Movies like Desert Saints (2002)
The best movies like Desert Saints (2002) are The Contract (2006), The Getaway (1994) and Cold Blood (2019). If Desert Saints hooked you with its action and romance, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedIn the Arms of an Assassin (2019)7.8/10 from 434 votes
- NewestUnder Fire (2025)Released 2025
The Contract (2006)
Attempting to recover from a recent family trauma by escaping into the woods for a peaceful hiking trip, an ex-lawman and his young son stumble across a dangerous contract killer.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Getaway (1994)
An ex-con and his devoted wife must flee from danger when a heist doesn't go as planned.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisCold Blood (2019)
A legendary but retired hit man lives in peace and isolation in the barren North American wilderness. When he rescues a woman from a snowmobiling accident, he soon discovers that she's harboring a secret that forces him to return to his lethal ways.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller & action
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Matador (2005)
The life of Danny Wright, a salesman forever on the road, veers into dangerous and surreal territory when he wanders into a Mexican bar and meets a mysterious stranger, Julian, who's very likely a hit man. Their meeting sets off a chain of events that will change their lives forever, as Wright is suddenly thrust into a far-from-mundane existence that he takes to surprisingly well … once he gets acclimated to it.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGrosse Pointe Blank (1997)
Hitman Martin Blank becomes a moving target after he rebuffs a fellow assassin's invitation to form a union. On the advice of his quirky assistant and neurotic psychiatrist, Martin begrudgingly heads out to Grosse Pointe, Michigan for his ten-year high school reunion, where he soon comes across the woman he jilted on prom night.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisIn the Shadows (2001)
When a stunt man dies in Miami, his uncle, a New York mob boss, sends a hit man to tail the stunt coordinator, whom the boss wants dead. The hit man, Eric O'Bryne, gets close to his mark's daughter, and through her he asks her dad to teach him to do stunts. While waiting for the word to kill this mentor, Eric discovers the joy of stunt work and of being part of a family. Meanwhile, several people are looking for the dead man's briefcase of money and a bag of illegal drugs that he stole from an undercover FBI agent now desperate to get the borrowed drugs back to the bureau. The stunt coordinator says that 'we dance in the shadows of death.' Can Eric step out into the sun?
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller & action
Killshot (2008)
Beautiful Carmen Colson and her ironworker husband Wayne are placed in the Federal Witness Protection program after witnessing an "incident". Thinking they are at last safe, they are targeted by an experienced hit man and a psychopathic young upstart killer.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Jackal (1997)
Hired by a powerful member of the Russian mafia to avenge an FBI sting that left his brother dead, a psychopathic hitman known only as The Jackal proves an elusive target for the people charged with the task of bringing him down: a deputy FBI director, a Russian MVK Major, and a jailed IRA terrorist who can recognize him.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDesperado (1995)
El Mariachi plunges headfirst into the dark border underworld when he follows a trail of blood to the last of the infamous Mexican drug lords, Bucho, for an action-packed, bullet-riddled showdown. With the help of his friend and a beautiful bookstore owner, El Mariachi tracks Bucho, takes on his army of desperados, and leaves his own trail of blood.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAssassins (1995)
Assassin Robert Rath arrives at a funeral to kill a prominent mobster, only to witness a rival hired gun complete the job for him -- with grisly results. Horrified by the murder of innocent bystanders, Rath decides to take one last job and then return to civilian life. But finding his way out of the world of contract killing grows ever more dangerous as Rath falls for his female target and becomes a marked man himself.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTrue Romance (1993)
Clarence marries hooker Alabama, steals cocaine from her pimp, and tries to sell it in Hollywood, while the owners of the coke try to reclaim it.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisShadowboxer (2005)
Mikey and Rose are professional assassins. They are also lovers, and once upon a time Rose also knew Mikey's father. During an elaborate hit job for a malicious gangster, Rose fails to kill the main target, the gangster's pregnant girlfriend. Instead, she delivers her baby and convinces Mikey to help her protect them both. As Rose weakens from cancer, Mikey becomes breadwinner for this unusual family. But tranquility will not last.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisDomino (2005)
The story of the life of Domino Harvey, who abandoned her career as a Ford model to become a bounty hunter.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisSnag (2023)
An Australian lone wolf's quiet existence is shattered when he learns that the woman he once loved and thought was dead is alive and held captive by ruthless gangsters. Now, to take on this dangerous criminal organization, he must seek out allies and storm into a world of violence to rescue the love of his life in this gritty, modern day violent fairytale.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisCollateral (2004)
Cab driver Max picks up a man who offers him $600 to drive him around. But the promise of easy money sours when Max realizes his fare is an assassin.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPoint Break (1991)
In Los Angeles, a gang of bank robbers who call themselves The Ex-Presidents commit their crimes while wearing masks of Reagan, Carter, Nixon and Johnson. Believing that the members of the gang could be surfers, the F.B.I. sends young agent Johnny Utah to the beach undercover to mix with the surfers and gather information.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisU Turn (1997)
When a desperate man’s car breaks down in a bizarre desert town while evading vengeful bookies, he becomes entangled in a dangerous love triangle. Caught between a married couple, he’s faced with deadly contracts to kill them both.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Way of the Gun (2000)
Two criminal drifters without sympathy get more than they bargained for after kidnapping and holding for ransom the surrogate mother of a powerful and shady man.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSmokin' Aces 2: Assassins' Ball (2010)
Walter Weed is an unassuming desk jockey at the FBI when the Bureau uncovers a plot to assassinate him. A team of degenerate, psychotic assassins dispatched by mystery man Hal Leuco to win a huge bounty includes a resourceful beauty who has a unique method of killing her prey, a power-tool wielding psychopath and a deadly master of disguise.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action
SnoozefestMovies like thisOne Tough Bastard (1996)
When a man's wife and family are murdered, he plots revenge only to find out that the killer is under Federal protection and he must exact his own form of justice.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & thriller
Fled (1996)
During a routine prison work detail, convict Piper is chained to Dodge, a cyberhacker, when gunfire breaks out. Apparently, the attack is related to stolen money that the Mafia is after, and some computer files that somebody wants desperately to bury. The pair, who don't exactly enjoy each other's company, escape and must work together if they are to reach Atlanta alive. Luckily, they meet a woman who may be willing to help them.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Replacement Killers (1998)
Hired assassin John Lee is asked by Chinatown crime boss Terence Wei to murder the young son of policeman Stan Zedkov. Lee has the boy in his sights, but his conscience gets the better of him, and he spares the child's life. Afraid that Wei will take revenge on his family in China, Lee seeks out expert forger Meg Coburn to obtain the passport he needs to get out of the country, but a band of replacement killers is soon on his trail.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRed Rock West (1993)
When a promised job for Texan Michael fails to materialize in Wyoming, Mike is mistaken by Wayne to be the hitman he hired to kill his unfaithful wife, Suzanne. Mike takes full advantage of the situation, collects the money, and runs. During his getaway, things go wrong, and soon get worse when he runs into the real hitman, Lyle.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSmokin' Aces (2006)
When a Las Vegas performer-turned-snitch named Buddy Israel decides to turn state's evidence and testify against the mob, it seems that a whole lot of people would like to make sure he's no longer breathing.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisUnder Fire (2025)
Story unfolds in the scorching heat of the Mexico border, where rival drug dealers Griff and Abbott arrive at a remote drop point for a routine drug deal. But when the exchange goes down, both reveal undercover badges — Griff is FBI, Abbott is DEA — and neither knew they were working the same case.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBad Company (1995)
CIA operative Nelson Crowe is tasked with a deadly assignment: infiltrate a highly secret industrial espionage firm. Once inside, he teams with Margaret Wells, a master spy and seductive manipulator, in a plot to overthrow the organization's sinister president, which leads them into a darkly mysterious web of intrigue -- and shocking murder!
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & romance
SnoozefestMovies like thisHarley Davidson and the Marlboro Man (1991)
It's the lawless future, and renegade biker Harley Davidson and his surly cowboy buddy, Marlboro, learn that a corrupt bank is about to foreclose on their friend's bar to further an expanding empire. Harley and Marlboro decide to help by robbing the crooked bank. But when they accidentally filch a drug shipment, they find themselves on the run from criminal financiers and the mob in this rugged action adventure.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIn the Arms of an Assassin (2019)
Victor (William Levy) is one of the world’s most handsome men, but he has a deep secret – he is a cold blooded assassin. Smooth talking and seductive, Victor was raised to do one thing only, which is to kill for money. When he is sent to the home of a brutal drug lord to collect payment for his most recent hit, he encounters the beautiful Sarai (Alicia Sanz), who has been forced to spend the last 9 years of her life with the drug lord.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both romance & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisInferno (1999)
Eddie Lomax is a drifter who has been in a suicidal funk since the death of his close friend Johnny. Riding his motorcycle into a small desert town where Johnny once lived, Lomax is confronted by a gang of toughs, who beat him and steal his bike. However, Lomax is not a man to take an injustice lying down, and soon he begins exacting a violent revenge on the men who stole his motorcycle, with local handyman Jubal Early lending a hand and several area ladies offering aid and comfort.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Tourist (2010)
American tourist Frank meets mysterious British woman Elise on the train to Venice. Romance seems to bud, but there's more to her than meets the eye.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Desert Saints?
The closest matches to Desert Saints are The Contract (2006), The Getaway (1994) and Cold Blood (2019). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Desert Saints?
People who watched Desert Saints most often go on to The Contract (2006), The Getaway (1994) and Cold Blood (2019).
What is the highest-rated movie like Desert Saints?
In the Arms of an Assassin (2019), rated 7.8/10 by 434 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Desert Saints?
Under Fire (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Desert Saints?
Yes: The Contract (2006), The Getaway (1994) and Cold Blood (2019).
How are movies similar to Desert Saints chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Desert Saints, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.