Movies like North by Northwest (1959)

Name: North by Northwest
Released: 1959

10 films to watch after North by Northwest, ranked by how well they match its tone — not just its genre.

Advertising man Roger Thornhill is mistaken for a spy, triggering a deadly cross-country chase.

1

To Catch a Thief (1955)

Fit 75%

Shares Thriller with North by Northwest.

When a string of jewel robberies hits the French Riviera, suspicion falls on retired thief John “The Cat” Robie. To clear his name, he sets out to trap the copycat himself—entangling a wealthy widow and her beguiling daughter in a seductive game of pursuit, deception, and desire.
2

The Lady Vanishes (1938)

Fit 68%

Shares Thriller with North by Northwest.

On a train headed for England a group of travelers is delayed by an avalanche. Holed up in a hotel in a fictional European country, young Iris befriends elderly Miss Froy. When the train resumes, Iris suffers a bout of unconsciousness and wakes to find the old woman has disappeared. The other passengers ominously deny Miss Froy ever existed, so Iris begins to investigate with another traveler and, as the pair sleuth, romantic sparks fly.
3

Vertigo (1958)

Fit 59%

Shares Thriller with North by Northwest.

A retired San Francisco detective suffering from acrophobia investigates the strange activities of an old friend's wife, all the while becoming dangerously obsessed with her.
4

The Courier (2020)

Fit 59%

Shares Thriller with North by Northwest.

Cold War spy Greville Wynne and his Russian source try to put an end to the Cuban Missile Crisis.
5

Inside Man (2006)

Fit 47%

Shares Thriller with North by Northwest.

When an armed, masked gang enter a Manhattan bank, lock the doors and take hostages, the detective assigned to effect their release enters negotiations preoccupied with corruption charges he is facing.
6

JFK (1991)

Fit 42%

Shares Thriller with North by Northwest.

Follows the investigation into the assassination of President John F. Kennedy led by New Orleans district attorney Jim Garrison.
7

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015)

Fit 40%

Shares Adventure with North by Northwest.

At the height of the Cold War, a mysterious criminal organization plans to use nuclear weapons and technology to upset the fragile balance of power between the United States and Soviet Union. CIA agent Napoleon Solo and KGB agent Illya Kuryakin are forced to put aside their hostilities and work together to stop the evildoers in their tracks. The duo's only lead is the daughter of a missing German scientist, whom they must find soon to prevent a global catastrophe.
8

Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

Fit 39%

Shares Adventure with North by Northwest.

During World War I, English officer Thomas Edward 'T.E.' Lawrence sets out to unite and lead the diverse, often warring, Arab tribes to fight the Turks.
9

Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)

Fit 37%

Shares Thriller with North by Northwest.

The Bride unwaveringly continues on her roaring rampage of revenge against the band of assassins who had tried to kill her and her unborn child. She visits each of her former associates one-by-one, checking off the victims on her Death List Five until there's nothing left to do … but kill Bill.
10

Klute (1971)

Fit 36%

Shares Thriller with North by Northwest.

A high-priced call girl is forced to depend on a reluctant private eye when she is stalked by a psychopath.