Movies like Only Cans Were Saved (2003)
The best movies like Only Cans Were Saved (2003) are Ladder 49 (2004), Only the Brave (2017) and World Trade Center (2006). If Only Cans Were Saved hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Only Cans Were Saved
Quick picks
- Highest ratedSaving Private Ryan (1998)8.2/10 from 18,070 votes
- NewestValiant One (2025)Released 2025
Ladder 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 thisOnly the Brave (2017)
Members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots battle deadly wildfires to save an Arizona town.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWorld Trade Center (2006)
Two police officers struggle to survive when they become trapped beneath the rubble of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.
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 thisDaylight (1996)
A group of armed robbers fleeing the police head for the New Jersey Tunnel and run right into trucks transporting toxic waste. The spectacular explosion that follows results in both ends of the tunnel collapsing and the handful of people who survived the explosion are now in peril. Kit Latura is the only man with the skill and knowledge to lead the band of survivors out of the tunnel before the structure collapses.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLet's Get Harry (1986)
Harry Burck has been kidnapped by South American terrorists, and when the US Government refuses to intervene, Harry's friends decide to take matters into their own hands!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Following the death of District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman assumes responsibility for Dent's crimes to protect the late attorney's reputation and is subsequently hunted by the Gotham City Police Department. Eight years later, Batman encounters the mysterious Selina Kyle and the villainous Bane, a new terrorist leader who overwhelms Gotham's finest. The Dark Knight resurfaces to protect a city that has branded him an enemy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDirty Angels (2024)
During the United States' 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan, a group of female soldiers posing as medical relief are sent back in to rescue a group of kidnapped teenagers caught between ISIS and the Taliban.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCave Rescue (2019)
When a youth football team of 12 boys, aged 11-16, and their 25-year-old coach is trapped deep inside a cave in Northern Thailand, thousands of volunteers and soldiers from around the world unite in a race against time to find them.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPlaying with Fire (2019)
A crew of rugged firefighters meet their match when attempting to rescue three rambunctious kids.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSaving Private Ryan (1998)
As U.S. troops storm the beaches of Normandy, three brothers lie dead on the battlefield, with a fourth trapped behind enemy lines. Ranger captain John Miller and seven men are tasked with penetrating German-held territory and bringing the boy home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisLand of Bad (2024)
When a Delta Force special ops mission goes terribly wrong, Air Force drone pilot Reaper has 48 hours to remedy what has devolved into a wild rescue operation. With no weapons and no communication other than the drone above, the ground mission suddenly becomes a full-scale battle when the team is discovered by the enemy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Rescue (2021)
The enthralling, against-all-odds story that transfixed the world in 2018: the daring rescue of twelve boys and their coach from deep inside a flooded cave in Northern Thailand.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisValiant One (2025)
With tensions between North and South Korea, a US helicopter crashes on the North side. The survivors must work together to protect a civilian tech specialist and find their way out without the help of US military support.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFireproof (2008)
A heroic fire captain values dedication and service to others above all else, but the most important partnership in his life, his marriage, is about to go up in smoke.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHot Shots! Part Deux (1993)
Topper Harley is found to be working as an odd-job-man in a monastery. The CIA want him to lead a rescue mission into Iraq, to rescue the last rescue team, who went in to rescue the last rescue team—who went in to rescue hostages left behind after Desert Storm.
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 thisExecutive Decision (1996)
Terrorists hijack a 747 inbound to Washington D.C., demanding the release of their imprisoned leader. Intelligence expert David Grant suspects another reason and he is soon the reluctant member of a special assault team that is assigned to intercept the plane and hijackers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 thisMickey's Fire Brigade (1935)
Mickey, Donald and Goofy are a fire department. As you might expect, their attempts at fighting a boardinghouse fire are not particularly effective. They hear Clarabelle singing in the bathtub and rescue her, tub and all, against her will (she won't believe there's a fire).
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like this
Like Only Cans Were Saved and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Only Cans Were Saved?
The closest matches to Only Cans Were Saved are Ladder 49 (2004), Only the Brave (2017) and World Trade Center (2006). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Only Cans Were Saved?
Start with Ladder 49 (2004), the closest match to Only Cans Were Saved.
What is the highest-rated movie like Only Cans Were Saved?
Saving Private Ryan (1998), rated 8.2/10 by 18,070 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Only Cans Were Saved?
Valiant One (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there German movies like Only Cans Were Saved?
The closest matches are in other languages.
How are movies similar to Only Cans Were Saved chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Only Cans Were Saved, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.