Movies Like Breaking Through the Darkness

If you liked Breaking Through the Darkness (1956), a drama and action movie directed by Wang Ping and Liu Peiran, 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
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.
2
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…
3
The New One-Armed Swordsman (1971)
★ 6.9/10Also action and drama
Lei Li lost his right-arm in a sword duel with the master of a martial arts school, long ago. Now, he is able to defend himself well with just his left arm, and kung fu techniques. That he proves with just the help of…
4
Battleground (1949)
★ 6.7/10Also action and drama
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…
5
The Devil's Brigade (1968)
★ 6.3/10Also action and drama
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…
6
Rescue at Dongji (2025)
★ 8.3/10Also drama and war
Inspired by the real life rescue of over 300 British soldiers in 1942, Dongji Rescue is a rousing, action-packed story of heroism on the high seas. When the Japanese warship Lisbon Maru is torpedoed off the coast of…
7
Blood on the Sun (1945)
★ 5.9/10Also action and drama
Nick Condon, an American journalist in 20s Tokyo, publishes the Japanese master plan for world domination. Reaction from the understandably upset Japanese provides the action, but this is overshadowed by the propaganda…
8
Outlaws - For Greater Glory (2012)
★ 7/10Also drama and action
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.
9
Walking with the Enemy (2014)
★ 6.3/10Also action and drama
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…
10
The Rescue (2020)
★ 7/10Also drama and action
A rescue unit within the Chinese Coast Guard are forced to overcome their personal differences to resolve a crisis.
11
In Full Bloom (2019)
★ 6.8/10Also action and drama
Set shortly after the end of World War II, a philosophical boxing drama of two fighters from opposite worlds (USA and Japan) who are pulled together for a questionable fight arranged by their unscrupulous managers and…
12
Play Dirty (1969)
★ 6.3/10Also war and drama
During World War II in North Africa, a group of British commandos disguised as Italian soldiers must travel behind enemy lines and destroy a vital Nazi oil depot.
13
The Eight Hundred (2020)
★ 7/10Also war and drama
In 1937, eight hundred Chinese soldiers fight under siege from a warehouse in the middle of the Shanghai battlefield, completely surrounded by the Japanese army.
14
An Ordinary Man (2017)
★ 6.2/10Also action and drama
A war criminal in hiding forms a relationship with his only connection to the outside world - his maid.
15
Field of Lost Shoes (2015)
★ 6.1/10Also war and drama
A group of teenage cadets sheltered from war at the Virginia Military Institute must confront the horrors of an adult world when they are called upon to defend the Shenandoah Valley.
16
Devils on the Doorstep (2001)
★ 8.2/10Also drama and war
During the Japanese occupation of China, two prisoners are dumped in a peasant's home in a small town. The owner is bullied into keeping the prisoners until the next New Year, at which time they will be collected. The…
17
Police Story: Lockdown (2013)
★ 6.2/10Also action and drama
A man looking for the release of a long-time prisoner takes a police officer, his daughter, and a group of strangers hostage.
18
Beast (2026)
★ 7.5/10Also action and drama
MMA legend Patton James, now a commercial fisherman, is pulled back into the cage when his brother is in danger. Reuniting with his old coach Sammy, he commits to one final fight in one championship against the brutal…
19
Eye for an Eye 2 (2024)
★ 6.4/10Also action and drama
The blind swordsman, skilled in martial arts, named Cheng Xiazi (Xie Miao), accidentally saves Zhang Xiaoyu (Yang Enyou), who has suffered from the destruction of his family. Under the persuasion of the orphan Xiaoyu…
20
Gezhi Town (2025)
★ 6.9/10Also drama and war
A group of Chinese refugees and straggler soldiers, led by a machinist, defend their mountain town, "Gezhi," against a surprise attack by Japanese reconnaissance troops in a desperate fight using civilian ingenuity…