Movies like Only Fools and Horses: Licensed to Drill (1984)
The best movies like Only Fools and Horses: Licensed to Drill (1984) are North Sea Hijack (1980), Written on the Wind (1956) and The Black Demon (2023). If Only Fools and Horses: Licensed to Drill hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Only Fools and Horses: Licensed to Drill
Quick picks
- Highest ratedDigger (2026)7.5/10 from 518 votes
- NewestWhalefall (2026)Released 2026
North 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
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWritten on the Wind (1956)
Mitch Wayne is a geologist working for the Hadleys, an oil-rich Texas family. While the patriarch, Jasper, works hard to establish the family business, his irresponsible son, Kyle, is an alcoholic playboy, and his daughter, Marylee, is the town tramp. Mitch harbors a secret love for Kyle's unsatisfied wife, Lucy -- a fact that leaves him exposed when the jealous Marylee accuses him of murder.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Black Demon (2023)
Oilman Paul Sturges' idyllic family vacation turns into a nightmare when they encounter a ferocious megalodon shark that will stop at nothing to protect its territory. Stranded and under constant attack, Paul and his family must somehow find a way to get his family back to shore alive before it strikes again in this epic battle between humans and nature.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisThunder Bay (1953)
Shrimpers and oilmen clash when an ambitious wildcatter begins constructing an off-shore oilrig.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Good Liar (2019)
Career con man Roy sets his sights on his latest mark: recently widowed Betty, worth millions. And he means to take it all. But as the two draw closer, what should have been another simple swindle takes on the ultimate stakes.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDigger (2026)
The most powerful man in the world embarks on a frantic mission to prove he is humanity's savior before the disaster he's unleashed destroys everything.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Disaster Artist (2017)
An aspiring actor in Hollywood meets an enigmatic stranger by the name of Tommy Wiseau, the meeting leads the actor down a path nobody could have predicted; creating the worst movie ever made.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMine (2016)
After a failed assassination attempt, a soldier finds himself stranded in the desert. Exposed to the elements, he must survive the dangers of the desert and battle the psychological and physical toll of the treacherous conditions.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOf Mice and Men (1939)
An intellectually disabled giant and his level headed guardian find work at a sadistic cowboy's ranch in depression era America.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMad Max 2 (1981)
Max Rockatansky returns as the heroic loner who drives the dusty roads of a postapocalyptic Australian Outback in an unending search for gasoline. Arrayed against him and the other scraggly defendants of a fuel-depot encampment are the bizarre warriors commanded by the charismatic Lord Humungus, a violent leader whose scruples are as barren as the surrounding landscape.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisNot Another Happy Ending (2013)
When a struggling publisher discovers his only successful author is blocked, he knows he has to unblock her or he's finished. With her newfound success, she's become too happy and she can't write when she's happy. The only trouble is, the worse he makes her feel, the more he realizes he's in love with her.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisLove Is in the Air (2023)
A fiercely independent pilot fighting to keep her family business afloat starts to fall for the man sent by corporate to ground her operation forever.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHellfighters (1968)
The adventures of oil well fire specialist Chance Buckman (based on real-life Red Adair), who extinguishes massive fires in oil fields around the world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBeat the Devil (1953)
A group of con artists stake their claim on a bogus uranium mine.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDeepwater Horizon (2016)
A story set on the offshore drilling rig Deepwater Horizon, which exploded during April 2010 and created the worst oil spill in U.S. history.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHe Died with a Felafel in His Hand (2001)
A search for love, meaning and bathroom solitude. Danny goes through a series of shared housing experiences in a succession of cities on the east coast of Australia. Together these vignettes form a narrative that is surprisingly reflective.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHoles (2003)
After being wrongfully convicted for stealing a pair of shoes, Stanley Yelnats is sent away to Camp Green Lake, a boys detention facility where inmates are forced to dig holes all day in the hot desert sun as a form of character building. As he endures the brutal routine, Stanley begins to uncover a hidden truth behind the camp, one that connects to a dangerous secret—and possibly Stanley’s family itself.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSupport Your Local Gunfighter (1971)
A con artist arrives in a mining town controlled by two competing companies. Both companies think he's a famous gunfighter and try to hire him to drive the other out of town.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHard Luck (1921)
A down on his luck young man makes several attempts at committing suicide but fails them too. He then finds himself becoming more confident through a series of petty adventures, to such an extent that this becomes his undoing.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhalefall (2026)
Following the death of his father, Jay Gardiner goes diving off the central Coast of California in search of his remains, but is swallowed by a massive sperm whale. While trapped inside its belly with only one hour of oxygen left, Jay comes to realize that the hard-earned lessons his father imparted may be the key to his escape.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Only Fools and Horses: Licensed to Drill?
The closest matches to Only Fools and Horses: Licensed to Drill are North Sea Hijack (1980), Written on the Wind (1956) and The Black Demon (2023). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Only Fools and Horses: Licensed to Drill?
Start with North Sea Hijack (1980), the closest match to Only Fools and Horses: Licensed to Drill.
What is the highest-rated movie like Only Fools and Horses: Licensed to Drill?
Digger (2026), rated 7.5/10 by 518 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Only Fools and Horses: Licensed to Drill?
Whalefall (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Only Fools and Horses: Licensed to Drill?
Yes: North Sea Hijack (1980), Written on the Wind (1956) and The Black Demon (2023).
How are movies similar to Only Fools and Horses: Licensed to Drill chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Only Fools and Horses: Licensed to Drill, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.