German Shepherds seem to have an infinite number of talents, and one of those talents is acting. If you want to see German Shepherds in movies and enjoy their incredible intelligence (and acting skills), then get ready, because you will now discover one of the biggest lists of all-time German Shepherd movies!
Acting isn’t an easy job at all, especially if you are a German Shepherd dog. To be a good actor, you need to dedicate a lot of time to practicing and learning, and when you have a dog in a movie, you also need time for training.
These movies aren’t like any other movies, there is something special about them, and if you are a German Shepherd fan or owner, some of these movies will remain in your memory for the rest of your life.
Okay, before you make popcorn, sit comfortably in your bed, armchair, or chair, explore this list and find a movie! You don't want to watch a movie with a half-empty plate, or cold food, do you?
We have made sure to highlight important information on this page, so you don't have to wander the internet searching for your answer.
Let’s now see in which films German Shepherds became famous!
1. Megan Leavey
- IMDb rating 7.1 (23k Reviews)
- Release date: 2017
- Movie duration: 1h 56m
- Director: Gabriela Cowpertwaite
- Writers: Pamela Gray; Annie Mumolo; Tim Lovestedt
- Stars: Kate Mara; Ramon Rodriguez; Tom Felton
The storyline of the movie:
The true-life story of Megan Leavey, a young Marine corporal whose unique discipline and bond with a military combat dog saved many lives during her deployment in Iraq. Assigned to clean up the K-9 unit after a disciplinary hearing, Leavey starts to identify with Rex, a particularly aggressive dog that she trains. Over the course of their service, Megan and Rex complete more than 100 missions until an improvised explosive device injures both, putting their fates in jeopardy.
Trailer:
2. MAX
- IMDb rating 6.7 (27k reviews)
- Release date: 2015
- Movie duration: 1h 51m
- Director: Boaz Yakin
- Writers: Boaz Yakin; Sheldon Lettich
- Stars: Thomas Haden Church; Josh Wiggins; Luke Kleintank
The storyline of the movie:
After U.S. Marine Kyle Wincott is killed in Afghanistan, Max, his highly trained service dog, is too traumatized to remain in service. Back in the U.S., Kyle's family adopts the dog, but teenage brother Justin (Josh Wiggins) has problems of his own and doesn't want the animal. However, Max may be Justin's only chance to learn what really happened to his brother. With the help of a dog-savvy friend, Justin and Max begin to bond, and set out to unravel the mystery of Kyle's death.
Trailer:
3. I Am Legend
- IMDb rating: 7.2 (729k reviews)
- Release date: 2007
- Movie duration: 1h 41m
- Director: Francis Lawrence
- Writers: Mark Protosevich; Akiva Goldsman; Richard Matheson
- Stars: Will Smith; Alice Braga; Charlie Tahan
The storyline of the movie:
Robert Neville (Will Smith), a brilliant scientist, is a survivor of a man-made plague that transforms humans into bloodthirsty mutants. He wanders alone through New York City, calling out for other possible survivors, and works on finding a cure for the plague using his own immune blood. Neville knows he is badly outnumbered and the odds are against him, and all the while, the infected wait for him to make a mistake that will deliver Neville into their hands.
Trailer:
4. K-9
- IMDb rating: 6.0 (33k reviews)
- Release date: 1989
- Movie duration: 1h 41m
- Director: Rod Daniel
- Writers: Steven Siegel; Scott Myers
- Stars: Jim Belushi; Mel Harris; Kevin Tighe
The storyline of the movie:
Michael Dooley (James Belushi) is a cop who likes to work alone. But while working a case to bust Lyman (Kevin Tighe), a notorious international drug lord, his boss (Ed O'Neill) assigns him a partner to assist. That partner is Jerry Lee, a drug-sniffing dog. A first Dooley can't stand his furry sidekick, especially since the dog seems to take pleasure in destroying Dooley's possessions. But when Dooley discovers that Jerry Lee's drug-sniffing skills are no joke, he warms up to the pooch.
Trailer:
5. K-911
- IMDb rating: 5.7 (4.6k reviews)
- Release date: 1999
- Movie duration: 1h 31m
- Director: Charles T. Kanganis
- Writers: Steven Siegel; Scott Myers; Gary Scott Thompson
- Stars: Jim Belushi; Christine Tucci; James Handy
The storyline of the movie:
This sequel follows police Detective Michael Dooley (James Belushi) and his faithful German shepherd partner, Jerry Lee, who have been working together for 10 years. For Jerry Lee, this means that the canine is quite old, and has a hard time keeping up with police duties. Joining the pair is fellow officer Wendy Welles (Christine Tucci) and her tough Doberman pinscher. Together, Dooley, Welles and their respective dogs attempt to track down a gun-wielding psychopath.
Trailer:
6. K-9:P.I.
- IMDb rating: 6.8 (143 reviews)
- Release date: 2002
- Movie duration: 1h 35m
- Director: Mark A. Miller
- Writers: Ed Horowitz; Gary Scott Thompson
- Stars: Jim Belushi; Richard J. Lewis; Barbara Tyson
The storyline of the movie:
Finally ready to settle into a relaxing retirement, police Detective Mike Dooley (James Belushi) and his trusty dog, Jerry Lee, inadvertently find themselves in the middle of a robbery investigation -- as suspects. With his pension now frozen until his name is cleared, Dooley is back on the case with Jerry to find the real criminals. However, since he's a suspect of an FBI investigation and therefore unable to access his old police resources, Dooley has to get creative.
Trailer:
7. The lighthouse by the Sea
- IMDb rating: 7.2 (48 reviews)
- Release date: 1924
- Movie duration: 1h 10m
- Director: Malcolm St. Clair
- Writers: Owen Davis; Darryl F. Zanuck
- Stars: Rin Tin Tin; William Collier Jr.; Louise Fazenda
The storyline of the movie:
Smugglers make plans to destroy a lighthouse so they can land their illegal cargo.
Trailer:
8. K-9000
- IMDb rating: 4.8 (400 reviews)
- Release date: 1990
- Movie duration: 1h 36m
- Director: Kim Manners
- Writers: Michael Part; Steven E. de Souza
- Stars: Chris Mulkey; Catherine Oxenberg; Dennis Haysbert
The storyline of the movie:
Police Detective Eddie Monroe fights to keep the experimental K-9000 cybernetic technology out of the hands of a rogue government spy. While doing that Monroe finds himself mentally linked with his new canine partner, Niner.
Trailer:
9. Max 2: White House Hero
- IMDb rating: 5.2 (1.4k reviews)
- Release date: 2017
- Movie duration: 1h 25m
- Director: Brian Levant
- Writers: Steven Altiere; Sheldon Lettich; Boaz Yakin
- Stars: Zane Austin; Francesca Capaldi; Lochlyn Munro
The storyline of the movie:
Max, a military service dog, is assigned to serve on the U.S. president's Secret Service detail and befriends the president's son, TJ. When TJ and the daughter of a visiting head of state get into trouble, Max must come to the rescue.
Trailer:
10. Sniff the Dog and the Flying Phantom
- IMDb rating: 6.1 (116 reviews)
- Release date: 2008
- Movie duration: 1h 37m
- Director: Steven de Jong
- Writers: Steven de Jong
- Stars: Sanneke Bos; Steven de Jong; Malte Huthoff
The storyline of the movie:
Bouke tells Tom and Mirjam about the legend of "Flying Volckert" who used to harass everyone in the village in the past. Together with their dog Snuf, Tom and Mirjam decide to investigate the story. Near the swamp, they encounter gamekeeper Grevendonk who's caught in a bear trap and swears it was Flying Volckert. When inexplicable things start happening in the village, the village people decide to take matters into their own hands, and together with the local police, they start looking in the swamp.
Trailer:
11. Buck and the magic bracelet
- IMDb rating: 3.6 (42 reviews)
- Release date: 1998
- Movie duration: 1h 39m
- Director: Tonico Ricci
- Writers: Fabio Carpi
- Stars: Matt McCoy; Abby Dalton; Felton Perry
The storyline of the movie:
Whilst searching for gold, a group's camp is ambushed by outlaws. Left to fend for themselves, a young boy and his dog try to find the boy's father and use a shaman's bracelet to get revenge upon outlaws who ambushed their camp.
Trailer:
12. Sniff the dog in Wartime
- IMDb rating: 5.9 (305 reviews)
- Release date: 2008
- Movie duration: 1h 37m
- Director: Steven de Jong
- Writers: Jasper Beerthuis; Lars Boom; Piet Prins
- Stars: Tom van Kalmthout; Bas Muijs; Steven de Jong
The storyline of the movie:
A young man (Tom van Kalmthout) bonds with a German shepherd while trying to protect his girlfriend from the Nazis.
Trailer:
13. Finding Rin Tin Tin
- IMDb rating: 5.1 (517 reviews)
- Release date: 2007
- Movie duration: 1h 30m
- Director: Danny Lerner
- Writers: David Rolland; Jim Tierney
- Stars: Tyler Jensen; Ben Cross; Gregory Gudgeon
The storyline of the movie:
The story of the legendary German Shepherd who was found by American pilot Lee Duncun in France during World War I, and later became the most famous animal star in Hollywood history.
Trailer:
14. Ace of Hearts
- IMDb rating: 5.8 (689 reviews)
- Release date: 2008
- Movie duration: 1h 40m
- Director: David Mackay
- Writers: Frederick Ayeroff
- Stars: Dean Cain; Britt McKillip; Mike Dopud
The storyline of the movie:
A police officer tries to save his beloved partner, a German shepherd, from being put to sleep. Ace is wrongly accused of mauling a suspect, and his 13-year-old daughter steps in to prove the dog's innocence.
Trailer:
15. Shepherd: The story of a Jewish Dog
- IMDb rating: 4.9 (248 reviews)
- Release date: 2019
- Movie duration: 1h 33m
- Director: Lynn Roth
- Writers: Asher Kravitz; Lynn Roth
- Stars: August Maturo; Ken Duken; Ayelet Zurer
The storyline of the movie:
Imprisoned in a concentration camp, a Jewish boy reunites with his pet German shepherd -- now trained as an attack dog by the Nazis.
Trailer:
16. My Dog Tulip
- IMDb rating: 6.8 (1.7k reviews)
- Release date: 2009
- Movie duration: 1h 23m
- Director: Paul Fierlinger; Sandra Fierlinger
- Writers: J.R. Ackerley; Paul Fierlinger; Sandra Fierlinger
- Stars: Christopher Plummer (voice); Lynn Redgrave (voice); Isabella Rossellini (voice)
The storyline of the movie:
An animated tale of a man's bond with his German Shepherd, Tulip. Based on a memoir by J.R Ackerley, it details the dog's bowel movements and sex life as well as the relationship they had.
Trailer:
17. The Christmas Shepherd
- IMDb rating: 6.8 (1.2k reviews)
- Release date: 2014
- Movie duration: 1h 24m
- Director: Terry Ingram
- Writers: Michael J. Murray
- Stars: Teri Polo; Martin Cummins; Jordyn Ashley Olson
The storyline of the movie:
The Christmas Shepherd is a story about a widow of a veteran, Sally Brown, who is a published children's book author. After her husband dies she is left with just "Buddy," his German Shepherd. After a severe storm, Buddy runs off afraid setting in motion a series of events that are sure to unite more than just Buddy and Sally.
Trailer:
18. Scoot & Kassie’s Christmas Adventures
- IMDb rating: 4.9 (383 reviews)
- Release date: 2013
- Movie duration: 1h 26m
- Director: Benjamin Gourley
- Writers: Benjamin Gourley
- Stars: Luke Perry; Ariana Bagley; Taylor Negron
The storyline of the movie:
Luke Perry stars in this heartwarming "tail." Kassie, her friends, and her dog, Scoot, organize a holiday fundraiser but must protect the cash from some crooks in order to save Christmas.
Note: in the movie is a Belgian Malinois, but if you a huge fan of German Shepherd's, you may find the movie interesting.
Trailer:
19. My Führer
- IMDb rating: 5.5 (4.4k reviews)
- Release date: 2007
- Movie duration: 1h 29m
- Director: Dani Levy
- Writers: Dani Levy
- Stars: Helge Schneider; Ulrich Mühe; Sylvester Groth
The storyline of the movie:
The action comedy is set in 1944. Hitler appears in it as physically and mentally destroyed person who takes the advice of Goebbels in the actor-teacher of Jewish concentration camp for lessons eloquence to inspire the German people to further fight.
Trailer:
20. I’ll be home for Christmas
- IMDb rating: 6.1 (2.5k reviews)
- Release date: 2016
- Movie duration: 1h 24m
- Director: James Brolin
- Writers: Robin Bernheim
- Stars: James Brolin; Mena Suvari; Giselle Eisenberg
The storyline of the movie:
Jackie Foster (Suvari), is a dynamic Assistant District Attorney and single mom. But when Jackie's estranged dad, Jack (Brolin), a gruff retired police officer, unexpectedly shows up at her door, they will be forced to confront old wounds.
Trailer:
21. Scent of Murder
- IMDb rating: 6.2 (233 reviews)
- Release date: 2002
- Movie duration: 1h 28m
- Director: Peter Svatek
- Writers: Dan Levine
- Stars: Sherilyn Fenn; Costas Mandylor; Emma Campbell
The storyline of the movie:
FBI agent Carol Blue was unwilling to take local help in the case of the kidnapping of little Zoe Hendricks, but ex-cop Chris Milos' private investigation bureau proves just too good. His dog handler, Brenna Shaw, and her Alsatian, Brie, find the kidnapper holding Zoe and dropping the kid in the water on purpose so he can escape. They soon conclude it's not a ransom case but more personal, are contacted under the Biblical name Gideon 'judge', and get caught up in his macabre, vindictive games and gruesome logic...
Trailer:
We apologize, but we couldn't find a trailer for this movie. If you want to learn more about this movie, click HERE.
22. The Littlest Hobo
- IMDb rating: 6.0 (131 reviews)
- Release date: 1958
- Movie duration: 1h 17m
- Director: Charles R. Rondeau
- Writers: Dorrell McGowan
- Stars: Buddy Joe Hooker; London; Wendy Stuart
The storyline of the movie:
A German Shepherd dog helps a lamb to escape the slaughter house.
A short part from the movie:
23. Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore
- IMDb rating: 4.4 (15k reviews)
- Release date: 2010
- Movie duration: 1h 22m
- Director: Brad Peyton
- Writers: Ron J. Friedman; Steve Bencich; John Requa
- Stars: Bette Midler; Chris O’Donnell; Jack McBrayer
The storyline of the movie:
The on-going war between the canine and feline species is put on hold when they join forces to thwart a rogue cat spy with her own sinister plans for conquest.
Trailer:
24. Rusty's Birthday
- IMDb rating: 6.1 (101 reviews)
- Release date: 1949
- Movie duration: 1h
- Director: Seymour Friedman
- Writers: Brenda Weisberg; Al Martin
- Stars: Ted Donaldson; John Litel; Ann Doran
The storyline of the movie:
In the small town of Lawtonville, Illinois, Rusty, high school junior Danny Mitchell's beloved pet German Shepherd, is celebrating a birthday soon. Danny is giving Rusty a new engraved collar for his birthday off of which they can hang his license. However, before Rusty's birthday, Rusty, through a series of misadventures, goes missing without any identification. He eventually ends up with the Neeleys - father Virgil, teen-aged son Bill, and infant son Jeff - a poor itinerant family, as Virgil looks for work in the area. Danny assumes that the Neeleys stole Rusty, which was not the case. Beyond Danny jumping to this conclusion from which he does not budge, he runs into a larger problem with young Jeff, who believes Rusty, who he has renamed Gladly, is rightfully his. But Danny butts heads with Bill even more. Bill and Danny's dislike of each other seems to stem not from each other per se as they don't even really know each other, but what the other represents. As Virgil hopes to stay in Lawtonville for at least as long as a job is available, which is especially happy news for local spinster Carrie Simmons, Danny and the Neeley children may have an uncomfortable relationship unless one or both sides can come to a better understanding of the other.
Trailer:
We apologize, but we couldn't find a trailer for this movie. If you want to learn more about this movie, click HERE.
25. Cool dog
- IMDb rating: 3.8 (598 reviews)
- Release date: 2010
- Movie duration: 1h 28m
- Director: Danny Lerner
- Writers: Les Weldon; Danny Lerner
- Stars: Michael Paré; Jackson Pace; Jen Kober
The storyline of the movie:
When Jimmy's father gets a promotion, the family must relocate to an apartment in New York City that has a strict "no pet" policy. Unwilling to let his master go without a fight, Rainy embarks on a cross-country journey to New York.
Trailer:
26. The Family
- IMDb rating: 6.3 (115k reviews)
- Release date: 2013
- Movie duration: 1h 51m
- Director: Luc Besson
- Writers: Luc Besson; Michael Caleo; Tonino Benacquista
- Stars: Robert De Niro; Michelle Pfeiffer; Dianna Agron
The storyline of the movie:
The Manzoni family, a notorious mafia clan, is relocated to Normandy, France under the Witness Protection Program, where fitting in soon becomes challenging, as their old habits die hard.
Trailer:
27. Chips, the war dog
- IMDb rating: 6.7 (247 reviews)
- Release date: 1990
- Movie duration: 1h 32m
- Director: Ed Kaplan
- Writers: Sandra Weintraub; Michael Pardridge; Janice Hickey
- Stars: Brandon Douglas; Ned Vaughn; Paxton Whitehead
The storyline of the movie:
Misfits Danny Stauffer and Chips (a chicken-chasing German shepherd) are teamed up in the Army's "Dogs for Defense" program during WWII.
Trailer:
28. K-9 Adventures: Legend of the Lost Gold
- IMDb rating: 5.4 (190 reviews)
- Release date: 2014
- Movie duration: 1h 30m
- Director: Stephen Shimek
- Writers: Stephen Shimek; Daryn Tufts
- Stars: Luke Perry; Brooke Langton; Ariana Bagley
The storyline of the movie:
When Kassie and her friends stumble across an old, broken pocket watch they begin an unexpected journey to unlock the secret of the legendary Garrison Gold. They'll have to solve riddles and follow clues to find the lost treasure. With the help of her faithful dog, Scoot and her gang of misfit friends, Kassie is about to go on the adventure of a lifetime!
Note: in the movie is a Belgian Malinois, but if you a huge fan of German Shepherd's, you may find the movie interesting.
Trailer:
29. Snuf de hond en de IJsvogel
- IMDb rating: 5.8 (85 reviews)
- Release date: 2010
- Movie duration: 1h 25m
- Director: Steven de Jong
- Writers: Steven de Jong
- Stars: Ydwer Bosm; Eva Crutzen; Steven de Jong
The storyline of the movie:
The family Verhoef have opened a Bed & Breakfast on their farm Vredehoeve where people can also hire boats. With one of those boats, 'De IJsvogel' (The ice bird) Tom, Mirjam and their dog Snuf go on a holiday whereby they visit local villages and markets. There Snuf notices the two boys Niels and Jimmy, who also have a dog, pickpocketing people. During a burglary the home owner sees two children and a dog fleeing the premises with a stolen boat and mistakenly suspects Tom and Mirjam to be the culprits. They are arrested by the police but manage to break out of the police station with the help of Snuf. Wanted by the local police, they set out to find the real culprits.
Trailer:
30. Baby Rex - Der kleine Kommissar
- IMDb rating: 5.6 (209 reviews)
- Release date: 1997
- Movie duration: 1h 31m
- Director: Oliver Hirschbiegel
- Writers: Peter Hajek; Peter Moser
- Stars: Friedrich von Thun; Christine Neubauer; Raphael Ghobadloo
The storyline of the movie:
A child chooses a German Shepherd puppy named Rex, to help him overcome the recent divorce of his parents.
Trailer:
We apologize, but we couldn't find a trailer for this movie. If you want to learn more about this movie, click HERE.
31. Red dog
- IMDb rating: 5.6 (114 reviews)
- Release date: 2017
- Movie duration: 1h 39m
- Director: Aleksandr Basaev; William De Vital
- Writers: William De Vital; Viktor Kryukov; Evgeniy Shmarlovskiy
- Stars: Mikhail Zhigalov; Aleksandr Volkov; Oksana Skoropad
The storyline of the movie:
An action packed and heartwarming story of the friendship formed between a tank-destroyer dog of the Red Army during WWII and a group of soldiers.
Trailer:
32. Bring him home
- IMDb rating: 5.7 (76 reviews)
- Release date: 2000
- Movie duration: 1h 32m
- Director: Robert Fedor
- Writers: Robert Fedor
- Stars: Jeffrey Lincon; Tiffany Fedor; Noah Blake
The storyline of the movie:
When tough street kid Ricky Horvath loses his beloved dog Buddy to a syndicate of vicious dognappers, he must turn to the one man he cannot forgive: his estranged grandfather, police detective Geza Horvath.
Trailer:
We apologize, but we couldn't find a trailer for this movie. If you want to learn more about this movie, click HERE.
33. Mancs
- IMDb rating: 5.6 (223 reviews)
- Release date: 2015
- Movie duration: 1h 32m
- Director: Robert-Adrian Pejo
- Writers: Robert-Adrian Pejo; Katalin Szy
- Stars: Zsolt Trill; Tamas Keresztes; Orsolya Holecsko
The storyline of the movie:
A dog who saved lives all around the world.
Trailer:
We apologize, but we couldn't find a trailer for this movie. If you want to learn more about this movie, click HERE.
34. Brutus
- IMDb rating: 7.1 (39 reviews)
- Release date: 2016
- Movie duration: 35m
- Director: Konstantin Fam
- Writers: Ludvik Askenazy; Konstantin Fam; Sasha Klein
- Stars: Oksana Fandera; Filipp Yankovskiy; Vladimir Koshevoy
The storyline of the movie:
German shepherd named Brutus got into concentration camp and turned from a harmless pet into a killer.
Trailer:
We apologize, but we couldn't find a trailer for this movie. If you want to learn more about this movie, click HERE.
35. Love Leads the Way: A True Story
- IMDb rating: 7.7 (203 reviews)
- Release date: 1984
- Movie duration: 1h 39m
- Director: Delbert Mann
- Writers: Henry Denker; Jimmy Hawkins
- Stars: Timothy Bottoms; Eva Marie Saint; Arthur Hill
The storyline of the movie:
A recently blinded man becomes one of the first American users of a seeing eye dog and must fight to remove the legal barriers impeding its use.
Trailer:
We apologize, but we couldn't find a trailer for this movie. If you want to learn more about this movie, click HERE.
36. Dog
- IMDb rating: 6.9 (330 reviews)
- Release date: 2022
- Movie duration: 1h 41m
- Director: Reid Carolin, Channing Tatum
- Writers: Reid Carolinl, Brett Rodriguez
- Stars: Q'orianka Kilcher, Channing Tatum, Emmy Raver-Lampman
The storyline of the movie:
With a dog named Lulu by his side, Army Ranger Briggs races down the Pacific Coast to make it to a soldier's funeral on time. Along the way, Briggs and Lulu drive each other completely crazy, break a handful of laws, narrowly evade death, and learn to let down their guards to have a fighting chance of finding happiness.
Note: the dog from the movie isn't a German Shepherd (it's Belgian Malinois), but because of the huge popularity of this movie, we decide to add it to our list. If you love German Shepherds, we are sure that you love this movie too!
Trailer:
Final words.
We hope that you will enjoy some of these German Shepherd movies! Have in mind that reviews sometimes mean nothing.
Careful watch the trailer and make a decision on your option, not on the opinion of other people. Everyone has a different scent for movies. For someone is the worst movie ever, for someone the best.
We hope that you will find at least one good movie which you can enjoy!
