Movies Like The Essence of Combat: Making 'Black Hawk Down'

If you liked The Essence of Combat: Making 'Black Hawk Down' (2002), a documentary and war movie directed by Charles de Lauzirika, 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
2000 Meters to Andriivka (2025)
★ 8.1/10Also documentary and war
Amid the failing counteroffensive, a journalist follows a Ukrainian platoon on their mission to traverse one mile of heavily fortified forest and liberate a strategic village from Russian occupation. But the farther…
2
Why We Fight: Prelude to War (1942)
★ 6.4/10Also documentary and war
Prelude 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…
3
Father Soldier Son (2020)
★ 6.5/10Also documentary and war
When Sgt. First Class Brian Eisch is critically wounded in Afghanistan, it sets him and his sons on a journey of love, loss, redemption and legacy.
4
The Soviet Story (2008)
★ 7.3/10Also documentary and war
“The Soviet Story” is a story of an Allied power, which helped the Nazis to fight Jews and which slaughtered its own people on an industrial scale. Assisted by the West, this power triumphed on May 9th, 1945. Its…
5
Korengal (2014)
★ 6.6/10Also documentary and war
Korengal picks up where Restrepo left off; the same men, the same valley, the same commanders, but a very different look at the experience of war.
6
Marvel Studios Assembled: The Making of Hawkeye (2022)
★ 7.2/10Also documentary
Join the likes of Jeremy Renner, Hailee Steinfeld, Florence Pugh, and Vincent D’Onofrio as they reveal how Marvel Studios’ “Hawkeye” was conceived and created. Witness firsthand what it took to pull off the show’s…
7
The Godfather Family: A Look Inside (1990)
★ 7.8/10Also documentary
A documentary on the making of the three Godfather films, with interviews and recollections from the film makers and cast. This feature also includes the original screen tests of some of the actors for "The Godfather"…
8
They Shall Not Grow Old (2018)
★ 7.8/10Also documentary and war
A documentary about World War I with never-before-seen footage to commemorate the centennial of Armistice Day, and the end of the war.
9
Let There Be Light (1946)
★ 7.3/10Also documentary and war
The final entry in a trilogy of films produced for the U.S. government by John Huston. Some returning combat veterans suffer scars that are more psychological than physical. This film follows patients and staff during…
10
Directed by John Ford (1971)
★ 7/10Also documentary
A documentary about the life and films of director John Ford.
11
Dangerous Days: Making Blade Runner (2007)
★ 7.8/10Also documentary
The definitive 3½-hour documentary about the troubled creation and enduring legacy of the science fiction classic 'Blade Runner', culled from 80 interviews and hours of never-before-seen outtakes and lost footage.
12
City of Ghosts (2017)
★ 7.2/10Also war and documentary
With unprecedented access, this documentary follows the extraordinary journey of “Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently”—a group of anonymous citizen journalists who banded together after their homeland was overtaken by…
13
The War on Democracy (2007)
★ 7.5/10Also documentary and war
Set both in Latin America and the United States, the film explores the historic and current relationship of Washington with countries such as Venezuela, Bolivia and Chile. Pilger says that the film "...tells a…
14
The Bloody Hundredth (2024)
★ 7.2/10Also war and documentary
Meet the real-life airmen who inspired Masters of the Air as they share the harrowing and transformative events of the 100th Bomb Group.
15
9/11: Inside the President's War Room (2021)
★ 6.9/10Also documentary
Experience the events of September 11, 2001 through the eyes of President Bush and his closest advisors as they personally detail the crucial hours and key decisions from that historic day.
16
Last Days in Vietnam (2014)
★ 7.3/10Also war and documentary
During 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…
17
Anna Nicole Smith: You Don't Know Me (2023)
★ 6.1/10Also documentary
From the heights of her modeling fame to her tragic death, this documentary reveals Anna Nicole Smith through the eyes of the people closest to her.
18
Virunga (2014)
★ 7.9/10Also documentary and war
Virunga in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is Africa's oldest national park, a UNESCO world heritage site, and a contested ground among insurgencies seeking to topple the government that see untold profits in the…
19
No Half Measures: Creating the Final Season of Breaking Bad (2013)
★ 8.5/10Also documentary
A documentary about the making of season five of the acclaimed AMC series Breaking Bad.
20
Red Army (2015)
★ 7.4/10Also documentary
A 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…