Movies Like For the Defense

If you liked For the Defense (1922), a drama movie directed by Paul Powell, 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
Won't Back Down (2012)
★ 6.2/10Also drama
Jamie Fitzpatrick and Nona Alberts are two women from opposites sides of the social and economic track, but they have one thing in common: a mission to fix their community's broken school and ensure a bright future for…
2
Cradle Will Rock (1999)
★ 6.5/10Also drama
A true story of politics and art in the 1930s USA, centered around a leftist musical drama and attempts to stop its production.
3
BUtterfield 8 (1960)
★ 6.3/10Also drama
Gloria Wandrous, a promiscuous fashion model, falls in love with Weston Liggett, the hard drinking son of a working class family who has married into money.
4
People Like Us (2012)
★ 6.8/10Also drama
After flying home to L.A. for the funeral of his estranged record-producer father, a struggling man discovers that the will stipulates that he must deliver $150,000 in cash to a 30-year-old alcoholic sister he never…
5
Fast Girls (2012)
★ 6/10Also drama
A street smart runner develops an intense rivalry with an equally ambitious wealthy young athlete.
6
Whirlpool (1950)
★ 6.4/10Also drama
The wife of a psychoanalyst falls prey to a devious quack hypnotist when he discovers she is an habitual shoplifter. Then one of his previous patients now being treated by the real doctor is found murdered, with her…
7
Plunder Road (1957)
★ 6.9/10Also drama
A spectacular heist starts to unravel as the crooks take it on the lam.
8
The Natural (1984)
★ 6.9/10Also drama
An unknown middle-aged batter named Roy Hobbs with a mysterious past appears out of nowhere to take a losing 1930s baseball team to the top of the league.
9
Dreamgirls (2006)
★ 6.7/10Also drama
A trio of female soul singers cross over to the pop charts in the early 1960s, facing their own personal struggles along the way.
10
The Deep End of the Ocean (1999)
★ 6.6/10Also drama
A three-year-old boy disappears during his mother's high school reunion. Nine years later, by chance, he turns up in the town in which the family has just relocated.
11
Pitfall (1948)
★ 6.8/10Also drama
An insurance man wishing for a more exciting life becomes wrapped up in the affairs of an imprisoned embezzler, his model girlfriend, and a violent private investigator.
12
Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius (2004)
★ 5.9/10Also drama
The story of golf icon and legend, Bobby Jones, who retired from competition at the tender age of 28.
13
Each Dawn I Die (1939)
★ 6.9/10Also drama
A corrupt D.A. with governatorial ambitions is annoyed by an investigative reporter's criticism of his criminal activities and decides to frame the reporter for manslaughter in order to silence him.
14
The Asphalt Jungle (1950)
★ 7.5/10Also drama
Recently paroled from prison, legendary burglar "Doc" Riedenschneider, with funding from Alonzo Emmerich, a crooked lawyer, gathers a small group of veteran criminals together in the Midwest for a big jewel heist.
15
The Wrong Man (1956)
★ 7.1/10Also drama
In 1953, an innocent man named Christopher Emmanuel "Manny" Balestrero is arrested after being mistaken for an armed robber.
16
Eleanor the Great (2025)
★ 6.8/10Also drama
94-year-old Eleanor Morgenstein tries to rebuild her life after the death of her best friend. As a result, she moves back to New York City after living in Florida for decades.
17
Copying Beethoven (2006)
★ 6.5/10Also drama
Serving as Ludwig van Beethoven's copyist gives a conservatory student access to the composer's musical genius, but also exposes her to his cruelty.
18
Sleep, My Love (1948)
★ 6.3/10Also drama
A woman wakes up in the middle of the night on board a train, but she can't remember how she got there. Danger and suspense ensue.
19
Michael (2026)
★ 8.6/10Also drama
The story of Michael Jackson, one of the most influential artists the world has ever known, and his life beyond the music. His journey from the discovery of his extraordinary talent as the lead of the Jackson Five, to…
20
My Salinger Year (2020)
★ 6.3/10Also drama
A college grad takes a clerical job working for the literary agent of the renowned, reclusive writer J.D. Salinger.