Cold War Movies

List of the best movies about the Cold War, the confrontation between the superpowers of the USSR and the USA: The Lives of Others, Deutschland, Anna, West, The Man Who Saved the World, Cold War, The Courier, Pawn Sacrifice, A Beautiful Mind, Topaz.

In the top there are new films of 2022, a plot description and trailers for films that have already been released.

Genre
Country
Markimdb: 8.4
Genrethriller, drama, detective
CountryGermany, France
Duration02:17
CharactersSpy, Actors
PlotPolitical, Blackmail
PlaceGermany
TimeCold War
StyleAction, Soulful, Gloomy, Depressive

A tragic love story set in East Berlin with the backdrop of an undercover Stasi controlled culture. Stasi captain Wieler is ordered to follow author Dreyman and plunges deeper and deeper into his life until he reaches the threshold of doubting the system.

Markimdb: 8.1
Genreaction, thriller, drama
CountryGermany
Duration00:51
CharactersSpy, Military
PlotRivalry
PlaceGermany
TimeCold War
StyleExciting, Action, Fascinating, Tense, Serious

A gripping coming-of-age story set against the real culture wars and political events of Germany in the 1980s. The drama follows Martin Rauch as the 24 year-old East Germany native is pulled from the world as he knows it and sent to the West as an undercover spy for the Stasi foreign service. Hiding in plain sight in the West German army, he must gather the secrets of NATO military strategy. Everything is new, nothing is quite what it seems and everyone he encounters is harboring secrets, both political and personal.

Markimdb: 6.6
Genreaction, thriller
CountryFrance, USA, Canada, Russia
Duration02:05
CharactersLesbians, CIA, Spy, Scouts, Hired assassins
PlotKGB, Snow
TimeCold War, Dark ones
StyleUnexpected ending, Fascinating, Tense, Serious, Disturbing

Beneath Anna Poliatova's striking beauty lies a secret that will unleash her indelible strength and skill to become one of the world's most feared government assassins.

Markimdb: 6.5
Genredrama
CountryGermany
Duration01:42
CharactersCIA, Blonde girls, Single mothers
PlotFriendship, Love triangle, Border, Snow, Freedom
PlaceGermany
TimeNew Year, Cold War
StyleBy books, Fascinating, Gloomy, Touching, Serious

East Germany. Summer, late 70's. Three years after her boyfriend Wassilij's apparent death, Nelly Senff decides to escape from behind the Berlin wall with her son Alexej, leaving her traumatic memories and past behind. Pretending to marry a West German, she crosses the border to start a new life in the West. But soon her past starts to haunt her as the Allied Secret Service begin to question Wassilij's mysterious disappearance. Is he still alive? Was he a spy? Plagued by her past and fraught with paranoia, Nelly is forced to choose between discovering the truth about her former lover and her hopes for a better tomorrow.

Markimdb: 7.6
Genredrama, documentary, biography, history
CountryDenmark, Latvia, Russia, USA

The Man Who Saved the World is feature documentary film about Stanislav Petrov, a former lieutenant colonel of the Soviet Air Defence Forces.

Markimdb: 7.6
Genremelodrama, drama, music, history
CountryPoland, United Kingdom, France, Belgium
Duration02:02
CharactersMusicians, Poets, Pianists
PlotLove, Dancing
PlacePrison, Trains, Paris, Yugoslavia, Berlin
TimeCold War
StyleRomantic, Sad ones

A man and a woman meet in the ruins of post-war Poland. With vastly different backgrounds and temperaments, they are fatally mismatched and yet drawn to each other.

Markimdb: 7.1
Genrethriller, drama, military, history
CountryUnited Kingdom, USA
CharactersCIA, Spy, Scouts, Special agents
PlotWar, On real events, KGB, Ballet, Mystery
PlacePrison, Russia
TimeCold War
StyleAction, Fascinating

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

Markimdb: 7
Genrethriller, drama, biography, sport
CountryUSA
Duration01:55
CharactersGeniuses
PlotOn real events, Chess, Obsession, Mental disorders, Political
PlaceIslands, Russia
TimeCold War
StylePsychological problems, Inspirational, Fascinating, Serious

American chess champion Bobby Fischer prepares for a legendary match-up against Russian Boris Spassky.

Markimdb: 8.2
Genremelodrama, drama, biography
CountryUSA
Duration02:15
CharactersSpy, Geniuses, Mathematicians, Scientists, Terminally ill
PlotLove, On real events, Puzzles, Obsession, Mental disorders
PlaceUSA
StyleInteresting, Psychological problems, Mind-altering, Twisted plot, Inspirational

At Princeton University, John Nash struggles to make a worthwhile contribution to serve as his legacy to the world of mathematics. He finally makes a revolutionary breakthrough that will eventually earn him the Nobel Prize. After graduate school he turns to teaching, becoming romantically involved with his student Alicia. Meanwhile the government asks his help with breaking Soviet codes, which soon gets him involved in a terrifying conspiracy plot. Nash grows more and more paranoid until a discovery that turns his entire world upside down. Now it is only with Alicia's help that he will be able to recover his mental strength and regain his status as the great mathematician we know him as today..

Markimdb: 6.2
Genrethriller, drama
CountryUSA
Duration02:23
CharactersCIA, Spy
PlotPolitical, KGB, Uprising
PlaceRussia, Paris, France, New York
TimeCold War
StyleAction, Heavy, Tense, Serious, Disturbing

A French intelligence agent becomes embroiled in the Cold War politics first with uncovering the events leading up to the 1962 Cuban Missle Crisis, and then back to France to break up an international Russian spy ring.

Markimdb: 6.7
Genreaction, thriller
CountryUSA, Germany, Sweden, Hungary
Duration02:32
CharactersDogs, Lesbians, CIA, Spy, Scouts
PlotOn real events, Survival, Passion, Fight, Seduction
PlaceRussia, USSR, Caucasus, Germany, Berlin
Time19th century, Cold War
StyleUnexpected ending, Exciting, Atmospheric, Tense, Good music

An undercover MI6 agent is sent to Berlin during the Cold War to investigate the murder of a fellow agent and recover a missing list of double agents.

Markimdb: 7.2
Genrethriller
CountryUnited Kingdom
Duration01:49
CharactersSpy, Heroes
PlotInvestigation, Political, Betrayal, Rivalry
PlaceEngland, London
TimeCold War
StyleExciting, Action, Atmospheric, Fascinating, Smart

Sly and dry intelligence agent, Harry Palmer is tasked with investigating British Intelligence security, and is soon enmeshed in a world of double-dealing, kidnap and murder when he finds a traitor operating at the heart of the secret service.

Markimdb: 8.2
Genrethriller, drama, detective
CountryUSA
Duration02:18
CharactersPsychopath, Doctors
PlotPuzzles, The escape, Investigation, Split personality, Chase
PlaceSea, Islands, Psychiatric hospitals, Hospitals, USA
StylePopular, Unexpected ending, Psychological problems, Twisted plot, Smart

World War II soldier-turned-U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels investigates the disappearance of a patient from a hospital for the criminally insane, but his efforts are compromised by his troubling visions and also by a mysterious doctor.

Markimdb: 8.5
Genredocumentary, military, history
CountryUSA
CharactersPresidential
PlotPolitical, Freedom
PlaceUSA, Wall Street
TimeCold War
StyleFascinating, Smart, Makes me think, Serious

Oliver Stone documentary charted the post-WW2 history of the United States.

Markimdb: 8.3
Genrefantastic, adventure
CountryUnited Kingdom, USA
Duration02:29
CharactersScientists, Investigators, Astronauts
PlotAdventure, Artificial Intelligence, Technology
PlaceSpace, Spaceships, Moon
TimeFuture
StylePhilosophical, Atmospheric, Fascinating, Psychedelic, Epic

Humanity finds a mysterious object buried beneath the lunar surface and sets off to find its origins with the help of HAL 9000, the world's most advanced super computer.

Markimdb: 7.7
Genrefantastic, action, adventure
CountryUSA, United Kingdom
Duration02:06
CharactersSuperhero, CIA, Mutant, Scientists, Tough guys
PlotAdventure, Revenge, Superpowers, Supernatural, Telekinesis
PlaceSchool
TimeCold War
StyleMarvel, Exciting, Serious

Before Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr took the names Professor X and Magneto, they were two young men discovering their powers for the first time. Before they were arch-enemies, they were closest of friends, working together with other mutants (some familiar, some new), to stop the greatest threat the world has ever known.

Markimdb: 6.6
Genredrama, biography
CountryUnited Kingdom, France, Serbia
Duration02:24
PlotOn real events, Dancing, Friendship, Ballet, Political
TimeCold War

The story of Rudolf Nureyev, whose escape to the West stunned the world at the height of the Cold War. With his magnetic presence, Nureyev emerged as ballet’s most famous star, a wild and beautiful dancer limited by the world of 1950s Leningrad. His flirtation with Western artists and ideas led him into a high-stakes game of cat and mouse with the KGB.

Markimdb: 7.4
Genredrama, detective, biography
CountryUnited Kingdom, USA
Duration00:40
CharactersSpy, Family, Widows
PlotOn real events, Relationship, Investigation, Friendship
PlaceIndia, London
TimeWorld War II, Cold War
StylePsychological problems, Action, By books, Fascinating, Serious

After the sudden death of ex-Secret Intelligence Service man Alexander, his wife Alison investigates when mysteries from her husband's past come knocking.

Markimdb: 7.1
Genrethriller, drama, detective
CountryUnited Kingdom, France, Germany
Duration02:07
CharactersSpy, Scouts, Special agents
PlotInvestigation, Loneliness, KGB, Conspiracies
PlaceEngland
TimeCold War
StyleAction, Twisted plot, By books, Atmospheric, Smart

In the bleak days of the Cold War, espionage veteran George Smiley is forced from semi-retirement to uncover a Soviet mole within his former colleagues at the heart of MI6.

Markimdb: 7.4
Genredocumentary, biography, history, sport
CountryUSA, United Kingdom
Duration01:33
CharactersChild Prodigies, Celebrities
PlotOn real events, Chess, Obsession, Competitions, Rivalry
PlaceUSA
TimeCold War
StyleSoulful, Fascinating, Serious

The first documentary feature to explore the tragic and bizarre life of the late chess master Bobby Fischer.

Markimdb: 7.8
Genredrama, family, biography
CountryUSA
Duration01:48
CharactersTeens, Teachers
PlotOn real events, Friendship
PlaceSmall cities
TimeCold War
StyleExciting, To cry, Inspirational, Touching, Serious

Based on the true story of Homer Hickam, a coal miner's son who was inspired by the first Sputnik launch to take up rocketry against his father's wishes, and eventually became a NASA scientist.

Markimdb: 8.2
Genredrama, military
CountryUSA
Duration03:06
CharactersLifeguards, Lawyers, Judge, Widows, Refugees
PlotWar, On real events, Political, Justice
PlaceCourt, Yugoslavia, Germany
TimeWorld War II, Summer, Cold War
StyleSoulful, Disturbing

In 1947, four German judges who served on the bench during the Nazi regime face a military tribunal to answer charges of crimes against humanity. Chief Justice Haywood hears evidence and testimony not only from lead defendant Ernst Janning and his defense attorney Hans Rolfe, but also from the widow of a Nazi general, an idealistic U.S. Army captain and reluctant witness Irene Wallner.

Markimdb: 7
Genrecomedy, drama, biography, history
CountryUSA, Germany
Duration01:42
CharactersCIA, Special agents, Millionaires, Womanizers
PlotOn real events, Friendship, Political, Cheating
PlaceAfghanistan, Party, Texas, Helicopters
TimeCold War
StyleSmart, Makes me think

The true story of Texas congressman Charlie Wilson's covert dealings in Afghanistan, where his efforts to assist rebels in their war with the Soviets had some unforeseen and long-reaching effects.

Markimdb: 6.7
Genrethriller, drama, military, history
CountryUnited Kingdom, Germany, Canada, USA
Duration02:18
CharactersHeroes, Submariners
PlotOn real events, Shipwreck
PlaceSubmarines, Sea, Ocean, USSR
TimeCold War
StyleAction, Twisted plot, Heavy, Patriotic, Serious

When Russia's first nuclear submarine malfunctions on its maiden voyage, the crew must race to save the ship and prevent a nuclear disaster.

Markimdb: 7.3
Genrethriller, adventure, biography, history
CountryRussia
Duration02:25
CharactersAstronauts, Scientists, Military, Astronauts, Pilots
PlotOn real events
PlaceSpace, Spaceships, Russia, USSR, Moscow
TimeCold War
StyleInspirational, Patriotic, Tense

March 1965. In the heat of the Cold War, the USA and the USSR are competing for supremacy in space. What both superpowers aim for in this race, is to be the first to have a man walk in outer space. To accomplish that, no price is too high and no risk is too great. Now it’s up to the unlikely duo of a seasoned war veteran and a hot-headed test-pilot to fulfill this mission. Two men in a tiny spaceship, without proper testing, facing the complete unknown… They were supposed to do what no man has done before – and no man imagined what would happen next…

Markimdb: 7.6
Genrethriller, drama, history
CountryUSA, Germany, India
Duration02:39
CharactersCIA, Spy, Scouts, Lawyers, Judge
PlotOn real events, Political, Justice
PlaceUSSR, USA
TimeCold War
StyleTense, Serious, Disturbing

During the Cold War, the Soviet Union captures U.S. pilot Francis Gary Powers after shooting down his U-2 spy plane. Sentenced to 10 years in prison, Powers' only hope is New York lawyer James Donovan, recruited by a CIA operative to negotiate his release. Donovan boards a plane to Berlin, hoping to win the young man's freedom through a prisoner exchange. If all goes well, the Russians would get Rudolf Abel, the convicted spy who Donovan defended in court.

Markimdb: 7.3
Genreaction, comedy, adventure
CountryUSA, United Kingdom
Duration02:25
CharactersCIA, Spy, Scouts, Heroes, Special agents
PlotSkirmishes, Cars, Chase, Saving the World
PlaceItaly
TimeCold War
StyleExciting, Beautiful, Disturbing

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.

Markimdb: 8.4
Genrefantastic, thriller, comedy
CountryUnited Kingdom, USA
Duration01:35
CharactersMilitary, Presidential, Pilots
PlotApocalypse, End of the world
TimeCold War
StyleSmart, Fancy, Black and White

After the insane General Jack D. Ripper initiates a nuclear strike on the Soviet Union, a war room full of politicians, generals and a Russian diplomat all frantically try to stop the nuclear strike.

Markimdb: 6.4
Genreaction, thriller, crime, detective
CountryUSA
Duration01:40
CharactersCIA, Spy, Scouts, Police
PlotRevenge, KGB, Betrayal, Chase, Justice
PlacePrison, The White House, USA
TimeCold War
StyleUnexpected ending, Exciting, Twisted plot, Tense, Serious

As a CIA officer, Evelyn Salt swore an oath to duty, honor and country. Her loyalty will be tested when a defector accuses her of being a Russian spy. Salt goes on the run, using all her skills and years of experience as a covert operative to elude capture. Salt's efforts to prove her innocence only serve to cast doubt on her motives, as the hunt to uncover the truth behind her identity continues and the question remains: "Who is Salt?"

Markimdb: 6.3
Genredrama
CountryUnited Kingdom, Denmark, Canada, Croatia
Duration01:30
CharactersTeens, Childrens, Writers, Friends, Poets
PlotFriendship, Uprising, Female friendship
PlaceEngland, London
TimeCold War
StyleSoulful, Serious

A look at the lives of two teenage girls - inseparable friends Ginger and Rosa -- growing up in 1960s London as the Cuban Missile Crisis looms, and the pivotal event the comes to redefine their relationship.





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