Movies like The Founding of an Army (2017)
The best movies like The Founding of an Army (2017) are Wolf Warrior 2 (2017), Red Cliff II (2009) and Operation Mekong (2016). If The Founding of an Army hooked you with its history and war, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedMulan: Rise of a Warrior (2009)7.5/10 from 466 votes
- NewestLegends of the Condor Heroes: The Gallants (2025)Released 2025
- In ChineseWolf Warrior 2 (2017)Also in Chinese
- Same seriesThe Founding of a Republic (2009)New China Trilogy
Wolf Warrior 2 (2017)
China's deadliest special forces operative settles into a quiet life on the sea. When sadistic mercenaries begin targeting nearby civilians, he must leave his newfound peace behind and return to his duties as a soldier and protector.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both war & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRed Cliff II (2009)
The battle of Red Cliff continues and the alliance between Xu and East Wu is fracturing. With Cao Cao's massive forces on their doorstep, will the kingdoms of Xu and East Wu survive?
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOperation Mekong (2016)
The Chinese government launches a daring operation to arrest a violent drug cartel following the discovery of thirteen Chinese crew members' bodies on two ships sailing through the Mekong River.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & war
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBack to 1942 (2012)
In 1942, Henan Province was devastated by one of the most tragic famines in modern Chinese history, resulting in the deaths of at least three million men, women and children. Although the primary cause of the famine was a severe drought, it was exacerbated by locusts, windstorms, earthquakes, epidemic disease and the corruption of the ruling Kuomintang government.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both war
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRed Cliff (2008)
In 208 A.D., in the final days of the Han Dynasty, shrewd Prime Minster Cao convinced the fickle Emperor Han the only way to unite all of China was to declare war on the kingdoms of Xu in the west and East Wu in the south. Thus began a military campaign of unprecedented scale. Left with no other hope for survival, the kingdoms of Xu and East Wu formed an unlikely alliance.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both history & war
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Battle at Lake Changjin II: Water Gate Bridge (2022)
Commander Wu Qianli leads the 7th Infantry Company soldiers to Funchilin Pass where they are tasked to destroy a bridge to stop enemy troops from retreating.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both war & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Eight Hundred (2020)
In 1937, eight hundred Chinese soldiers fight under siege from a warehouse in the middle of the Shanghai battlefield, completely surrounded by the Japanese army.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both war & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMulan: Rise of a Warrior (2009)
When barbarian hordes threaten her homeland, the brave and cunning Mulan disguises herself as a male soldier to swell the ranks in her aging father's stead. The warrior's remarkable courage drives her through powerful battle scenes and brutal wartime strategy. Mulan loses dear friends to the enemy's blade as she rises to become one of her country's most valuable leaders — but can she win the war before her secret is exposed?
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHidden Blade (2023)
Follows the story of underground workers who risked their lives to send intelligence and defend the motherland, set after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor when the Wang Jingwei regime declared war on Britain and the U.S.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both history & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCliff Walkers (2021)
In the puppet state of Manchukuo in the 1930s, four Communist party special agents, after returning to China, embark on a secret mission. Sold out by a traitor, the team find themselves surrounded by threats on all sides.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAssembly (2007)
Follows a soldier trying to gain recognition for comrades who died in 1948, at a turning point in the civil war between the communists and the nationalist forces of the Kuomintang.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRailroad Tigers (2016)
A railroad worker in China in 1941 leads a team of freedom fighters against the Japanese in order to get food for the poor.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & war
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJohn Rabe (2009)
A true-story account of a German businessman who saved more than 200,000 Chinese during the Nanjing massacre in 1937-38.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both history & war
Worth the HypeMovies 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: Fans watch both · both history & action
Worth the HypeMovies like this1911 (2011)
China's first President Sun Yat-Sen and military commander Huang Xing lead the revolutionary Wuchang Uprising in a bid to put an end to the reign of the Qing Dynasty.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & history
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Founding of a Republic (2009)
The tale of one man who fought against the tyranny of a ruler and led his people in battle in the ultimate sacrifice for his country.
Why it matches: Same series: New China Trilogy · both history
SnoozefestMovies like thisWolf Warrior (2015)
A Chinese special force soldier with extraordinary marksmanship is confronted by a group of deadly foreign mercenaries who are hired to assassinate him by a vicious drug lord.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & war
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGod of War (2017)
During the 16th century, pirates rule the Chinese coastline, pillaging the small villages and terrorizing the citizens. When maverick leader Commander Yu enlists the help of a sharp young general, they devise a plan to defeat the pirates. A violent clash of wit and weapons will decide who will rule the land.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKokoda (2006)
A bitter battle is fought between Australian and Japanese soldiers along the Kokoda trail in New Guinea during World War II.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKing Arthur (2004)
The story of the Arthurian legend, based on the 'Sarmatian hypothesis' which contends that the legend has a historical nucleus in the Sarmatian heavy cavalry troops stationed in Britain, and that the Roman-British military commander, Lucius Artorius Castus is the historical person behind the legend.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both war & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHero (2002)
During China's Warring States period, a district prefect arrives at the palace of Qin Shi Huang, claiming to have killed the three assassins who had made an attempt on the king's life three years ago.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRailway Heroes (2021)
The historical story of an enemy fighting the wits and courage of an extraordinary brave group of ordinary heroes known as the "Lunan Railway Brigade" who desperately fight to defend their homeland.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both war & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFlyboys (2006)
The adventures of the Lafayette Escadrille, young Americans who volunteered for the French military before the U.S. entered World War I, and became the country's first fighter pilots.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history & war
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBattleground (1949)
Members of the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division are fighting for their country amidst the rugged terrain of Bastogne, Belgium, in December 1944. Holley and his American compatriots have already seen one of their own, Roderigues, perish under enemy fire. The men try to rebuff another series of Nazi attacks, but what they really need is a change in the weather. Without clear skies, they'll never get the air support they need.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & war
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Charge of the Light Brigade (1968)
During the Crimean War between Britain and Russia in the 1850s, a British cavalry division, led by the overbearing Lord Cardigan, engages in an infamously reckless strategic debacle against a Russian artillery battery.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history & war
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Scarlet and the Black (1983)
Fr. Hugh O'Flaherty is a Vatican official in 1943-45 who has been hiding downed pilots, escaped prisoners of war, and Italian resistance families. His activities become so large that the Nazis decide to assassinate him the next time he leaves the Vatican.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history & war
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLegends of the Condor Heroes: The Gallants (2025)
Under Genghis Khan, the Mongolian army pushes west to destroy the Jin Dynasty, setting its sights on the Song Dynasty next. Amid internal conflicts among martial arts schools, Guo Jing unites the Central Plains' warriors to defend Xiangyang, embodying courage and loyalty in the fight for the nation.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Alamo (1960)
The legendary true story of a small band of soldiers who sacrificed their lives in hopeless combat against a massive army in order to prevent a tyrant from smashing the new Republic of Texas.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both war & history
Worth the HypeMovies like this55 Days at Peking (1963)
Diplomats, soldiers and other representatives of a dozen nations fend off the siege of the International Compound in Peking during the 1900 Boxer Rebellion. The disparate interests unite for survival despite competing factions, overwhelming odds, delayed relief and tacit support of the Boxers by the Empress of China and her generals.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history & war
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSix Minutes to Midnight (2020)
Summer 1939. Influential families in Nazi Germany have sent their daughters to a finishing school in an English seaside town to learn the language and be ambassadors for a future looking National Socialist. A teacher there sees what is coming and is trying to raise the alarm. But the authorities believe he is the problem.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history & war
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Founding of an Army?
The closest matches to The Founding of an Army are Wolf Warrior 2 (2017), Red Cliff II (2009) and Operation Mekong (2016). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Founding of an Army?
People who watched The Founding of an Army most often go on to Wolf Warrior 2 (2017), Red Cliff II (2009) and Operation Mekong (2016).
What is the highest-rated movie like The Founding of an Army?
Mulan: Rise of a Warrior (2009), rated 7.5/10 by 466 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Founding of an Army?
Legends of the Condor Heroes: The Gallants (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Is The Founding of an Army part of a series?
Yes. It belongs to New China Trilogy, which includes The Founding of a Republic (2009).
Are there Chinese movies like The Founding of an Army?
Yes: Wolf Warrior 2 (2017), Red Cliff II (2009) and Operation Mekong (2016).
How are movies similar to The Founding of an Army chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Founding of an Army, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.