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Movies like The Break (1997)

The best movies like The Break (1997) are Flyboys (2006), The First of the Few (1942) and Shadow in the Cloud (2021). If The Break hooked you with its war, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.

Quick picks

  1. Flyboys (2006)

    The adventures of the Lafayette Escadrille, young Americans who volunteered for the French military before the U.S. entered World War I, and became the country's first fighter pilots.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both war

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  2. The First of the Few (1942)

    This 1942 fictionalized biopic chronicles the true story of how two of the most remarkable men in aviation history - visionary Spitfire designer R.J. Mitchell and his test pilot Geoffrey Crisp - designed a streamlined monoplane that led to the development of the Spitfire.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both war

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  3. Shadow in the Cloud (2021)

    A WWII pilot traveling with top secret documents on a B-17 Flying Fortress encounters an evil presence on board the flight.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both war

  4. Flying Tigers (1942)

    Jim Gordon commands a unit of the famed Flying Tigers, the American Volunteer Group which fought the Japanese in China before America's entry into World War II. Gordon must send his outnumbered band of fighter pilots out against overwhelming odds while juggling the disparate personalities and problems of his fellow flyers.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both war

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  5. Reach for the Sky (1956)

    The true story of airman Douglas Bader who overcame the loss of both legs in a 1931 flying accident to become a successful fighter pilot and wing leader during World War II.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both war

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  6. Twelve O'Clock High (1949)

    In the early days of daylight bombing raids over Germany, General Frank Savage must take command of a 'hard luck' bomber group. Much of the story deals with his struggle to whip his group into a disciplined fighting unit in spite of heavy losses, and withering attacks by German fighters over their targets.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both war

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  7. Red Tails (2012)

    The story of the Tuskegee Airmen, the first African-American pilots to fly in a combat squadron during World War II.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both war

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  8. Wolf Hound (2022)

    Inspired by the real-life German special operations unit KG 200 that shot down, repaired, and flew Allied aircraft as Trojan horses, "Wolf Hound" takes place in 1944 German-occupied France and follows the daring exploits of Jewish-American fighter pilot Captain David Holden. Ambushed behind enemy lines, Holden must rescue a captured B-17 Flying Fortress crew, evade a ruthless enemy stalking him at every turn, and foil a plot that could completely alter the outcome of World War II.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both war

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  9. One of Our Aircraft Is Missing (1942)

    During a raid on Germany, a British bomber crew is forced to bail out after their plane is damaged. They land in Holland, where they're aided by Dutch civilians.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both war

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  10. The Secret of Santa Vittoria (1970)

    During World War II, Italian villagers hide their wine from the German army.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both war

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  11. Jarhead: Law of Return (2019)

    Major Ronan Jackson, an accomplished fighter pilot for the Israel Defense Forces and son of a U.S. Senator, is shot down while flying through Syrian airspace. After miraculously surviving the crash, Jackson is taken captive by a group of Hezbollah militiamen. A squad of elite soldiers, led by Gunnery Sergeant Dave Torres, risk their own lives in the hopes of saving an ally they've never met.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both war

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  12. The Bloody Hundredth (2024)

    Meet the real-life airmen who inspired Masters of the Air as they share the harrowing and transformative events of the 100th Bomb Group.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both war

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  13. Hurricane (2018)

    Polish pilots overcome prejudice to fight against the Luftwaffe with the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, in the hope of protecting both Great Britain and their own Poland from the German advance.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both war

  14. Walking with the Enemy (2014)

    Regent Horthy is the leader of Hungary and a German ally, but his favorable standing with Hitler changes as the war comes to an end. Forced to cede Hungary’s power or else witness the execution of his son, Regent Horthy gives up control of his country to the Nazis, who quickly move Hungarians to ghettos and death camps, with no hope in sight. But the despair changes when a young man named Elek emerges. Separated from his family during the relocations and aided by the woman he loves , Elek defies the enemy by becoming one of them. In a race against time, disguised as a Nazi Officer he embarks on a mission to save his family and thousands of his countrymen.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both war

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  15. The Codes of War (2025)

    War stories about family, ethics and honor include the true story of two U.S. Marines who in a span of six seconds, must stand their ground to stop a suicide truck bomb, a Navy Corpsman who attempts to hold on to his humanity, and a WW2 soldier who gets separated from his squad and is forced to re-evaluate his code.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both war

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  16. Memphis Belle (1990)

    The "Memphis Belle" is a World War II bomber, piloted by a young crew on dangerous bombing raids into Europe. The crew only have to make one more bombing raid before they have finished their duty and can go home. In the briefing before their last flight, the crew discover that the target for the day is Bremen.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both war

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  17. The Tuskegee Airmen (1995)

    During the Second World War, a special project is begun by the US Army Air Corps to integrate African American pilots into the Fighter Pilot Program. Known as the "Tuskegee Airman" for the name of the airbase at which they were trained, these men were forced to constantly endure harassement, prejudice, and much behind the scenes politics until at last they were able to prove themselves in combat.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both war

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  18. Von Richthofen and Brown (1971)

    Spend time on both sides of World War I, partly with German flying ace Baron Manfred Von Richthofen (John Phillip Law), aka "The Red Baron," and his colorful "flying circus" of Fokker fighter planes, during the time from his arrival at the war front to his death in combat. On the other side is Roy Brown of the Royal Air Force, sometimes credited with shooting Richthofen down.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both war

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  19. The Blue Max (1966)

    A young pilot in the German air force of 1918, disliked as lower-class and unchivalrous, tries ambitiously to earn the medal offered for 20 kills.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both war

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  20. Aces High (1976)

    The first World War is in its third year and aerial combat above the Western Front is consuming the nation's favored children at an appalling rate. By early 1917, the average life-span of a British pilot is less than a fortnight. Such losses place a fearsome strain on Gresham, commanding officer of the squadron. Aces High recreates the early days of the Royal Flying Corps with some magnificently staged aerial battles, and sensitive direction presents a moving portrayal of the futilities of war.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both war

  21. The Americanization of Emily (1964)

    American sailor Charlie Madison falls for a pretty Englishwoman while trying to avoid a senseless and dangerous D-Day mission concocted by a deranged admiral.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both war

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  22. The Night of the Generals (1967)

    A German intelligence officer investigates a prostitute's killing in Warsaw during World War II. He lands on three major Nazi generals as suspects, two of whom are also involved in a plot to kill Adolf Hitler.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both war

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  23. Unsinkable: Japan's Lost Battleship (2020)

    October 24, 1944, the world’s greatest battle at sea begins in the Philippines. Japan’s navy gambles on a decisive victory against the United States to turn the tide of World War II. Instead, Musashi, its top-secret super battleship, ends up at the bottom of the ocean.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both war

  24. Piloti (1989)

    Further east of the Dark Blue Sky, where the Heavenly Horsemen fought, the story of a Czechoslovakian fighter squadron takes place, to which Second Lieutenant Jandak arrives as a rookie. He then experiences both his first love and a battle high above the clouds in the collective of combat pilots. Combat pilots on the Eastern Front thus experience similar stories to their Western colleagues, with the same goals and plans and the same slim prospects of survival in their daily life-and-death battles. Not surprisingly, they fought at a time when they had a common enemy, characterised by the Messerschmitt aircraft.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both war

  25. Tank Brigade (1955)

    The fate of a tank crew on the most difficult part of the First Czechoslovak Independent Brigade's combat path during World War II. We also follow the fate of its commander, Sergeant Juraj Klimka. During the bloody battles for the Dukel Pass, he falls in love and it turns out that behind the mask of a sovereign, he is actually a shy and sensitive person.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both war

  26. The Liberation of Prague (1977)

    On 20th of April 1945 the Soviet army launches its attack on Berlin. The end has come for Nazi Germany and Hitler decides to commit suicide. In Prague K.H. Frank (Nazi Secretary of State and Chief of police in the Protectorate of Bohemia a Moravia) discusses with his commanders how to transform the city into an impregnable fortress, but the Praguers do not intend to wait any longer. From the early hours of 4th of May people start assembling in the streets and tearing down German signs. On the next day, the 5th of May, the uprising begins.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both war

  27. The Blitz: London's Longest Night (2007)

    Details the German bombing of London the night of the 29th of December, in 1940.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both war

  28. Morituri (1965)

    A German living in India during World War II is blackmailed by the English to impersonate an SS officer on board a cargo ship leaving Japan for Germany carrying a large supply of rubber for tyres. His mission is to disable the scuttling charges so the captain cannot sink the ship if they are stopped by English warships.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both war

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  29. Hell to Eternity (1960)

    Based on the story about Guy Gabaldon, a Los Angeles Hispanic boy raised in the 1930s by a Japanese-American foster family. After Pearl Harbor, his foster family is interned at the Manzanar camp for Japanese Americans, while he enlists in the Marines, where his ability to speak Japanese becomes a vital asset. During the Battle of Saipan, he convinces 800 Japanese to surrender after their general commits suicide.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both war

  30. The Naked and the Dead (1958)

    Fighting men in World War II learn the value of courage and quickness at the risk of losing their lives.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both war

Like The Break and something else?

Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best movies like The Break?

The closest matches to The Break are Flyboys (2006), The First of the Few (1942) and Shadow in the Cloud (2021). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.

What should I watch after The Break?

Start with Flyboys (2006), the closest match to The Break.

What is the highest-rated movie like The Break?

Memphis Belle (1990), rated 6.8/10 by 461 TMDB users.

What is the newest movie like The Break?

The Codes of War (2025) is the most recent release on this list.

Are there English movies like The Break?

Yes: Flyboys (2006), The First of the Few (1942) and Shadow in the Cloud (2021).

How are movies similar to The Break chosen?

First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Break, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.

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