," the wildly popular television singing contest, has captured the country's attention, as the competition looks to be between a young Midwestern gal and a showtunes-loving young man from Orange County. Recently awakened President Staton even wants in on the craze, as he signs up for the potential explosive season finale.

5.0

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like The Manchurian Candidate?

The top films similar to The Manchurian Candidate by MovieMagicScore are State of the Union (6.6), Seven Days in May (7.3), M*A*S*H (7.0). Each shares drama/thriller themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is The Manchurian Candidate worth watching?

The Manchurian Candidate holds a MovieMagicScore of 7.5/10 from 760 viewer ratings, putting it among the better-reviewed titles in its genre.

What kind of movie is The Manchurian Candidate?

The Manchurian Candidate (1962) is a drama, thriller film directed by John Frankenheimer, starring Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey, Angela Lansbury.

Where can I find more recommendations like The Manchurian Candidate?

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

Keep exploring

Movies like State of the Union Movies like Seven Days in May Movies like M*A*S*H Movies like Propaganda Movies like The Rack Movies like The Mind Benders

About movies like The Manchurian Candidate

This ranked list pairs The Manchurian Candidate (1962), a drama and thriller film from John Frankenheimer, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Frank Sinatra 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.

← Back to The Manchurian Candidate