Movies like Drifters (1986)
The best movies like Drifters (1986) are Scarecrow (1973), Fallen Angel (1945) and Man Without a Star (1955). If Drifters hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedTo All the Boys I've Loved Before (2018)7.6/10 from 8,811 votes
- NewestFather Mother Sister Brother (2025)Released 2025
- In ChineseBuddha Mountain (2011)Also in Chinese
Scarecrow (1973)
Two drifters bum around, visit earthy women and discuss opening a car wash in Pittsburgh.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFallen Angel (1945)
An unemployed drifter, Eric Stanton wanders into a small California town and begins hanging around the local diner. While Eric falls for the lovely waitress Stella, he also begins romancing a quiet and well-to-do woman named June Mills. Since Stella isn't interested in Eric unless he has money, the lovelorn guy comes up with a scheme to win her over, and it involves June. Before long, murder works its way into this passionate love triangle.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMan Without a Star (1955)
A wandering cowboy gets caught up in a range war.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHounddog (2008)
A drama set in the American South, where a precocious, troubled girl finds a safe haven in the music and movement of Elvis Presley.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBuddha Mountain (2011)
In Chengdu, China, a retired female opera singer named Master Chang takes in a trio of young tenants into her boarding home. The tenants include a rock singer and a college student who has run away from home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Christmas Calendar (2017)
When Emily, a struggling baker in a small town, receives a handmade Christmas Calendar from a secret admirer, the local residents become obsessed with finding out the identity of the sender.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKing of the Ants (2004)
A young drifter, struggling to makes ends meet, accepts a job to kill a prominent accountant. When he isn't paid for the hit, revenge is now his path.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Breaking Ice (2023)
In cold wintry Yanji, a city on China's northern border, young urbanite Haofeng, visiting from Shanghai, feels lost and adrift. By chance, he goes on a tour led by Nana, a charming tour guide who instantly fascinates him. She introduces him to Xiao, a personable but frustrated restaurant worker. The three bond quickly over a drunken weekend. Confronting their individual traumas, their frozen desires slowly thaw as they seek to liberate themselves from an icy world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTo All the Boys I've Loved Before (2018)
Lara Jean's love life goes from imaginary to out of control when her secret letters to every boy she's ever fallen for are mysteriously mailed out.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDetour (1945)
The life of Al Roberts, a pianist in a New York nightclub, turns into a nightmare when he decides to hitchhike to Los Angeles to visit his girlfriend.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisForever in My Heart (2019)
Jenna and Charlie found love in Ireland but their dreams drove them apart. Five years later, they reunite and Jenna has to decide where her heart belongs—back home or in the Emerald Isle.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisParis Christmas Waltz (2023)
Emma relinquishes her job so a colleague with a family will keep his. Contemplating life’s next steps, Emma meets a professional dancer, Leo whose love for competitive dancing is waning, until a once in a lifetime opportunity arises for the novice to join the pro and sweep all of Paris off its feet.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPetals on the Wind (2014)
This sequel to Flowers in the Attic picks up 10 years after Cathy, Chris and Carrie managed to escape Foxworth Hall.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFather Mother Sister Brother (2025)
Estranged siblings reunite after years apart, forced to confront unresolved tensions and reevaluate their strained relationships with their emotionally distant parents.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFinding Mr. Right (2013)
When Jiajia, a young woman in Beijing who lives a luxurious life provided by her wealthy boyfriend, gets pregnant, she goes to the United States, hoping that the baby will be born an American citizen. There she meets Frank who offers help and makes her think twice about who her Mr. Right really is.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLost on Journey (2010)
A boss of a toy corporation, Chenggong Li, tries to head back to Chan Sar to celebrate the Chinese New Year with his family. However, plans don't go as smoothly after he crosses paths with a stranger, Geng Niu.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPostmen in the Mountains (1999)
An old postman has spent his whole life delivering mail to the mountain of Hunan and is about to retire, his only son due to take over his duties.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisI Believe in Unicorns (2015)
Feeling awkward and isolated, an imaginative and strong-willed teenage girl runs away from home with an older punk rock drifter.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa (2008)
When Gonzo forgets to mail three letters to Santa, he convinces Kermit and the gang to help him deliver the notes to the North Pole. Along the way, they discover that Christmas is the time to be with those you care about most, as they dash home to make a friends Christmas wish come true.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Christmas Melody (2015)
Kristin has just had to close her small Manhattan clothing boutique to return to her Ohio home town and live in her parents' former home. It's an adjustment for Kristin and her young daughter— especially when she runs into her former high school rival. Kristen and Emily struggle to find their new normal with the help of the hunky local music teacher.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Drifters?
The closest matches to Drifters are Scarecrow (1973), Fallen Angel (1945) and Man Without a Star (1955). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Drifters?
Start with Scarecrow (1973), the closest match to Drifters.
What is the highest-rated movie like Drifters?
To All the Boys I've Loved Before (2018), rated 7.6/10 by 8,811 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Drifters?
Father Mother Sister Brother (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Chinese movies like Drifters?
Yes: Buddha Mountain (2011), The Breaking Ice (2023) and Finding Mr. Right (2013).
How are movies similar to Drifters chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Drifters, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.