Movies Like Air Force (1943)

Air Force is a 1943 action, adventure, drama, war film from Howard Hawks with a MovieMagicScore of 6.5/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Wake Island and Pearl Harbor.

Action Adventure Drama War

Wake Island

1942

In late 1941, with no hope of relief or re-supply, a small band of United States Marines tries to keep the Japanese Navy from capturing their island base.

5.8

MagicScore

Pearl Harbor

2001

The lifelong friendship between Rafe McCawley and Danny Walker is put to the ultimate test when the two ace fighter pilots become entangled in a love triangle with beautiful Naval nurse Evelyn Johnson. But the rivalry between the friends-turned-foes is immediately put on hold when they find themselves at the center of Japan's devastating attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.

6.9

MagicScore

Memphis Belle

1990

The "Memphis Belle" is a World War II bomber, piloted by a young crew on dangerous bombing raids into Europe. The crew only have to make one more bombing raid before they have finished their duty and can go home. In the briefing before their last flight, the crew discover that the target for the day is Bremen.

6.7

MagicScore

They Were Expendable

1945

After a demonstration of new PT boats, navy brass are still unconvinced of their viability in combat, leaving Lt. "Rusty" Ryan frustrated. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, however, Ryan and his buddy Lt. Brickley are told they can finally take their squadron into battle. The PT boats quickly prove their worth, successfully shooting down Japanese planes, relaying messages between islands, and picking off a multitude of enemy ships.

6.5

MagicScore

The Dawn Patrol

1938

In 1915 France, Major Brand commands the 39th Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps. The young airmen go up in bullet-riddled "crates" and the casualty rate is appalling, but Brand can't make the "brass hats" at headquarters see reason. Insubordinate air ace Captain Courtney is another thorn in Brand's side...but finds the smile wiped from his face when he rises to command the squadron himself. Everyone keeps a stiff upper lip.

6.8

MagicScore

Iron Eagle II

1988

Chappy Sinclair is called to gather together a mixed Soviet/U.S. strike force that will perform a surgical strike on a massively defended nuclear missile site in the Middle East. Chappy finds that getting the Soviet and U.S. Pilots to cooperate is only the most minor of his problems as he discovers someone in the Pentagon is actively sabotaging his mission.

4.5

MagicScore

Insiang

1976

A story about the life of a young girl living with her mother in the slums of Manila, which becomes unbearable when her mother's young boyfriend moves in with them.

7.0

MagicScore

On the Job

2013

On The Job is about the ambitions and passions of four men trying to make a living, for themselves and their families. It shows the parallels between two prison inmates who are contract killers, and the two agents of the law investigating the murders. As they get caught in a web of machination of corrupt government officials, their jobs lead them on a head-on collision against each other with their loved ones as collateral damage.

6.6

MagicScore

The Impossible Kid

1982

Weng Weng plays an agent, code-named “00” who works for the Manila branch of Interpol. The Chief sends him in pursuit of an arch villain, Mr X, whose white sock covered head is reminiscent of the Ku Klux Klan’s pointed hoods. When Mr X holds the Philippines for ransom two businessmen, Maolo and Simeon, pay his demands. Weng Weng suspects foul play and goes deep undercover to reveal the true identity of the mysterious Mr X.

4.2

MagicScore

#10

Sayonara

1957

Air Force Major Lloyd Gruver is reassigned to a Japanese air base and is confronted with US racial prejudice against the Japanese people. The issue is compounded because a number of the soldiers become romantically involved with Japanese women, in defiance of US military policy. Ordinarily, a by-the-book officer, Gruver must take a position when a buddy of his, an enlisted man, Joe Kelly, falls in love with a Japanese woman, Katsumi, and marries her. Gruver risks his position by serving as best man at the wedding ceremony.

6.7

MagicScore

#11

Gung Ho!

1943

A true-life epic that revolves around an exclusive bataillon of the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II, "Carlson's Raiders," whose assignment is to take control of a South Pacific island once possessed by the United States but now under Japanese command.

5.2

MagicScore

#12

Operation Pacific

1951

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 personally. Even more personal is his quest to win back his ex-wife, a nurse; but he'll have to win her back from a navy flier who also happens to be his commander's little brother.

6.0

MagicScore

#13

The Dam Busters

1955

The story of the conception of a new British weapon for smashing the German dams in the Ruhr industrial complex and the execution of the raid by 617 Squadron 'The Dam Busters'.

6.9

MagicScore

#14

From Here to Eternity

1953

In 1941 Hawaii, a private is cruelly punished for not boxing on his unit's team, while his captain's wife and second in command are falling in love.

7.3

MagicScore

#15

Tora! Tora! Tora!

1970

In the summer of 1941, the United States and Japan seem on the brink of war after constant embargos and failed diplomacy come to no end. "Tora! Tora! Tora!", named after the code words used by the lead Japanese pilot to indicate they had surprised the Americans, covers the days leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor, which plunged America into the Second World War.

7.1

MagicScore

#16

The Final Countdown

1980

During routine manoeuvres near Hawaii in 1980, the aircraft-carrier USS Nimitz is caught in a strange vortex-like storm, throwing the ship back in time to 1941—mere hours before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

6.6

MagicScore

#17

In Harm's Way

1965

A Naval officer, reprimanded after Pearl Harbor, is later promoted to Rear Admiral and gets a second chance to prove himself against the Japanese.

6.6

MagicScore

#18

1941

1979

In the days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, panic grips California, where a military officer leads a mob chasing a Japanese sub.

5.8

MagicScore

#19

Red Tails

2012

The story of the Tuskegee Airmen, the first African-American pilots to fly in a combat squadron during World War II.

6.6

MagicScore

#20

The Devil's General

1955

The adaptation of the eponymous play by Carl Zuckmayer tells the story of renegade general Harras of the German Luftwaffe, who during WWII openly criticizes the Nazi regime. As a consequence, he is put under surveillance, and even imprisoned for a brief period of time. Still remaining outspoken, Harras realizes the horrific dimensions of this hopeless and injust war waged by Germany.

6.7

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Air Force?

The top films similar to Air Force by MovieMagicScore are Wake Island (5.8), Pearl Harbor (6.9), Memphis Belle (6.7). Each shares action/adventure/drama/war themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Air Force worth watching?

Air Force holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.5/10 from 59 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Air Force?

Air Force (1943) is a action, adventure, drama, war film directed by Howard Hawks, starring John Ridgely, Gig Young, John Garfield.

Where can I find more recommendations like Air Force?

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

Keep exploring

Movies like Wake Island Movies like Pearl Harbor Movies like Memphis Belle Movies like They Were Expendable Movies like The Dawn Patrol Movies like Iron Eagle II

About movies like Air Force

This ranked list pairs Air Force (1943), a action and adventure and drama and war film from Howard Hawks, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of John Ridgely 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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