Movies like Sword in the Shadows (1961)
The best movies like Sword in the Shadows (1961) are Salvatore Giuliano (1962), Soldier of Fortune (1976) and The Best of Youth (2003). If Sword in the Shadows hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Best of Youth (2003)8.0/10 from 625 votes
- NewestDiamonds (2024)Released 2024
- In ItalianSalvatore Giuliano (1962)Also in Italian
Salvatore Giuliano (1962)
Sicilian bandit Salvatore Giuliano's bullet-riddled corpse is found facedown in a courtyard in Castelvetrano, a handgun and rifle by his side. Local and international press descend upon the scene, hoping to crack open the true story behind the death of this young man, who, at the age of twenty-seven, had already become Italy’s most wanted criminal and celebrated hero.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSoldier of Fortune (1976)
Medieval soldier of fortune Ettore is traveling through Europe with his partners looking for a fight where they can earn some money. When they come across a Spanish castle under siege by the French army, Ettore bides his time to determine which side is the winning one. This is at first the French, but the treatment he receives from them is unpleasant enough to make him change his mind and turn to the Spanish side. Somehow, Ettore must rally the weakened Spanish troops to battle their enemy long enough for reinforcements to arrive.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Best of Youth (2003)
After a fateful encounter in the summer of 1966, the lifepaths of two brothers from a middle-class Roman family diverge, intersecting with some of the most significant events of postwar Italian history in the following decades.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisLadyhawke (1985)
Captain Etienne Navarre is a man on whose shoulders lies a cruel curse. Punished for loving each other, Navarre must become a wolf by night whilst his lover, Lady Isabeau, takes the form of a hawk by day. Together, with the thief Philippe Gaston, they must try to overthrow the corrupt Bishop and in doing so break the spell.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisScaramouche (1952)
In 18th-century France, a young man masquerades as an actor to avenge his friend's murder.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFedora (1978)
Down-on-his-luck Hollywood producer Barry 'Dutch' Detweiler attempts to lure Fedora, a famous but reclusive film actress, out of retirement, only to discover the horrifying truth behind her success.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Last Four Days (1974)
In 1945, the dictator of fascist Italy and Hitler's close ally Benito Mussolini faces defeat. In a desperate attempt to avoid capture, he tries to flee the country with his lover Claretta Petacci, but Italian partisans are on their tail.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisQuo Vadis (1951)
After fierce Roman commander Marcus Vinicius becomes infatuated with beautiful Christian hostage Lygia, he begins to question the tyrannical leadership of the despotic emperor Nero.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Skin (1981)
Based on the memoirs of author Curzio Malaparte, diplomatic liaison between the Allied and Italian forces after the defeat of the Nazis in Italy, The Skin follows the collapse of Italian society under the US occupation and the desperate measures required for survival.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDiamonds (2024)
In 1970s Rome, a filmmaker gathers actresses for a new project, which triggers memories of his past working in a Roman costume shop, run by Alberta and Gabriella, navigating personal and professional challenges while creating costumes for a major film.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe River (1984)
Tom and Mae Garvey are a Tennessee farming couple battling violent floods to save their land. In addition to natural disasters, the Garveys fight to stop a selfish land developer and a local corporation from foreclosing on their farm. While Mae stays at home to care for their children and tend to the crops, Tom finds work as a scab at a steel mill to preserve his family's property.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Outfit (1973)
A two-bit criminal takes on the Mafia to avenge his brother's death. Earl Macklin is a small time criminal who is released from prison after an unsuccessful bank robbery only to discover that a pair of gunmen killed his brother.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDevotion (2022)
The harrowing true story of two elite US Navy fighter pilots during the Korean War. Their heroic sacrifices would ultimately make them the Navy's most celebrated wingmen.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEl Alamein: The Line of Fire (2002)
War seen through the eyes of Serra, a university student from Palermo who volunteers in 1942 to fight in Africa. He is assigned to the Pavia Division on the southern line in Egypt. Rommel and the Axis forces are bogged down; it's October, the British prepare an offensive. At first, boredom, heat, hunger, and thirst bedevil the Italians; then the Brits attack, and there's no luck or heroism in death. Finally, it's retreat in confusion. Serra, his sergeant Rizzo, and his lieutenant Fiori take a last walk toward home. It's said that each soldier gets three miracles; when Serra's are used up, what then?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDark Command (1940)
When transplanted Texan Bob Seton arrives in Lawrence, Kansas he finds much to like about the place, especially Mary McCloud, daughter of the local banker. Politics is in the air however. It's just prior to the civil war and there is already a sharp division in the Territory as to whether it will remain slave-free. When he gets the opportunity to run for marshal, Seton finds himself running against the respected local schoolteacher, William Cantrell. Not is what it seems however. While acting as the upstanding citizen in public, Cantrell is dangerously ambitious and is prepared to do anything to make his mark, and his fortune, on the Territory. When he loses the race for marshal, he forms a group of raiders who run guns into the territory and rob and terrorize settlers throughout the territory. Eventually donning Confederate uniforms, it is left to Seton and the good citizens of Lawrence to face Cantrell and his raiders in one final clash.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Wind and the Lion (1975)
At the beginning of the 20th century an American woman is abducted in Morocco by Berbers, and the attempts to free her range from diplomatic pressure to military intervention.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Children's Train (2024)
In late 1940s Italy, a mother makes the difficult decision to send her son to the north, where he catches glimpses of a new life away from poverty.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDecision at Sundown (1957)
A man and his partner arrive at a small Western town to kill its most powerful man because the former blames him for his wife's death.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhite Nights (1957)
A middle-aged man meets a young woman who is waiting on a canal bridge for her lover's return.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Man in the Iron Mask (1998)
Years have passed since the Three Musketeers, Aramis, Athos and Porthos, have fought together with their friend, D'Artagnan. But with the tyrannical King Louis using his power to wreak havoc in the kingdom while his twin brother, Philippe, remains imprisoned, the Musketeers reunite to abduct Louis and replace him with Philippe.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Sword in the Shadows?
The closest matches to Sword in the Shadows are Salvatore Giuliano (1962), Soldier of Fortune (1976) and The Best of Youth (2003). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Sword in the Shadows?
Start with Salvatore Giuliano (1962), the closest match to Sword in the Shadows.
What is the highest-rated movie like Sword in the Shadows?
The Best of Youth (2003), rated 8.0/10 by 625 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Sword in the Shadows?
Diamonds (2024) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Italian movies like Sword in the Shadows?
Yes: Salvatore Giuliano (1962), Soldier of Fortune (1976) and The Best of Youth (2003).
How are movies similar to Sword in the Shadows chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Sword in the Shadows, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.