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Movies like The Desert's Crucible (1922)

The best movies like The Desert's Crucible (1922) are Boss Nigger (1975), Ramrod (1947) and A Man Called Sledge (1970). If The Desert's Crucible hooked you with its western, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.

Quick picks

  1. Boss Nigger (1975)

    Two black bounty hunters ride into a small town out West in pursuit of an outlaw. They discover that the town has no sheriff, and soon take over that position, much against the will of the mostly white townsfolk.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western

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  2. Ramrod (1947)

    A cattle-vs.-sheepman feud loses Connie Dickason her fiance, but gains her his ranch, which she determines to run alone in opposition to Frank Ivey, "boss" of the valley, whom her father Ben wanted her to marry. She hires recovering alcoholic Dave Nash as foreman and a crew of Ivey's enemies. Ivey fights back with violence and destruction, but Dave is determined to counter him legally... a feeling not shared by his associates. Connie's boast that, as a woman, she doesn't need guns proves justified, but plenty of gunplay results.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western

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  3. A Man Called Sledge (1970)

    James Garner is Luther Sledge, the leader of a pack of rebels who are planning to steal a stash of gold. But after the thieves actually manage to get away with the bounty, they soon discover that the enemy lies within their midst. As they begin to bicker over who should get the biggest cut, the stage is set for a deadly showdown. Claude Akins and John Marley co-star in this Italian Western directed by Vic Morrow.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western

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  4. Dead for a Dollar (2022)

    In 1897, veteran bounty hunter Max Borlund is deep into Mexico where he encounters professional gambler and outlaw Joe Cribbens — a sworn enemy he sent to prison years before. Max is on a mission to find and return Rachel Kidd, the wife of a wealthy businessman, who as the story is told to Max, has been abducted by Buffalo Soldier Elijah Jones. Max is ultimately faced with a showdown to save honor.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western

  5. The Bravados (1958)

    Jim Douglass arrives in the small town of Rio Arriba in order to witness the hanging of the four men he believes murdered his wife. When the convicts escape, Jim tracks them into Mexico, determined to see that justice is done. But the farther Jim goes in his quest for vengeance, the more merciless he becomes, losing himself in an unrelenting spiral of hatred and violence.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western

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  6. Old Henry (2021)

    A widowed farmer and his son warily take in a mysterious, injured man with a satchel of cash. When a posse of men claiming to be the law come for the money, the farmer must decide who to trust. Defending a siege of his homestead, the farmer reveals a talent for gun-slinging that surprises everyone calling his true identity into question.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western

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  7. Man Without a Star (1955)

    A wandering cowboy gets caught up in a range war.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western

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  8. Terror on the Prairie (2022)

    A pioneering family fights back against a gang of vicious outlaws that is terrorizing them on their newly-built farm on the plains of Montana.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western

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  9. Two Rode Together (1961)

    Two tough westerners bring home a group of settlers who have spent years as Comanche hostages.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western

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  10. Rough Night in Jericho (1967)

    The only business in the Wild West town of Jericho that corrupt sheriff Alex Flood doesn't control behind the scenes is the stagecoach owned by tough-willed widow Molly Lang and her right-hand man, Hickman. Former marshal Dolan, recently hired by Lang and Hickman as a driver, wants to stay out of the mess, but when he sees Flood's henchman Yarbrough assault Lang, he steps up to fight the corruption.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western

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  11. Barbarosa (1982)

    Karl Westover, an inexperienced farm boy, runs away after unintentionally killing a neighbor, whose family pursues him for vengeance. He meets Barbarosa, a gunman of near-mythical proportions, who is himself in danger from his father-in-law Don Braulio, a wealthy Mexican rancher. Don Braulio wants Barbarosa dead for marrying his daughter against the father's will. Barbarosa reluctantly takes the clumsy Karl on as a partner, as both of them look to survive the forces lining up against them.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western

  12. Lawman (1971)

    While passing through the town of Bannock, a bunch of drunken cattlemen go overboard with their celebrating and accidentally kill an old man with a stray shot. They return home to Sabbath unaware of his death. Bannock lawman Jered Maddox later arrives there to arrest everyone involved on a charge of murder. Sabbath is run by land baron Vince Bronson, a benevolent despot, who, upon hearing of the death, offers restitution for the incident.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western

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  13. American Outlaws (2001)

    When a Midwest town learns that a corrupt railroad baron has captured the deeds to their homesteads without their knowledge, a group of young ranchers join forces to take back what is rightfully theirs. They will become the object of the biggest manhunt in the history of the Old West and, as their fame grows, so will the legend of their leader, a young outlaw by the name of Jesse James.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western

  14. Barquero (1970)

    Jake Remy leads a gang of outlaw cutthroats making their escape toward Mexico from a successful robbery. Barring their way is a river--crossable only by means of a ferry barge. The barge operator, Travis, refuses to be bullied into providing transport for the gang and escapes across river with most of the local populace--leaving Remy and his gang behind, desperately seeking a way across. A river-wide stand-off begins between the gang and the townspeople, both groups of which have left people on the wrong side of the river.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western

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  15. Hud (1963)

    Hud Bannon is a ruthless young man who tarnishes everything and everyone he touches. Hud represents the perfect embodiment of alienated youth, out for kicks with no regard for the consequences. There is bitter conflict between the callous Hud and his stern and highly principled father, Homer. Hud's nephew Lon admires Hud's cheating ways, though he soon becomes too aware of Hud's reckless amorality to bear him anymore. In the world of the takers and the taken, Hud is a winner. He's a cheat, but, he explains, "I always say the law was meant to be interpreted in a lenient manner."

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western

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  16. Monte Walsh (1970)

    Monte Walsh is an aging cowboy facing the ending days of the Wild West era. As barbed wire and railways steadily eliminate the need for the cowboy, Monte and his friends are left with fewer and fewer options. New work opportunities are available to them, but the freedom of the open prarie is what they long for. Eventually, they all must say goodbye to the lives they knew, and try to make a new start.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western

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  17. Decision at Sundown (1957)

    A man and his partner arrive at a small Western town to kill its most powerful man because the former blames him for his wife's death.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western

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  18. Jubal (1956)

    Jubal Troop is a cowboy who is found in a weakened condition, without a horse. He is given shelter at Shep Horgan's large ranch, where he quickly makes an enemy in foreman Pinky, a cattleman who accuses Jubal of carrying the smell of sheep.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western

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  19. Bonanza: The Return (1993)

    A man with a grudge against the late Little Joe seeks revenge on the Cartwrights and attempts to take over the Ponderosa.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western

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  20. Blood on the Moon (1948)

    Down-and-out cowhand Jim Garry is asked by his old friend Tate Riling to help mediate a cattle dispute. When Garry arrives, however, it soon becomes clear that Riling has not been entirely forthright. Garry uncovers Riling's plot to dupe local rancher John Lufton out of a fortune. When Lufton's firecracker of a daughter, Amy, gets involved, Garry must choose between his old loyalties and what he knows to be right.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western

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  21. Under the Tonto Rim (1928)

    Gold miner Edd Denmeade loves Lucy Watson, the sister of the official mining claim recorder. Denmeade suspects Watson of killing his father, who after a poker game was shot by a gambler "who shuffles with one hand." The real murderer, Sam Spralls, has convinced Watson that he killed Denmeade and threatens to expose him unless Watson assigns him all the gold claims. Spralls assembles a band of killers to jump the claims when Watson complies. Eventually, Denmeade learns the identity of the killer when he sees Spralls shuffle a deck of cards. He forms a vigilante party and rids the community of Spralls and his gang.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both western

  22. Channing of the Northwest (1922)

    A foppish Londoner joins the Royal Canadian Mounties and tries to break a smuggling ring.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both western

  23. Looking for Trouble (1926)

    Jack Pepper accidentally fires his gun while forcing a newspaper editor to retract his statement regarding Miss Tulip Hellier, and the sheriff goes after Jack. While hiding out, Jack finds a liquor cache on the Hellier ranch and knows it was placed there as a ruse to distract the sheriff while an outlaw gang runs dope across the border.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both western

  24. The Lawless Legion (1929)

    Cal Stanley goes undercover as a beef buyer in order to catch the gang responsible for stealing the area's cattle.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both western

  25. Cheyenne (1929)

    Cal Roberts can ride anything with four legs. He enters the contests held at big rodeo. He wins all honors and meets a girl who races horses to help her father clear pressing debts. Complications follow, but Cal wins the girl.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both western

  26. Across the Border (1914)

    Curley Smith, a lieutenant of the Texas Rangers, gets chased by a band of smugglers after getting caught spying on them and becomes injured. Anita, the daughter of the chief smuggler tends to him and the two of them fall in love. Dean, a member of the renegade, becomes jealous of their romance, and will do whatever he can to get rid of Curley - fair or foul.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both western

  27. The Fighting Shepherdess (1920)

    A young woman fights to keep her Wyoming sheep ranch from being overrun and destroyed by cattle ranchers.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both western

  28. The Crook Buster (1925)

    A 1925 silent Western

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both western

  29. The Gunless Bad Man (1926)

    A band of desperadoes employed as cow punchers take advantage of an ordinance prohibiting the carrying of firearms to hold up the owner and escape with the payroll. The new foreman Jack trails them and in a running fight unhorses them, one by one. He fights with the leader of the outlaws but subdues him and wins the girl.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both western

  30. Don't Shoot (1926)

    Nancy Burton, niece of the sheriff, is in love with Deputy Tom Farrell, but she as an aversion to bloodshed. She overhears that he shot and killed an outlaw three years in the past. He swears to her that it never happened but she does not believe him. Later her uncle tells he that it was he who killed the outlaw, Trevis, in the line of duty. She also learns that the brother of Trevis, seeking revenge, is on his way to kill Farrell.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both western

Like The Desert's Crucible and something else?

Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best movies like The Desert's Crucible?

The closest matches to The Desert's Crucible are Boss Nigger (1975), Ramrod (1947) and A Man Called Sledge (1970). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.

What should I watch after The Desert's Crucible?

Start with Boss Nigger (1975), the closest match to The Desert's Crucible.

What is the highest-rated movie like The Desert's Crucible?

Old Henry (2021), rated 7.4/10 by 817 TMDB users.

What is the newest movie like The Desert's Crucible?

Dead for a Dollar (2022) is the most recent release on this list.

Are there English movies like The Desert's Crucible?

Yes: Boss Nigger (1975), Ramrod (1947) and A Man Called Sledge (1970).

How are movies similar to The Desert's Crucible chosen?

First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Desert's Crucible, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.

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