Movies Like Johnny Shortwave

If you liked Johnny Shortwave (1996), a movie directed by Michael Bockner, 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
Equilibrium (2002)
★ 7.1/10
In a dystopian future, a totalitarian regime maintains peace by subduing the populace with a drug, and displays of emotion are punishable by death. A man in charge of enforcing the law rises to overthrow the system.
2
Insurgent (2015)
★ 6.4/10
Beatrice Prior must confront her inner demons and continue her fight against a powerful alliance which threatens to tear her society apart.
3
Xiu Xiu: The Sent-Down Girl (1998)
★ 7.2/10
Young teen girl Xiu Xiu is sent away to a remote corner of the Sichuan steppes for manual labor in 1975 (sending young people to there was a part of Cultural Revolution in China). A year later, she agrees to go to even…
4
The Weather Underground (2002)
★ 6.6/10
The remarkable story of The Weather Underground, radical activists of the 1970s, and of radical politics at its best and most disastrous.
5
Uprising (2001)
★ 6.6/10
In the Warsaw ghetto in 1943, Jews rise against the Nazis.
6
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 (2015)
★ 6.9/10
As the war between the Capitol and the districts reaches its peak, Katniss Everdeen embarks on a perilous mission to liberate Panem and confront President Snow. Joined by a team of trusted allies, she navigates deadly…
7
Chief of Station (2024)
★ 6.3/10
After learning that the death of his wife was not an accident, a former CIA Station Chief is forced back into the espionage underworld, teaming up with an adversary to unravel a conspiracy that challenges everything he…
8
Iron Jawed Angels (2004)
★ 6.8/10
Defiant young activists take the women's suffrage movement by storm, putting their lives at risk to help American women win the right to vote.
9
The Commuter (2018)
★ 6.4/10
A businessman, on his daily commute home, gets unwittingly caught up in a criminal conspiracy that threatens not only his life but the lives of those around him.
10
My Spy The Eternal City (2024)
★ 6.5/10
JJ, a veteran CIA agent, reunites with his protégé Sophie, in order to prevent a catastrophic nuclear plot targeting the Vatican.
11
Lucky Them (2013)
★ 6/10
More interested in partying and flirting with young musicians than work, veteran rock journalist Ellie Klug has one last chance to prove her value to her magazine’s editor: a no-stone-unturned search to discover what…
12
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 (2014)
★ 6.8/10
After surviving the Quarter Quell, Katniss finds herself in the hidden stronghold of District 13, where the rebellion against the Capitol is gaining momentum. Struggling with the weight of becoming the symbol of…
13
I Am David (2003)
★ 6.8/10
A 12-year-old boy manages to flee a Communist concentration camp on his own, through sheer will and determination. All he has in his possession is a loaf of bread, a letter to deliver to someone in Denmark, and a…
14
The Beautician and the Beast (1997)
★ 6.7/10
A New York City beautician is mistakenly hired as the school teacher for the children of the president of a small Eastern European country.
15
Fahrenheit 451 (1966)
★ 7.1/10
In the future, the government maintains control of public opinion by outlawing literature and maintaining a group of enforcers, known as “firemen,” to perform the necessary book burnings. Fireman Montag begins to…
16
Above Majestic (2018)
★ 7.4/10
A look at the origins, history and conspiracies behind the "Majestic 12", a clandestine group of military and corporate figureheads charged with reverse-engineering extraterrestrial technology.
17
Watch on the Rhine (1943)
★ 6.9/10
On the eve of World War II, the German Kurt Müller, his American-born wife Sara, and their three children, having lived in Europe for years, visit Sara's wealthy mother near Washington, DC. Kurt secretly works for the…
18
V for Vendetta (2006)
★ 7.9/10
In a world in which Great Britain has become a fascist state, a masked vigilante known only as “V” conducts guerrilla warfare against the oppressive British government. When V rescues a young woman from the secret…
19
Silent Zone (2025)
★ 6/10
In a zombie-ravaged world, a resourceful teen and her protector fight for survival, facing relentless dangers and testing the limits of hope and loyalty.
20
Truth & Treason (2025)
★ 8.1/10
In 1941 Nazi Germany, 16-year-old Helmuth Hübener begins questioning the regime after learning the truth about the war and seeing his Jewish friend persecuted. With two friends, he secretly listens to banned foreign…