Movies Like Taps (1981)

Taps is a 1981 drama film from Harold Becker with a MovieMagicScore of 6.8/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with The Long Gray Line and Private Romeo.

Drama

The Long Gray Line

1955

The life story of a salt-of-the-earth Irish immigrant, who becomes an Army Noncommissioned Officer and spends his 50 year career at the United States Military Academy at West Point. This includes his job-related experiences as well as his family life and the relationships he develops with young cadets with whom he befriends. Based on the life of a real person.

7.0

MagicScore

Private Romeo

2011

When eight male cadets are left behind at an isolated military high school, the greatest romantic drama ever written seeps out of the classroom and permeates their lives.

5.5

MagicScore

Combat Academy

1986

"Police Academy"-style comedy set in a military school. Two errant high-school students are ordered by a judge to spend a year at a prestigious military academy, where one of the cadets finds out who is responsible for a spate of midnight thefts. Written by Mark Lennon

5.3

MagicScore

Zero Day

2003

Two troubled adolescents chronicle the events that ultimately lead up to a terrifying assault on their school.

7.3

MagicScore

Elephant

2003

Several ordinary high school students go through their daily routine as two others prepare for something more malevolent.

7.0

MagicScore

Last Flag Flying

2017

Thirty years after serving together in the Vietnam War, Larry, Sal and Richard reunite for a different type of mission: to bury Doc's son, a young Marine killed in Iraq. Forgoing the burial, the trio take the casket on a bittersweet trip up the coast to New Hampshire – along the way reminiscing and coming to terms with the shared memories of a war that continues to shape their lives.

6.8

MagicScore

White House Down

2013

Capitol Policeman John Cale has just been denied his dream job with the Secret Service protecting President James Sawyer. Not wanting to let down his little girl with the news, he takes her on a tour of the White House, when the complex is overtaken by a heavily armed paramilitary group. Now, with the nation's government falling into chaos and time running out, it's up to Cale to save the president, his daughter, and the country.

6.5

MagicScore

Lord of the Flies

1990

When their plane crashes, 25 schoolboys find themselves trapped on a tropical island, miles from civilization.

6.3

MagicScore

Con Air

1997

Newly-paroled former US Army ranger Cameron Poe is headed back to his wife, but must fly home aboard a prison transport flight dubbed "Jailbird" taking the “worst of the worst” prisoners, a group described as “pure predators”, to a new super-prison. Poe faces impossible odds when the transport plane is skyjacked mid-flight by the most vicious criminals in the country led by the mastermind — genius serial killer Cyrus "The Virus" Grissom, and backed by black militant Diamond Dog and psychopath Billy Bedlam.

6.8

MagicScore

#10

Thor: The Dark World

2013

Thor fights to restore order across the cosmos… but an ancient race led by the vengeful Malekith returns to plunge the universe back into darkness. Faced with an enemy that even Odin and Asgard cannot withstand, Thor must embark on his most perilous and personal journey yet, one that will reunite him with Jane Foster and force him to sacrifice everything to save us all.

6.5

MagicScore

#11

Who Dares Wins

1982

When SAS Captain Peter Skellen is thrown out of the service for gross misconduct due to unnecessary violence and bullying, he is soon recruited by The People's Lobby, a fanatical group aiming to hold several US dignitaries hostage. But Skellen's dismissal is a front to enable him to get close to the terrorist group. Can he get close enough to stop the Lobby from creating an international incident?

6.2

MagicScore

#12

Lakshya

2004

An aimless, jobless, irresponsible grown man joins the army and matures into a battlefield hero.

6.7

MagicScore

#13

Young Törless

1966

At an Austrian boys' boarding school in the early 1900s, shy, intelligent Törless observes the sadistic behavior of his fellow students, doing nothing to help a victimized classmate—until the torture goes too far. Adapted from Robert Musil's acclaimed novel, Young Törless launched the New German Cinema movement and garnered the 1966 Cannes Film Festival International Critics' Prize for first-time director Volker Schlöndorff.

6.5

MagicScore

#14

Napoleon

1927

A biopic of Napoleon Bonaparte, tracing the Corsican's career from his schooldays (where a snowball fight is staged like a military campaign) to his flight from Corsica, through the French Revolution (where a real storm is intercut with a political storm) and the Terror, culminating in his triumphant invasion of Italy in 1797.

7.8

MagicScore

#15

The City and the Dogs

1985

Four angry cadets have formed an inner circle in an attempt to beat the system and ward off the boredom and stifling confinement of the military academy, set off a chain of events that starts with a theft and leads to murder.

7.6

MagicScore

#16

The Winslow Boy

1948

In pre-WW1 England, a youngster is expelled from a naval academy over a petty theft, but his parents raise a political furor by demanding a trial.

6.9

MagicScore

#17

The Strange One

1957

A military school student develops a destructive power over his fellow cadets.

6.4

MagicScore

#18

The Ogre

1996

Frenchman Abel Tiffauges is a naive man who lives a simple life working as a mechanic. Falsely accused of being a child abuser, he is recruited as a soldier when World War II begins, but is captured soon and taken to the heart of Nazi Germany.

6.3

MagicScore

#19

Cadet Kelly

2002

Hyperactive teenager Kelly is enrolled into a military school when her new stepfather becomes the Commandant. At first she has problems fitting in and taking orders until she tries out for the drill team.

6.2

MagicScore

#20

Macon County Line

1974

A vengeful Southern sheriff is out for blood after his wife is brutally killed by a pair of drifters. Low-budget film set in Georgia in 1953 and at the time of release, purported to be based on a true story.

5.7

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Taps?

The top films similar to Taps by MovieMagicScore are The Long Gray Line (7.0), Private Romeo (5.5), Combat Academy (5.3). Each shares drama themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Taps worth watching?

Taps holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.8/10 from 285 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Taps?

Taps (1981) is a drama film directed by Harold Becker, starring George C. Scott, Timothy Hutton, Ronny Cox.

Where can I find more recommendations like Taps?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more drama recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like The Long Gray Line Movies like Private Romeo Movies like Combat Academy Movies like Zero Day Movies like Elephant Movies like Last Flag Flying

About movies like Taps

This ranked list pairs Taps (1981), a drama film from Harold Becker, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of George C. Scott take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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