Movies like Nakdong River (1952)
The best movies like Nakdong River (1952) are Ode to My Father (2014), Pork Chop Hill (1959) and The Front Line (2011). If Nakdong River hooked you with its drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedTae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War (2004)8.0/10 from 811 votes
- NewestServe the People (2022)Released 2022
- In KoreanOde to My Father (2014)Also in Korean
Ode to My Father (2014)
Duk-soo lost his father and younger sister while taking refuge during the Korean War. He leaves for Germany to work as a miner and enters the Vietnam War. He wishes to find his sister.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPork Chop Hill (1959)
Korean War, April 1953. Lieutenant Clemons, leader of the King company of the United States Infantry, is ordered to recapture Pork Chop Hill, occupied by a powerful Chinese Army force, while, just seventy miles away, at nearby the village of Panmunjom, a tense cease-fire conference is celebrated.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Front Line (2011)
In 1951 ceasefire is declared, but two remaining armies fought their final battle on the front line Towards the end of the Korean War, a South Korean battalion is fiercely battling over a hill on the front line border against the North in order to capture a strategic point that would determine the new border between two nations. The ownership of this small patch of land would swap multiple times each day. Kang is dispatched to the front line in order to investigate the tacit case that’s been happening there.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisServe the People (2022)
Mu-kwang volunteers to be a kitchen police of Sa-taek, the divisional commander, dreaming of success. One day, Mu-kwang meets Su-ryeon by chance, who is a young and beautiful wife of the commander. Soon, he feels a strong attraction by her.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAddress Unknown (2001)
Romances end in blood and the frail hopes of individuals are torn apart in a vile karmic continuity of colonialism, civil war and occupation. After surviving Japanese colonization, Korea became the first war zone of the Cold War. The legacy of war remains today in this divided country.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThree Wishes (1995)
While Jane Holman is driving with her two sons, she accidentally runs into a drifter, Jack McCloud, who breaks his leg. Being responsible, Jane invites Jack, and his dog, to stay at her home until his leg has healed. Jack struggles to adapt their lifestyle, and finds himself loved by the family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBattle of Jangsari (2019)
Korean War, September 1950. In order to fight the enemy forces based in the South of the peninsula, General MacArthur orders the start of the Incheon Landing Operation, deploying diversionary attacks in other locations. Without real military forces to spare, 772 very young Korean student soldiers, barely trained, are sent to Jangsari Beach, where they will face a heroic fate and discover the value of friendship. (A sequel to Operation Chromite, released in 2016.)
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHigh Society (2018)
The story of the journey of married couple up the social latter. The husband is professor at Seoul National University who is running for the National Assembly, and his wife is a painter.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMen in War (1957)
In Korea, on 6 September 1950, Lieutenant Benson's platoon finds itself isolated in enemy-held territory after a retreat. Soon they are joined by Sergeant Montana, whose overriding concern is caring for his catatonic colonel. Benson and Montana can't stand each other, but together they must get the survivors to Hill 465, where they hope the division is waiting. It's a long, harrowing march, fraught with all the dangers the elusive enemy can summon.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Last Princess (2016)
Under the oppressive Japanese colonial rule, Deok-hye, the last Princess of the declining Joseon Dynasty, is forced to move to Japan. She spends her days missing home, while struggling to maintain dignity as a princess. After a series of failed tries, Deok-hye makes her final attempt to return home with help of her childhood sweetheart, Jang-han.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMy Way (2011)
During the invasion of Normandy the photograph of a slim Korean man in German uniform was found. It transpired that the man had served as a soldier in the Japanese, Russian and German armies. His incredible story inspired director Kang Je-Gyu to create this epic war drama.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Battleship Island (2017)
During the Japanese colonial era, roughly 400 Korean people, who were forced onto Battleship Island 'Hashima Island' to mine for coal, attempt to escape.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOperation Chromite (2016)
A squad of soldiers fight in the Korean War's crucial Battle of Incheon.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisEveryone Is There (2020)
Soo Yeon decides to commit suicide to end the bullying she goes through at school, when a savior appears. A woman punishes the bullies on behalf of Soo Yeon and saves her from the reality of hell.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisTae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War (2004)
When two brothers are forced to fight in the Korean War, the elder decides to take the riskiest missions if it will help shield the younger from battle.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisIdol Seungha's R-Rated Film Shooting (2021)
Film producer Na-eun and director Yeong-tae are on the verge of shelving out cash for an adult film production. They're too busy blaming each other for the messed-up filming. Before another filming begins, Na-eun suggests Yeong-tae to become an actor himself and practice filming. Na-eun leads the shy Yeong-tae very skillfully. How far will the practice go...?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Safety of Objects (2002)
In a suburban landscape, the lives of several families interlace with loss, despair and personal crisis. Esther Gold has lost focus on all but caring for her comatose son, Paul, and neglects her daughter and husband. Lawyer Jim Train is devoted to his career, not his family. Helen Christianson wants to find a new spark in life, while Annette Jennings tries to rebuild hers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBastard Out of Carolina (1996)
A poor, struggling South Carolinian mother and daughter face painful choices with their resolve and pride. Bone, the eldest daughter, and Anney her tired mother, grow both closer and farther apart: Anney sees Glen as her last chance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Day He Arrives (2011)
A film director who no longer makes films arrives in Seoul to meet a close friend. When the friend doesn't show up, he wanders the city aimlessly for three days, grabbing drinks and meeting women, with each day playing out like a version of the last.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThread of Lies (2014)
Cheon-ji's unexpected suicide causes her mother Hyeon-sook and older sister Man-ji to be moved into another apartment. Tracking down clues from school, Man-ji discovers that Cheon-ji's best friend Hwa-yeon is behind everything.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTo the Last Day (1960)
Captain Kim is grievously wounded in the first days of the war. When the northern troops continue their advance, his wife and small daughters flee south to Taegu, dragging him along in a two-wheel handcart. His wife struggles to keep herself and their surviving daughter alive. Working as a market trader, she meets a kind young man -- who happens to be tall, dark and handsome.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Joint Security Area (2000)
Two North Korean soldiers are killed in the border area between North and South Korea, prompting an investigation by a neutral body. The lead investigator receives differing accounts from the two sides.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHard Hit (2021)
On his way to work, a bank manager receives an anonymous call claiming there's a bomb under his car seat, and if anyone exits the car, it will explode unless he can pay a ransom.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisI will not mention your name (1971)
Gul is a famous singer, married to Captain Engin, who has studied law. Engin goes to Korea during the war. One day Gul is told that he is dead. Her violinist, Cemil fancies her. One day Gul meets Engin again, yet Cemil continues molesting her. Engin takes his daughter while Gul gives becomes an alcoholic and is miserable. Engin learns about her condition and decides to go to her but in a car accident he becomes blind. Gul starts to work in their house under a false name, Seher. In the meantime she gives piano lessons to their daughter Oya. Engin regains his eyesight after a surgery. Cemil attempts to rape Oya, but Gul reaches in time, saves Oya and kills Cemil. Oya finds out that Gul is her mother and asks Engin to defend her in court. A happy future awaits all three.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Wildflowers on the Battleground (1974)
A look at the Korean War through the eyes of a mute boy who was kept as a mascot by a regiment of soldiers near the front lines.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Before the Summer Passes Away (2007)
So-yeon, who has been studying in Paris for several years, returns to Seoul for summer vacation. She is drawn to Min-hwan, a divorced man whom she met in Paris, but Min-hwan is non-committal and ambiguous about his feelings toward her. Soyeon meets a new guy, Hyun-jae, who is deeply into her, she Soyeon still waits for Min- hwan`s call. She laboriously travels from Seoul to Busan, lugging around her luggage, just so that she can see Min-hwan. After the vacation is over, So-yeon returns to Paris. Even with a full package of beauty and intelligence, So-yeon has no place of her own. In Korea that is familiar but unfamiliar land to her, she spends the summer in bearing her feeling, which is not too hot, yet not negligible. Before the Summer Passes Away is the film about loneliness and longings: it is too shy to roar, too powerful to hide. With minimal narrative, the film shows a close observation on So-yeon`s sense of lose at the edge and her unending desire.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
The Immortal Song (1977)
Semra is a famous singer, and her daughter Cigdem goes to the Conservatoire. Cigdem falls in love with the new music teacher Bulent. There is a piece of music which Semra plays, and Cigdem is curious about it. Semra tells her daughter about her love from the youth named Kemal. Bulent also has a similar story at his home and it turns out Bulent is the son of Semra's old love Kenan. Cigdem and Bulent want to get married but Cigdem's father doesn't approve their marriage. Bulent resigns from the school and becomes a successful singer. Eventually, love beats all the difficulties and Cigdem and Bulent share a happy life together.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Welcome to Dongmakgol (2005)
Based on the long running play by Jang Jin, the story is set in Korea during the Korean War in 1950. Soldiers from both the North and South, as well as an American pilot, find themselves in a secluded and naively idealistic village, its residents unaware of the outside world, including the war.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe DMZ (1965)
The film exposes the atrocities of war through the eyes of two children who are stranded in the DMZ after the end of the Korean War. The DMZ, strewn with abandoned tanks, dead bodies, land mines, and unexploded shells, is an exceedingly dangerous place for children. But what most endangers them in the end are not weapons but people.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Queen & Country (2015)
In this sequel to Hope and Glory (1987), Bill Rohan has grown up and is drafted into the army, where he and his eccentric best mate, Percy, battle their snooty superiors on the base and look for love in town.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Nakdong River?
The closest matches to Nakdong River are Ode to My Father (2014), Pork Chop Hill (1959) and The Front Line (2011). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Nakdong River?
Start with Ode to My Father (2014), the closest match to Nakdong River.
What is the highest-rated movie like Nakdong River?
Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War (2004), rated 8.0/10 by 811 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Nakdong River?
Serve the People (2022) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Korean movies like Nakdong River?
Yes: Ode to My Father (2014), The Front Line (2011) and Serve the People (2022).
How are movies similar to Nakdong River chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Nakdong River, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.