Movies like How Putin Came to Power (2005)
The best movies like How Putin Came to Power (2005) are The Wizard of the Kremlin (2026), The Wizard of Lies (2017) and Being John Malkovich (1999). If How Putin Came to Power hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedBeing John Malkovich (1999)7.4/10 from 5,045 votes
- NewestThe Wizard of the Kremlin (2026)Released 2026
- In FrenchThe Wizard of the Kremlin (2026)Also in French
The Wizard of the Kremlin (2026)
In the chaos of post-Soviet Russia, rising KGB officer Vladimir Putin joins forces with master manipulator Vadim Baranov to reshape life behind the Iron Curtain, using violence and deception to change the world forever.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Wizard of Lies (2017)
A look behind the scenes at Bernie Madoff's massive Ponzi scheme, how it was perpetrated on the public and the trail of destruction it left in its wake, both for the victims and Madoff's family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBeing John Malkovich (1999)
One day at work, unsuccessful puppeteer Craig finds a portal into the head of actor John Malkovich. The portal soon becomes a passion for anybody who enters its mad and controlling world of overtaking another human body.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTake the Lead (2006)
A former professional dancer volunteers to teach dance in the New York public school system and, while his background first clashes with his students' tastes, together they create a completely new style of dance. Based on the story of ballroom dancer, Pierre Dulane.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPutin (2025)
A portrait of a formidable political figure, unraveling the contrasting facets of an iron-fisted tyrant and a man haunted by fear.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Women and the Murderer (2021)
This documentary traces the capture of serial killer Guy Georges through the tireless work of two women: a police chief and a victim's mother.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)
For Peter Parker, life is busy. Between taking out the bad guys as Spider-Man and spending time with the person he loves, Gwen Stacy, high school graduation cannot come quickly enough. Peter has not forgotten about the promise he made to Gwen’s father to protect her by staying away, but that is a promise he cannot keep. Things will change for Peter when a new villain, Electro, emerges, an old friend, Harry Osborn, returns, and Peter uncovers new clues about his past.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHackers (1995)
Along with his new friends, a teenager who was arrested by the US Secret Service and banned from using a computer for writing a computer virus discovers a plot by a nefarious hacker, but they must use their computer skills to find the evidence while being pursued by the Secret Service and the evil computer genius behind the virus.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPope Joan (2009)
A 9th century woman of English extraction born in the German city of Ingelheim disguises herself as a man and rises through the Vatican ranks.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPowder (1995)
Harassed by classmates who won't accept his shocking appearance, a shy young man known as "Powder" struggles to fit in. But the cruel taunts stop when Powder displays a mysterious power that allows him to do incredible things. This phenomenon changes the lives of all those around him in ways they never could have imagined.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Crime of Monsieur Lange (1936)
Mild-mannered novelist of Western fiction, Amédée Lange, and his colleagues take over a publishing house after their exploitative boss disappears, only for the superior to return and try to reclaim the profits from their successful cooperative.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator (2019)
The spectacular rise and scandalous fall of hot-yoga evangelist Bikram Choudhury is chronicled through archival footage and extensive insider interviews.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Quiet Earth (1985)
After a top-secret experiment misfires, a scientist may be the only man left alive in the world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNext (2007)
Las Vegas showroom magician Cris Johnson has a secret which torments him: he can see a few minutes into the future. Sick of the examinations he underwent as a child and the interest of the government and medical establishment in his power, he lies low under an assumed name in Vegas, performing cheap tricks and living off small-time gambling "winnings." But when a terrorist group threatens to detonate a nuclear device in Los Angeles, government agent Callie Ferris must use all her wiles to capture Cris and convince him to help her stop the cataclysm.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisZerophilia (2005)
Luke, a young man insecure about his masculinity, discovers he's a Zerophiliac, with the ability to change sex at will. Join Luke as he journeys into the extraordinary world of Zerophilia where so many crazy questions arise, only one question matters: "Whom do you love?"
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisOne Chance (2013)
This film follows the remarkable and inspirational true story of Paul Potts, a shy, bullied shop assistant by day and an amateur opera singer by night.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAngel-A (2005)
A beautiful and mysterious woman helps an inept scam artist get his game together... but is their meeting purely coincidence?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Big Short (2015)
The men who made millions from a global economic meltdown.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWonder Boy (2019)
At age 25, Olivier Rousteing was named the creative director of the French luxury fashion house, Balmain. At the time, Rousteing was a relatively unknown designer, but in the decade since, he’s proven his business prowess and artistic instinct by leading Balmain to new heights. Wonderboy gives the viewer the rare opportunity to experience the inner sanctum of the fashion world, as we stand shoulder-to-shoulder with this extraordinary individual while he works.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEnemy (2014)
A mild-mannered college professor discovers a look-alike actor and delves into the other man's private affairs.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like How Putin Came to Power?
The closest matches to How Putin Came to Power are The Wizard of the Kremlin (2026), The Wizard of Lies (2017) and Being John Malkovich (1999). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after How Putin Came to Power?
Start with The Wizard of the Kremlin (2026), the closest match to How Putin Came to Power.
What is the highest-rated movie like How Putin Came to Power?
Being John Malkovich (1999), rated 7.4/10 by 5,045 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like How Putin Came to Power?
The Wizard of the Kremlin (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there French movies like How Putin Came to Power?
Yes: The Wizard of the Kremlin (2026), The Women and the Murderer (2021) and The Crime of Monsieur Lange (1936).
How are movies similar to How Putin Came to Power chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside How Putin Came to Power, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.