Movies Like The Sword and the Balance

If you liked The Sword and the Balance (1963), a drama and thriller movie directed by André Cayatte, here are 20 movies with a similar feel, based on TMDB's recommendations. Each one links to its cast, trailer and where it's streaming.

1
Le Cercle Rouge (1970)
★ 7.6/10Also crime and drama
When French criminal Corey gets released from prison, he resolves to never return. He is quickly pulled back into the underworld, however, after a chance encounter with escaped murderer Vogel. Along with former…
2
Fury (1936)
★ 7.5/10Also crime and drama
Joe, who owns a gas station along with his brothers and is about to marry Katherine, travels to the small town where she lives to visit her, but is wrongly mistaken for a wanted kidnapper and arrested.
3
Elevator to the Gallows (1958)
★ 7.6/10Also crime and drama
A self-assured businessman murders his employer, husband of his mistress, which unintentionally provokes an ill-fated chain of events.
4
A Time to Kill (1996)
★ 7.4/10Also crime and drama
A young lawyer defends a black man accused of murdering two white men who raped his 10-year-old daughter, sparking a rebirth of the KKK.
5
Kiss of the Dragon (2001)
★ 6.9/10Also crime and thriller
Liu Jian, an elite Chinese police officer, comes to Paris to arrest a Chinese drug lord. When Jian is betrayed by a French officer and framed for murder, he must go into hiding and find new allies.
6
Barron's Cove (2025)
★ 7.1/10Also crime and thriller
When his young son is viciously murdered by a classmate, a grieving father with a history of violence kidnaps the child responsible, igniting a frenzied manhunt fueled by a powerful politician -- the father of the…
7
Flic Story (1975)
★ 6.4/10Also crime and thriller
The film story depicts Emile Buisson, following the death of his wife and child, escaping from a psychiatric institution in 1947 and returning to Paris. Buisson, who three years later would become France's public enemy…
8
The Night Caller (1975)
★ 7.2/10Also thriller and crime
A serial-killer frightens Paris by phoning young ladies at night, telling them insults about their lives. Minos, as he calls himself, wants to prevent the world from free women and he targets at first these ones…
9
The Night of the Following Day (1969)
★ 5.9/10Also thriller and crime
A gang of four professional criminals kidnaps a wealthy teenage girl from an airport in Paris in a meticulous plan to extort money from the girl's wealthy father. Holding her prisoner in an isolated beach house, the…
10
Mesrine: Public Enemy #1 (2008)
★ 7.3/10Also thriller and crime
After nearly two decades of legendary criminal feats, making him France's most notorious criminal while simultaneously feeding his desire for media attention and public adoration, Mesrine becomes increasingly paranoid…
11
Cape Fear (1962)
★ 7.4/10Also thriller and drama
Sam Bowden witnesses a rape committed by Max Cady and testifies against him. When released after 8 years in prison, Cady begins stalking Bowden and his family but is always clever enough not to violate the law.
12
Suspect (1987)
★ 6.6/10Also crime and drama
When a Supreme Court judge commits suicide and his secretary is found murdered, all fingers point to Carl Anderson, a homeless veteran who's deaf and mute. But when public defender Kathleen Riley is assigned to his…
13
Killing Zoe (1993)
★ 6.2/10Also crime and drama
Zed is an American vault-cracker who travels to Paris to meet up with his old friend Eric. Eric and his gang have planned to raid the only bank in the city which is open on Bastille day. After offering his services…
14
High Rollers (2025)
★ 6.5/10Also crime and thriller
A master thief must pull off a dangerous casino heist when his nemesis kidnaps his lover. Caught between rival criminals and FBI pursuit, he risks all to save her and score big.
15
6 Bullets (2012)
★ 6.3/10Also thriller and crime
An ex-mercenary known for finding missing children is hired by a mixed martial arts fighter whose daughter has been kidnapped.
16
Femme Fatale (2002)
★ 6.2/10Also crime and thriller
A $10-million diamond rip-off, a stolen identity, a new life married to a diplomat. Laure Ash has risked big, won big. But then a tabloid shutterbug snaps her picture in Paris, and suddenly, enemies from Laure's secret…
17
The Stronghold (2021)
★ 7.3/10Also thriller and crime
Tired of the small-time grind, three Marseille cops get a chance to bust a major drug network. But lines blur when a key informant makes a big ask.
18
The Connection (2014)
★ 7.1/10Also thriller and crime
Newly transferred to the bustling port city of Marseille to assist with a crackdown on organized crime, energetic young magistrate Pierre Michel is given a rapid-fire tutorial on the ins and outs of an out-of-control…
19
The Night Clerk (2020)
★ 6.2/10Also thriller and crime
Hotel night clerk Bart Bromley is a highly intelligent young man on the Autism spectrum. When a woman is murdered during his shift, Bart becomes the prime suspect. As the police investigation closes in, Bart makes a…
20
Fight for Your Life (1977)
★ 5.9/10Also thriller and crime
A minister dispenses justice on three convicts who take his family hostage.