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Movies like A Race Against Time (1989)

The best movies like A Race Against Time (1989) are The Motorcycle Diaries (2004), Cuba and the Cameraman (2017) and Viva Cuba (2005). If A Race Against Time hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.

Quick picks

  1. The Motorcycle Diaries (2004)

    Based on the journals of Che Guevara, leader of the Cuban Revolution. In his memoirs, Guevara recounts adventures he and best friend Alberto Granado had while crossing South America by motorcycle in the early 1950s.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  2. Cuba and the Cameraman (2017)

    This revealing portrait of Cuba follows the lives of Fidel Castro and three Cuban families affected by his policies over the last four decades.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  3. Viva Cuba (2005)

    The friendship between two children is threatened by their parents’ differences. Malú is from a family that was upper-class before the Revolution and remains well-to-do through remittances from relatives overseas, and her single mother (Larisa Vega Alamar) does not want her to play with Jorgito, as she thinks his background coarse and commonplace. Jorgito’s mother (Luisa María Jiménez Rodríguez),

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  4. Buena Vista Social Club (1999)

    In this fascinating Oscar-nominated documentary, American guitarist Ry Cooder brings together a group of legendary Cuban folk musicians (some in their 90s) to record a Grammy-winning CD in their native city of Havana. The result is a spectacular compilation of concert footage from the group's gigs in Amsterdam and New York City's famed Carnegie Hall, with director Wim Wenders capturing not only the music -- but also the musicians' life stories.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  5. I Am Cuba (1964)

    A study in contrasts set in and around Havana that explores Cuba's 1959 revolution: a young woman's fascination with the excess of an American-owned casino leads to her downfall in the eyes of her street vendor boyfriend; a tenant farmer revolts the only way he knows how, attacking the land he works; university students gain first-hand knowledge of political upheaval; and, in the hills outside the city, the members of a poor peasant family are patriotically swept up into the burgeoning revolt.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Absolute CinemaMovies like this
  6. Lamborghini: The Man Behind the Legend (2022)

    Follow the launch of Lamborghini’s career as a manufacturer of tractors, a creator of military vehicles during World War II, and the designer of Lamborghini cars, which he launched in 1963 as the high-end sports car company Automobili Lamborghini.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  7. Che: Part One (2008)

    Ernesto Guevara, known as 'Che', leads a group of Cuban exiles under Fidel Castro in a revolution to overthrow Fulgencio Batista, the dictator of Cuba.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  8. Comandante (2003)

    Oliver Stone spends three days filming with Fidel Castro in Cuba, discussing an array of subjects with the president such as his rise to power, fellow revolutionary Che Guevara, the Cuban Missile crisis, and the present state of the country.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  9. Ferrari: Race to Immortality (2017)

    The late 1950s were known as golden years in the world of motor racing, champions were made and lost on a Sunday, and no losses were greater than those of Enzo Ferrari’s Scuderia. Based on Chris Nixon’s bestselling biography Mon Ami Mate, Ferrari: Race to Immortality tells the story of the loves and losses, triumphs and tragedy of a turbulent era that shook the motor racing world.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  10. The Lost City (2005)

    In Havana, Cuba in the late 1950's, a wealthy family, one of whose sons is a prominent nightclub owner, is caught in the violent transition from the oppressive regime of Batista to the Marxist government of Fidel Castro. Castro's regime ultimately leads the nightclub owner to flee to New York.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  11. I Shot Andy Warhol (1996)

    The story of Valerie Solanas, a '60s radical who preached misandry in her "SCUM" manifesto. She wrote a screenplay for a film that she wanted Andy Warhol to produce, but he repeatedly ignored her. So she shot him.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  12. Original Sin (2001)

    A young man is plunged into a life of subterfuge, deceit and mistaken identity in pursuit of a femme fatale whose heart is never quite within his grasp.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  13. Spare Parts (2015)

    With the help of their high school's newest teacher, four Hispanic students form a robotics club. Although they have no experience, the youths set their sights on a national robotics contest. With $800 and parts scavenged from old cars, they build a robot and compete against reigning champion MIT. Along the way, the students learn not only how to build a robot but something far more important: how to forge bonds that will last a lifetime.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  14. Amistad (1997)

    In 1839, the slave ship Amistad set sail from Cuba to America. During the long trip, Cinque leads the slaves in an unprecedented uprising. They are then held prisoner in Connecticut, and their release becomes the subject of heated debate. Freed slave Theodore Joadson wants Cinque and the others exonerated and recruits property lawyer Roger Baldwin to help his case. Eventually, John Quincy Adams also becomes an ally.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  15. Time Travel Mater (2012)

    When a clock lands on Mater's engine, he travels back in time to 1909 where he meets Stanley, an ambitious young car on his way to California. With the help of Lightning McQueen, Mater alters history by convincing Stanley to stay and build Radiator Springs. Stanley meets Lizzie and they commemorate the opening of the new courthouse with their wedding.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  16. 42 Up (1999)

    Director Michael Apted revisits the same group of British-born adults after a 7 year wait. The subjects are interviewed as to the changes that have occurred in their lives during the last seven years.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  17. Fuck (2006)

    A documentary on the expletive's origin, why it offends some people so deeply, and what can be gained from its use.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  18. Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights (2004)

    In pre-revolution Cuba, Katey Miller is about to defy everyone's expectations. Instead of a parent-approved suitor, Katey is drawn to the sexy waiter, Javier, who spends his nights dancing in Havana's nightclubs. As she secretly learns to dance with Javier, she learns the meanings of love, sensuality and independence.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  19. Ferrari (2023)

    Set during the summer of 1957. Ex-racecar driver, Enzo Ferrari, is in crisis. Bankruptcy stalks the company he and his wife, Laura, built from nothing ten years earlier. Their tempestuous marriage struggles with the mourning for one son and the acknowledgement of another.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  20. An American Rhapsody (2001)

    A Hungarian family forced to flee the Communist country for the United States must leave a young daughter behind. Six years later, the family arranges to bring the absent daughter to the United States where she has trouble adjusting. The daughter then decides to travel to Budapest to discover her identity.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this

Like A Race Against Time and something else?

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Frequently asked questions

What are the best movies like A Race Against Time?

The closest matches to A Race Against Time are The Motorcycle Diaries (2004), Cuba and the Cameraman (2017) and Viva Cuba (2005). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.

What should I watch after A Race Against Time?

Start with The Motorcycle Diaries (2004), the closest match to A Race Against Time.

What is the highest-rated movie like A Race Against Time?

I Am Cuba (1964), rated 7.9/10 by 267 TMDB users.

What is the newest movie like A Race Against Time?

Ferrari (2023) is the most recent release on this list.

Are there Spanish movies like A Race Against Time?

Yes: The Motorcycle Diaries (2004), Viva Cuba (2005) and I Am Cuba (1964).

How are movies similar to A Race Against Time chosen?

First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside A Race Against Time, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.

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