10 Best Movies Like Land Of Bad

Summary

  • Land of Bad mirrors the intense action and military themes of similar films like Behind Enemy Lines and Lone Survivor.
  • The Wall offers a gripping survival story set in Iraq, while Rambo: First Blood Part II delivers high-intensity action in Vietnam.
  • Fans of Land of Bad will enjoy Body of Lies and Extraction for their thrilling military storylines and intense action sequences.



The William Eubank war movie Land of Bad told a thrilling story of survival amid a conflict zone that’s likely to leave many viewers looking for something similar to watch next. With Liam Hemsworth and Russell Crowe at the helm, Land of Bad powerfully blended its intense military story with heart-racing action sequences that meant it walked the fine line between insightful war drama and full-blown action movie. While these elements helped Land of Bad stand out as an effective look at modern warfare, it also brought to mind several incredible films from years gone by.

Although it initially flew under the radar, Land of Bad became a global hit on Netflix as audiences discovered its compelling story of a US Army special forces team being ambushed while on a mission. This brought together several themes seen in other war movies, such as a lone man struggling to survive in the midst of battlezones or the dual relationship between soldiers in active warfare and the support operatives guiding them behind the scenes. Whatever aspect of Land of Bad viewers connected with, they’ll find plenty of similar movies to check out next.



10 Behind Enemy Lines (2001)

Directed by John Moore

In the same way that Land of Bad featured Russell Crowe as an older military man bent on ensuring Liam Hemsworth’s safety, Behind Enemy Lines was a survival story where Gene Hackman did everything he could to protect Owen Wilson. Behind Enemy Lines was the story of a navy flight officer (Wilson) whose plane was shot down, and he soon found himself in the midst of genocide during the Bosnian War. At the same time, the rear admiral commanding officer (Hackman) must fight against bureaucracy to get the approval needed for a search and rescue mission.


While Behind Enemy Lines received negative reviews at its release, the film boasted two strong performances from Wilson and Hackman. With plenty of intense action and Wilson continually evading death-defying situations, Behind Enemy Lines was enjoyable, albeit unrealistic, entertainment. While it’s not a perfect film, Behind Enemy Lines stood as an enjoyable, underrated action movie from the early 2000s.

9 Commando (1985)

Directed by Mark L. Lester

As one of the most underrated action movies of the 1980s, Commando was an Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle about a special forces officer on a mission to rescue his daughter from his double-crossing former superior. While Land of Bad blended spectacular action sequences with a war setting that felt intensely real, Commando was almost comic book-esque in its over-the-top nature and endless Schwarzenegger one-liners. With a bare-bones plot and relentless mayhem, Commando was an enjoyable action movie for viewers who also want to switch off their brains for 90 minutes.


The outrageous nature of Commando was part of its appeal, as it perfectly blended action and humor to create a fun-filled cinematic experience. Schwarzenegger had only just had his biggest success with The Terminator the year before and was on the precipice of becoming one of the world’s largest action stars. While it does not get as much recognition as other Schwarzenegger action movies, Commando was well worth checking out.

8 The Wall (2017)

Directed by Doug Liman


The Wall was a war movie directed by Doug Liman that, much like Land of Bad, featured an American soldier in a death-defying battle for survival. However, rather than taking place in southern Philippines, the action instead shifted to Iraq as an enemy gunman trapped an American sniper with only an unsteady wall to project him. As a gripping thriller that was categorized by non-stop tension, The Wall was a well-paced, well-acted, and truly compelling military movie.

Much in the same way that Russell Crowe assisted Liam Hemsworthy’s character in Land of Bad, The Wall featured two extraordinary performances from Aaron Taylor-Johnson and John Cena. Cana played the sniper Staff Sergeant Shane Matthews, while Taylor-Johnson was his spotter, Sergeant Allen Isaac, who both found themselves trapped by an Iraqi gunman. As a nail-bitingly tense survival story, The Wall was a tight and claustrophobic story that captured the difficulties of being trapped in a conflict zone.

7 Lone Survivor (2013)

Directed by Peter Berg


With a similar premise to Land of Bad, Lone Survivor was a Mark Wahlberg biographical war movie about the U.S. Navy SEALs counter-insurgent mission to track down a Taliban leader. As a tense story of courage and survival, Lone Survivor brought this true account to life on the screen while failing to appropriately address the deeper issues around the Afghanistan war itself. However, as a brutal and moving war movie, Lone Survivor succeeded entirely as it showcased the sacrifices of four soldiers who ultimately did not achieve their mission.

While Lone Survivor can be criticized for focusing more on action than characterization, the intense action sequences made this a highly entertaining film. With intense violence that truly captured the bloody brutality of warfare, Lone Survivor was a bare-bones account of military courage. While it’s not a film that will please all viewers, those who connected with Land of Bad would likely enjoy Lone Survivor.


6 Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985)

Directed by George P. Cosmatos

While the first Rambo movie saw a veteran Green Beret being pursued by police and the government on American soil, the second installment brought the ritual hero back to Vietnam in the heart of the conflict. Much like Liam Hemsworth in Land of Bad was forced to fend for himself in a story of survival, Sylvester Stallone utilized his character’s skills in guerrilla warfare in Rambo: First Blood Part II. As a POW rescue mission, Rambo: First Blood Part II leaned heavily into the action movie aesthetics that made Land of Bad so compelling.


Rambo: First Blood Part II was a classic of 1980s action and the film that transformed Stallone’s character into a bona fide franchise star to even rival Rocky Balboa. Although it received mixed reviews upon release, viewers immediately connected with the high intensity of the film, and the movie became a global success at the box office. While there’s merit to the criticisms that Rambo’s character lost many of his more subtle nuances in this sequel, there’s no denying that it worked as pure entertainment.

5 Tears Of The Sun (2003)

Directed by Antoine Fuqua


Director Antoine Fuqua followed up on the incredible success of his crime thriller Training Day with the war thriller Tears of the Sun starring Bruce Willis. This intense military rescue mission was set amidst the 21st-century version of the civil war in Nigeria as Lieutenant A.K. Waters (Willis) commanded a team to rescue US citizen Dr. Lena Fiore Kendricks (Monica Bellucci.) In a race against the clock to save the target before approaching rebels reach her, Tears of the Sun featured much of the same heart-racing survival themes as Land of Bad.

With Willis at the helm, Tears of the Sun was an effective action movie whose plot felt like it had something urgent to say behind all the carnage and spectacle. As Dr. Kendricks refused to reduce unless her saviors agreed to also take 70 refugees with them, Tears of the Sun highlighted the often underrepresented plight of those forced to flee conflict during warfare. While it was an action movie at its core, part of the appeal of Tears of the Sun was its broader message of those seeking refuge from violence.


4 The Delta Force (1986)

Directed by Menahem Golan

Land of Bad saw Liam Hemsworth supporting a US Delta Force team’s rescue mission, making the Chuck Norris action movie The Delta Force the perfect companion film. As one of the major releases that helped transform Norris into a major action movie superstar, The Delta Force was based on the real US Army unit responsible for many special forces operations. With Norris and co-star Lee Marvin, The Delta Force featured the unit resolving a major crisis after terrorists hijacked a plane.

The Delta Force was a well-made action movie that featured several parallels to real-life conflicts. However, the no-nonsense execution of the force’s tactics did away with any semblance of diplomacy as they blasted, fought, and shot their way to victory. The Delta Force acted as the inception point for an entire franchise, with Norris returning for the sequel and his son Mike Norris starring in the third direct-to-video release.


3 Body Of Lies (2008)

Directed by Ridley Scott

Russell Crowe’s performance as Captain Eddie “Reaper” Grimm was one of the most enjoyable aspects of Land of Bad, and those who want to see more of Crowe in a military setting should check out Body of Lies. With the incredible trio of director Ridley Scott and its two stars, Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio, at the helm, Body of Lies boasted a talented cast and stood as an effective spy thriller. Crowe played the CIA chief Ed Hoffman, while DiCaprio was the case officer tracking a high-ranking terrorist leader called Al-Saleem in Iraq.


With compelling action sequences and an even more impressive cast, Body of Lies was a well-executed story that admittedly fell into the trappings of the spy genre tropes and cliches at times. What set Body of Lies apart from other similar espionage thrillers was the solid direction from Scott, who continually showcased himself as a master of suspense as its story slowly unveiled itself. With the powerful theme of colliding Western and Arab civilizations pushing the narrative forward, Body of Lies felt like it had something urgent to say.

Directed by Sam Hargrave


Viewers who enjoyed seeing a Hemsworth brother evading danger in a military setting in Land of Bad should also check out Liam’s brother Chris Hemsworth in Extraction. As the story of an Australian black ops mercenary attempting to save an Indian drug lord’s kidnapped son in Dhaka, Bangladesh, many parallels can be made between the two movies. As the mercenary Tyler Rake, the older Hemsworth, Chris showcased the same action hero leading man potential as his younger brother in Extraction.

This military thriller was packed with stunning action sequences and overloaded with violence to keep audiences’ hearts racing. Extraction was categorized by high intensity, which made sense as its script came from Joe Russo, who was known for his work on some of the biggest MCU movies. As an impressive feature debut by director Sam Hargrave, viewers who are connected with Extraction can also jump right into its impressive sequel Extraction 2 on Netflix.

1 Black Hawk Down (2001)

Directed by Ridley Scott


In his review of Land of Bad for RogerEbert.com, film critic Simon Abrams stated that Land of Bad sold itself as a “post-Black Hawk Down rescue mission thriller,” which was a great reminder to go back and check out that incredible Ridley Scott movie. Black Hawk Down told the true story of 160 US soldiers whose helicopter was shot down in the Battle of Mogadishu and their attempt to capture two renegade warlords. However, rather than featuring a lone man in an epic battle for survival in Land of Bad, Black Hawk Down utilized its ensemble cast.

As an intense depiction of warfare from the perspective of combat troops, Black Hawk Down showcased for viewers the horrors of being in the midst of battle and the brutality and fatalities that can take place. With no love story or sappy dialogue to sugarcoat the devastating circumstances these soldiers found themselves in, Black Hawk Down was as effective as it was entertaining. In a career full of extraordinary releases, Black Hawk Down was one of Ridley Scott’s best movies.


Source: RogerEbert.com

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