Best movies like Farewell to the King
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
An American soldier who escapes the execution of his comrades by Japanese soldiers in Borneo during WWII becomes the leader of a personal empire among the headhunters in this war story told in the style of Joseph Conrad and Rudyard Kipling. The American is reluctant to rejoin the fight against the Japanese on the urging of a British commando team but conducts a war of vengeance when the Japanese attack his adopted people.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, War
Country: USA
Duration: 117 min
Plot tags: epic, exciting, rough, serious, independent film, thought provoking, brutal, enigmatic, unusual plot structure, bloody
Best tv shows and movies like Farewell to the King (1989):
Similar in 75%
Ambush Bay (1966)
Plot Summary:
A Marine unit on a Japanese-held island in the Philippines tries to hook up with local Filipino guerrillas.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 764
Genere: Drama, War
Country: USA
Duration: 109 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 78%
None But the Brave (1965)
Plot Summary:
American and Japanese soldiers, stranded on a tiny Pacific island during World War II, must make a temporary truce and cooperate to survive various tribulations. Told through the eyes of the American and Japanese unit commanders, who must deal with an atmosphere of growing distrust and tension between their men.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, War
Country: Japan, USA
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: rough, thought provoking, serious, tense, bleak, realistic, retro
Similar in 89%
Hell in the Pacific (1968)
Plot Summary:
During World War II, a shot-down American pilot and a marooned Japanese navy captain find themselves stranded on the same small uninhabited island in the Pacific Ocean. Following war logic, each time the crafty Japanese devises something useful, he guards it to deny its use to the Yank, who then steals it, its proceeds or the idea and/or ruins it. Yet each gets his chance to kill and/or capture the other, but neither pushes this to the end. After a while of this pointless pestering, they end up joining forces to build and man a raft.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Adventure, War
Country: USA
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: suspenseful, tense, realistic, harsh, serious, rough, bleak, minimal cast, historical drama, independent film
Similar in 79%
The 7th Dawn (1964)
Plot Summary:
Political and personal intrigues surround a group of characters in Malaya, after the close of the Second World War.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, War
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 123 min
Plot tags: independent film, exciting, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 83%
Straight Into Darkness (2004)
Plot Summary:
The movie encompasses several different elements-the perils of war, a touch of macabre, sadness and redemption.
IMDB Rating: 4.9
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Action, Drama, Horror, War
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: psychological, realistic, surreal, rough, bleak, serious, twisted, offbeat
Similar in 85%
Age of Heroes (2011)
Plot Summary:
The true story of the formation of Ian Fleming's 30 Commando unit, a precursor for the elite forces in the U.K.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, Thriller, War
Country: UK
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: exciting, rough, serious, tense, suspenseful, epic, captivating, realistic, fast
Similar in 88%
USS Seaviper (2012)
Plot Summary:
Direct to DVD movie: The German U-Boat, U-234, from the Port of Kiel is trading cargo with the Japanese. USS Seaviper must locate and stop this dangerous exchange. The Captain of USS Seaviper must go ashore to conduct reconnaissance on an island near Sumatra, but the ship is left in the hands of Mister Cutter, after the Executive Officer is injured in battle. A conflict between Cutter and the Chief of the Boat puts the submarine in jeopardy. Seaviper is trapped below the surface, with decreasing oxygen, and a Japanese destroyer hunting them from above. Damage to the boat also leave her survival in question. They must fight the Japanese destroyer and get the information about U-235 back to Pearl Harbor.
IMDB Rating: 2.4
IMDB Votes: 966
Genere: Action, Drama, War
Country: USA
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: exciting, tense, captivating, suspense, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 85%
A Taste of Hell (1973)
Plot Summary:
Set in the Philippines during WW II, two U.S. Army officers are caught and shot by a Japanese officer. One survives and soon joins with a guerrilla troop to battle the enemy... and get revenge.
IMDB Rating: 5.0
IMDB Votes: 90
Genere: Action, Drama, War
Country: USA, Philippines
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: independent film, exciting, rough, bleak, serious, captivating, realistic, cult film
Similar in 79%
The Ravagers (1965)
Plot Summary:
Cruel captors of the war in the pacific.
IMDB Rating: 4.9
IMDB Votes: 109
Genere: Action, Drama, War
Country: Philippines, USA
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: independent film, exciting, bleak, serious, realistic, suspenseful, psychotronic
Similar in 87%
Beach Red (1967)
Plot Summary:
American troops storm ashore on a Japanese-held island and push inland while their enemies plan a counterattack in this look at warfare. Soldiers on both sides are haunted by memories of home and the horrifying, sickening images they find in combat.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, War
Country: USA
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: spectacular, independent film, rough, bleak, serious, realistic, crying
Similar in 78%
Back Door to Hell (1964)
Plot Summary:
During WWII, a three-man commando team places its trust in the hands of a band of Filipino resistors, as they try to knock out a Japenese communication center.
IMDB Rating: 5.2
IMDB Votes: 907
Genere: Drama, War
Country: Philippines, USA
Duration: 75 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, realistic, tense, psychotronic, bleak, suspenseful
Similar in 81%
The Fallen (2004)
Plot Summary:
THE FALLEN is a three-sided story about German, Italian, and American soldiers, set in Northern Italy during the final weeks of the World War II. On the one side, a group of American supply soldiers delivers ammunition to the front line, a journey that becomes a descent into hell, the success of the mission becomes less likely with every setback. On the other, a doomed German unit and their ragtag Italian partners struggle to maintain morale and discipline amongst their beleaguered troops in the face of certain defeat. Torn between these are the divided loyalties of the Italians, both fascist soldiers and communist partisans, who have turned brother against brother in a bloody civil war. The film looks at the everyday life of the soldiers, their encounters on the road, their hopes and dreams, and the differences in values, morals, and patriotism between the cultures at the end of that era.
IMDB Rating: 5.1
IMDB Votes: 932
Genere: Action, Drama, War
Country: USA, Germany, Italy
Duration: 112 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, captivating, realistic, bleak
Similar in 77%
Too Late the Hero (1970)
Plot Summary:
A WWII film set on a Pacific island. Japanese and allied forces occupy different parts of the island. When a group of British soldiers are sent on a mission behind enemy lines, things don't go exactly to plan. This film differs in that some of the 'heroes' are very reluctant, but they come good when they are pursued by the Japanese who are determined to prevent them returning to base.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Action, Drama, War
Country: USA
Duration: 145 min
Plot tags: suspenseful, tense, suspense, psychological, exciting, realistic, rough, serious, historically accurate, independent film
Similar in 82%
Kokoda: 39th Battalion (2006)
Plot Summary:
A bitter battle is fought between Australian and Japanese soldiers along the Kokoda trail in New Guinea during World War II.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Action, Drama, War
Country: Australia
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, tense, inspirational
Similar in 80%
The Star (2002)
Plot Summary:
The film is based on the eponymous book by Emmanuil Kazakevich. In the summer of 1944 the Nazi Armies prepare a massive Tank Division named 'Viking" for the offensive on occupied Russian land. The Russian Army's special group of seven snipers named "Zvezda" is sent for a reconnaissance operation behind the enemy lines in the back of the Nazi Tank Division. Two previous Russian groups never came back. The seven Russians know that they are going to an almost certain Death for the sake of Victory.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, History, War
Country: Russia
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, realistic, bleak, captivating, epic, rough
Similar in 77%
Saints and Soldiers: The Void (2014)
Plot Summary:
Germany, May 1945, deep in the Harz Mountains a U.S. tank crew discovers a platoon of Germans preparing to ambush U.S. supply trucks.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Action, Drama, War
Country: USA
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: tense, serious, suspenseful, exciting, captivating, realistic, christian film, historical drama, independent film
Similar in 81%
When Trumpets Fade (1998)
Plot Summary:
In WWII Western Germany, Private David Manning reluctantly leaves behind a mortally wounded fellow soldier and searches for survivors from his platoon, only to learn from commanding officer Captain Pritchett that they have all been killed in action. Despite requesting a discharge on the grounds of mental disability, Manning is promoted to sergeant and assigned to lead a new platoon of young inductees.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Action, Drama, War
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, suspenseful, captivating, realistic, bleak
Similar in 86%
Merrill's Marauders (1962)
Plot Summary:
Brigadier General Frank D. Merrill leads the 3,000 American volunteers of his 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional), aka "Merrill's Marauders", behind Japanese lines across Burma to Myitkyina, pushing beyond their limits and fighting pitched battles at every strong-point.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, War
Country: USA
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: exciting, rough, bleak, serious, realistic, suspenseful, crying, technicolor, historical drama, cult film
Similar in 86%
Saints and Soldiers: Airborne Creed (2012)
Plot Summary:
A group of American GIs work their way through war-torn France during the final days of the Second World War.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Action, Drama, War
Country: USA
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: realistic, thought provoking, captivating, disturbing, christian film, action packed, historical drama, exciting, tense, rough
Similar in 90%
Canopy (2013)
Plot Summary:
An unlikely friendship between 2 young men becomes everything, when an Australian soldier takes refuge under the canopied jungles of Singapore, during the violent Japanese invasion in World War II. Jim is lost, injured and defenseless in a hostile, tropical world, hunted by Japanese troops, Seng, a Singapore-Chinese resistance fighter emerges from the jungle and the two young men find themselves thrown together hoping to survive.
IMDB Rating: 4.9
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Thriller, War
Country: Australia, Singapore
Duration: 84 min
Plot tags: tense, realistic, exciting, serious, captivating, suspense, suspenseful, independent film
Similar in 88%
Fortress (2012)
Plot Summary:
When the commander of the crew of a B-17 Flying Fortress bomber is killed in action in a raid over Sicily in 1943, his replacement, a young, naive pilot struggles to be accepted by the plane's already tight-knit Irish American crew.
IMDB Rating: 5.0
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Drama, War
Country: USA
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, realistic, tense
Similar in 77%
Submarine X-1 (1968)
Plot Summary:
After losing a submarine and fifty crew in a battle with a German ship during WWII, a Royal Navy officer gets a second chance in a daring raid with midget subs.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 723
Genere: Action, Drama, War
Country: UK
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, captivating, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 80%
The Guns of Navarone (1961)
Plot Summary:
A team of allied saboteurs are assigned an impossible mission: infiltrate an impregnable Nazi-held island and destroy the two enormous long-range field guns that prevent the rescue of 2,000 trapped British soldiers.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 54000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, War
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 158 min
Plot tags: suspense, exciting, tense, intense, serious, epic, fast paced, realistic, suspenseful, retro
Similar in 77%
The Bridge at Remagen (1969)
Plot Summary:
In March of 1945, as the War in Europe is coming to a close, fighting erupts between German and American troops at the last remaining bridgehead across the Rhine.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Action, Drama, War
Country: USA, Czechoslovakia, West Germany
Duration: 115 min
Plot tags: realistic, harsh, intense, exciting, rough, serious, suspenseful, surprise ending, spectacular, bleak
Similar in 77%
The Great Raid (2005)
Plot Summary:
As World War II rages, the elite Sixth Ranger Battalion is given a mission of heroic proportions: push 30 miles behind enemy lines and liberate over 500 American prisoners of war.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 24000
Genere: Action, Drama, War
Country: USA, Australia
Duration: 132 min
Plot tags: tense, harsh, rough, suspenseful, realistic, epic, scenic, edutainment, historical drama, atmospheric
Similar in 81%
Mission of the Shark: The Saga of the U.S.S. Indianapolis (1991)
Plot Summary:
True story of the sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis, its crew's struggle to survive the sharks and exposure, and the captain's scape-goat court-martial.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 934
Genere: Action, Drama, History, War
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: bleak, realistic, exciting, serious, captivating, disaster movie
Similar in 83%
Windtalkers (2002)
Plot Summary:
Joe Enders is a gung-ho Marine assigned to protect a "windtalker" - one of several Navajo Indians who were used to relay messages during World War II because their spoken language was indecipherable to Japanese code breakers.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 73000
Genere: Action, Drama, War
Country: USA
Duration: 134 min
Plot tags: realistic, factual, stylized, intense, sincere, serious, rough, emotional, suspense, exciting
Similar in 75%
The Devil's Brigade (1968)
Plot Summary:
1968 American war film about the formation and first mission of the joint Canadian-American WWII special forces winter and mountain unit formally called 1st Special Service Force, but commonly known as “The Devil’s Brigade”. The film dramatises the Brigade's first mission in the Italian Campaign, the task of capturing the German mountain stronghold Monte la Difensa, in December 1943. The film is based on the 1966 book of the same name, co-written by American novelist and historian Robert H. Adleman and Col. George Walton, a member of the brigade.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Action, Drama, War
Country: USA
Duration: 130 min
Plot tags: exciting, realistic, tense, harsh, serious, suspenseful, epic, retro, cult classic, historical drama
Similar in 76%
Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)
Plot Summary:
The story of the battle of Iwo Jima between the United States and Imperial Japan during World War II, as told from the perspective of the Japanese who fought it.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 168000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, History, War
Country: USA
Duration: 141 min
Plot tags: emotional, bleak, realistic, epic, disturbing, contemplative, touching, bloody, dramatic, black and white
Similar in 84%
The Thin Red Line (1998)
Plot Summary:
Based on the graphic novel by James Jones, The Thin Red Line tells the story of a group of men, an Army Rifle company called C-for-Charlie, who change, suffer, and ultimately make essential discoveries about themselves during the fierce World War II battle of Guadalcanal. It follows their journey, from the surprise of an unopposed landing, through the bloody and exhausting battles that follow, to the ultimate departure of those who survived. A powerful frontline cast - including Sean Penn, Nick Nolte, Woody Harrelson and George Clooney - explodes into action in this hauntingly realistic view of military and moral chaos in the Pacific during World War II.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 197000
Genere: Drama, History, War
Country: USA
Duration: 170 min
Plot tags: visually stunning, epic, visual, philosophical, visually appealing, atmospheric, rough, captivating, intense, existential