7 Films of Intrigue Like ‘Conclave'

By michael vivar

Another Hollywood award season has come to an end, with Conclave collecting trophies at the BAFTAs, Golden Globes and Oscars.

Conclave is a fictional depiction of the process to select a new pope. The real summit of cardinals does have the elite priests sequester themselves while deliberating.

The project injects personal and political intrigue into the process with a stellar cast that includes Ralph Fiennes and Isabella Rosellini. Check out these films with similar themes.

'Notes on a Scandal' (Hulu)

Dame Judi Dench plays a veteran history teacher who conducts an affair with a young pupil. An investigation ensues but she's also judged in the court of public opinion.

'Tinker Tailor Solder Spy' (Prime Rental)

The film starring Gary Oldman is a John le Carre novel adaptation. It's an intense Cold War tale of rooting out a Soviet double agent embedded in British MI6.

'Knock Down The House' (Netflix)

The documentary follows then-novice candidates, AOC, Amy Vilela, Cori Bush and Paula Swearengin as they run to upset the US House of Representatives establishment.

'12 Angry Men' (Tubi)

A classic ensemble film from 1957 in which increasingly frustrated jurors must decide the fate of an inner-city youth accused of murder.

'Titus' (Apple+)

This is based on the most violent of Shakespeare's plays, Titus Andronicus. Bloody carnage abounds as many parties vie to be emperor of Rome.

'The Insider' (Criterion Channel)

It's the role that broke Russell Crowe into American cinema. He plays a tobacco company chemist who announces he's giving an expose interview. The fallout is harrowing.

'Murder on the Orient Express'

Adapted from the Agatha Christie novel, Hercule Poirot deduces who is a killer among a motley cast of characters journeying on the fabled train route.

Click below for episodic series that drip with duplicitous scheming.

'Cruel Intentions' and Shows Like It