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Dunkirk poster

Movies that feel likeDunkirk (2017)

The story of the miraculous evacuation of Allied soldiers from Belgium, Britain, Canada and France, who were cut off and surrounded by the German army from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk between May 26th and June 4th 1940 during World War II.

If you loved Dunkirk, the closest films we have are Oppenheimer (2023), Red Cliff II (2009) and We Were Soldiers (2002). All three share Dunkirk's bleak and epic feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War (2004).

πŸ… 92% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 7.8 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Christopher Nolanbleakkineticepic
7 of 12 streaming nowAmazon Prime Video Β· Hulu Β· Apple TV

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If Dunkirk hit the spot, these will too

Oppenheimer poster
Oppenheimer
2023 Β· dir. Christopher Nolan
πŸ… 93%β˜… 8.2drama Β· history Β· warPeacock

Christopher Nolan working the same nerve twice

The difference: Easier on the momentum than Dunkirk

The story of J. Robert Oppenheimer's role in the development of the atomic bomb during World War II.

Red Cliff II poster
Red Cliff II
2009 Β· dir. John Woo
β˜… 7.5action Β· history Β· war

The same mix in both: bleakness, then momentum

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?

We Were Soldiers poster
We Were Soldiers
2002 Β· dir. Randall Wallace
πŸ… 63%β˜… 7.2action Β· history Β· warParamount+

Common ground: army

The difference: The critics' underdog of the pair

The year is 1965 and America is at war with North Vietnam. Commanding the air cavalry is Lt. Col. Hal Moore (Gibson), a born leader committed to his troops. His target: the Ia Drang Valley, called "The Valley of Death." As Moore prepares for one of the most violent battles in U.S. history, he delivers a stirring promise to his soldiers and their families: "I will leave no man behind...dead or alive. We will all come home together."

300 poster
300
2007 Β· dir. Zack Snyder
πŸ… 61%β˜… 7.6action Β· adventure Β· warParamount+

One thread runs through both: army

The difference: Sits closer to adventure than Dunkirk does

A story very loosely based the 480 B.C. Battle of Thermopylae, where the King of Sparta led his army against the advancing Persians.

Mongol: The Rise of Genghis Khan poster
Mongol: The Rise of Genghis Khan
2007 Β· dir. Sergei Bodrov
πŸ… 86%β˜… 7.2history Β· war Β· action

Epic war in both cases

The story recounts the early life of Genghis Khan, a slave who went on to conquer half the world in the 11th century.

Black Hawk Down poster
Black Hawk Down
2001 Β· dir. Ridley Scott
πŸ… 77%β˜… 7.7action Β· war Β· historyApple TV+

Both lean on bleakness more than on action

When U.S. Rangers and an elite Delta Force team attempt to kidnap two underlings of a Somali warlord, their Black Hawk helicopters are shot down, and the Americans suffer heavy casualties, facing intense fighting from the militia on the ground.

12 Strong poster
12 Strong
2018 Β· dir. Nicolai Fuglsig
πŸ… 50%β˜… 6.6war Β· action Β· history

History built on momentum, twice over

A team of special forces head into Afghanistan in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks in an attempt to dismantle the Taliban.

Midway poster
Midway
2019 Β· dir. Roland Emmerich
πŸ… 42%β˜… 6.7war Β· history Β· drama

Both are built on the same subject: world war ii

The story of the Battle of Midway, and the leaders and soldiers who used their instincts, fortitude and bravery to overcome massive odds.

The Woman King poster
The Woman King
2022 Β· dir. Gina Prince-Bythewood
πŸ… 94%β˜… 6.9action Β· drama Β· historyHulu

Epic war, and it commits to that

The story of the Agojie, the all-female unit of warriors who protected the African Kingdom of Dahomey in the 1800s with skills and a fierceness unlike anything the world has ever seen, and General Nanisca as she trains the next generation of recruits and readies them for battle against an enemy determined to destroy their way of life.

Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War poster
Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War
2004 Β· dir. Kang Je-kyu
πŸ… 79%β˜… 8action Β· adventure Β· drama

Action with a pulse of bleakness, in both cases

When two brothers are forced to fight in the Korean War, the elder decides to take the riskiest missions if it will help shield the younger from battle.

Kingdom of Heaven poster
Kingdom of Heaven
2005 Β· dir. Ridley Scott
πŸ… 39%β˜… 7.3drama Β· action Β· adventure

Massed forces, desperate defenses, and history's tide

The difference: Crusades pageantry, political intrigue

After his wife dies, a blacksmith named Balian is thrust into royalty, political intrigue and bloody holy wars during the Crusades.

Kalashnikov AK-47 poster
Kalashnikov AK-47
2020 Β· dir. Konstantin Buslov
β˜… 6.6war Β· history Β· dramaPrime Video

The same preoccupation in both: world war ii

The difference: Takes it somewhere less kinetic than Dunkirk does

A Russian military propaganda film about the tank commander Kalashnikov, severely injured in battle in 1941. The accident leaves him incapacitated and unable to return to the front line. While recovering in the hospital, he begins creating the initial sketches of what will become one of the world’s most legendary weapons. A self-taught inventor is only 29 when he develops the now iconic assault riffle β€” the AK-47. Shot in occupied Crimea.

In the mood for more bleak?

all bleak movies β†’

The best-reviewed films that share Dunkirk’s defining feeling.