MesmeroWatch list, 0 saved

Movie
Poster for A Game Without Rules

A Game Without Rules

1967 · 89 min

A sober, methodical crime procedural that follows a determined investigator into quiet obsession, with a cool, slightly melancholic tone.

Directed by
Jindřich Polák
Genres
Crime
Starring
Svatopluk Matyáš, Jiří Adamíra, Zdeněk Kryzánek
Overview
A robbery in a Prague jeweler's shop results in the shop manager Kubát and his deputy Litera being shot and wounded. The culprits take the jewelery away in a stolen car and that very night hide the loot tens of kilometers outside Prague in a forest. Then the three robbers part with each other. One of them, Burian, leaves in the same car, the other two, Duda and Hovorka, take to flight in another car, which soon ends up in a car crash. Hovorka dies in the accident, but Duda survives and hides in an abandoned cottage. Burian is arrested, Duda is traced out by a police dog. Duda confesses to the robbery to the criminologist Málek, but refuses to say where is the jewelery. The robber then begins to shoot and Málek kills him in self-defense. The court fails to prove Litera's involvement in the robbery and the only one convicted is Burian. The disappointed Málek leaves the police and begins to work as a cab driver.

Your rating is saved. See your suggestions, or find titles like this one below.

Rate it, and Mesmero finds titles that feel like it. You do not need an account.

Search YouTube for a trailer

In the UKNo streaming, rental or purchase options known.
Directed by
Jindřich Polák
Genres
Crime
Starring
Svatopluk Matyáš, Jiří Adamíra, Zdeněk Kryzánek
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • melancholicstrength 2 of 3
  • tensestrength 2 of 3
  • darkstrength 1 of 3
Pacing
measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • obsession
  • justice
  • crime
  • deception
  • guilt
Places
  • big city
  • countryside
Era
contemporary
Audience
adult
Form
  • procedural
Content intensity
  • Gore mild
  • Language mild
  • Violence strong
  • Sex none
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action5
Horror1
Humour1
Realism8
Romance0
Tension6
Darkness6
Complexity6
Emotional weight5

More like this

Titles like A Game Without Rules

TV series

Vikram On Duty

2026

A brooding, dogged procedural that keeps you leaning in as a haunted investigator grinds through grim cases.

Melancholic, tense · about obsession and justice · procedural

Via
  • melancholic
  • tense
  • obsession
  • justice
  • procedural
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Seasons
1
Details
Vikram On DutyHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Collision Course

2026

A tense, talky heist that turns inward after the crash, letting suspicion and old lies do the damage.

Tense · about crime and deception

Via
  • tense
  • crime
  • deception
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
122 min
Details
Collision CourseHidden from your suggestions.
TV series

Hoopers letzte Jagd

1971

A patient, methodical cat-and-mouse procedural that rewards close attention with quiet, mounting tension.

Tense · about obsession and justice · procedural

Via
  • tense
  • obsession
  • justice
  • procedural
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Seasons
1
Details
Hoopers letzte JagdHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

The Last Ride

1963

A sober, methodical police procedural that builds quiet dread as a killer stalks cab drivers.

Tense · about justice and crime · procedural

Via
  • tense
  • justice
  • crime
  • procedural
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
90 min
Details
The Last RideHidden from your suggestions.
TV series

The Fugitive

1963–1967

A restless, low-key chase that keeps you quietly anxious for a decent man always one step from capture. Each town offers brief warmth before the shadow of pursuit returns. It is somber, humane, and steadily suspenseful.}{.

Melancholic, tense · about obsession and justice · procedural

Via
  • melancholic
  • tense
  • obsession
  • justice
  • procedural
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Seasons
4
Details
The FugitiveHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Heat

1995

A cool, controlled crime epic that builds tension through meticulous detail and quiet character moments, culminating in explosive set pieces and a haunting sense of inevitability.

Melancholic, tense · about obsession and crime

Via
  • melancholic
  • tense
  • obsession
  • crime
Pacing
measured
Attention
demanding
Runtime
170 min
Details
HeatHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Hell Is a City

1960

A gritty, black-and-white police hunt through rain-slick northern streets, tense and dogged, with a weary inspector at its centre.

Tense · about obsession and justice · procedural

Via
  • tense
  • obsession
  • justice
  • procedural
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
98 min
Details
Hell Is a CityHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

High and Low

1963

A slow-burning moral thriller that moves from a tense domestic standoff to a meticulous police procedural, ending on a haunting note of class resentment.

Melancholic, tense · about obsession and justice · procedural

Via
  • melancholic
  • tense
  • obsession
  • justice
  • procedural
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
142 min
Details
High and LowHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Magic Circle

1975

A quiet, methodical crime investigation that slowly reveals darker currents beneath an ordinary case.

Tense · about justice and crime · procedural

Via
  • tense
  • justice
  • crime
  • procedural
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
81 min
Details
Magic CircleHidden from your suggestions.
TV series

Johan Falk

2009–2015

A gritty, fast-moving police procedural that keeps you tense with moral compromises and hard-edged action.

Tense · about obsession and justice · procedural

Via
  • tense
  • obsession
  • justice
  • procedural
Pacing
brisk
Attention
engaged
Seasons
3
Details
Johan FalkHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Police Calling 091

1960

A somber, slow-burning police drama where routine night patrols give way to a quietly anguished pursuit of personal justice.

Melancholic, tense · about obsession and justice · procedural

Via
  • melancholic
  • tense
  • obsession
  • justice
  • procedural
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
96 min
Details
Police Calling 091Hidden from your suggestions.
TV series

Murder in the Mountains

2001–2021

A gentle, scenic whodunit that ambles through alpine resort life, solving tidy murders with mild suspense and pleasant company.

About justice and crime · procedural

Via
  • justice
  • crime
  • procedural
Pacing
measured
Attention
easy-watch
Seasons
20
Details
Murder in the MountainsHidden from your suggestions.

Where to watch in the UK

No UK streaming, rental or purchase options are known.

Streaming data from JustWatch.TMDB

Details

Genres
crime
Directed by
Jindřich Polák
Written by
Luděk Staněk, Václav Šašek, Jindřich Polák
Starring
Svatopluk Matyáš, Jiří Adamíra, Zdeněk Kryzánek, Karla Chadimová, Vladimír Menšík, Josef Bláha, Jan Tříska, František Šťastný
Music
Wiliam Bukový
Cinematography
Rudolf Milič
Runtime
89 min
Country
Czechoslovakia
Languages
Czech

TMDBIMDbLetterboxdWikipediaWikidata