Best movies like Pirates of the 20th Century
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
A Soviet cargo ship carrying medical opium gets attacked by pirates of an unknown nationality. The crew is left to die on a sinking ship but they manage to escape and now must fight the pirates for survival.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 938
Genere: Action, Adventure, Crime, Thriller
Country: Soviet Union
Duration: 86 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, suspenseful, atmospheric
Best tv shows and movies like Pirates of the 20th Century (1980):
Similar in 83%
Birds of Passage (2001)
Plot Summary:
A quest for freedom in the South China Sea. Victims of China’s “One-Child” policy, 100 orphans, all girls, are shepherded by a determined activist, Mrs. Brown (Charlotte De Turckheim) onto a tramp freighter for a harrowing escape from the Chinese authorities.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 42
Genere: Adventure, Thriller, Action, Crime, Drama
Country: France, Philippines, USA
Duration: 115 min
Plot tags: independent film
Similar in 81%
Kill 'em All (2012)
Plot Summary:
Captured international assassins are locked up inside a high-tech bunker known as the Killing Chamber. To break out of this concrete hell they must duel each other, fight deadly ninjas and battle against gangs of masked maniacs. And... if they survive this, they will have to confront Snakehead: the lethal, deranged top dog who will stop at nothing to kill 'em all!.
IMDB Rating: 4.5
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Action, Crime, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 86 min
Plot tags: exciting, suspenseful, rough, serious, realistic
Similar in 89%
After the Storm (2001)
Plot Summary:
On the run from smugglers and the police, world-weary scavenger Arno (Benjamin Bratt) takes a job as a courier for a tycoon. But when the tycoon's yacht goes down in a storm, can Arno partner with a fellow sea scavenger to loot the ship's bounty? What awaits are diamonds, emeralds and gold. Guy Ferland directs this tropical noir film, which is based on a short story by Ernest Hemingway. Armand Assante co-stars.
IMDB Rating: 5.0
IMDB Votes: 647
Genere: Crime, Thriller, Action
Country: USA
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: serious, psychological, exciting, suspenseful, rough, realistic
Similar in 83%
Mortal Enemies (2011)
Plot Summary:
Orphans Sunny and Verdy are like brothers, but are separated when Verdy is adopted by a wealthy couple. Their paths cross again when Verdy (now a successful businessman) and his fiancée are kidnapped by a crew of pirates while on vacation. With the ransom set, Verdy is reunited with his long lost friend - who, it appears, has joined the pirates. Will they be able to come together to prove that brothers don't always have to share blood?.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 129
Genere: Action, Crime
Country: Indonesia
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, tense, captivating, suspense, realistic
Similar in 85%
Storm Bound (2007)
Plot Summary:
A ripping adventure yarn about teenage boys who join the crew of a ship of the Dutch East India Company in the 17th century. After a dramatic shipwreck and escape from an attack by natives, they must make their way to safety by themselves.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 891
Genere: Adventure, Family
Country: Netherlands
Duration: 135 min
Plot tags: exciting, atmospheric, serious, captivating
Similar in 77%
Deadly Cargo (2003)
Plot Summary:
Journalist Sara joins timid Victor and pregnant wife Thais, instructors Ivan and Edgar, and local kid Drui in Senegal for some underwater exploration. When their craft blows up following a misfired bullet, they float around in the water for a while before seeing a ship. Their initial relief turns to horror as they see a man being tipped into the water from it but the ship is the group's only option. Hiding on board, things start to unravel for them in a horrific way.
IMDB Rating: 4.4
IMDB Votes: 569
Genere: Thriller
Country: Spain, Mexico
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: tense, rough, serious, suspenseful, scary, realistic
Similar in 89%
The Island (1980)
Plot Summary:
David Warner leads a band of modern day pirates who raid yachts and sail boats of people on vacation out in the Caribbean. Michael Caine is a reporter who goes out there with his son to investigate the mystery of the disappearing boats. He runs across Warner and his band of raiders and they decide to induct them into their tribe.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 114 min
Plot tags: tense, suspenseful, suspense, rough, cult classic, psychotronic, serious, slasher, scary, psychological
Similar in 86%
Sharks' Treasure (1975)
Plot Summary:
Eccentric charter skipper Jim Carnahan and his team of hard-luck dreamers battle sharks, bandits and their own greed to recover sunken treasure.
IMDB Rating: 4.7
IMDB Votes: 464
Genere: Action, Adventure, Crime, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: exciting, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 85%
Caught Inside (2010)
Plot Summary:
Surfing charters are meant to be a trip to Paradise. With six male surfers stuck on a boat, there's bound to be some friction. When two of the surf crew are replaced at the last minute with girls - the heat is turned way up. The one single girl on board - SAM - enjoys the attention. She has Bull and Rob wrapped around her finger. The frustrated, psychotic, Bull soon decides, "she'll get what she's asking for" and molests her. Outraged, the others abandon him on an island, but the ever-determined Bull returns, and takes control of the boat. He attacks the crew and holds them hostage. He harasses Sam and tortures the others. It's a nightmare battle of wits, on board the yacht, as the five imprisoned friends must survive the fury of the psycho at the helm.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 927
Genere: Action, Adventure, Thriller
Country: Australia
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: tense, psychological, serious, suspenseful, captivating, suspense, cliffhanger, slasher, realistic
Similar in 75%
The Gauntlet (2013)
Plot Summary:
In a sunken Castle underneath the earth, five strangers wake. They have no food. No memory. No water. And no way out. These strangers are from every normal walk of life, yet they each have a secret. They don’t know it yet, but they’re capable of something they never imagined. They must organize and band together for the sinister adventure that awaits them.
IMDB Rating: 5.0
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Horror
Country: USA
Duration: 80 min
Plot tags: psychological, exciting, tense, suspenseful, surreal, scary, atmospheric, serious, independent film
Similar in 77%
N.Y.C. Underground (2013)
Plot Summary:
Wealthy, Manhattanite brothers Dylan, Logan and a group of their friends head to Brooklyn for a concert when they meet notorious gangster, Simon and make an ill-advised deal with him. Soon, things go wrong and now the group is desperately running from Simon's crew through New York City's labyrinthine subway system in a terrifying life-or-death race.
IMDB Rating: 4.3
IMDB Votes: 615
Genere: Action, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, independent film
Similar in 90%
Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (1979)
Plot Summary:
After "The Poseidon Adventure", in which the ship got flipped over by a tidal wave, the ship drifts bottom-up in the sea. While the passengers are still on board waiting to be rescued, two rivaling salvage parties enter the ship on search for money, gold and a small amount of plutonium.
IMDB Rating: 4.7
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Action, Adventure
Country: USA
Duration: 114 min
Plot tags: suspense, exciting, serious, suspenseful, captivating, psychotronic, parody, romantic, feel good, unusual plot structure
Similar in 76%
Crash Point Zero (2001)
Plot Summary:
When a plane carrying a legendary and recently found death ray machine from Siberia to Canada is hijacked and crashes in the remote mountains of Alaska, only a fearless government agent (Treat Williams) will risk his life to save the world. A modern B movie, reusing lots of footage from other films.
IMDB Rating: 3.4
IMDB Votes: 529
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, suspenseful, tense, suspense, cliffhanger
Similar in 86%
Deadliest Sea (2009)
Plot Summary:
Based on the book Working on the Edge by Spike Walker, Deadliest Sea tells the story of a young man who joins the crew of a King Crab trawler in Alaska seeking to make some real money. The captain of the vessel plays a hunch about where to set traps in the Bering Sea, but the boat and crew are soon victims of a powerful and relentless storm.
IMDB Rating: 4.8
IMDB Votes: 259
Genere: Adventure, Drama
Country: Canada
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: exciting, rough, realistic, suspenseful, serious
Similar in 86%
Treasure Island (2007)
Plot Summary:
A terrible storm is raging the night it all begins - with a knock on the door. 17-year-old Jim Hawkins helps his widowed mother run their little tavern on the coast of 19th century England. When the door is opened they are startled by a sight that makes their blood run cold.
IMDB Rating: 4.8
IMDB Votes: 439
Genere: Adventure
Country: Germany
Duration: 186 min
Plot tags: serious, exciting, captivating, intense, talky
Similar in 79%
Sea Wolf: The Pirate's Curse (2005)
Plot Summary:
Sea of Danger, Sea of Desire.
IMDB Rating: 3.3
IMDB Votes: 147
Genere: Action, Adventure, Romance, Thriller
Country: Italy, USA
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: exciting, captivating, tense, entertaining, serious, suspenseful
Similar in 83%
The Pirates (2014)
Plot Summary:
On the eve of the founding of the Joseon Dynasty, a whale swallows the Emperor's Seal of State being brought to Joseon by envoys from China. With a big reward on whoever brings back the royal seal, mountain bandits led by Jang Sa-jung go out to sea to hunt down the whale. But he soon clashes with Yeo-wol, a female captain of pirates, and unexpected adventure unfolds.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy
Country: South Korea
Duration: 130 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, humorous, captivating, tense, epic, realistic, stylized, period drama
Similar in 79%
Kidnapped (1995)
Plot Summary:
When Scottish young gentleman David Balfour's father dies, he leaves school to collect his inheritance from uncle Ebenezer, who in turn sells the boy as a future slave to a pirate ship. When staunch Stuart dynasty supporter Alan Breck Stewart accidentally boards the ship, he takes David along on his escape back to Edinburgh. They part and meet again repeatedly, mutually helpful against the Redcoats and respectful, although David is loyal to the English crown, but learns about its cruel oppression. Both ultimately face their adversaries.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 508
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 155 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, realistic, suspenseful, period drama
Similar in 75%
The Pirates of Blood River (1962)
Plot Summary:
A group of ruthless pirates attack a 17th Century Huguenot settlement on the Isle of Devon in search of treasure and will stop at nothing to obtain it.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, Romance, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: exciting, captivating, entertaining, tense, light, perverse, cult classic, serious, slasher, psychotronic
Similar in 90%
Captain Phillips (2013)
Plot Summary:
The true story of Captain Richard Phillips and the 2009 hijacking by Somali pirates of the US-flagged MV Maersk Alabama, the first American cargo ship to be hijacked in two hundred years.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 485000
Genere: Action, Biography, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 134 min
Plot tags: suspense, realistic, tense, suspenseful, captivating, exciting, factual, serious, political, fast paced
Similar in 90%
The Sea Wolf (2008)
Plot Summary:
The Sea-Wolf is based on a 1904 psychological adventure novel by American novelist Jack London, about a literary critic, who is survivor of an ocean collision. He then comes under the dominance of Wolf Larsen, the powerful and amoral sea captain who rescues him.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 214
Genere: Adventure, Drama
Country: Germany
Duration: 179 min
Plot tags: exciting, tense, serious, realistic
Similar in 90%
Survival Quest (1988)
Plot Summary:
A bunch of city slickers from different backgrounds go into the wild mountains to be one with nature, but basically to have a good time. However, a paramilitary group has chosen the same time to go camping. When one of the soldiers thinks their boss has been killed by one of the city slickers, he coaxes his team into exterminating all of them. They will have to rely on their wits and on each other in order to survive.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Adventure, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: exciting, rough, serious, suspenseful, retro, independent film, realistic
Similar in 90%
Titanic II (2010)
Plot Summary:
On the 100th anniversary of the original voyage, a modern luxury liner christened "Titanic 2," follows the path of its namesake. But when a tsunami hurls an ice berg into the new ship's path, the passengers and crew must fight to avoid a similar fate.
IMDB Rating: 1.6
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, Romance, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, realistic, mockbuster, suspense, retro, hilarious, disaster movie, cult film
Similar in 90%
Into the Blue (2005)
Plot Summary:
When they take some friends on an extreme sport adventure, the last thing Jared and Sam expect to see below the shark-infested waters is a legendary pirate ship rumored to contain millions of dollars in gold. But their good fortune is short-lived, as a ruthless gang of criminals gets word of what they have uncovered.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 79000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Crime, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: exciting, sexy, suspense, serious, suspenseful, entertaining, action packed, psychological, romantic, grindhouse
Similar in 86%
Beyond the Reach (2014)
Plot Summary:
A high-rolling corporate shark and his impoverished young guide play the most dangerous game during a hunting trip in the Mojave Desert.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: suspenseful, tense, atmospheric, exciting, serious, realistic, psychological, suspense, minimal cast, independent film
Similar in 89%
The Poseidon Adventure (2005)
Plot Summary:
A cruise ship succumbs to a terrorist act and capsizes on New Year's eve. A rag-tag group of survivors, spearheaded by a priest and a homeland security agent, must journey through the upside down vessel and attempt an escape.
IMDB Rating: 4.3
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 174 min
Plot tags: suspense, suspenseful, exciting, intense, serious, realistic, psychotronic, sexy, bad ending, bloody
Similar in 78%
Waterworld (1995)
Plot Summary:
In a futuristic world where the polar ice caps have melted and made Earth a liquid planet, a beautiful barmaid rescues a mutant seafarer from a floating island prison. They escape, along with her young charge, Enola, and sail off aboard his ship. But the trio soon becomes the target of a menacing pirate who covets the map to 'Dryland' – which is tattooed on Enola's back.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 207000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 135 min
Plot tags: futuristic, exciting, serious, apocalyptic, entertaining, cult classic, psychological thriller, retro, philosophical, atmospheric
Similar in 79%
Escape Under Pressure (2000)
Plot Summary:
A luxury cruise liner is requisitioned by the Greek government in an attempt to give safe passage to national treasures worth millions of pounds. The liner is attacked by an art collector who finds out about the plan. During the hijack the liner sinks to the sea floor and so begins a fight for survival as the remaining air begins to run out.
IMDB Rating: 3.7
IMDB Votes: 655
Genere: Action, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, suspenseful, tense
Similar in 77%
All Is Lost (2013)
Plot Summary:
During a solo voyage in the Indian Ocean, a veteran mariner awakes to find his vessel taking on water after a collision with a stray shipping container. With his radio and navigation equipment disabled, he sails unknowingly into a violent storm and barely escapes with his life. With any luck, the ocean currents may carry him into a shipping lane -- but, with supplies dwindling and the sharks circling, the sailor is forced to face his own mortality.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 83000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: harsh, reflective, touching, suspenseful, tense, serious, minimal cast, rough, captivating, philosophical
Similar in 76%
Treasure Island (1990)
Plot Summary:
Young Jim Hawkins, while running the Benbow Inn with his mother, meets Captain Billy Bones, who dies at the inn while it is beseiged by buccaneers led by Blind Pew. Jim and his mother fight off the attackers and discover Billy Bones' treasure map for which the buccaneers had come. Jim agrees to sail on the S.S. Espaniola with Squire Trelawney and Dr. Livesey to find the treasure on a mysterious isiand. Upon arriving at the island, ship's cook and scaliwag Long John Silver leads a mutiny of crew members who want the treasure for themselves. Jim helps the Squire and Espaniola officers to survive the mutiny and fight back against Silver's men, who have taken over the Espaniola.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Crime
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 132 min
Plot tags: dramatic, cult classic, exciting, suspenseful, semi serious, surprise ending, scary, light, enigmatic, breathtaking