Movies Like A Complex History of the United States
If you liked A Complex History of the United States (2025), a documentary and history movie directed by Christopher Strong, 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
Why We Fight: Prelude to War (1942)
★ 6.4/10Also documentary and warPrelude to War was the first film of Frank Capra's Why We Fight propaganda film series, commissioned by the Pentagon and George C. Marshall. It was made to convince American troops of the necessity of combating the…
- 2
Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound (2019)
★ 6.9/10Also documentary and historyThe history of cinematic sound, told by legendary sound designers and visionary filmmakers.
- 3
WWII From Space (2012)
★ 7.4/10Also documentary and historyWWII from Space delivers World War II in a way you've never experienced it before. This HISTORY special uses an all-seeing CGI eye that offers a satellite view of the conflict, allowing you to experience it in a way…
- 4
Trinity and Beyond: The Atomic Bomb Movie (1995)
★ 7.2/10Also documentary and history"Trinity and Beyond" is an unsettling yet visually fascinating documentary presenting the history of nuclear weapons development and testing between 1945-1963. Narrated by William Shatner and featuring an original…
- 5
Capitalism: A Love Story (2009)
★ 7.1/10Also documentary and historyMichael Moore comes home to the issue he's been examining throughout his career: the disastrous impact of corporate dominance on the everyday lives of Americans (and by default, the rest of the world).
- 6
Red Army (2015)
★ 7.4/10Also documentary and historyA documentary highlighting the Soviet Union's legendary and enigmatic hockey training culture and world-dominating team through the eyes of the team's Captain Slava Fetisov, following his shift from hockey star and…
- 7
Audrey (2020)
★ 7.1/10Also documentary and historyAn unprecedented and intimate look at the life, work and enduring legacy of British actress Audrey Hepburn (1929-1993).
- 8
O.J.: Made in America (2016)
★ 8.4/10Also documentary and historyA chronicle of the rise and fall of O.J. Simpson, whose high-profile murder trial exposed the extent of American racial tensions, revealing a fractured and divided nation.
- 9
Last Days in Vietnam (2014)
★ 7.3/10Also war and documentaryDuring the chaotic final weeks of the Vietnam War, the North Vietnamese Army closes in on Saigon as the panicked South Vietnamese people desperately attempt to escape. On the ground, American soldiers and diplomats…
- 10
The Untold History Of The United States (2012)
★ 8.2/10Also documentary and historyOliver Stone charts the history of the United States from the Second World War to the present.
- 11
Ronaldo (2015)
★ 7/10Also documentary and historyFilmed over 14 months with unprecedented access into the inner circle of the man and the sport, this is the first official and fully authorised film of one of the most celebrated figures in football. For the first time…
- 12
Titanic: 20 Years Later with James Cameron (2017)
★ 6.6/10Also documentary and historyFor the 20th anniversary of "Titanic," James Cameron reopens the file on the disaster.
- 13
Apollo: Missions to the Moon (2019)
★ 7.3/10Also documentary and historyNational Geographic's riveting effort recounts all 12 crewed missions using only archival footage, photos and audio.
- 14
Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché (2018)
★ 7.2/10Also documentary and historyThe epic life story of Alice Guy-Blaché (1873–1968), a French screenwriter, director and producer, true pioneer of cinema, the first person who made a narrative fiction film; author of hundreds of movies, but banished…
- 15
Five Broken Cameras (2011)
★ 7.5/10Also war and documentaryFive broken cameras – and each one has a powerful tale to tell. Embedded in the bullet-ridden remains of digital technology is the story of Emad Burnat, a farmer from the Palestinian village of Bil’in, which famously…
- 16
Muscle Shoals (2013)
★ 7.2/10Also documentary and historyIn a tiny Alabama town with the curious name of Muscle Shoals, something miraculous sprang from the mud of the Tennessee River. A group of unassuming, yet incredibly talented, locals came together and spawned some of…
- 17
Pavarotti (2019)
★ 7.3/10Also documentary and historyFeaturing never-before-seen footage, concert performances and intimate interviews, filmmaker Ron Howard examines the life and career of famed opera tenor Luciano Pavarotti.
- 18
The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 (2011)
★ 7.5/10Also documentary and historyExamines the evolution of the Black Power Movement in US society from 1967 to 1975. It features footage of the movement shot by Swedish journalists in the United States during that period and includes the appearances…
- 19
In the Shadow of the Moon (2007)
★ 7.6/10Also documentary and historyArchival material from the original NASA film footage – much of it seen for the first time – plus interviews with the surviving astronauts, including Jim Lovell, Dave Scott, John Young, Gene Cernan, Mike Collins, Buzz…
- 20
How to Survive a Plague (2012)
★ 6.8/10Also documentary and historyA story of two coalitions – ACT UP and TAG (Treatment Action Group) – whose activism and innovation turned AIDS from a death sentence into a manageable condition. Despite having no scientific training, these self-made…