Movies Like How the War Started on My Island

If you liked How the War Started on My Island (1996), a comedy and war movie directed by Vinko Brešan, 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
What Did You Do in the War, Daddy? (1966)
★ 5.9/10Also comedy and 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…
2
Hot Shots! Part Deux (1993)
★ 6.5/10Also comedy and war
Topper Harley is found to be working as an odd-job-man in a monastery. The CIA want him to lead a rescue mission into Iraq, to rescue the last rescue team, who went in to rescue the last rescue team—who went in to…
3
Wolf Hound (2022)
★ 6.4/10Also war
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…
4
Buck Privates (1941)
★ 6.8/10Also comedy and 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…
5
Lucky Strike (2026)
★ 6.6/10Also war
A wounded American soldier fights to survive behind enemy lines during WWII's Battle of the Bulge against the Germans, relying on his instinct, spy craft and a hand-radio to evade capture and find his way back to his…
6
Sahara (1995)
★ 6.7/10Also 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…
7
Shoulder Arms (1918)
★ 6.8/10Also comedy and war
An American doughboy, stationed in France during the Great War, goes on a daring mission behind enemy lines and becomes a hero.
8
The Codes of War (2025)
★ 6.2/10Also 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…
9
Boudica (2023)
★ 5.8/10Also 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…
10
The Secret War of Harry Frigg (1968)
★ 6.2/10Also comedy and war
When 5 allied generals are captured in Italy in WWII, it is a propaganda nightmare for the allies. The generals are all 1 star and refuse to take orders from each other in order to plan an escape. Harry Frigg is a…
11
Accident Man (2018)
★ 6.3/10Also comedy
Mike Fallon, the Accident Man, is a stone cold killer. When a loved one is murdered by his own crew, Fallon is forced to avenge the one person who actually meant something to him.
12
The Mouse That Roared (1959)
★ 6.4/10Also comedy
The Duchy of Grand Fenwick decides that the only way to get out of their economic woes is to declare war on the United States, lose and accept foreign aid. They send an invasion force (in chain mail, armed with bows…
13
The Bridge at Remagen (1969)
★ 6.8/10Also war
In March of 1945, as the War in Europe is coming to a close, fighting erupts between German and American troops at the last remaining bridgehead across the Rhine.
14
Oh! What a Lovely War (1969)
★ 6.7/10Also comedy and war
The working-class Smiths change their initially sunny views on World War I after the five boys of the family witness the harsh reality of trench warfare.
15
Fun with Dick and Jane (1977)
★ 6.6/10Also comedy
When an upwardly mobile couple find themselves unemployed and in debt, they turn to armed robbery in desperation.
16
Hell Hath No Fury (2021)
★ 6.4/10Also 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…
17
Johnny English Strikes Again (2018)
★ 6.3/10Also comedy
Disaster strikes when a criminal mastermind reveals the identities of all active undercover agents in Britain. The secret service can now rely on only one man - Johnny English. Currently teaching at a minor prep…
18
The Red Badge of Courage (1951)
★ 6.4/10Also war
Henry Fleming is a young Union soldier in the American Civil War. During his unit's first engagement, Henry flees the battlefield in fear. When he learns that the Union actually won the battle, shame over his cowardice…
19
The Eastern Front (2020)
★ 6.5/10Also war
A dwindling group of German soldiers battle to return to their lines on the harsh Eastern Front.
20
One Shot (2021)
★ 6.7/10Also war
An elite squad of Navy SEALs, on a covert mission to transport a prisoner off a CIA black site island prison, are trapped when insurgents attack while trying to rescue the same prisoner.