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Movies like The Extremist (1984)

The best movies like The Extremist (1984) are The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (2017), The Rosa Parks Story (2002) and The Miniaturist (2017). If The Extremist hooked you with its drama and history, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.

Quick picks

  1. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (2017)

    An African-American woman becomes an unwitting pioneer for medical breakthroughs when her cells are used to create the first immortal human cell line in the early 1950s.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & history

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  2. The Rosa Parks Story (2002)

    A seamstress recalls events leading to her act of peaceful defiance that prompted the 1955 bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & history

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  3. The Miniaturist (2017)

    A woman moves to live with her new husband in 17th century Amsterdam, but soon discovers that not everything is what it seems.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history & drama

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  4. All the Way (2016)

    Lyndon B. Johnson's amazing 11-month journey from taking office after JFK's assassination, through the fight to pass the 1964 Civil Rights Act and his own presidential campaign, culminating on the night LBJ is actually elected to the office – no longer the 'accidental President.'

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & history

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  5. Confirmation (2016)

    Judge Clarence Thomas' nomination to the United States' Supreme Court is called into question when former colleague, Anita Hill, testifies that he had sexually harassed her.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & history

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  6. Against the Wall (1994)

    In 1971, a warden at Attica Penitentiary is caught up in a hostage crisis when inmates take over the prison to demand better living conditions.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & history

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  7. Rebound: The Legend of Earl 'The Goat' Manigault (1996)

    A dramatization of the life of Earl 'The Goat' Manigault (Don Cheadle), with a lot of factual based occurrences. A reformed junkie returns from prison to clean up his act and devote the rest of his life to the young kids of Harlem. 1996 was the 25th anniversary of the first tournament named after him.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  8. Girl in the Box (2016)

    The true story of 20-year-old Colleen Stan, a hitchhiking woman abducted by a young couple and held captive for seven years, during which time she's tortured and forced to live as a slave to her captors.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  9. Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding (2003)

    Mitch Buchannon, believed to have died in a boating accident survived and only has amnesia, he has been recovering in a Los Angeles hospital. His new fiancée, Allison Ford, resembles his old lover, Lt. Stephanie Holden who died years ago.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  10. I Am Elizabeth Smart (2017)

    The story of Elizabeth Smart's kidnapping and captivity, as told from her perspective.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  11. Iron Jawed Angels (2004)

    Defiant young activists take the women's suffrage movement by storm, putting their lives at risk to help American women win the right to vote.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  12. Hello Sister, Goodbye Life (2006)

    A college student must take care of her 7-year-old half sister after the death of their parents.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  13. Field of Lost Shoes (2015)

    A group of teenage cadets sheltered from war at the Virginia Military Institute must confront the horrors of an adult world when they are called upon to defend the Shenandoah Valley.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & history

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  14. Introducing Dorothy Dandridge (1999)

    An acclaimed stage performer, Dorothy still struggled with the challenge of her color, in a time that wouldn't let some stars in by the front door. Yet against the odds she beat out many more famous rivals for the role of "Carmen Jones", becoming the first black woman ever nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award. Marriages and affairs would break her heart, but her heart was strong. Seductive and easily seduced, she was born to be a star - with all the glory and all the pain of being loved, abused, cheated, glorified, undermined and undefeated. Here was a woman who wouldn't wait in the wings. Halle Berry stars as Dorothy Dandrige.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  15. ...First Do No Harm (1997)

    When Lori Reimuller learns that her young son Robbie has epilepsy, she first trusts the judgment of the hospital staff in how best to bring it under control. As Robbie's health slides radically downhill, however, she becomes frustrated and desperate, and so does her own research into the existing literature on treatments. When she decides to try an alternative treatment called the Ketogenic Diet, devised long ago by a doctor from Johns Hopkins, she is met with narrow-minded resistance from Robbie's doctor, who is prepared to take legal action to prevent Lori from removing him from the hospital.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  16. TalhotBlond (2012)

    Thomas Montgomery, a married father of two young daughters, gets seduced by the world of online gambling and chat rooms where a virtual romance and sexual obsession ultimately leads to the murder of an innocent man.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  17. Mansfield Park (2007)

    Fanny Price is sent to live with her wealthy relatives, the Bertrams, where she is treated poorly by most except her cousin Edmund. Her life is complicated by the arrival of the worldly Mary and Henry Crawford

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  18. Outlaws - For Greater Glory (2012)

    A chronicle of the Cristeros War (1926-1929), which was touched off by a rebellion against the Mexican government's attempt to secularize the country.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history & drama

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  19. The Perfect Cheerleader (2019)

    When college freshman Cassie earns a spot on the cheerleading squad, she is overjoyed about the new friendships, status, and access to social events that come along with being on the team. When she meets Terry, the charismatic President of the Alumni Association, at an event, Cassie finds herself falling for this older man despite their age difference. Terry even helps her out by paying part of her tuition when she falls on hard times. But all is not as it seems.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  20. Prizefighter: The Life of Jem Belcher (2022)

    At the turn of the 19th century, Pugilism was the sport of kings and a gifted young boxer fought his way to becoming champion of England.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history & drama

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Like The Extremist and something else?

Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best movies like The Extremist?

The closest matches to The Extremist are The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (2017), The Rosa Parks Story (2002) and The Miniaturist (2017). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.

What should I watch after The Extremist?

Start with The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (2017), the closest match to The Extremist.

What is the highest-rated movie like The Extremist?

All the Way (2016), rated 6.7/10 by 331 TMDB users.

What is the newest movie like The Extremist?

Prizefighter: The Life of Jem Belcher (2022) is the most recent release on this list.

Are there English movies like The Extremist?

Yes: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (2017), The Rosa Parks Story (2002) and The Miniaturist (2017).

How are movies similar to The Extremist chosen?

First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Extremist, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.

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