Movies like Citizen Soldier (2016)
The best movies like Citizen Soldier (2016) are The War Tapes (2006), The Kill Team (2013) and Restrepo (2010). If Citizen Soldier hooked you with its action 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
- NewestCome See Me in the Good Light (2025)Released 2025
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 documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRestrepo (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 documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBlack 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
The Tillman Story (2010)
Pat Tillman never thought of himself as a hero. His choice to leave a multimillion-dollar football contract and join the military wasn't done for any reason other than he felt it was the right thing to do. The fact that the military manipulated his tragic death in the line of duty into a propaganda tool is unfathomable and thoroughly explored in Amir Bar-Lev's riveting and enraging documentary.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisNo 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
Legion of Brothers (2017)
Afghanistan, immediately post-9/11: Small teams of Green Berets arrive on a series of secret missions to overthrow the Taliban. What happens next is equal parts war origin story and cautionary tale, illuminating the nature and impact of 15 years of constant combat, with unprecedented access to U.S. Special Forces.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Apache Warrior (2017)
The stories of the U.S. Army helicopter crews in the war-torn countries of Iraq and Afghanistan, including real-life footage of the crews providing 24-hour transport, air cover and rescue.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
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
Alive Day Memories: Home from Iraq (2007)
In a war that has left more than 25,000 wounded, ALIVE DAY MEMORIES: HOME FROM IRAQ looks at a new generation of veterans. Executive Producer James Gandolfini interviews ten Soldiers and Marines who reveal their feelings on their future, their severe disabilities and their devotion to America. The documentary surveys the physical and emotional cost of war through memories of their "alive day," the day they narrowly escaped death in Iraq.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Combat 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
Korengal (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
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTwo Weeks in Hell (2009)
The U.S. Army Special Forces Green Berets are America's elite warfare specialists. Who are they and what does it take to become one?
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Gunner 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
We, the Marines (2017)
We, the Marines takes viewers on an action-packed adventure into the unparalleled experience of becoming and serving as a member of the U.S. Marine Corps. Narrated by former Marine and actor, Gene Hackman, the film honors something more than dedication and service; the film offers an unforgettable glimpse into the first-hand experiences of America's "first responders" and what it takes to become the men and women who honor and defend our country.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
The Battle for Marjah (2010)
Tells the story of Operation Moshtarak, the biggest operation since the start of the Afghanistan war, whose main target was the Taliban stronghold of Marjah. For two months, VBS correspondent Ben Anderson got to know the American forces behind Operation Moshtarak and filmed the brutal realities of their life on the front lines.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Brothers in War (2014)
Brothers in War recounts the harrowing combat experiences of the men of Charlie Company - one of the last American combat infantry companies to be drafted, trained and sent to fight together in Vietnam.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
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
The Hornet's Nest (2014)
Armed only with their cameras, Peabody and Emmy Award-winning conflict Journalist Mike Boettcher, and his son, Carlos, provide unprecedented access into the longest war in U.S. history: they are embed with U.S. troops during nine days of intense combat in Afghanistan.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSpeed & Angels (2008)
Young Navy Officers, Jay and Meagan, have dreamt of becoming naval aviators flying the F-14 Tomcat since their childhoods. The film follows their two-and-a-half year journey as it takes them through dogfights in the Nevada desert, night landings on aircraft carriers in the Atlantic, and eventually to the biggest challenge young officers face: wartime deployments to Iraq.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience (2007)
A unique documentary about troops' experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan, based on writings by soldiers, Marines, and air men.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
One Soldier's Story: The Journey of American Sniper (2015)
Join director Clint Eastwood and his creative team, along with Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller, as they overcome enormous creative and logistic obstacles to make a film that brings the truth of Navy SEAL Chris Kyle's story to the screen.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
SnoozefestMovies like thisDanger 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
Body of War (2007)
Documentary about Tomas Young, a 25 year old veteran who got paralyzed in Iraq and became an peace activist.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Wartorn: 1861-2010 (2010)
With suicide rates among active military servicemen and veterans currently on the rise, this documentary brings urgent attention to the invisible wounds of war. Drawing on personal stories of American soldiers whose lives and psyches were torn asunder by the horrors of battle and PTSD, the documentary chronicles the lingering effects of combat stress and post-traumatic stress on military personnel and their families throughout American history, from the Civil War through today's conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Ready for War (2019)
Andrew Renzi’s heartfelt and hard-hitting documentary sheds light on the lives of three of the estimated thousands of immigrants who volunteer for service in the American military, yet find themselves deported from the US once their tours of duty are over.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Spider-Man 2: Making the Amazing (2004)
A comprehensive 12-part documentary on the making of "Spider-Man 2," covering everything from pre-production to premiere.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFather 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: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCome See Me in the Good Light (2025)
In an intimate and joyful story of love in the face of loss, celebrated poets Andrea Gibson and Megan Falley find strength—and unexpected hilarity—in what might be their final year together.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God (2012)
Alex Gibney explores the charged issue of pedophilia in the Catholic Church, following a trail from the first known protest against clerical sexual abuse in the United States and all way to the Vatican.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Citizen Soldier?
The closest matches to Citizen Soldier are The War Tapes (2006), The Kill Team (2013) and Restrepo (2010). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Citizen Soldier?
People who watched Citizen Soldier most often go on to The War Tapes (2006), The Kill Team (2013) and Restrepo (2010).
What is the highest-rated movie like Citizen Soldier?
Restrepo (2010), rated 7.2/10 by 381 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Citizen Soldier?
Come See Me in the Good Light (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Citizen Soldier?
Yes: The War Tapes (2006), The Kill Team (2013) and Restrepo (2010).
How are movies similar to Citizen Soldier chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Citizen Soldier, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.