Movies like The Riddle of the Sands (1979)
The best movies like The Riddle of the Sands (1979) are WWE WrestleMania 36: Part 2 (2020), Dirt (2018) and Battleground (1949). If The Riddle of the Sands hooked you with its action and drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedRaazi (2018)7.3/10 from 211 votes
- NewestLast Breath (2025)Released 2025
WWE WrestleMania 36: Part 2 (2020)
The second night of the 36th annual WrestleMania event being held at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, hosted by former New England Patriots Tight End Rob Gronkowski.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDirt (2018)
In search of a lifeline for his struggling off road racing team, a man takes on a young car thief looking for a second chance, but as their worlds collide, they must struggle to forge a successful alliance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBattleground (1949)
Members of the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division are fighting for their country amidst the rugged terrain of Bastogne, Belgium, in December 1944. Holley and his American compatriots have already seen one of their own, Roderigues, perish under enemy fire. The men try to rebuff another series of Nazi attacks, but what they really need is a change in the weather. Without clear skies, they'll never get the air support they need.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBilly Jack (1971)
A Euro-Indigenous American Ex-Green Beret hapkido expert saves wild horses from being slaughtered for dog food and helps protect a desert "freedom school" for runaways.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Shepherd (2023)
On Christmas Eve, a fighter pilot on his way home becomes lost while flying over water and needs a miracle to land safely.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWWE Royal Rumble 2006 (2006)
Royal Rumble (2006) was the nineteenth annual Royal Rumble PPV. It was presented by Sony Computer Entertainment's The Con and took place on January 29, 2006 in the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida The biggest Superstars of WWE RAW and WWE SmackDown! clash at Royal Rumble to determine who will go to WrestleMania 22 as the heavyweight contender. Also, WWE Title: Edge vs. John Cena, World Heavyweight Title: Kurt Angle vs. Mark Henry, WWE Cruiserweight Title (6-way Match): Kid Kash vs. Funaki vs. Gregory Helms vs. Jamie Noble vs. Nunzio vs. Paul London, Mickie James vs. Ashley, & The Boogeyman vs. John 'Bradshaw' Layfield
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisWWE WrestleMania 37: Night 1 (2021)
The 37th annual Showcase of the Immortals is back in business at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida as night one will feature Sasha Banks defending her SmackDown Women's Championship against Bianca Belair, Damian Priest & Latin recording artist Bad Bunny take on The Miz & John Morrison, AJ Styles & Omos face off against The New Day for the WWE Raw Tag Team Championships, and WWE Champion Bobby Lashley defends his title against Drew McIntyre.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisWWE WrestleMania 22 (2006)
WrestleMania 22 was the twenty-second annual WrestleMania PPV. It was presented by Snickers and took place on April 2, 2006 at the Allstate Arena in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont, Illinois. The main match on the Raw brand was John Cena versus Triple H for the WWE Championship. The predominant match on the SmackDown! brand was a Triple Threat match for the World Heavyweight Championship between Kurt Angle, Rey Mysterio, and Randy Orton. Featured matches on the undercard included a No Holds Barred match between Shawn Michaels and Vince McMahon, a Casket match between The Undertaker and Mark Henry, a WWE Women's Championship match between Mickie James and Trish Stratus and an interpromotional Money in the Bank ladder match featuring six participants. Tickets sold out in under two minutes, grossing US$2.5 million for the event, making it the highest grossing one-day event at the Allstate Arena. More than 17,155 people attended, with millions more watching in more than 90 countries.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisWWE WrestleMania XXVIII (2012)
The Rock and John Cena collide in the most anticipated WrestleMania face-off in history, an epic match that will forever define the legacies of these icons. The Deadman stakes his entire legacy on one battle with Triple H inside the nightmarish prison they immortalized, Hell In A Cell, with The Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels as special guest referee. WWE Champion CM Punk faces off against Chris Jericho in the explosive clash of revolutionaries that will determine which man truly is “The Best In The World.” Daniel Bryan defends his title against a riled-up and ruthless Sheamus, who will have to fight through The Submission Specialist’s tactics to claim his first World Heavyweight Championship. Team Teddy takes on Team Johnny to determine which man will win total control of Raw and SmackDown. This was the twenty-eighth annual WrestleMania. It took place on April 1, 2012 at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. It is the highest grossing PPV event in professional wrestling history.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisOn Fire (2023)
Inspired by true and harrowing events, an ordinary man finds his world suddenly torn apart as devastating wildfires rip through the surrounding countryside. With precious moments ticking by, he must flee with his son and pregnant wife if they have any hope of surviving the rapid forces of mother nature.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFast Track: No Limits (2008)
Four young thrill-seekers race cars on the streets of Germany.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
SnoozefestMovies like thisNorth Sea Hijack (1980)
When terrorists take over two oil rigs, and threaten to blow them up if their demands are not met, an eccentric anti-terrorism expert volunteers his unique commando unit to stop them.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWinged Creatures (2009)
A psychotic man opens fire in a diner, murdering numerous people before killing himself. The survivors struggle in different ways following this horrendous event: a doctor doubts his own instincts and elects to use an experimental medical procedure on his wife, while a gambler believes he's on a lucky streak. A waitress begins engaging in promiscuous sex, and a young girl whose father is among the dead gains unexpected fame.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisWake of the Red Witch (1948)
Captain Ralls fights Dutch shipping magnate Mayrant Sidneye for the woman he loves, Angelique Desaix, and for a fortune in gold aboard the Red Witch.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisOverdrive (2017)
Master car thieves square off against French gangsters in the South of France with money, women and lives all on the line.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCome Sunday (2018)
Evangelist Carlton Pearson is ostracized by his church for preaching that there is no Hell.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe 355 (2022)
A group of top female agents from American, British, Chinese, Colombian, and German government agencies are drawn together to try and stop an organization from acquiring a deadly weapon to send the world into chaos.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLast Breath (2025)
Seasoned deep-sea divers battle the raging elements to rescue their crewmate trapped hundreds of feet below the ocean's surface.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like this6 Below: Miracle on the Mountain (2017)
An adrenaline seeking snowboarder gets lost in a massive winter storm in the back country of the High Sierras where he is pushed to the limits of human endurance and forced to battle his own personal demons as he fights for survival....
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisU-571 (2000)
In the midst of World War II, the battle under the sea rages and the Nazis have the upper hand as the Allies are unable to crack their war codes. However, after a wrecked U-boat sends out an SOS signal, the Allies realise this is their chance to seize the 'enigma coding machine'.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisManikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi (2019)
Story of Rani Lakshmibai, one of the leading figures of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and her resistance to the British Rule.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDoomsday Gun (1994)
Dr Gerald Bull was a genius at designing and building superguns (very large long range guns capable of shooting at ranges more than 100 miles). When an operational plan by the CIA to export sanctioned arms to apartheid-South Africa through him was exposed, the CIA denied all knowledge and he went to jail. He was later released, and moved to Belgium to start a subsidiary, of which a major project was to help Saddam Hussein build a new supergun capable of firing over 500 miles.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & action
Deep Water (2006)
DEEP WATER is the stunning true story of the fateful voyage of Donald Crowhurst, an amateur yachtsman who enters the most daring nautical challenge ever – the very first solo, non-stop, round-the-world boat race.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGreen Zone (2010)
During the U.S.-led occupation of Baghdad in 2003, Chief Warrant Officer Roy Miller and his team of Army inspectors are dispatched to find weapons of mass destruction believed to be stockpiled in the Iraqi desert. Rocketing from one booby-trapped and treacherous site to the next, the men search for deadly chemical agents but stumble instead upon an elaborate cover-up that threatens to invert the purpose of their mission.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRaazi (2018)
An Indian spy is married to a Pakistani military officer during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTombstone of the Fireflies (2008)
Set during World War II, the film follows a young brother and sister as they attempt to survive the aftermath of the firebombing of Kobe City.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Red Scarf (1964)
South Korean Air Force pilots engage in perilous missions against Communist North Koreans during the Korean War.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
Open the Wall (2014)
A lighthearted look at the opening of the border crossing of Bornholmer Straße in Berlin from the point of view of the confused border guards.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGermany in Autumn (1978)
Nine fictitious documentaries and films reflect the mood of late 1970s Germany, particularly the two-month period in 1977 when a businessman was kidnapped by the RAF (Red Army Faction). The kidnap had been made to orchestrate the release of the original leaders of the RAF, aka the Baader-Meinhof.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
And the Sea Will Tell (1991)
A wealthy couple (James Brolin and Deidre Hall) are killed on their yacht off the coast of a secluded South American island called Palmyra. The suspects are a hippyish pair (Hart Bochner and Rachel Ward) whom the rich folks had befriended. It’s fairly clear that the hippies were involved in the crime: The question is, did the man do it while the girl looked on helplessly, or was she a willing accomplice?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Like The Riddle of the Sands and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Riddle of the Sands?
The closest matches to The Riddle of the Sands are WWE WrestleMania 36: Part 2 (2020), Dirt (2018) and Battleground (1949). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Riddle of the Sands?
Start with WWE WrestleMania 36: Part 2 (2020), the closest match to The Riddle of the Sands.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Riddle of the Sands?
Raazi (2018), rated 7.3/10 by 211 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Riddle of the Sands?
Last Breath (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Riddle of the Sands?
Yes: WWE WrestleMania 36: Part 2 (2020), Dirt (2018) and Battleground (1949).
How are movies similar to The Riddle of the Sands chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Riddle of the Sands, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.