Movies like Red Dawn (1984)
The best movies like Red Dawn (1984) are Operation Crossbow (1965), Fatherland (1994) and The Kill Team (2019). If Red Dawn hooked you with its thriller and war, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThree Days of the Condor (1975)7.3/10 from 1,444 votes
- Newest180 (2026)Released 2026
Operation Crossbow (1965)
Allied agents infiltrate the Nazi rocket complex at Peenemunde in order to obtain their secrets and sabotage the plant. The film alternates between German developments of the V-1 missile and V-2 rocket (with a German cast speaking their own language) and discovery by British Intelligence of the weapon.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & war
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFatherland (1994)
Fictional account of what might have happened if Hitler had won the war. It is now the 1960s and Germany's war crimes have so far been kept a secret. Hitler wants to talk peace with the US president. An American journalist and a German homicide cop stumble into a plot to destroy all evidence of the genocide.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Kill Team (2019)
When Andrew Briggman — a young soldier in the US Army during the invasion of Afghanistan — witnesses the murderous behavior of fellow soldiers, under the direction of a malevolent Sergeant, he faces a moral dilemma. His increasingly-violent platoon becomes suspicious that someone in their ranks has turned on them, and Andrew begins to fear for his safety. A fictionalized dramatization based on a true story.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both war & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEl Gringo (2012)
A man crossing into Mexico with a satchel of $2,000,000—and a bloody past—finds himself under sudden attack in the sleepy town of El Fronteras.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOutlaws - For Greater Glory (2012)
A chronicle of the Cristeros War (1926-1929), which was touched off by a rebellion against the Mexican government's attempt to secularize the country.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & war
Worth the HypeMovies like this180 (2026)
When an unexpected road rage incident puts his son in critical condition, an enraged father spirals down a dark path of emotional turmoil and vengeance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisField of Lost Shoes (2015)
A group of teenage cadets sheltered from war at the Virginia Military Institute must confront the horrors of an adult world when they are called upon to defend the Shenandoah Valley.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both war & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSand Castle (2017)
Set during the occupation of Iraq, a squad of U.S. soldiers try to protect a small village.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both war & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSeal Team Eight: Behind Enemy Lines (2014)
Seal Team Eight must fight their way deep into Africa's Congo, decommission a secret uranium mine, and stop our most dangerous enemy from smuggling weapon's grade yellow-cake out of the country.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both war & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWalking Tall (2004)
A former U.S. soldier returns to his hometown to find it overrun by crime and corruption, which prompts him to clean house.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisForce 10 from Navarone (1978)
World War II, 1943. Mallory and Miller, the heroes who destroyed the guns of Navarone, are sent to Yugoslavia in search of a ghost from the past.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & war
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSuburbicon (2017)
In the quiet family town of Suburbicon during the 1950s, the best and worst of humanity is hilariously reflected through the deeds of seemingly ordinary people. When a home invasion turns deadly, a picture-perfect family turns to blackmail, revenge and murder.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisWalking 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 drama & war
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBury My Heart at Wounded Knee (2007)
Beginning just after the bloody Sioux victory over General Custer at Little Big Horn, the story is told through two unique perspectives: Charles Eastman, a young, white-educated Sioux doctor held up as living proof of the alleged success of assimilation, and Sitting Bull the proud Lakota chief whose tribe won the American Indians’ last major victory at Little Big Horn.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & war
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCivil War (2024)
In the near future, a group of war journalists attempt to survive while reporting the truth as the United States stands on the brink of civil war.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both war & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHard to Kill (1990)
Mason Storm, a 'go it alone' cop, is gunned down at home. The intruders kill his wife, and think they've killed both Mason and his son too. Mason is secretly taken to a hospital where he spends several years in a coma. His son meanwhile is growing up thinking his father is dead. When Mason wakes up, everyone is in danger - himself, his son, his best friend, his nurse - but most of all those who arranged for his death
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJacknife (1989)
A conflict develops between a troubled Vietnam veteran and the sister he lives with when she becomes involved romantically with the army buddy who reminds him of the tragic battle they both survived.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & war
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKandahar (2023)
After his mission is exposed, an undercover CIA operative stuck deep in hostile territory in Afghanistan must fight his way out, alongside his Afghan translator, to an extraction point in Kandahar, all whilst avoiding elite enemy forces and foreign spies tasked with hunting them down.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & war
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Corruptor (1999)
Danny is a young cop partnered with Nick, a seasoned but ethically tainted veteran. As the two try to stop a gang war in Chinatown, Danny relies on Nick but grows increasingly uncomfortable with the way Nick gets things done.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 · both war & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Osterman Weekend (1983)
The host of an investigative news show is convinced by the CIA that the friends he has invited to a weekend in the country are engaged in a conspiracy that threatens national security.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Three of Us (2025)
A Red Army convoy transporting a large amount of cash is apparently ambushed by anarchists led by Makhno. In a twist of betrayal, the Red Army set up the attack to eliminate the anarchists. Two of the anarchists and one Red Army soldier survive, and like an American Western, they reconcile their differences to join forces against the Red Threat.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & war
Felon (2008)
A family man convicted of killing an intruder must cope with life afterward in the violent penal system.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Life Before Her Eyes (2008)
As the 15th anniversary of a fatal high school shooting approaches, former pupil Diana McFee is haunted by memories of the tragedy. After losing her best friend Maureen in the attack, Diana has been profoundly affected by the incident - her seemingly perfect life shaped by the events of that day.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGame of Death (1978)
A martial arts movie star must fake his death to find the people who are trying to kill him.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIt's All About Love (2003)
The story of two lovers and their attempts to save their relationship in a near-future world on the brink of cosmic collapse. John, and world-famous ice skating star, Elena, are about to sign divorce papers when they realise that, in spite of everything happening around them, their love is worth fighting for. It's All About Love is a fresh take on modern love and future life as two lovers struggle in a conspiracy of epic proportions.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisDefiance (2008)
Based on a true story, during World War II, four Jewish brothers escape their Nazi-occupied homeland of West Belarus in Poland and join the Soviet partisans to combat the Nazis. The brothers begin the rescue of roughly 1,200 Jews still trapped in the ghettos of Poland.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & war
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAutobiography (2023)
A young man is working as a housekeeper in an empty mansion. When its owner returns to start his mayoral election campaign, the young man bonds with him and defends him when his campaign is vandalized, setting off a chain of violence.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & thriller
Three Days of the Condor (1975)
When bookish CIA researcher Joe Turner finds all his co-workers dead, he, together with a woman he has kidnapped, must work together to outwit those responsible until he determines who he can really trust.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSoft Side (2025)
Angry and brooding school drop-out, Hunter Hall, spends his nights driving and picking fights when an estranged family member suddenly causes him to question his lifestyle.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Like Red Dawn and something else?
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Red Dawn?
The closest matches to Red Dawn are Operation Crossbow (1965), Fatherland (1994) and The Kill Team (2019). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Red Dawn?
Start with Operation Crossbow (1965), the closest match to Red Dawn.
What is the highest-rated movie like Red Dawn?
Three Days of the Condor (1975), rated 7.3/10 by 1,444 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Red Dawn?
180 (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Red Dawn?
Yes: Operation Crossbow (1965), Fatherland (1994) and The Kill Team (2019).
How are movies similar to Red Dawn chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Red Dawn, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.