Movies like Turbulence (1997)
The best movies like Turbulence (1997) are Die Hard 2 (1990), Con Air (1997) and Speed (1994). If Turbulence hooked you with its action and thriller, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedDie Hard (1988)7.8/10 from 12,851 votes
- NewestWings of Dread (2026)Released 2026
Die Hard 2 (1990)
One year after his heroics in Los Angeles, John McClane is an off-duty cop who is the wrong guy in the wrong place at the wrong time. On a snowy Christmas Eve, as he waits for his wife's plane to land at Washington Dulles International Airport, terrorists take over the air traffic control system in a plot to free a South American army general and drug smuggler being flown into the US to face drug charges. It's now up to McClane to take on the terrorists, while coping with an inept airport police chief, an uncooperative anti-terrorist squad, and the life of his wife and everyone else trapped in planes circling overhead.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCon Air (1997)
Newly-paroled former US Army ranger Cameron Poe is headed back to his wife, but must fly home aboard a prison transport flight dubbed "Jailbird" taking the “worst of the worst” prisoners, a group described as “pure predators”, to a new super-prison. Poe faces impossible odds when the transport plane is skyjacked mid-flight by the most vicious criminals in the country led by the mastermind — genius serial killer Cyrus "The Virus" Grissom, and backed by black militant Diamond Dog and psychopath Billy Bedlam.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSpeed (1994)
Tensions run high when a crazed bomber rigs a Los Angeles bus with a device that will kill everyone on board if the vehicle's speed dips below fifty miles per hour.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (2009)
Armed men hijack a New York City subway train, holding the passengers hostage in return for a ransom, and turning an ordinary day's work for dispatcher Walter Garber into a face-off with the mastermind behind the crime.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both crime & thriller
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: Fans watch both · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Poseidon Adventure (2005)
A cruise ship succumbs to a terrorist act and capsizes on New Year's eve. A rag-tag group of survivors, spearheaded by a priest and a homeland security agent, must journey through the upside down vessel and attempt an escape.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller & action
SnoozefestMovies like thisDie Hard (1988)
High above the city of L.A. a team of terrorists has seized a building, taken hostages, and declared war. One man has manages to escape... An off-duty cop hiding somewhere inside. He's alone, tired... and the only chance anyone has got.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSnakes on a Plane (2006)
FBI agent Neville Flynn boards a flight from Honolulu, Hawaii to Los Angeles, escorting a key witness to testify against a mob boss at an upcoming trial. An on-board assassin releases a crate full of hundreds of deadly venomous snakes in an attempt to eliminate the witness. Flynn and a host of frightened passengers and crew must band together to survive the slithery threat.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & crime
SnoozefestMovies like thisAir Force One (1997)
When Russian neo-nationalists hijack Air Force One, the world's most secure and extraordinary aircraft, the President is faced with a nearly impossible decision to give in to terrorist demands or sacrifice not only the country's dignity, but the lives of his wife and daughter.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Package (1989)
Experienced Green Beret sergeant Johnny Gallagher is escorting a prisoner, Airborne Ranger Thomas Boyette, back to the US, but Boyette escapes and Gallagher must risk life and limb to catch him.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPassenger 57 (1992)
Airline security specialist John Cutter, finally returning to the job after his wife's death, finds himself stuck on a flight being hijacked by notorious terrorist Charles Rane. Unfortunately for the terrorists, they're also stuck with him.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHard Rain (1998)
An armored car driver tries to elude a gang of thieves while a flood ravages the countryside.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller & crime
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Rock (1996)
When vengeful General Francis X. Hummel seizes control of Alcatraz Island and threatens to launch missiles loaded with deadly chemical weapons into San Francisco, only a young FBI chemical weapons expert and notorious Federal prisoner have the skills to penetrate the impregnable island fortress and take him down.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisUnstoppable (2010)
When a massive, unmanned locomotive roars out of control, the threat is more ominous than just a derailment. The train is laden with toxic chemicals, and an accident would decimate human life and cause an environmental disaster. The only hope of bringing the train to a safe stop is in the hands of veteran engineer Frank Barnes, and young conductor Will Colson, who must risk their lives to save those in the runaway's path. Inspired by true events.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBroken Arrow (1996)
When rogue stealth-fighter pilot Vic Deakins deliberately drops off the radar while on maneuvers, the Air Force ends up with two stolen nuclear warheads -- and Deakins's co-pilot, Riley Hale, is the military's only hope for getting them back. Traversing the deserted canyons of Utah, Hale teams with park ranger Terry Carmichael to put Deakins back in his box.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDrop Zone (1994)
A daring prison break from an airliner at 30,000 feet leaves U.S. Marshal Pete Nessip mourning a brother and gunning for revenge. After being ordered to turn in his badge, he seeks out Jessie Crossman, a noted skydiver, and offers to sponsor her crew for the annual Independence Day parachuting show in Washington, D.C., if she trains him. Meanwhile, the mastermind behind the mid-air jailbreak is planning a daring computer theft on Independence Day.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisAir Force One Down (2024)
On her first assignment aboard Air Force One, a rookie Secret Service agent faces the ultimate test when terrorists hijack the plane, intent on derailing a pivotal energy deal. With the President's life on the line and a global crisis at stake, her bravery and skills are pushed to the limit in a relentless battle that could change the course of history.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFight or Flight (2025)
A mercenary takes on the job of tracking down a target on a plane but must protect that target when they're surrounded by people trying to kill both of them.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAssault on Precinct 13 (2005)
On New Year's Eve, inside a police station that's about to be closed for good, officer Jake Roenick must cobble together a force made up cops and criminals to save themselves from a mob looking to kill mobster Marion Bishop.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHijack 1971 (2024)
In the year 1971, former Korean Air Force fighter pilot Tae-In (Ha Jung-Woo) works as a pilot for a commercial airline. He faces a crisis inside a hijacked flight with the passengers, including Yong-Dae (Yeo Jin-Goo), and his crew members, including Captain Kyu-Sik (Sung Dong-Il) and Flight Attendant Ok-Soon (Chae Soo-Bin).
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like this96 Minutes (2025)
Former bomb disposal expert and his fiancée board a high-speed train. Also, a well-known physics teacher who was involved in an affair scandal, also boards the same train in order to win back his wife. At the same time, there's a bomb on the train!
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBullet Train Explosion (2025)
When panic erupts on a Tokyo-bound bullet train that will explode if it slows below 100 kph, authorities race against time to save everyone on board.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNon-Stop (2014)
Bill Marks is a Federal Air Marshall for whom every day is the same until this one. On this plane ride, he starts receiving text messages from someone claiming to be on the flight and threatening to kill passengers. In a race against the clock, he must identify and stop the killer to save everyone on board.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNick of Time (1995)
An ordinary man is suddenly forced into a plot to kill a politician in exchange for his kidnapped daughter's freedom.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBlack Dog (1998)
An ex-con takes a job driving a truck cross country. What he doesn't know is that the truck is filled with illegal weapons and now he must fight to survive and save his family.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWings of Dread (2026)
Air police officer Gu Chaoyang encounters a hijacking crisis on his flight back to China. With his extremely high professional ethics, he fights desperately to stop the hijacker, and a life-and-death struggle that takes place at an altitude of ten thousand meters begins.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & crime
Fuze (2025)
An unexploded WWII bomb is discovered on a busy construction site in the centre of London. Chaos ensues as the military and police begin a mass evacuation against a ticking clock.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCleaner (2025)
When a group of radical activists take over an energy company's annual gala, seizing 300 hostages, an ex-soldier turned window cleaner suspended 50 storeys up on the outside of the building must save those trapped inside, including her older brother.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDie Hard: With a Vengeance (1995)
New York detective John McClane is back and kicking bad-guy butt in the third installment of this action-packed series, which finds him teaming with civilian Zeus Carver to prevent the loss of innocent lives. McClane thought he'd seen it all, until a genius named Simon engages McClane, his new "partner" -- and his beloved city -- in a deadly game that demands their concentration.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies 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: Fans watch both · both thriller & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Turbulence?
The closest matches to Turbulence are Die Hard 2 (1990), Con Air (1997) and Speed (1994). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Turbulence?
People who watched Turbulence most often go on to Die Hard 2 (1990), Con Air (1997) and Speed (1994).
What is the highest-rated movie like Turbulence?
Die Hard (1988), rated 7.8/10 by 12,851 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Turbulence?
Wings of Dread (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Turbulence?
Yes: Die Hard 2 (1990), Con Air (1997) and Speed (1994).
How are movies similar to Turbulence chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Turbulence, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.