Movies Like Stand by for Action

If you liked Stand by for Action (1942), a action and drama movie directed by Robert Z. Leonard, 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
Mister Roberts (1955)
★ 7/10Also comedy and drama
Mr. Roberts is a Navy officer who's yearning for battle but is stuck in the backwaters of World War II on a non-commissioned ship run by the bullying Captain Morton.
2
See Spot Run (2001)
★ 6.1/10Also comedy and action
A drug sniffing agent canine is a target for an assassin boss so the FBI calls Witness Protection to send him somewhere else. Meanwhile a single Mom puts her 6 year old boy James in the care of her irresponsible…
3
Secret Society of Second-Born Royals (2020)
★ 6.6/10Also action and comedy
A rebellious teenage princess discovers she has superhuman abilities and joins a secret society of extraordinary second-born royals tasked with protecting the world.
4
Airborne (1993)
★ 6.1/10Also action and comedy
Good-natured teen surfer Mitchell Goosen finds himself staying with his aunt and uncle in Cincinnati, Ohio when his parents head to Australia for work. There he meets his cousin, Wiley, and together they try to…
5
Operation Pacific (1951)
★ 6.1/10Also war and drama
During WWII, Duke E. Gifford is second in command of the USS Thunderfish, a submarine which is firing off torpedoes that either explode too early or never explode at all. It's a dilemma that he'll eventually take up…
6
LEGO DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League - Attack of the Legion of Doom! (2015)
★ 6.6/10Also action and comedy
Crime is on the run as the newly formed Justice League keeps Metropolis safe and this makes evil genius Lex Luthor very unhappy. Together with Black Manta, Sinestro and a gang of ruthless recruits, Lex builds his own…
7
Hell and High Water (1954)
★ 6/10Also drama and action
A privately-financed scientist and his colleagues hire an ex-Navy officer to conduct an Alaskan submarine expedition in order to prevent a Red Chinese anti-American plot that may lead to World War III. Mixes deviously…
8
The Last Rifleman (2023)
★ 6.6/10Also drama and war
A WWII veteran escapes his care home in Northern Ireland and embarks on an arduous but inspirational journey to France to attend the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings, finding the courage to face the ghosts of his…
9
Primal: Tales of Savagery (2019)
★ 8.4/10Also action and drama
Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal: Tales of Savagery features a caveman and a dinosaur on the brink of extinction. Bonded by tragedy, this unlikely friendship becomes the only hope of survival.
10
Waiting for Anya (2020)
★ 6.3/10Also drama and war
During the harrows of WWII, Jo, a young shepherd along with the help of the widow Horcada, helps to smuggle Jewish children across the border from southern France into Spain.
11
Birth of the Dragon (2017)
★ 5.8/10Also action and drama
Set against the backdrop of San Francisco’s Chinatown, this cross-cultural biopic chronicles Bruce Lee’s emergence as a martial-arts superstar after his legendary secret showdown with fellow martial artist Wong Jack Man.
12
Alley Cats Strike (2000)
★ 6/10Also drama and comedy
A group of hip retro teenage outsiders become involved in an interschool bowling rivalry.
13
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…
14
Chang Can Dunk (2023)
★ 6.7/10Also comedy and drama
Chang, a 16-year-old, Asian American, bets the high school basketball star that he can dunk by Homecoming. The bet leads 5' 8" Chang on a quest to learn to dunk—not only to impress his crush, Kristy, but to gain the…
15
Henry Danger: The Movie (2025)
★ 7.7/10Also action and comedy
Henry Hart meets a superfan—eager to fight crime with Kid Danger—who comes into possession of a device that can open up alternate realities. Facing a wild ride, Henry will need his best friend Jasper and his new…
16
Afterlife of the Party (2021)
★ 6.7/10Also comedy and drama
A social butterfly who dies during her birthday week is given a second chance to right her wrongs on Earth.
17
Teen Spirit (2011)
★ 5.9/10Also drama and comedy
Amber, a mean popular girl who gets electrocuted and dies, is not allowed to enter into heaven unless she helps the least popular girl in school become Prom Queen within a week, but things do not go as planned.
18
The Big Brawl (1980)
★ 5.9/10Also action and comedy
A young Asian American martial artist is forced to participate in a brutal formal street-fight competition.
19
Dear Eleanor (2016)
★ 5.9/10Also comedy and drama
Two teenage girls travel across the U.S. in 1962, during the chaos of the Cuban missile crisis, in search of Eleanor Roosevelt.
20
LEGO DC Comics Super Heroes: Aquaman - Rage of Atlantis (2018)
★ 6.2/10Also action and comedy
Aquaman must battle foes in the air, on land and in the depths of the Seven Seas, along with some help from The Justice League, to save the day.