Movies Like Get on the Bus

If you liked Get on the Bus (1996), a history and adventure movie directed by Spike Lee, 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
Rustin (2023)
★ 6.5/10Also drama and history
Activist Bayard Rustin faces racism and homophobia as he helps change the course of Civil Rights history by orchestrating the 1963 March on Washington.
2
Son of the South (2021)
★ 6.5/10Also history and drama
In civil rights era Montgomery, Alabama, Klansman's grandson Bob Zellner must choose which side of history to be on during the Movement. Defying his family and white Southern norms, he fought against social injustice…
3
Free State of Jones (2016)
★ 6.8/10Also drama and history
In 1863, Mississippi farmer Newt Knight serves as a medic for the Confederate Army. Opposed to slavery, Knight would rather help the wounded than fight the Union. After his nephew dies in battle, Newt returns home to…
4
The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)
★ 7.7/10Also drama and history
What was supposed to be a peaceful protest turned into a violent clash with the police. What followed was one of the most notorious trials in history.
5
Straight Outta Compton (2015)
★ 7.8/10Also drama and history
In 1987, five young men, using brutally honest rhymes and hardcore beats, put their frustration and anger about life in the most dangerous place in America into the most powerful weapon they had: their music. Taking us…
6
Escape from Pretoria (2020)
★ 7.2/10Also drama and history
South Africa, 1978. Tim Jenkin and Stephen Lee, two white political activists from the African National Congress imprisoned by the apartheid regime, put a plan in motion to escape from the infamous Pretoria Prison.
7
Nickel Boys (2024)
★ 6.6/10Also drama and history
Chronicles the powerful friendship between two young Black teenagers navigating the harrowing trials of reform school together in Florida.
8
The Survivor (2022)
★ 6.8/10Also history and drama
Harry Haft is a boxer who fought fellow prisoners in the concentration camps to survive. Haunted by the memories and his guilt, he attempts to use high-profile fights against boxing legends like Rocky Marciano as a way…
9
Malcolm X (1992)
★ 7.6/10Also drama and history
A tribute to the controversial black activist and leader of the struggle for black liberation. He hit bottom during his imprisonment in the '50s, he became a Black Muslim and then a leader in the Nation of Islam. His…
10
Glory (1989)
★ 7.5/10Also drama and history
Robert Gould Shaw leads the US Civil War's first all-black volunteer company, fighting prejudices of both his own Union army and the Confederates.
11
Firebrand (2024)
★ 6.3/10Also drama and history
Katherine Parr, the sixth wife of King Henry VIII, is named regent while the tyrant battles abroad. When the king returns, increasingly ill and paranoid, Katherine finds herself fighting for her own survival.
12
12 Years a Slave (2013)
★ 7.9/10Also drama and history
In the pre-Civil War United States, Solomon Northup, a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery. Facing cruelty as well as unexpected kindnesses Solomon struggles not only to stay alive…
13
All Eyez on Me (2017)
★ 6.7/10Also history and drama
All Eyez on Me chronicles the life and legacy of Tupac Shakur, including his rise to superstardom as a hip-hop artist, actor, poet and activist, as well as his imprisonment and prolific, controversial time at Death Row…
14
Defiance (2008)
★ 6.8/10Also drama and history
Based on a true story, during World War II, four Jewish brothers escape their Nazi-occupied homeland of West Belarus in Poland and join the Soviet partisans to combat the Nazis. The brothers begin the rescue of roughly…
15
Hoffa (1992)
★ 6.3/10Also history and drama
A portrait of union leader James R. Hoffa, as seen through the eyes of his friend, Bobby Ciaro. The film follows Hoffa through his countless battles with the RTA and President Roosevelt.
16
By Any Means (2026)
★ 6.6/10Also history and drama
In 1960s Mississippi, a young Black FBI agent is forced to partner with a notorious mafia hitman to investigate a wave of brutal civil rights murders.
17
The Angel (2018)
★ 6.5/10Also drama and history
True story of Ashraf Marwan, who was President Nasser's son-in-law and special adviser and confidant to his successor Anwar Sadat - while simultaneously Israeli Intelligence's most precious asset of the 20th century…
18
Walking Tall (2004)
★ 6.4/10Also adventure and drama
A former U.S. soldier returns to his hometown to find it overrun by crime and corruption, which prompts him to clean house.
19
Emancipation (2022)
★ 7.7/10Also drama and history
Inspired by the gripping true story of a man who would do anything for his family—and for freedom. When Peter, an enslaved man, risks his life to escape and return to his family, he embarks on a perilous journey of…
20
Black Gold (2011)
★ 6.5/10Also adventure and drama
On the Arabian Peninsula in the 1930s, two warring leaders come face to face. The victorious Nesib, Emir of Hobeika, lays down his peace terms to rival Amar, Sultan of Salmaah. The two men agree that neither can lay…