Movies like On the Art of War (2012)
The best movies like On the Art of War (2012) are Paisan (1946), The Organizer (1963) and Mafioso (1962). If On the Art of War hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.

Quick picks
- Highest ratedMy Friends (1975)8.1/10 from 778 votes
- NewestEmbattled (2020)Released 2020
- In ItalianPaisan (1946)Also in Italian
Paisan (1946)
Six stories unfold in various regions, from Sicily to the northern Po Valley as American military personnel interact with a variety of Italian locals over eighteen months in the push north during the Italian Campaign of WWII as German forces retreat.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Organizer (1963)
In the late 19th century, a former high school teacher turned unionist tries to organize workers laboring with inhuman conditions at a textile factory in Turin, Italy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMafioso (1962)
When a good-natured factory supervisor living in Milan with his Northern wife returns to his native Sicily, a decades' old oath forces him to fulfill a nightmarish obligation.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Towering Inferno (1974)
At the opening party of a colossal—but poorly constructed—skyscraper, a massive fire breaks out, threatening to destroy the tower and everyone in it.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisKiller of Sheep (1978)
An African-American man working at a slaughterhouse in the Watts area of Los Angeles leads a dissatisfied and listless existence.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhat Did You Do in the War, Daddy? (1966)
A by-the-book Captain is ordered to capture a strategic village in Italy. The Italian soldiers are willing to surrender, if they can have a festival first. The lieutenant convinces the Captain this is the only way. Because of aerial reconnaissance, they must look like they are fighting. To sort this out an intelligence officer is sent in. Meanwhile the festival gets complicated with the Mayors daughter.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisMy Friends (1975)
Four inseparable friends try to face their midlife crisis with daytrips and pranks at the expense of their families and the people around them.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisPiazza Fontana: The Italian Conspiracy (2012)
On December 12, 1969, a bomb kills 17 people at the Piazza Fontana national bank in Milan, Italy, marking the beginning of the Years of Lead. Local anarchists are scapegoated for the massacre by police and the media, but a lone prosecutor uncovers a conspiracy of far-right groups, corrupt secret services, and other interests that seek to undermine democracy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMiracle at St. Anna (2008)
Miracle at St. Anna chronicles the story of four American soldiers who are members of the all-black 92nd "Buffalo Soldier" Division stationed in Tuscany, Italy during World War II.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Four Days of Naples (1962)
September 1943. After Italy surrenders to the Allies, people in Naples believe the war is finally over, but soon they realize Germans are still in control — and as ruthless as ever. Armed with makeshift weapons, civilians rise up en masse against the invaders — and overwhelming odds.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisParadise Alley (1978)
Three Italian-American brothers, living in the slums of 1940's New York City, try to help each other with one's wrestling career using one brother's promotional skills and another brother's con-artist tactics to thwart a sleazy manager.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Devil's Brigade (1968)
At the onset of World War II, American Lt. Col. Robert Frederick is put in charge of a unit called the 1st Special Service Force, composed of elite Canadian commandos and undisciplined American soldiers. With Maj. Alan Crown leading the Canadians and Maj. Cliff Bricker the acting head of the American contingent, there is initial tension -- but the team comes together when given a daunting mission that few would dare to attempt.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisVolcano (1997)
An earthquake shatters a peaceful Los Angeles morning and opens a fissure deep into the earth, causing lava to start bubbling up. As a volcano begins forming in the La Brea Tar Pits, the director of the city's emergency management service, working with a geologist, must then use every resource in the city to try and stop the volcano from consuming LA.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
The surviving Resistance faces the First Order once again as the journey of Rey, Finn and Poe Dameron continues. With the power and knowledge of generations behind them, the final battle begins.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
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
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMean Streets (1973)
A small-time hood must choose from among love, friendship and the chance to rise within the mob.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCaptain Corelli's Mandolin (2001)
When a fisherman leaves to fight with the Greek army during World War II, his fiancée falls in love with the local Italian commander.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisEmbattled (2020)
The eldest son of a ruthlessly tough MMA champion must fight his way out of the abusive cycle his father has continued.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Night of the Shooting Stars (1982)
The Night of San Lorenzo, the night of the shooting stars, is the night when dreams come true in Italian folklore. In 1944, a group of Italians flee their town after hearing rumours that the Nazis plan to blow it up and that the Americans are about to arrive to liberate them.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBad Tales (2020)
In a small suburb on the outskirts of Rome, the cheerful heat of summer camouflages a stifling atmosphere of alienation. From a distance, the families seem normal, but it’s an illusion: in the houses, courtyards and gardens, silence shrouds the subtle sadism of the fathers, the passivity of the mothers and the guilty indifference of adults. But it’s the desperation and repressed rage of the children that will explode and cut through this grotesque façade, with devastating consequences for the entire community.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like On the Art of War?
The closest matches to On the Art of War are Paisan (1946), The Organizer (1963) and Mafioso (1962). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after On the Art of War?
Start with Paisan (1946), the closest match to On the Art of War.
What is the highest-rated movie like On the Art of War?
My Friends (1975), rated 8.1/10 by 778 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like On the Art of War?
Embattled (2020) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Italian movies like On the Art of War?
Yes: Paisan (1946), The Organizer (1963) and Mafioso (1962).
How are movies similar to On the Art of War chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside On the Art of War, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.



















