Movies like Apocalypse Now

A feature-film shortlist from the cached Film Atlas engine. The interactive map may include more titles or newer results. These are similarity matches, not a guarantee of age suitability.

1. 

   01

   Gardens of Stone

   Same director

   1987 · 111 min · Drama · History · War

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   At Arlington National Cemetery during the Vietnam era, veteran sergeant Clell Hazard trains young soldiers while mourning those lost in combat. Unable to return to war himself, he mentors Jackie Willow—the idealistic son of a fallen comrade—hoping to prepare him for the realities of Vietnam and the cost of duty.

   Why it connects

   • strong story and style similarity
   • the same director
   • strong genre and movie-style overlap

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2. 

   02

   Full Metal Jacket

   Strong story similarity

   1987 · 117 min · Drama · War

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   A pragmatic U.S. Marine observes the dehumanizing effects the U.S.-Vietnam War has on his fellow recruits from their brutal boot camp training to the bloody street fighting in Hue.

   Why it connects

   • strong story and style similarity
   • strong shared themes: anti war and army
   • strong genre and movie-style overlap

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3. 

   03

   The Killing Fields

   Similar atmosphere

   1984 · 142 min · Drama · History · War

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   New York Times reporter Sydney Schanberg is on assignment covering the Cambodian Civil War, with the help of local interpreter Dith Pran and American photojournalist Al Rockoff. When the U.S. Army pulls out amid escalating violence, Schanberg makes exit arrangements for Pran and his family. Pran, however, tells Schanberg he intends to stay in Cambodia to help cover the unfolding story — a decision he may regret as the Khmer Rouge rebels move in.

   Why it connects

   • strong shared themes: brutality and cambodia
   • strong genre and movie-style overlap

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4. 

   04

   The Deer Hunter

   Strong story similarity

   1978 · 183 min · Drama · War

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   Three steelworkers enlist in the army and are sent to Vietnam, one leaving behind a rushed marriage, the others a shared love. What they encounter during the war changes their lives forever.

   Why it connects

   • strong story and style similarity
   • strong shared themes: anti war and vietnam
   • strong genre and movie-style overlap

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5. 

   05

   Birdy

   Similar atmosphere

   1984 · 120 min · Drama · War

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   Two young men are seriously affected by the Vietnam War. One of them has always been obsessed with birds - but now believes he really is a bird, and has been sent to a mental hospital. Can his friend help him pull through?

   Why it connects

   • strong genre and movie-style overlap

   Explore movies like Birdy
6. 

   06

   Casualties of War

   Strong story similarity

   1989 · 113 min · Drama · History · War

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   During the Vietnam War, a soldier finds himself the outsider of his own squad when they unnecessarily kidnap a female villager.

   Why it connects

   • strong story and style similarity
   • strong shared themes: anti war and jungle
   • strong genre and movie-style overlap

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7. 

   07

   The Big Red One

   Strong story similarity

   1980 · 113 min · Drama · War

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   A veteran sergeant of World War I leads a squad in World War II, always in the company of the survivor Pvt. Griff, the writer Pvt. Zab, the Sicilian Pvt. Vinci and Pvt. Johnson, in Vichy French Africa, Sicily, D-Day at Omaha Beach, Belgium and France, and ending in a concentration camp in Czechoslovakia where they face the true horror of war.

   Why it connects

   • strong story and style similarity
   • strong genre and movie-style overlap
   • a closely matched era

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8. 

   08

   Good Morning, Vietnam

   Strong story similarity

   1987 · 121 min · Comedy · Drama · War

   Read synopsis

   A disk jockey goes to Vietnam to work for the Armed Forces Radio Service. While he becomes popular among the troops, his superiors disapprove of his humor.

   Why it connects

   • strong story and style similarity
   • strong shared themes: vietcong and vietnam
   • strong genre and movie-style overlap

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9. 

   09

   Born on the Fourth of July

   Similar atmosphere

   1989 · 145 min · Drama · War

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   Paralyzed in the Vietnam war, Ron Kovic becomes an anti-war and pro-human rights political activist after feeling betrayed by the country he fought for.

   Why it connects

   • strong genre and movie-style overlap
   • shared themes: anti war and vietnam war

   Explore movies like Born on the Fourth of July
10. 

    10

    Uncommon Valor

    Similar atmosphere

    1983 · 105 min · Action · Drama · War

    Read synopsis

    A group of Vietnam War veterans re-unite to rescue one of their own left behind and taken prisoner by the Vietnamese.

    Why it connects

    • strong genre and movie-style overlap
    • shared themes: vietnam and vietnam war
    • a closely matched era

    Explore movies like Uncommon Valor