Movies like Men of the Lightship (1940)
The best movies like Men of the Lightship (1940) are Morituri (1965), The Wackiest Ship in the Army (1960) and USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage (2016). If Men of the Lightship hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Men of the Lightship
Quick picks
- Highest ratedMidnight Sun (2018)7.8/10 from 3,587 votes
- NewestThe Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (2024)Released 2024
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: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Wackiest Ship in the Army (1960)
Lieutenant Rip Crandall is hoodwinked into taking command of the "Wackiest Ship in the Navy" – a real garbage scow with a crew of misfits who don't know a jib from a jigger. What none of them knows, including Crandall, is that this ship has a very important top-secret mission to complete in waters patrolled by the Japanese fleet. Their mission will save hundreds of allied lives – if only they can get there in one piece.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisUSS Indianapolis: Men of Courage (2016)
The harrowing true story of the crew of the USS Indianapolis, who were stranded in the Philippine Sea for five days after delivering the atomic weapons that would eventually end WWII. As they awaited rescue, they endured extreme thirst, hunger, and relentless shark attacks.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisMidnight Sun (2018)
Katie, a 17-year-old, has been sheltered since childhood and confined to her house during the day by a rare disease that makes even the smallest amount of sunlight deadly. Fate intervenes when she meets Charlie and they embark on a summer romance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (2024)
During World War II, the British Army assigns a group of competent soldiers to carry out a mission against the Nazi forces behind enemy lines... A true story about a secret British WWII organization — the Special Operations Executive. Founded by Winston Churchill, their irregular warfare against the Germans helped to change the course of the war, and gave birth to modern black operations.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Sea Wolves (1980)
A German spy is passing on information about the location of Allied ships in the neutral harbor of Goa, India, with catastrophic results. Unable to undertake a full military operation in the Portuguese stronghold, English intelligence brings out of retirement a crew of geriatric ex-soldiers, veterans from World War I, using their age as cover. These old soldiers are asked to take to the seas and pull off an unlikely undercover mission.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisCross of Iron (1977)
It is 1943, and the German army—ravaged and demoralised—is hastily retreating from the Russian front. In the midst of the madness, conflict brews between the aristocratic yet ultimately pusillanimous Captain Stransky and the courageous Corporal Steiner. Stransky is the only man who believes that the Third Reich is still vastly superior to the Russian army. However, within his pompous persona lies a quivering coward who longs for the Iron Cross so that he can return to Berlin a hero. Steiner, on the other hand is cynical, defiantly non-conformist and more concerned with the safety of his own men rather than the horde of military decorations offered to him by his superiors.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSouth Pacific (1958)
Can a girl from Little Rock find happiness with a mature French planter she got to know one enchanted evening away from the military hospital where she is a nurse? Or should she just wash that man out of her hair? Bloody Mary is the philosopher of the island and it's hard to believe she could be the mother of Liat who has captured the heart of Lt. Joseph Cable USMC. While waiting for action in the war in the South Pacific, sailors and nurses put on a musical comedy show. The war gets closer and the saga of Nellie Forbush and Emile de Becque becomes serious drama.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisShip of Fools (1965)
A varied group of passengers aboard a ship bound for pre-WWII Germany represents a microcosm of early-1930s society.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisYanks (1979)
During WWII, the United States set up army bases in Great Britain as part of the war effort. Against their proper sensibilities, many of the Brits don't much like the brash Yanks, especially when it comes to the G.I.s making advances on the lonely British girls. One relationship that develops is between married John, an Army Captain, and the aristocratic Helen, whose naval husband is away at war. Helen loves her husband, but Helen and John are looking for some comfort during the difficult times.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Best of Enemies (1961)
During World War II, a plane full of RAF fighter crashes in the Ethiopian desert and they are met upon by an enemy Italian patrol that allows them to go free. But, when the Brits are given orders to attack the Italians, lots of problems ensue.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGreyhound (2020)
A first-time captain leads a convoy of allied ships carrying thousands of soldiers across the treacherous waters of the "Black Pit" to the front lines of WWII. With no air cover protection for 5 days, the captain and his convoy must battle the surrounding enemy Nazi U-boats in order to give the allies a chance to win the war.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Bridge at Remagen (1969)
In March of 1945, as the War in Europe is coming to a close, fighting erupts between German and American troops at the last remaining bridgehead across the Rhine.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisVoyage of the Damned (1976)
A luxury liner carries Jewish refugees from Hitler's Germany in a desperate fight for survival.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIf I Only Had Christmas (2020)
At Christmas, a cheerful publicist teams up with a cynical business owner and his team to help a charity in need.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Long Voyage Home (1940)
The crew of the merchant ship Glencairn hope to survive a transatlantic crossing during World War II. Adapted from four Eugene O'Neill one-act plays.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Sea Chase (1955)
As the Second World War breaks out, German freighter captain Karl Ehrlich is about to leave Sydney, Australia with his vessel, the Ergenstrasse. Ehrlich, an anti-Nazi but proud German, hopes to outrun or out-maneuver the British warship pursuing him. Aboard his vessel is Elsa Keller, a woman Ehrlich has been ordered to return to Germany safely along with whatever secrets she carries. When Ehrlich's fiercely Nazi chief officer Kirchner commits an atrocity, the British pursuit becomes deadly.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMan Hunt (1941)
Shortly before the start of WW2, renowned British big-game hunter Alan Thorndike, vacationing in Bavaria, has Hitler in his gun sight. He is captured, beaten, left for dead, and escapes back to London where he is hounded by Nazi agents and aided by a young woman.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIn Which We Serve (1942)
The story of the HMS Torrin, from its construction to its sinking in the Mediterranean during action in World War II. The ship’s first and only commanding officer is Captain E.V. Kinross, who trains his men not only to be loyal to him and the country, but—most importantly—to themselves.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPatton (1970)
"Patton" tells the tale of General George S. Patton, famous tank commander of World War II. The film begins with Patton's career in North Africa and progresses through the invasion of Germany and the fall of the Third Reich. Side plots also speak of Patton's numerous faults such his temper and habit towards insubordination.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Men of the Lightship?
The closest matches to Men of the Lightship are Morituri (1965), The Wackiest Ship in the Army (1960) and USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage (2016). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Men of the Lightship?
Start with Morituri (1965), the closest match to Men of the Lightship.
What is the highest-rated movie like Men of the Lightship?
Midnight Sun (2018), rated 7.8/10 by 3,587 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Men of the Lightship?
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (2024) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Men of the Lightship?
Yes: Morituri (1965), The Wackiest Ship in the Army (1960) and USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage (2016).
How are movies similar to Men of the Lightship chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Men of the Lightship, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.