Movies like The Dead Cowboy (2012)
The best movies like The Dead Cowboy (2012) are Bad Day at Black Rock (1955), Crossfire (1947) and Backlash (1956). If The Dead Cowboy hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedAce in the Hole (1951)7.8/10 from 791 votes
- NewestSoul on Fire (2025)Released 2025
Bad Day at Black Rock (1955)
One-armed war veteran John J. Macreedy steps off a train at the sleepy little town of Black Rock. Once there, he begins to unravel a web of lies, secrecy, and murder.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCrossfire (1947)
A man is murdered, apparently by one of a group of soldiers just out of the army. But which one? And why?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBacklash (1956)
Jim Slater's father (whom he never knew) died in the Apache ambush at Gila Valley, and Jim is searching for the one survivor, who supposedly went for help but disappeared with a lot of gold. In the process, he gets several people gunning for him, and he keeps meeting liberated woman Karyl Orton, who may be on a similar mission. Renewed Apache hostilities and an impending range war provide complications.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEdge of Tomorrow (2014)
Major Bill Cage is an officer who has never seen a day of combat when he is unceremoniously demoted and dropped into combat. Cage is killed within minutes, managing to take an alpha alien down with him. He awakens back at the beginning of the same day and is forced to fight and die again... and again - as physical contact with the alien has thrown him into a time loop.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisReturn of the Seven (1966)
Chico, one of the remaining members of The Magnificent Seven, now lives in the town that they (The Seven) helped. One day someone comes and takes most of the men prisoner. His wife seeks out Chris, the leader of The Seven for help. Chris also meets Vin another member of The Seven. They find four other men and they go to help Chico.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Sandlot 2 (2005)
A decade has passed in the small town where the original Sandlot gang banded together during the summer of ’62 to play baseball and battle the Beast. Now, back at the dugout, nine new kids descend on the diamond only to discover that a descendant of the Beast lives in Mr. Mertle’s backyard – a monster of mythical proportions known as 'The Great Fear'.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Guns of Navarone (1961)
A team of allied saboteurs are assigned an impossible mission: infiltrate an impregnable Nazi-held island and destroy the two enormous long-range field guns that prevent the rescue of 2,000 trapped British soldiers.
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 thisThe Duel at Silver Creek (1952)
When a gang of ruthless claim jumpers brutally murders his miner father, a gunman known as the Silver Kid joins forces with the local marshal to free the tiny town of Silver City from the clutches of the dastardly villains.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
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
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTrue 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
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSoul on Fire (2025)
After a horrific accident leaves his body scarred, a young boy strives to live and show everyone what is possible with the help of his family, his faith, his community, his longtime idol's kindness, and the entire city of St. Louis.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Way Ahead (1944)
A mismatched collection of conscripted civilians find training tough under Lieutenant Jim Perry and Sergeant Ned Fletcher when they are called up to replace an infantry battalion that had suffered casualties at Dunkirk.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJourney 2: The Mysterious Island (2012)
Sean Anderson partners with his mom's boyfriend on a mission to find his grandfather, who is thought to be missing on a mythical island.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAce in the Hole (1951)
An arrogant reporter exploits a story about a man trapped in a cave to revitalize his career.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHombre (1967)
John Russell, disdained by his "respectable" fellow stagecoach passengers because he was raised by Indians, becomes their only hope for survival when they are set upon by outlaws.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Proud Rebel (1958)
Searching for a doctor who can help him get his son to speak again--the boy hadn't uttered a word since he saw his mother die in the fire that burned down the family home--a Confederate veteran finds himself facing a 30-day jail sentence when he's unfairly accused of starting a brawl in a small town. A local woman pays his fine, providing that he works it off on her ranch. He soon finds himself involved in the woman's struggle to keep her ranch from a local landowner who wants it--and whose sons were responsible for the man being framed for the fight.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNevada Smith (1966)
Nevada Smith is the alias of Max Sand, the son of an Indian mother and American father. When they are killed by three men over gold, Nevada sets out to avenge them. The young man is taken in by a gun merchant who shows him how to shoot, on time and correctly.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Odessa File (1974)
Following the suicide of an elderly Jewish man, investigative journalist Peter Miller sets out to hunt down an SS Captain and former concentration camp commander. In doing so he discovers that, despite allegations of war crimes, the former commander has become a man of importance in industry in post-war Germany, protected from prosecution by a powerful organisation of former SS members called Odessa.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Left Handed Gun (1958)
When a crooked sheriff murders his employer, William "Billy the Kid" Bonney decides to avenge the death by killing the man responsible, throwing the lives of everyone around him into turmoil, and endangering the General Amnesty set up by Governor Wallace to bring peace to the New Mexico Territory.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Dead Cowboy?
The closest matches to The Dead Cowboy are Bad Day at Black Rock (1955), Crossfire (1947) and Backlash (1956). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Dead Cowboy?
Start with Bad Day at Black Rock (1955), the closest match to The Dead Cowboy.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Dead Cowboy?
Ace in the Hole (1951), rated 7.8/10 by 791 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Dead Cowboy?
Soul on Fire (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Dead Cowboy?
Yes: Bad Day at Black Rock (1955), Crossfire (1947) and Backlash (1956).
How are movies similar to The Dead Cowboy chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Dead Cowboy, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.