Movies like The Hands That Held the Knives
The best movies like The Hands That Held the Knives are The Mystery of D.B. Cooper (2020), The Accountant of Auschwitz (2018) and Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple (2006). If The Hands That Held the Knives hooked you with its documentary and history, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
The Hands That Held the Knives
Quick picks
- Highest ratedO.J.: Made in America (2016)8.4/10 from 271 votes
- NewestCover-Up (2025)Released 2025
The Mystery of D.B. Cooper (2020)
This documentary brings to life the stories of four people believed by their family and friends to be “DB Cooper,” a man who hijacked a 727 flying out of Seattle and jumped from the plane over the wilds of Washington State with a parachute and $200,000, never to be heard from again.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Accountant of Auschwitz (2018)
Oskar Gröning, known as the "Accountant of Auschwitz," was charged with the murder of 300,000 Jews. When he took the stand in 2015, at the age of 94, his trial made headlines worldwide.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple (2006)
Featuring never-before-seen footage, this documentary delivers a startling new look at the Peoples Temple, headed by preacher Jim Jones who, in 1978, led more than 900 members to Guyana, where he orchestrated a mass suicide via tainted punch.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisH.H. Holmes: America's First Serial Killer (2004)
Torture chambers, acid vats, greased chutes and gassing rooms were just some of the devices of death designed by the Torture Doctor, H.H. Holmes in his castle of horrors. Follows Holmes' entire life as a criminal mastermind.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTitanic: 20 Years Later with James Cameron (2017)
For the 20th anniversary of "Titanic," James Cameron reopens the file on the disaster.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden (2014)
Darwin meets Hitchcock in this documentary. Directors Dan Geller and Dayna Goldfine have created a parable about the search for paradise, set in the brutal yet alluring landscape of the Galapagos Islands, which interweaves an unsolved 1930s murder mystery with stories of present day Galapagos pioneers. A gripping tale of idealistic dreams gone awry, featuring voice-over performances by Cate Blanchett, Diane Kruger, and Gustaf Skarsgard.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisO.J.: Made in America (2016)
A chronicle of the rise and fall of O.J. Simpson, whose high-profile murder trial exposed the extent of American racial tensions, revealing a fractured and divided nation.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & history
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe War Room (1993)
A behind-the-scenes documentary about the Clinton for President campaign, focusing on the adventures of spin doctors James Carville and George Stephanopoulos.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCover-Up (2025)
He's devoted his career to uncovering stories the powerful want buried. From My Lai to Abu Ghraib, dig into the life's work of journalist Seymour Hersh.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Untold History Of The United States (2012)
Oliver Stone charts the history of the United States from the Second World War to the present.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & history
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Rise and Rise of Bitcoin (2014)
A documentary about the development and spread of the virtual currency called Bitcoin.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & history
Worth the HypeMovies like this9/11: Inside the President's War Room (2021)
Experience the events of September 11, 2001 through the eyes of President Bush and his closest advisors as they personally detail the crucial hours and key decisions from that historic day.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRonaldo (2015)
Filmed over 14 months with unprecedented access into the inner circle of the man and the sport, this is the first official and fully authorised film of one of the most celebrated figures in football. For the first time ever, the world gets vividly candid and un-paralleled, behind-closed-doors access to the footballer, father, family-man and friend in this moving & fascinating documentary. Through in-depth conversations, state of the art football footage and never before seen archival footage, the film gives an astonishing insight into the sporting and personal life of triple Ballon D'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo at the peak of his career. From the makers of ‘Senna’ and ‘Amy’, Ronaldo takes audiences on an intimate and revealing journey of what it’s like to live as an iconic athlete in the eye of the storm.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Green Book: Guide to Freedom (2019)
In 1936, Victor H. Green (1892-1960) published The Negro Motorist Green Book, a book that was both a travel guide and a survival manual, to help African-Americans navigate safe those regions of the United States where segregation and Jim Crow laws were disgracefully applied.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Unknown Known (2013)
Former United States Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld discusses his career in Washington D.C. from his days as a congressman in the early 1960s to planning the invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe War on Democracy (2007)
Set both in Latin America and the United States, the film explores the historic and current relationship of Washington with countries such as Venezuela, Bolivia and Chile. Pilger says that the film "...tells a universal story... analysing and revealing, through vivid testimony, the story of great power behind its venerable myths. It allows us to understand the true nature of the so-called "war on terror". According to Pilger, the film’s message is that the greed and power of empire is not invincible and that people power is always the "seed beneath the snow".
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history & documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisVisions of Light (1992)
Cameramen and women discuss the craft and art of cinematography and of the "DP" (the director of photography), illustrating their points with clips from 100 films, from Birth of a Nation to Do the Right Thing. Themes: the DP tells people where to look; changes in movies (the arrival of sound, color, and wide screens) required creative responses from DPs; and, these artisans constantly invent new equipment and try new things, with wonderful results. The narration takes us through the identifiable studio styles of the 30s, the emergence of noir, the New York look, and the impact of Europeans. Citizen Kane, The Conformist, and Gordon Willis get special attention.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisJFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass (2021)
Thirty years after the release of his film JFK (1991), filmmaker Oliver Stone reviews recently declassified evidence related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, which took place in Dallas on November 22, 1963.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAudrey (2020)
An unprecedented and intimate look at the life, work and enduring legacy of British actress Audrey Hepburn (1929-1993).
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMaking Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound (2019)
The history of cinematic sound, told by legendary sound designers and visionary filmmakers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Tall Target (1951)
A detective tries to prevent the assassination of President-elect Abraham Lincoln during a train ride headed for Washington in 1861.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAndrew Jackson: Good, Evil & The Presidency (2007)
A fascinating account of the presidency of Andrew Jackson, who was both one of America's great presidents and a borderline tyrant. The seventh president shook up the glossy world of Washington, DC with his "common-man" methods and ideals, but also oversaw one of the most controversial events in American history: the forced removal of Indian tribes, including the Cherokees, from their homes.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both history & documentary
Kuttrapathirikai (2007)
Ramakrishnan and Arun both are ACP’s and colleagues, Ramakrishnan fall in love with Divya, and Arun loves Geetha, these two couples get married, but due to some misunderstanding between Arun & Geetha makes them depart, in the flash back. Mean time the Rajiv Gandhi assassination was carried out by Sivarasan & co and they get hide in Bangalore. As a special officer Karthikeyan is taking in charge to find the odd peoples. With the help of two ACP’s Ramakrishnan & Arun, Karthikeyan tracking the network in Tamil Nadu, at last they able to find the Sivarasan gang hiding in Bangalore, in a successful operation Ramakrishnan tries to capture the Sivarasn allies, but unfortunately Ramakrishnan able to capture only the dead bodies of the terrorist organization. What transpires later forms the crux of the story. Based on True Events (Rajiv Gandhi's Assassination).
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both history & thriller
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)
After years of war, the Federation and the Klingon empire find themselves on the brink of a peace summit when a Klingon ship is nearly destroyed by an apparent attack from the Enterprise. Both worlds brace for what may be their deadliest encounter.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisZ (1969)
A prominent politician is murdered during a demonstration. The government and army are trying to suppress the truth, but a tenacious magistrate is determined not to let them get away with it.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSniper (1993)
Tough guy Thomas Beckett is a US Marine working in the Panamanian jungle. His job is to seek out rebels and remove them using his sniper skills. Beckett is notorious for losing his partners on such missions. This time he's accompanied by crack marksman Richard Miller.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGood Morning, Night (2003)
The 1978 kidnapping and murder of Aldo Moro, president of the most important political party in Italy at the time, Democrazia Cristiana, as seen from the perspective of one of his assailants -- a conflicted young woman in the ranks of the Red Brigade.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Domino Principle (1977)
Roy Tucker, a Vietnam war veteran with excellent shooting skills, is serving a long prison sentence when a mysterious visitor promises him that he will be released if he agrees to carry out a dangerous assignment.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Times of Harvey Milk (1984)
Harvey Milk was an outspoken human rights activist and one of the first openly gay U.S. politicians elected to public office; even after his assassination in 1978, he continues to inspire disenfranchised people around the world.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPearlescent Fog (2025)
In 1882, when Jelena Ilka Marković – the widow of Jevrem Marković, accused of participating in the Topolska Rebellion and summarily executed – attempted to assassinate King Milan Obrenović and thus avenge her husband. She was arrested, and a few months later she was found dead in her prison cell.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both history
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Hands That Held the Knives?
The closest matches to The Hands That Held the Knives are The Mystery of D.B. Cooper (2020), The Accountant of Auschwitz (2018) and Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple (2006). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Hands That Held the Knives?
Start with The Mystery of D.B. Cooper (2020), the closest match to The Hands That Held the Knives.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Hands That Held the Knives?
O.J.: Made in America (2016), rated 8.4/10 by 271 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Hands That Held the Knives?
Cover-Up (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Hands That Held the Knives?
Yes: The Mystery of D.B. Cooper (2020), The Accountant of Auschwitz (2018) and Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple (2006).
How are movies similar to The Hands That Held the Knives chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Hands That Held the Knives, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.