Movies like THE GREAT CHICAGO FIRE: A CHICAGO STORIES Special (2021)
The best movies like THE GREAT CHICAGO FIRE: A CHICAGO STORIES Special (2021) are In Old Chicago (1938), The Towering Inferno (1974) and Grenfell: Uncovered (2025). If THE GREAT CHICAGO FIRE: A CHICAGO STORIES Special hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedVertigo (1958)8.1/10 from 6,622 votes
- NewestAll the Empty Rooms (2025)Released 2025
In Old Chicago (1938)
The O'Leary brothers -- honest Jack and roguish Dion -- become powerful figures, and eventually rivals, in Chicago on the eve of its Great Fire.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Towering Inferno (1974)
At the opening party of a colossal—but poorly constructed—skyscraper, a massive fire breaks out, threatening to destroy the tower and everyone in it.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGrenfell: Uncovered (2025)
Survivors, witnesses, and experts tell the story of the tragic fire that engulfed a residential tower block in London — and the investigation that ensued.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like this9/11 (2002)
An on-the-scene documentary following the events of September 11, 2001 from an insider's view, through the lens of two French filmmakers who simply set out to make a movie about a rookie NYC fireman and ended up filming the tragic event that changed our lives forever.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisOrdinary People (1980)
Beth, Calvin, and their son Conrad are living in the aftermath of the death of the other son. Conrad is overcome by grief and misplaced guilt to the extent of a suicide attempt. He is in therapy. Beth had always preferred his brother and is having difficulty being supportive to Conrad. Calvin is trapped between the two trying to hold the family together.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThief (1981)
Frank is an expert professional safecracker, specialized in high-profile diamond heists. He plans to use his ill-gotten income to retire from crime and build a nice life for himself complete with a home, wife and kids. To accelerate the process, he signs on with a top gangster for a big score.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBackdraft 2 (2019)
Years after the original Backdraft, Sean, son of the late Steve "Bull" McCaffrey, is assigned to investigate a deadly fire only to realize it is something much more sinister.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOklahoma City Bombing: American Terror (2025)
This gripping documentary revisits the shocking 1995 bombing of an Oklahoma City federal building, the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in US history.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like this1408 (2007)
A man specializing in debunking paranormal occurrences checks into the fabled room 1408 at the Dolphin Hotel. Soon after settling in, he confronts genuine terror.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBackdraft (1991)
Two feuding siblings carrying on a heroic family tradition as Chicago firefighters. But when a puzzling series of arson attacks is reported, they are forced to set aside their differences to solve the mystery surrounding these crimes.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAll the Empty Rooms (2025)
A journalist and a photographer set out to memorialize the bedrooms left behind by children killed in school shootings.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSkyscraper (2018)
Framed and on the run, a former FBI agent must save his family from a blazing fire in the world's tallest building.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEscape Room (2019)
Six strangers find themselves in circumstances beyond their control, and must use their wits to survive.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHenry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986)
Arriving in Chicago, Henry moves in with ex-con acquaintance Otis and starts schooling him in the ways of the serial killer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHouse of Sand and Fog (2003)
Behrani, an Iranian immigrant buys a California bungalow, thinking he can fix it up, sell it again, and make enough money to send his son to college. However, the house is the legal property of former drug addict Kathy. After losing the house in an unfair legal dispute with the county, she is left with nowhere to go. Wanting her house back, she hires a lawyer and befriends a police officer. Neither Kathy nor Behrani have broken the law, so they find themselves involved in a difficult moral dilemma.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Walk (2015)
The story of French high-wire artist Philippe Petit's attempt to cross the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in 1974.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLadder 49 (2004)
Under the watchful eye of his mentor, Captain Mike Kennedy, probationary firefighter Jack Morrison matures into a seasoned veteran at a Baltimore fire station. However, Jack has reached a crossroads as the sacrifices he's made have put him in harm's way innumerable times and significantly impacted his relationship with his wife and kids.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisVertigo (1958)
A retired San Francisco detective suffering from acrophobia investigates the strange activities of an old friend's wife, all the while becoming dangerously obsessed with her.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari (2022)
A close examination of the Whakaari / White Island volcanic eruption of 2019 in which 22 lives were lost, the film viscerally recounts a day when ordinary people were called upon to do extraordinary things, placing this tragic event within the larger context of nature, resilience, and the power of our shared humanity.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Reluctant Fundamentalist (2013)
In New York, a Pakistani native finds that his American Dream has collapsed in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like THE GREAT CHICAGO FIRE: A CHICAGO STORIES Special?
The closest matches to THE GREAT CHICAGO FIRE: A CHICAGO STORIES Special are In Old Chicago (1938), The Towering Inferno (1974) and Grenfell: Uncovered (2025). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after THE GREAT CHICAGO FIRE: A CHICAGO STORIES Special?
Start with In Old Chicago (1938), the closest match to THE GREAT CHICAGO FIRE: A CHICAGO STORIES Special.
What is the highest-rated movie like THE GREAT CHICAGO FIRE: A CHICAGO STORIES Special?
Vertigo (1958), rated 8.1/10 by 6,622 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like THE GREAT CHICAGO FIRE: A CHICAGO STORIES Special?
All the Empty Rooms (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like THE GREAT CHICAGO FIRE: A CHICAGO STORIES Special?
Yes: In Old Chicago (1938), The Towering Inferno (1974) and Grenfell: Uncovered (2025).
How are movies similar to THE GREAT CHICAGO FIRE: A CHICAGO STORIES Special chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside THE GREAT CHICAGO FIRE: A CHICAGO STORIES Special, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.