Movies like The Scarlet Runner (1916)
The best movies like The Scarlet Runner (1916) are True Grit (1969), The High and the Mighty (1954) and Eight Below (2006). If The Scarlet Runner hooked you with its drama and adventure, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
The Scarlet Runner
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Forge (2024)8.2/10 from 364 votes
- NewestRose of Nevada (2026)Released 2026
True Grit (1969)
The murder of her father sends a teenage tomboy on a mission of 'justice', which involves avenging her father's death. She recruits a tough old marshal, 'Rooster' Cogburn because he has 'true grit', and a reputation of getting the job done.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & adventure
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe High and the Mighty (1954)
Dan Roman is a veteran pilot haunted by a tragic past. Now relegated to second-in-command cockpit assignments he finds himself on a routine Honolulu-to-San Francisco flight that takes a terrifying turn when disaster strikes high above the Pacific Ocean after the point of no return.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisEight Below (2006)
In the Antarctic, after an expedition with Dr. Davis McClaren, the sled dog trainer Jerry Shepherd has to leave the polar base with his colleagues due to the proximity of a heavy snow storm. He ties his dogs to be rescued after, but the mission is called-off and the dogs are left alone at their own fortune. For six months, Jerry tries to find a sponsor for a rescue mission.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTrue Spirit (2023)
When the tenacious young sailor Jessica Watson sets out to be the youngest person to sail solo, nonstop and unassisted around the world, many expect her to fail. With the support of her sailing coach and mentor Ben Bryant and her parents, Jessica is determined to accomplish what was thought to be impossible, navigating some of the world’s most challenging stretches of ocean over the course of 210 days.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Count of Monte-Cristo (1975)
Young sailor Edmond Dantès is wrongfully imprisoned, escapes, finds treasure, and reinvents himself as the wealthy Count of Monte Cristo to exact revenge on those who betrayed him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 adventure & drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisRobin Hood (1922)
The dashing Earl of Huntingdon excels in courtly life and jousting before King Richard departs for the Crusades. While away, Richard's treacherous brother, Prince John, seizes power and inflicts brutal tyranny on the civilians. Huntingdon transforms into the heroic outlaw Robin Hood, gathers his 'merry men', and battles to restore the true king and protect lovely Lady Marian.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNight Crossing (1982)
Two men want to escape from East Germany (under Communist rule) but they will only go if they can take their families with them. Based on a true story.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Dog's Journey (2019)
A dog finds the meaning of his own existence through the lives of the humans he meets.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Deep End of the Ocean (1999)
A three-year-old boy disappears during his mother's high school reunion. Nine years later, by chance, he turns up in the town in which the family has just relocated.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWonderstruck (2017)
The story of a young boy in the Midwest is told simultaneously with a tale about a young girl in New York from fifty years ago as they both seek the same mysterious connection.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Wrinkle in Time (2003)
Meg and Charles Wallace are aided by Calvin and three interesting women in the search for their father who disappeared during a government experiment. Their travels take them around the universe to a place unlike any other.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHead Full of Honey (2018)
A young girl tries to help her grandfather, who is suffering from Alzheimer’s, navigate his increasing forgetfulness, and ends up going on a remarkable adventure with him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIron Will (1994)
When Will Stoneman's father dies, he is left alone to take care of his mother and their land. Needing money to maintain it, he decides to join a cross country dogsled race. This race will require days of racing for long hours, through harsh weather and terrain. This young man will need a lot of courage and a strong will to complete this race.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSkater Girl (2021)
Prerna, a teenager growing up in rural India, comes of age when she’s introduced to the sport of skateboarding. As a result, she has to fight the odds to follow her dreams and compete in the national championship.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWhite Fang 2: Myth of the White Wolf (1994)
A boy and his dog, White Fang, must try to save the noble Haida tribe from evil white men in turn-of-the-century Alaska.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMurder on the Orient Express (1974)
In 1935, when his train is stopped by deep snow, detective Hercule Poirot is called on to solve a murder that occurred in his car the night before.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWon't Back Down (2012)
Jamie Fitzpatrick and Nona Alberts are two women from opposites sides of the social and economic track, but they have one thing in common: a mission to fix their community's broken school and ensure a bright future for their children. The two women refuse to let any obstacles stand in their way as they battle a bureaucracy that's hopelessly mired in traditional thinking, and they seek to re-energize a faculty that has lost its passion for teaching.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRose of Nevada (2026)
When a fishing boat, the Rose of Nevada, lost with all hands 30 years ago, mysteriously reappears in the old harbour of a forgotten Cornish village, for those who remember, it’s surely a sign. The boat must go out to sea again and maybe then the luck of the devastated village will turn. Young father Nick and enigmatic newcomer Liam join captain Murgey, and they head to sea. But when they return, satisfied with their haul, something is amiss – they’ve slipped back in time, and the villagers greet them as if they are the original crew.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Forge (2024)
19 year old Isaiah Wright lives for basketball and video games. A year out of high school, he has no job, no plans, and no idea how to be a man. At odds with his single mother Cynthia, Isaiah is given an ultimatum – to step up or move out. Feeling the pull from his friends and the push from his mom, Isaiah is hired by Moore Fitness, unaware of how the owner will personally impact his life. With the prayers of his mother and unexpected guidance from his new mentor, Isaiah is forced to deal with his past, sacrifice his selfishness and discover how God might have a greater purpose for his life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisAn Adventure in Hearts (1919)
American agent Captain Dieppe gets involved in the affairs of lonely Count Fieramondi in Northern Italy. Dieppe, hired to help the count reconcile with his wife who has gone to Rome to pay off gambling debts mistakenly falls in love with her cousin, Lucia, who is impersonating her. After Dieppe retrieves evidence of the debts and the real identities are revealed, he makes a final sacrifice to ensure the count and countess can reunite.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure & drama
The Street of Sin (1928)
"Basher Bill," a retired prizefighter turned criminal, pretends to reform by joining a Salvation Army shelter in London run by a pious wraith named Elizabeth. Attracted to Elizabeth (although he is engaged to a street girl named Annie), Bill confesses to a bank robbery, has a spiritual revelation, and decides to go straight. His cast-off sweetheart reports him to the police; then, contrite, she warns Bill of the impending danger. Bill is captured immediately, but he escapes and sacrifices his life to save Elizabeth and the Salvation Army nursery when the rest of the gang use them as a human barricade against the police.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
A Heart in Pawn (1919)
Toyama wants to go to college in America but his alcoholic father won't supply the funds. He gets the money to go, however, from Sada, whom he has married in secret. But Sada has a secret of her own -- she told Toyama that she got the money from a relative, but the truth is that she has signed up to do a four-year stint as a Geisha girl.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Double Speed (1920)
Auto racer Speed Carr enters a marathon race across the United States, from New York to Los Angeles. He encounters numerous obstacles not related to the race and must switch identities and vehicles before he can finish.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
The Snob (1924)
Two schoolteachers, married for love, are parted by the husband's obsessive desire for wealth and social position.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
The Mystery of the Black Domino (1931)
"The Mystery of the Black Domino" was the first film directed in Brazil by a woman, the pioneer Cleo de Verberena. Marcos and Virgílio are medical students and share the same room. At the end of the first night of carnaval, Marcos finds the corpse of a woman, dressed as a black domino, inside the closet and accuses Virgílio of murder. Virgílio defends himself by saying that that was Cleo, wife of Commander Fernando Almeida, and that he found her in the corso asking for help, but Marcos questions Virgílio about the veracity of the story. Lost Film.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
The Franchise (1916)
When Gilbert Warren discovers his law partner Arthur Fenton making crooked deals, he severs their relationship and opens an office of his own. Louise Talcott, daughter of Colonel Talcott, is loved by both. She favors Warren. Out of jealousy, when Warren leaves town, Fenton schemes to blacken his name. Warren is appointed to vet the street railway franchise. When Fenton hears of this, he reports to Colonel Talcott and the Mayor that Warren is a grafter. The Colonel floats a deal to test Warren and finds him honest. Later, the Colonel and the Mayor apologize to Warren as he embraces Louise.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Citizens All (1916)
Estranged after an argument, music teacher Johann Wagner and fencing master Henri Dupin attempt to separate their engaged children, Karl and Elsie. Seeking new quarters, they come to the same boarding house unbeknownst to each other. Thus reunited, Karl and Elsie determine to marry. Following the advice of their landlady Mrs. Flannigan they elope and are wed. The two old fathers remain at odds with each other and the couple until one day Mrs. Flannigan comes with the good news, a child has been born to the young house of Wagner. All is forgiven and reunited Grandfather Wagner and Grandfather Dupin leave arm in arm for the clerk's office to become US citizens.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
The Trail of the Thief (1916)
Detective Martin Gale, tough with criminals but awkward with women, secretly loves Dorothy Baird, a clever operative at the agency he manages. He gives her a small revolver engraved with his name as a token. Dorothy is assigned to cover a party for a society debutante, where she meets James Vallon, a popular and wealthy young man, and they are attracted to each other. While he flirts with her a valuable necklace goes missing and as Dorothy digs deeper into the incident she begins to suspect Vallon is involved.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Come Again Smith (1919)
Joe Smith Jr., the son of a millionaire, is challenged by his father to earn his own living instead of depending on his father's money. One year later Joe is broke, dirty, homeless and hanging out with other derelicts on a New York City park bench. A chance meeting with businessman Ned Stervens results in Joe being invited to stay in Stevens' house for a week, to make Stevens' point to his acquaintance Frank Overton---a shady stockbroker--that given a chance, even a tramp like Joe can better himself. Joe finds himself in love with Stevens' sister Lucy and unwittingly becomes party to a scheme by Overton to swindle Lucy out of her money.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Scarlet Runner?
The closest matches to The Scarlet Runner are True Grit (1969), The High and the Mighty (1954) and Eight Below (2006). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Scarlet Runner?
Start with True Grit (1969), the closest match to The Scarlet Runner.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Scarlet Runner?
The Forge (2024), rated 8.2/10 by 364 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Scarlet Runner?
Rose of Nevada (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Scarlet Runner?
Yes: True Grit (1969), The High and the Mighty (1954) and Eight Below (2006).
How are movies similar to The Scarlet Runner chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Scarlet Runner, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.