10 movies to watch if you liked Saving Private Ryan

Saving Private Ryan lands with force. No glamor, no gloss—just war, stripped bare. The story moves fast: after the Normandy invasion, a small group of soldiers, led by Tom Hanks’ quiet but resolute Captain Miller, set out to rescue one man—Private James Ryan, played by Matt Damon. Not for glory, but for something quieter.

A mother’s grief. A soldier’s promise. The cast sinks into every moment. Each gunshot echoes. Each loss stings. Spielberg doesn’t hold back, and neither does the camera. Blood, mud, brotherhood—it’s all there. Audiences didn’t just watch it; they felt it. The film still finds new viewers on Paramount+.

For anyone who finished Saving Private Ryan with a lump in the throat, these 10 films carry a similar weight.

American Sniper, The Pianist, and 8 other movies similar to Saving Private Ryan

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1) Hacksaw Ridge (2016)

Hacksaw Ridge hits hard in a different way. Based on a true story, it follows Desmond Doss, a combat medic who refuses to carry a weapon. No gun. No killing. Just courage. Andrew Garfield plays Doss with quiet intensity, backed by a strong cast including Sam Worthington and Hugo Weaving. The second half? Relentless.

War scenes that rival Saving Private Ryan in grit and chaos. Fire. Blood. Screams. And somehow, hope. Fans of Saving Private Ryan will appreciate the raw realism, the moral conflict, and the sheer scale of battle. It’s not just another war film—it’s a story about standing firm in the middle of madness. Streaming now on Prime Video.

2) Dunkirk (2017)

Dunkirk doesn’t waste time. It drops straight into chaos—soldiers stranded on a beach, enemy fire closing in, and the clock ticking. Christopher Nolan tells the story through three timelines: land, sea, and air. Minimal dialogue. Maximum tension. Fionn Whitehead, Tom Hardy, and Kenneth Branagh lead a tight ensemble, each bringing quiet urgency to the screen.

The real star? The sound. Every ticking watch and roaring engine ratchets up the pressure. Fans of Saving Private Ryan will recognize the same relentless pacing, the same immersive realism, but told in a fresh, almost poetic way. Less blood, more breathlessness. It’s war as a pulse, not just a spectacle. Visually stunning and emotionally gripping. Streaming now on Netflix

3) American Sniper (2014)

American Sniper pulls no punches. Based on the life of Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, it tracks his four tours in Iraq and the fallout back home. Bradley Cooper disappears into the role—stoic, focused, but carrying a quiet storm. Sienna Miller plays his wife, anchoring the emotional weight. The action is sharp and grounded, with intense sniper sequences that build dread with every breath.

But it’s the silence between the gunfire that lingers. The cost of war. The blur between duty and damage. Fans of Saving Private Ryan will find the same raw honesty here—less about politics, more about people. A soldier’s view through the scope and beyond it. Directed by Clint Eastwood. Currently streaming on Max.

4) The Pianist (2002)

The Pianist moves slowly, but every moment cuts deep. No battlefield. No front line. Just a man and a piano, trying to outlast the wreckage of war. Adrien Brody, nearly silent for much of the film, carries it with hollow eyes and trembling hands. He becomes Szpilman—watching, hiding, enduring. Roman Polanski strips the story down to its rawest form.

No excess. Just survival. Where Saving Private Ryan throws viewers into the fire, The Pianist lets the cold creep in. Hunger, fear, silence—these become the enemies. A different kind of war film, but one that leaves a similar ache. Not easy to forget. The movie is still streaming on Starz.

5) Valkyrie (2008)

Valkyrie is tense from start to finish. It dives into the real-life plot to take down Hitler from inside his own ranks. Tom Cruise leads as Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, a man caught between duty and rebellion. The film keeps the pressure tight—every second counts. No grand battles here, but the stakes couldn’t be higher.

Fans of Saving Private Ryan will appreciate the sharp focus on moral conflict and suspense. It’s a war movie of a different kind—quiet, gripping, and full of edge-of-the-seat moments. The tension builds until the very last frame. It’s available to stream now on Hulu.

6) 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (2016)

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi throws viewers right into the chaos of an unexpected attack. Based on true events, it follows a small team of American security contractors fighting to protect the U.S. consulate in Libya. John Krasinski leads the group with gritty determination, backed by a solid cast that keeps the tension high.

The action is raw, fast, and brutal—no sugarcoating here. Fans of Saving Private Ryan will find the intense firefights and brotherhood familiar, with an added layer of real-world stakes. It’s a story about loyalty, survival, and sacrifice under fire. Directed by Michael Bay, it’s available to stream on Paramount+.

7) Midway (2019)

Midway lands smack in the middle of a WWII firefight. Pilots, sailors, codebreakers—all racing against the clock to shield the Pacific fleet. Ed Skrein strides through chaos as a top pilot. Patrick Wilson channels steel-eyed calm on deck. Woody Harrelson brings weight to every order barked. Explosions bloom like storm clouds. Planes plunge.

Decisions snap into place under blistering pressure. Echoes of Saving Private Ryan pulse here—the same grit, the same respect for sacrifice. Unlike that tale, this one scans the horizon, maps out large-scale strategy. Streaming on HBO Max. Fans who loved Saving Private Ryan’s ground-level chaos will latch on to this film’s adrenaline. Saving Private Ryan echoes through every roar of an engine and flash of fire.

8) Fury (2014)

Fury rolls in with steel and grit. A Sherman tank crew—Brad Pitt’s hardened sergeant, Logan Lerman’s fresh-faced rookie, and three battle-worn soldiers—push through Nazi lines in April 1945. No grand strategy. Just raw survival in a steel beast. Close quarters. Explosive encounters. Bonds forged in fire. The cast brings it home: Pitt’s steely glare, Lerman’s wide-eyed disbelief, Michael Peña’s quiet strength, and Jon Bernthal’s simmering rage.

Fans of Saving Private Ryan will find that same brutal honesty and respect for sacrifice. Armor meets mud. Fear meets resolve. Highlights include a heart-stopping ambush and a final stand that echoes the chaos of Normandy. Streaming on Netflix. Saving Private Ryan veterans will feel right at home in this merciless ride.

9) Greyhound (2020)

Greyhound follows Commander Ernest Krause (Tom Hanks) as he leads an Allied convoy across the North Atlantic, hunted by deadly U-boats. The film is a tense game of cat and mouse, with sonar pings and torpedoes cutting through the sea. Every choice Krause makes could cost lives. Tom Hanks brings steady strength to the role, while Elisabeth Shue appears briefly in touching flashbacks.

A lean cast, a focused mission. Fans of Saving Private Ryan will nod at the same relentless tension and respect for grit. This is war at sea, but the stakes feel just as high as on a war-torn beach. Rustling flags, rolling seas, steel against steel. Brave souls at sea. Highlights include blistering depth-charge attacks and split-second calls under fire. Streaming now on Apple TV+.

10) 1917 (2019)

1917 plunges into World War I with a relentless, real-time pulse. Two young British soldiers, Lance Corporals Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman) and Schofield (George MacKay), race across enemy lines to deliver a message that could save 1,600 men. No set cuts. Just one continuous shot that sweeps through trenches, fields, and horrors. Chapman’s urgent hope meets MacKay’s steely resolve. Benedict Cumberbatch and Colin Firth appear in brief but pivotal moments.

Fans of Saving Private Ryan will recognize that same immersive tension and respect for sacrifice. The cinematography stuns. Every muddy footprint, every whispered breath feels immediate. It captures the chaos and camaraderie of war in a fresh way. Streaming now on Prime Video. Saving Private Ryan echoes in every heartbeat here.

Each of these films carries the same thunderous intensity and raw heart that defined Saving Private Ryan, proving that bravery wears many uniforms. Dive in, feel the grit, and witness courage in its purest form.

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