Movies like The Hornet's Nest (2014)
The best movies like The Hornet's Nest (2014) are Retrograde (2022), Restrepo (2010) and Korengal (2014). If The Hornet's Nest hooked you with its war and documentary, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedRestrepo (2010)7.2/10 from 381 votes
- NewestLove+War (2025)Released 2025
Retrograde (2022)
The story of the last months of the 20-year war in Afghanistan through the intimate relationship between American Green Berets and the Afghan officers they trained.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & war
Restrepo (2010)
Directors Hetherington and Junger spend a year with the 2nd Battalion of the United States Army located in one of Afghanistan's most dangerous valleys. The documentary provides insight and empathy on how to win the battle through hard work, deadly gunfights and mutual friendships while the unit must push back the Taliban.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both war & documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisKorengal (2014)
Korengal picks up where Restrepo left off; the same men, the same valley, the same commanders, but a very different look at the experience of war.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & war
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCombat Obscura (2018)
Former combat videographer Miles Lagoze presents personal footage of U.S. Marines in the Afghan war zone.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & war
The Ground Truth (2006)
Sometimes the greatest act of courage is to tell the truth. Hear and witness our soldiers in this penetrating film. The shocking Iraq War ground conflict is only a prelude to the even more challenging battles these reluctant heroes face upon their return home.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & war
Love+War (2025)
Pulitzer Prize-winning conflict photojournalist Lynsey Addario reflects on a career working in some of the world's most dangerous war zones, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & war
The Longest War (2020)
The human stories and drama behind America's involvement in Afghanistan, now the longest war in U.S. history. First-hand witnesses — ranging from U.S. intelligence operatives, to soldiers and their families, Afghan officials, journalists, top government and military officials — bring their experiences to life through emotional interviews.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & war
No Greater Love (2017)
No Greater Love explores a combat deployment through the eyes of an Army chaplain, as he and his men fight their way through a hellish tour in one of the most dangerous places in Afghanistan and then as they struggle to reintegrate home.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & war
Black Hawk Down: The Untold Story (2019)
Black Hawk Down: The Untold Story is a documentary film on the heroic efforts of the soldiers from the 2nd Battalion 14th Infantry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division (2-14). These men demonstrated extraordinary courage, skill, and discipline as they fought their way into a “baited ambush” to rescue the special operations forces pinned down at the crash site of Super Six-One while also attempting a rescue at the crash site of Super Six-Four. Two soldiers from the 2-14 were killed and eighteen wounded in what many have described as the most ferocious urban combat since the Battle for Huế during the Tet Offensive in 1968.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & history
Father Soldier Son (2020)
When Sgt. First Class Brian Eisch is critically wounded in Afghanistan, it sets him and his sons on a journey of love, loss, redemption and legacy.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & war
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGunner Palace (2004)
American soldiers of the 2/3 Field Artillery, a group known as the "Gunners," tell of their experiences in Baghdad during the Iraq War. Holed up in a bombed out pleasure palace built by Sadaam Hussein, the soldiers endured hostile situations some four months after President George W. Bush declared the end of major combat operations in the country.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & history
Only the Dead (2015)
A searing account of war correspondent Michael Ware's seven years reporting in Iraq--an extraordinary journey that takes him into the darkest recesses of the Iraq War and the human soul.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCity of Ghosts (2017)
With unprecedented access, this documentary follows the extraordinary journey of “Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently”—a group of anonymous citizen journalists who banded together after their homeland was overtaken by ISIS—as they risk their lives to stand up against one of the greatest evils in the world today.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both war & documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLast Letters Home (2004)
Ten families read letters from their loved ones killed during Operation Iraqi Freedom in this powerful and moving HBO documentary by Oscar and Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Bill Couturie (Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam). Photos of the soldiers in military and civilian life are shown as family members read the final correspondence received from Iraq and share their thoughts and memories about the fallen troops and the realities of war.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & war
Danger Close (2017)
Freelance female war reporter Alex Quade covers U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF) on highly classified combat missions. Since 2001, she has embedded with elite SOF, including the U.S. Army Special Forces or Green Berets, Army Rangers, Navy Seals, and CIA clandestine operatives to tell their stories from the front lines. "Danger Close" follows Alex as she lives alongside these highly trained forces on some of the most daring missions ever documented in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Going to War (2018)
What is it really like to go to war? Filled with terror, pain, and grief, it also brings exhilaration, and a profound sense of purpose. Renowned authors Karl Marlantes and Sebastian Junger help us make sense of this paradox and get to the heart of what it’s like to be a soldier at war. Veterans of various conflicts reveal some universal truths of combat with unflinching candor.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & war
Escape from Kabul (2021)
Captured through rare archival footage and firsthand accounts, this documentary details the harrowing 18-day evacuation at Kabul airport in August 2021 from the perspectives of fleeing Afghan citizens, U.S. Marines, and Taliban fighters.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Armadillo (2010)
Danish soldiers are sent to Afghanistan in 2009 for 6 months, to help stabilize the country against the Taliban. They're stationed on Armadillo military base in Helman province. Unlike other war movies, this is the real deal – no actors.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & war
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Sniper's War (2018)
A Sniper’s War is a story of a sniper, whose anti-US views led him to join the pro-Russian rebels in the ongoing Ukrainian conflict—a primary source of tension between the United States and Russia. When social media becomes a communication platform to schedule sniper duels, Deki’s rival threatens to kill him. The New York-based filmmaker, Olya Schechter, obtains unprecedented access to military bases and front line battles to paint an intimate portrait of the complex and fascinating nature of a man walking the tightrope that often comes to the morality of war: is Deki a solder or a killer?
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & war
Vietnam in HD (2011)
Vietnam in HD is a 6-part series that immerses viewers in the sights, sounds and stories of the Vietnam War as it has never before been seen. Thousands of hours of uncensored footage--much of it shot by soldiers in action--will detail every critical chapter of the conflict. The war will unfold onscreen through the gripping firsthand accounts of 13 brave men and women who were forever changed by their experience in Vietnam.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both war & documentary
The War Tapes (2006)
Straight from the front lines in Iraq, THE WAR TAPES is the first war movie filmed by soldiers themselves. These soldiers bypassed Pentagon supervised media to share their experience like never before. Funnier, spicier, and more gut wrenching than news reports, this is Operation Iraqi Freedom as filmed by Sergeant Steve Pink, Sergeant Zack Bazzi and Specialist Mike Moriarty. Steve is a wisecracking carpenter who aspires to be a writer. Zack is a Lebanese-American university student who loves to travel and is fluent in Arabic. Mike is a father who seeks honor and redemption. Each leaves a woman behind - a girlfriend, a mother and a wife. Through their candid footage, these men open their hearts and take us on an unforgettable journey, capturing camaraderie and humor along with the brutal and terrifying experiences they face. These soldiers got the story that 2,700 embedded reporters never could.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
The Kill Team (2013)
In 2010, the media branded a platoon of U.S. Army infantry soldiers “The Kill Team” following reports of its killing for sport in Afghanistan. Now, one of the accused must fight the government he defended on the battlefield, while grappling with his own role in the alleged murders. Dan Krauss’s absorbing documentary examines the stories of four men implicated in heinous war crimes in a stark reminder that, in war, innocence may be relative to the insanity around you.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both war & documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBrothers at War (2009)
BROTHERS AT WAR is an intimate portrait of an American family during a turbulent time. Jake Rademacher sets out to understand the experience, sacrifice, and motivation of his two brothers serving in Iraq. The film follows Jake’s exploits as he risks everything—including his life—to tell his brothers’ story.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & history
Uncovered: The War on Iraq (2004)
The feature-length version of producer/director Robert's Greenwald's short documentary phenomenon "Uncovered: The Whole Truth About The Iraq War." The film deconstructs the current American administration's case for war in Iraq through interviews with U.S. intelligence professionals, diplomats and former Pentagon officials, including a former director of the C.I.A., two former Secretaries of Defense, a former ambassador to Saudi Arabia and even President Bush's former Secretary of the Army.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & history
Underfire: The Untold Story of Pfc. Tony Vaccaro (2016)
The remarkable story of WWII infantryman and photographer Tony Vaccaro, who created one of the most comprehensive, haunting and intimate photographic records of the war using a smuggled $47 camera while developing the negatives in his helmet at night.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both war & documentary
2000 Meters to Andriivka (2025)
Amid the failing counteroffensive, a journalist follows a Ukrainian platoon on their mission to traverse one mile of heavily fortified forest and liberate a strategic village from Russian occupation. But the farther they advance through their destroyed homeland, the more they realize that this war may never end.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & war
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisMURPH: The Protector (2013)
A documentary based on the honor, courage and commitment of Navy SEAL LT Michael P. Murphy, who gave his life for his men in 2005 and was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor in 2007.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
We Stand Alone Together: The Men of Easy Company (2001)
Over a period of two years, Mark Cowen and his crew travelled to thirty U.S. states and ten European cities, to interview the veterans of Easy Company. The stories told by the veterans themselves, create a history of the Second World War from the point of view of this heroic company of men, made famous in the mini-series Band of Brothers.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & war
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCitizen Soldier (2016)
CITIZEN SOLDIER is a dramatic feature film, told from the point of view of a group of Soldiers in the Oklahoma Army National Guard's 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, known since World War II as the "Thunderbirds.” Set in one of the most dangerous parts of Afghanistan at the height of the surge, it is a heart-pounding, heartfelt grunts' eye-view of the war. A modern day Band of Brothers, Citizen Soldier tells the true story of a group of young Soldiers and their life-changing tour of duty in Afghanistan, offering an excruciatingly personal look into modern warfare, brotherhood, and patriotism. Using real footage from multiple cameras, including helmet cams, these Citizen Soldiers give the audience an intimate view into the chaos and horrors of combat and, in the process, display their bravery and valor under the most hellish of conditions.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
This Is Congo (2017)
An unfiltered look in to the lives of 3 characters surviving amongst the most recent cycle of conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, otherwise known as the M23 rebellion.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & war
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Hornet's Nest?
The closest matches to The Hornet's Nest are Retrograde (2022), Restrepo (2010) and Korengal (2014). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Hornet's Nest?
People who watched The Hornet's Nest most often go on to Retrograde (2022), Restrepo (2010) and Korengal (2014).
What is the highest-rated movie like The Hornet's Nest?
Restrepo (2010), rated 7.2/10 by 381 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Hornet's Nest?
Love+War (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Hornet's Nest?
Yes: Retrograde (2022), Restrepo (2010) and Korengal (2014).
How are movies similar to The Hornet's Nest chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Hornet's Nest, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.