Movies like The Battleship Island (2017)
The best movies like The Battleship Island (2017) are My Way (2011), Men in War (1957) and Hansan: Rising Dragon (2022). If The Battleship Island hooked you with its drama and war, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedMy Way (2011)7.9/10 from 472 votes
- NewestUprising (2024)Released 2024
- In KoreanMy Way (2011)Also in Korean
My Way (2011)
During the invasion of Normandy the photograph of a slim Korean man in German uniform was found. It transpired that the man had served as a soldier in the Japanese, Russian and German armies. His incredible story inspired director Kang Je-Gyu to create this epic war drama.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & war
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisMen in War (1957)
In Korea, on 6 September 1950, Lieutenant Benson's platoon finds itself isolated in enemy-held territory after a retreat. Soon they are joined by Sergeant Montana, whose overriding concern is caring for his catatonic colonel. Benson and Montana can't stand each other, but together they must get the survivors to Hill 465, where they hope the division is waiting. It's a long, harrowing march, fraught with all the dangers the elusive enemy can summon.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both war & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHansan: Rising Dragon (2022)
In 1592, admiral Yi Sun-sin and his fleet face off against the might of the invading Japanese navy and its formidable warships. As the Korean forces fall into crisis, the admiral resorts to using his secret weapon, the dragon head ships known as geobukseon, in order to change the tide of this epic battle at sea.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both war & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNoryang: Deadly Sea (2023)
The Imjin War reaches its seventh year in December of 1598. Admiral Yi Sun-shin learns that the Wa invaders in Joseon are preparing for a swift withdrawal following the deathbed orders of their leader Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Determined to destroy the enemy once and for all, Admiral Yi leads an allied fleet of Joseon and Ming ships to mount a blockade and annihilate the Wa army. However, once Ming commander Chen Lin is bribed into lifting the blockade, Wa lord Shimazu Yoshihiro and his Satsuma army sail to the Wa army's rescue at Noryang Strait.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both war & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKing Rat (1965)
When Singapore surrendered to the Japanese in 1942, the Allied POWs, mostly British but including a few Americans, were incarcerated in Changi prison. Among the American prisoners is Cpl. King, a wheeler-dealer who has managed to establish a pretty good life for himself in the camp. King soon forms a friendship with an upper-class British officer who is fascinated with King's enthusiastic approach to life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & war
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPork Chop Hill (1959)
Korean War, April 1953. Lieutenant Clemons, leader of the King company of the United States Infantry, is ordered to recapture Pork Chop Hill, occupied by a powerful Chinese Army force, while, just seventy miles away, at nearby the village of Panmunjom, a tense cease-fire conference is celebrated.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & war
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEscape from Sobibor (1987)
The true story of WWII's notorious Sobibor Nazi death camp, where a courageous inmate orchestrates and leads the escape of over 300 prisoners.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & war
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOperation Chromite (2016)
A squad of soldiers fight in the Korean War's crucial Battle of Incheon.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & war
SnoozefestMovies like thisFirst They Killed My Father (2017)
A 5-year-old girl embarks on a harrowing quest for survival amid the sudden rise and terrifying reign of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both war & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGlorious 39 (2009)
A mysterious tale set around a traditional British family on the eve of World War Two. Oblivious to the looming shadow of World War II, the wealthy Keyes maintain a confident façade in the British countryside until daughter Anne becomes an unexpected pawn. Her accidental discovery of secret recordings creates a rift in the family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both war & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Beast of War (1988)
During the war in Afghanistan a Soviet tank crew commanded by a tyrannical officer find themselves lost and in a struggle against a band of Mujahadeen guerrillas in the mountains.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both war & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisUprising (2024)
In the Joseon Dynasty, two friends who grew up together — one the master and one the servant — reunite post-war as enemies on opposing sides.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Last Princess (2016)
Under the oppressive Japanese colonial rule, Deok-hye, the last Princess of the declining Joseon Dynasty, is forced to move to Japan. She spends her days missing home, while struggling to maintain dignity as a princess. After a series of failed tries, Deok-hye makes her final attempt to return home with help of her childhood sweetheart, Jang-han.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Battle: Roar to Victory (2019)
Over a 4 day period, a fierce battle takes place between Korean independence militias and imperialist Japanese forces in Manchuria, China. The militia includes a master swordsman and an expert marksman.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both war
Worth the HypeMovies like thisServe the People (2022)
Mu-kwang volunteers to be a kitchen police of Sa-taek, the divisional commander, dreaming of success. One day, Mu-kwang meets Su-ryeon by chance, who is a young and beautiful wife of the commander. Soon, he feels a strong attraction by her.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWaiting for the Barbarians (2020)
At an isolated frontier outpost, a colonial magistrate suffers a crisis of conscience when an army colonel arrives looking to interrogate the locals about an impending uprising, using cruel tactics that horrify the magistrate.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Treacherous (2015)
The story of Joseon's tyrant king Yeonsan who exploits the populace for his own carnal pleasures, his seemingly loyal retainer who controls him and all court dealings, and a woman who seeks vengeance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAssassination (2015)
In Japanese-occupied Korea, three freedom fighters are assigned a mission to assassinate a genocidal military leader and his top collaborator. But the plan goes completely awry amidst double-crossings, counter-assassinations, and a shocking revelation about one of the assassins' past.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Sword with No Name (2009)
Mu Myeong is a Joseon dynasty headhunter who meets and falls in love with lady Ja Yeong who will become the future Empress Myseongseong. A few years later, Ja Yeong enters the royal palace to marry King Gojong. Mu Myeong still having feelings for Ja Yeong and in an attempt to get closer to her becomes her personal body guard.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKundo: Age of the Rampant (2014)
In 1862, amidst the rule of the late Joseon dynasty in Korea, a band of fighters named Kundo rise against the unjust authorities.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNorth Korean Partisan in South Korea (1990)
Reporter for a North Korean news service joins the partisans when the Americans and UN forces invade South Korea.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both war & drama
The Bell Tower (1958)
An elderly bell maker reminisces about his life filled with tragedy.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
The Host (2006)
A teenage girl is captured by a giant mutated squid-like creature that appears from Seoul's Han River after toxic waste was dumped in it, prompting her family into a frantic search for her.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisJoint Security Area (2000)
Two North Korean soldiers are killed in the border area between North and South Korea, prompting an investigation by a neutral body. The lead investigator receives differing accounts from the two sides.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Love in Germany (1983)
In May of 1983, a man turns 49 and, with his 17-year old son, journeys to the village in Baden that he left 40 years before. He wants to discover what happened then, the truth about an affair his mother had with a young Polish prisoner of war, how the authorities came to learn of it, the lovers' arrest, and the aftermath. While his son takes Polaroid photographs, he retraces the steps of his childhood and interviews those who should remember. The story is disclosed in flashbacks that focus on the lovers (Paulina and Stanislaus), on a jealous and conniving neighbor, and on Mayer, the local SS commander who wants to find a way out of inevitable consequences.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
God's Eye View (2014)
A Christian missionary group is abducted by Islamic rebels. In fear for their lives, the group slowly sees their faith in each other slip away.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Shooting Girls (2020)
The Samrye Girl’s Middle School soccer club always loses. There’s no sufficient support for the club and to make matters worse, the main striker transfers to another school. Would it be feasible to make a miracle happen at the National Convention?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Anarchist from Colony (2017)
Based on the life of the Korean anarchist Park Yeol, the film shows his struggle to counter the massacre of Koreans by the government during the 1923 great Kanto earthquake, focusing on his activities as the leader of the anti-Japanese organization Bulryeongsa and his relationship with Japanese comrade Fumiko Kaneko.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Fighter in the Wind (2004)
An account of karate competitor Choi Yeung-Eui who went to Japan after World War II to become a fighter pilot but found a very different path instead. He changed his name to Masutatsu Oyama and went across the country, defeating martial artists one after another. This film concentrates on the period when he is still young, and developing his famous karate style, Kyokushin.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSunny Life Farms (2024)
Set on a British farm, a supplier to major supermarkets. This murky operation holds Nizar behind closed doors as a slave. Riddled with debt he finds his dream of reuniting with his family thrown into jeopardy when he becomes responsible for a volatile new arrival.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Battleship Island?
The closest matches to The Battleship Island are My Way (2011), Men in War (1957) and Hansan: Rising Dragon (2022). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Battleship Island?
Start with My Way (2011), the closest match to The Battleship Island.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Battleship Island?
My Way (2011), rated 7.9/10 by 472 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Battleship Island?
Uprising (2024) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Korean movies like The Battleship Island?
Yes: My Way (2011), Hansan: Rising Dragon (2022) and Noryang: Deadly Sea (2023).
How are movies similar to The Battleship Island chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Battleship Island, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.