Movies Like Element of Surprise

If you liked Element of Surprise (1963), a war and action movie directed by Tsuneo Kobayashi, here are 20 movies with a similar feel, based on TMDB's recommendations. Each one links to its cast, trailer and where it's streaming.

1
Wolf Hound (2022)
★ 6.4/10Also war and action
Inspired by the real-life German special operations unit KG 200 that shot down, repaired, and flew Allied aircraft as Trojan horses, "Wolf Hound" takes place in 1944 German-occupied France and follows the daring…
2
Hell Hath No Fury (2021)
★ 6.4/10Also action and war
Branded a traitor by her countrymen, French national Marie DuJardin is rescued by American soldiers on one condition: to survive, she must lead them to a cache of gold - before the Nazis return to claim it for…
3
Sahara (1995)
★ 6.7/10Also action and war
After the fall of Tobruk in June 1942, U.S. Army sergeant Joe Gunn leads his tank into the Sahara desert, in order to evade advancing Rommel's forces and reach Allied lines. Along the way he picks up few Allied…
4
Walking with the Enemy (2014)
★ 6.3/10Also action and war
Regent Horthy is the leader of Hungary and a German ally, but his favorable standing with Hitler changes as the war comes to an end. Forced to cede Hungary’s power or else witness the execution of his son, Regent…
5
Outlaws - For Greater Glory (2012)
★ 7/10Also action and war
A chronicle of the Cristeros War (1926-1929), which was touched off by a rebellion against the Mexican government's attempt to secularize the country.
6
Boudica (2023)
★ 5.8/10Also action and war
Inspired by events in A.D. 60, Boudica follows the eponymous Celtic warrior who rules the Iceni people alongside her husband Prasutagus. When he dies at the hands of Roman soldiers, Boudica’s kingdom is left without a…
7
Hounds of War (2024)
★ 6.4/10Also action
After a mission goes wrong, only one of a group of mercenaries is left alive to avenge his fallen brothers.
8
Battleground (1949)
★ 6.7/10Also action and war
Members of the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division are fighting for their country amidst the rugged terrain of Bastogne, Belgium, in December 1944. Holley and his American compatriots have already seen one of their…
9
Buck Privates (1941)
★ 6.8/10Also war
Petty con artists Slicker Smith and Herbie Brown mistakenly join the Army evading the cops. The cop chasing them winds up as their drill instructor. A rich young man and his former working class chauffeur are not only…
10
Jarhead: Law of Return (2019)
★ 6.5/10Also war
Major Ronan Jackson, an accomplished fighter pilot for the Israel Defense Forces and son of a U.S. Senator, is shot down while flying through Syrian airspace. After miraculously surviving the crash, Jackson is taken…
11
The Secret of Santa Vittoria (1970)
★ 6.9/10Also war
During World War II, Italian villagers hide their wine from the German army.
12
Seal Team Eight: Behind Enemy Lines (2014)
★ 6.1/10Also action and war
Seal Team Eight must fight their way deep into Africa's Congo, decommission a secret uranium mine, and stop our most dangerous enemy from smuggling weapon's grade yellow-cake out of the country.
13
What Did You Do in the War, Daddy? (1966)
★ 5.9/10Also war
A by-the-book Captain is ordered to capture a strategic village in Italy. The Italian soldiers are willing to surrender, if they can have a festival first. The lieutenant convinces the Captain this is the only way…
14
The Kill Team (2019)
★ 6.5/10Also war and action
When Andrew Briggman — a young soldier in the US Army during the invasion of Afghanistan — witnesses the murderous behavior of fellow soldiers, under the direction of a malevolent Sergeant, he faces a moral dilemma…
15
The Codes of War (2025)
★ 6.2/10Also action and war
War stories about family, ethics and honor include the true story of two U.S. Marines who in a span of six seconds, must stand their ground to stop a suicide truck bomb, a Navy Corpsman who attempts to hold on to his…
16
The Devil's Brigade (1968)
★ 6.3/10Also action and war
At the onset of World War II, American Lt. Col. Robert Frederick is put in charge of a unit called the 1st Special Service Force, composed of elite Canadian commandos and undisciplined American soldiers. With Maj. Alan…
17
Jarhead 3: The Siege (2016)
★ 6.1/10Also war and action
Corporal Evan Albright joined the elite Marine Corps Security Guards to save the world and see some action-not necessarily in that order. But his first assignment, protecting a U. S. Embassy in a seemingly safe Middle…
18
The Beast of War (1988)
★ 7.1/10Also war
During the war in Afghanistan a Soviet tank crew commanded by a tyrannical officer find themselves lost and in a struggle against a band of Mujahadeen guerrillas in the mountains.
19
Cast a Giant Shadow (1966)
★ 6.3/10Also war
An American Army officer is recruited by the yet to exist Israel to help them form an army. He is disturbed by this sudden appeal to his Jewish heritage. Each of Israel's Arab neighbors has vowed to invade the poorly…
20
The One That Got Away (1957)
★ 6.8/10Also war
Based on the true story of Oberleutnant Franz von Werra, the only German prisoner of war captured in Britain to escape back to Germany during the Second World War.