Movies like Porto Rico
The best movies like Porto Rico are Emperor (2020), Viva Zapata! (1952) and And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself (2003). If Porto Rico hooked you with its history and drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Porto Rico
Quick picks
- Highest ratedArgentina 1985 (2022)7.8/10 from 787 votes
- NewestYoung Washington (2026)Released 2026
- In SpanishThe Captive (2025)Also in Spanish
Emperor (2020)
An escaped slave travels north and has chance encounters with Frederick Douglass and John Brown. Based on the life story of Shields Green.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisViva Zapata! (1952)
The story of Mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata, who led a rebellion against the corrupt, oppressive dictatorship of president Porfirio Díaz in the early 20th century.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAnd Starring Pancho Villa as Himself (2003)
In 1914, the Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa invites studios to shoot his actual battles against Porfírio Diaz army to raise funds for financing guns and ammunition. The Mutual Film Corporation, through producer D.W. Griffith, interests for the proposition and sends the filmmaker Frank Thayer to negotiate a contract with Pancho Villa himself.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Captive (2025)
In 1575, the young soldier Miguel de Cervantes is captured on the high seas by Barbary pirates and taken to Algiers as a hostage. Aware that a cruel death awaits him if his family does not pay his ransom soon, he finds refuge in his passion for storytelling.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChe: Part One (2008)
Ernesto Guevara, known as 'Che', leads a group of Cuban exiles under Fidel Castro in a revolution to overthrow Fulgencio Batista, the dictator of Cuba.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisYoung Washington (2026)
Before he led a nation, George Washington was a young soldier thrown into a global conflict. With alliances crumbling and war closing in, he must choose who to trust and confront the leader he's becoming.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Alamo (2004)
Based on the 1836 standoff between a group of Texan and Tejano men, led by Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie, and Mexican dictator Santa Anna's forces at the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history & drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Last of the Mohicans (1992)
In war-torn colonial America, in the midst of a bloody battle between British, the French and Native American allies, the aristocratic daughter of a British Colonel and her party are captured by a group of Huron warriors. Fortunately, a group of three Mohican trappers comes to their rescue.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Liberator (2013)
Bolívar was instrumental in Latin America’s struggle for independence from the Spanish Empire, and is today considered one of the most influential politicians and emancipators in American history. Libertador is told from the viewpoint of Bolívar, portrayed by Ramírez, about his quests and epic military campaigns, which covered twice the territory Alexander the Great conquered, and his vision to unify South America.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAmistad (1997)
In 1839, the slave ship Amistad set sail from Cuba to America. During the long trip, Cinque leads the slaves in an unprecedented uprising. They are then held prisoner in Connecticut, and their release becomes the subject of heated debate. Freed slave Theodore Joadson wants Cinque and the others exonerated and recruits property lawyer Roger Baldwin to help his case. Eventually, John Quincy Adams also becomes an ally.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPrizefighter: The Life of Jem Belcher (2022)
At the turn of the 19th century, Pugilism was the sport of kings and a gifted young boxer fought his way to becoming champion of England.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChe: Part Two (2008)
Seven years after his triumph in Cuba, Che winds up in Bolivia, where he tries to ignite the same revolutionary fires as before.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRosewood (1997)
Spurred by a white woman's lie, vigilantes destroy a black Florida town and slay inhabitants in 1923.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisArgentina 1985 (2022)
In the 1980s, a team of lawyers takes on the heads of Argentina's bloody military dictatorship in a battle against odds and a race against time.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWalker (1987)
William Walker and his mercenary corps enter Nicaragua in the middle of the 19th century in order to install a new government by a coup d'etat.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGangs of New York (2002)
In early 1860s New York, Irish immigrant Amsterdam Vallon is released from prison and returns to the Five Points, seeking revenge against his father's killer, William Cutting, a powerful anti-immigrant gang leader. He knows that revenge can only be attained by infiltrating Cutting's inner circle. Vallon's journey becomes a fight for personal survival and to find a place for the Irish people.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAll Eyez on Me (2017)
All Eyez on Me chronicles the life and legacy of Tupac Shakur, including his rise to superstardom as a hip-hop artist, actor, poet and activist, as well as his imprisonment and prolific, controversial time at Death Row Records. Against insurmountable odds, Tupac rose to become a cultural icon whose career and persona both continue to grow long after his passing.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisZama (2017)
In a remote South American colony in the late 18th century, officer Zama of the Spanish crown waits in vain for a transfer to a more prestigious location. He suffers small humiliations and petty politicking as he increasingly succumbs to lust and paranoia.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Twelve-Year Night (2018)
Uruguay, 1973. Having been crushed by the military dictatorship, surviving members of the Tupamaro guerillas are imprisoned and tortured. They must find a way to endure the coming 12 years.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPeterloo (2018)
An epic portrayal of the events surrounding the infamous 1819 Peterloo Massacre, where a peaceful pro-democracy rally at St Peter’s Field in Manchester turned into one of the bloodiest and most notorious episodes in British history. The massacre saw British government forces charge into a crowd of over 60,000 that had gathered to demand political reforms and protest against rising levels of poverty.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDisraeli (1978)
Disraeli is a British four part serial about the great statesman and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Benjamin Disraeli.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & history
The Salvation (2014)
In 1870s America, a peaceful American settler kills his family's murderer which unleashes the fury of a notorious gang leader. His cowardly fellow townspeople then betray him, forcing him to hunt down the outlaws alone.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & western
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLes Misérables (1998)
In 19th century France, Jean Valjean, a man imprisoned for stealing bread, must flee a relentless policeman named Javert. The pursuit consumes both men's lives, and soon Valjean finds himself in the midst of the student revolutions in France.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAśoka (2001)
A young Prince Asoka works to perfect his skills in battle and also deals with family conflict. During a struggle with one of his step-brothers, his mother urges Asoka to escape to stay alive. While away, Asoka meets Kaurwaki and falls in love, but must use his skills as a warrior to protect her. A dangerous and heartbreaking web of conspiracy follows, which leads Asoka to embrace a Buddhist path.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisVan Gogh (1991)
After leaving the asylum, Vincent van Gogh settles in the home of Doctor Gachet, where he keeps painting amidst the torments of his failing mental health. He begins an affair with his host’s daughter, however, she soon realizes that he doesn’t love her and that his heart beats only for art.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSecond Love (1977)
The television production is an episode from the life of Andrej Sládkovič. Braxatoris, known as Sládkovič, comes to Banská Štiavnica and wants to find the inspiration for his poetry - Marína. Her parents reject him. Marína marries Gerža, a rich merchant. Sládkovič finds affection and understanding with Antonia, whom he marries...
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & history
The Buccaneer (1958)
During the War of 1812 against Britain: General Andrew Jackson has only 1,200 men left to defend New Orleans when he learns that a British fleet will arrive with 60 ships and 16,000 men to take the city. In this situation an island near the city becomes strategically important to both parties, but it's inhabited by the last big buccaneer: Jean Lafitte. Although Lafitte never attacks American ships, the governor hates him for selling merchandise without taxes - and is loved by the citizens for the same reason. When the big fight gets nearer, Lafitte is drawn between the fronts. His heart belongs to America, but his people urge him to join the party that's more likely to win.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisQuezon (2025)
A historical drama focusing on Manuel L. Quezon years after the Philippine Revolution during the American occupation. When his fight for independence from the United States is put to the test, Quezon finds himself playing the brutal game of politics to outmaneuver his rivals — including Leonard Wood, Sergio Osmeña, and Joven Hernando. In Quezon’s relentless quest for power, he ultimately faces off with Emilio Aguinaldo in the 1935 presidential elections, using charm and favoritism as both weapons and currency, in a campaign that ultimately changes the face of Philippine politics and history.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & history
The Horseman on the Roof (1995)
In a time of war and disease, a young officer gallantly tries to help a young woman find her husband.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both history & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDecoded (2024)
In the 1940s, the world was in turmoil, and it was crucial to decipher the enemy's communication codes in a timely and accurate manner. Rong Jinzhen has shown amazing mathematical talent since her childhood, and because she solved the problems assigned by her math teacher, she was noticed by more people, and even walked into the door of code-breaking by mistake.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & history
Like Porto Rico and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Porto Rico?
The closest matches to Porto Rico are Emperor (2020), Viva Zapata! (1952) and And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself (2003). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Porto Rico?
Start with Emperor (2020), the closest match to Porto Rico.
What is the highest-rated movie like Porto Rico?
Argentina 1985 (2022), rated 7.8/10 by 787 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Porto Rico?
Young Washington (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Spanish movies like Porto Rico?
Yes: The Captive (2025), The Liberator (2013) and Argentina 1985 (2022).
How are movies similar to Porto Rico chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Porto Rico, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.