Movies like Desperado (1987)
The best movies like Desperado (1987) are The Quick and the Dead (1987), The Jack Bull (1999) and Crossfire Trail (2001). If Desperado hooked you with its western and tv movie, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Big Country (1958)7.6/10 from 434 votes
- NewestGunfight at Rio Bravo (2023)Released 2023
The Quick and the Dead (1987)
In 1876 Wyoming, the gun is the only law. And for Duncan and Suzanna McKaskel, newly arrived settlers beset by outlaws, rugged frontiersman Con Vallian is the only hope.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Jack Bull (1999)
When the law fails to punish a fellow rancher that has abused his horses, a Wyoming horse trader sacrifices it all in a quest for justice.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCrossfire Trail (2001)
Rafe Covington is as good as his word, and he's determined to keep his promise to a dying man that he'll look after the man's widow and Wyoming ranch. But the widow doubts the integrity of drifter Covington. And an unscrupulous land grabber and his gunmen are sizing up the ranch the way a spider eyes a fly.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDeadwood: The Movie (2019)
Follow the 10-year reunion of the Deadwood camp to celebrate South Dakota's statehood. Former rivalries are reignited, alliances are tested and old wounds are reopened, as all are left to navigate the inevitable changes that modernity and time have wrought.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Outsider (2002)
Montana sheep farmer Rebecca Yoder offers sanctuary to an on-the-lam outlaw, Johnny Gault, who is suffering from a gunshot wound. Yoder is a recent widow, and her decision to help the outsider doesn't sit well with her Quaker community. As a romance brews between her and Gault, it puts in jeopardy her standing among her devout neighbors. But when an evil rancher makes a play for the community's land, Gault's sharpshooting skills might prove his worth after all.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western
SnoozefestMovies like thisPurgatory (1999)
An outlaw band flees a posse and rides into Refuge, a small town where no one carries a gun, drinks, or swears. The town is actually Purgatory, and the peaceful inhabitants are all famous dead outlaws and criminals such as Doc Holiday and Wild Bill Hickok who must redeem themselves before gaining admittance to Heaven... or screw up and go to Hell.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAppaloosa (2008)
Two friends hired to police a small town that is suffering under the rule of a rancher find their job complicated by the arrival of a young widow.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGo West (1940)
A con man heading west to search for gold teams up with a pair of scheming brothers along the way. The trio soon find themselves in the middle of a feud between two rival families and two underhanded land developers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Cowboys (1972)
When his cattlemen abandon him for the gold fields, rancher Wil Andersen is forced to take on a collection of young boys as his cowboys in order to get his herd to market in time to avoid financial disaster. The boys learn to do a man's job under Andersen's tutelage, however, neither he nor the boys know that a gang of cattle thieves is stalking them.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMan in the Shadow (1957)
In a modern cow town, the powerful ranch owner’s henchmen kill a ranch hand, prompting the sheriff to investigate despite facing strong opposition. He finds an unlikely ally in the rancher's overprotected daughter, but their quest for justice puts them both in danger.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisForty Guns (1957)
An authoritarian rancher rules an Arizona county with her private posse of hired guns. When a new Marshal arrives to set things straight, the cattle queen finds herself falling for the avowedly non-violent lawman. Both have itchy-fingered brothers, a female gunman enters the picture, and things go desperately wrong.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBlood 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
Popcorn FlickMovies like this8 Seconds (1994)
This film chronicles the life of Lane Frost, 1987 PRCA Bull Riding World Champion, his marriage and his friendships with Tuff Hedeman (three-time World Champion) and Cody Lambert.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRamrod (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
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJane Got a Gun (2015)
After her outlaw husband returns home shot with eight bullets and barely alive, Jane reluctantly reaches out to an ex-lover who she hasn't seen in over ten years to help her defend her farm when the time comes that her husband's gang eventually tracks him down to finish the job.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western
SnoozefestMovies like thisGunfight at Rio Bravo (2023)
When mysterious Russian gunslinger Ivan Turchin rides into a small Texas town, he runs afoul of a bloodthirsty outlaw gang known as The Hellhounds. Outmanned and outgunned, the town must put their trust in Turchin to protect them from annihilation at the hands of the bandits. The gunslinger finds allies in the form of Marshal Austin Carter and Sheriff Vernon Kelly, and together the three must make a desperate stand against impossible and violent odds.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFrontera (2014)
After crossing the border illegally for work, Miguel, a hard-working father and devoted husband, finds himself wrongfully accused of murdering a former sheriff’s wife. After learning of his imprisonment, Miguel’s pregnant wife tries to come to his aid and lands in the hands of corrupt coyotes who hold her for ransom. Dissatisfied with the police department’s investigation, the former sheriff tries to uncover the truth about his wife’s death and discovers disturbing evidence that will destroy one family’s future, or tear another’s apart.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Big Country (1958)
Retired wealthy sea captain Jim McKay arrives in the Old West, where he becomes embroiled in a feud between his future father-in-law, Major Terrill, and the rough and lawless Hannasseys over a valuable patch of land.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Missouri Breaks (1976)
When vigilante land baron David Braxton hangs one of the best friends of cattle rustler Tom Logan, Logan's gang decides to get even by purchasing a small farm next to Braxton's ranch. From there the rustlers begin stealing horses, using the farm as a front for their operation. Determined to stop the thefts at any cost, Braxton retains the services of eccentric sharpshooter Robert E. Lee Clayton, who begins ruthlessly taking down Logan's gang.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGunless (2010)
American gunslinger Sean Rafferty—aka The Montana Kid—is unable to find someone to duel in a Canadian town where no one understands the brutal code of the American Wild West.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Colt (2005)
During the heat of battle in the midst of the Civil War, a beguilingly innocent colt is born to Union Jim Rabb's beloved mare. Refusing the orders to shoot it, lest it prove a hindrance, Rabb keeps the colt as a consolation in these desperate times-a symbol of hope that leads the men of the First Cavalry on a journey of self-discovery and newfound brotherhood.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both western
The Veteran (2006)
Thirty years on from Vietnam, a government official is trying to track down soldiers who went missing in action, in the hope that it may lead her to her father. Meanwhile, a war veteran is forced to relive painful memories of how he was left for dead by his own platoon, and the heinous crimes he once committed while in the line of duty.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
The Death of the Incredible Hulk (1990)
In his final attempt to free himself from the curse of the Hulk, Dr. David Banner becomes involved in a dangerous international espionage mission that may finally lead to a cure. As forces close in and the stakes rise, Banner faces an ultimate sacrifice, bringing his tragic journey to a definitive and emotional conclusion.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
SnoozefestMovies like thisEarly Release (2017)
Taylor Reynolds, a typical suburban mom, who made some bad life decisions and was sentenced to three years in jail for a DUI and possession of drugs. After her release, Taylor fights the stigma of her past misdeeds, works to regain the support of her daughter Bianca and husband Jeff, and once again become a contributing member of society. But just when Taylor's life is getting back on track, her former cellmate and career criminal, Meghan Flanagan, unexpectedly appears and invades Taylor's world. Meghan has a devious plan. She wants Taylor to come clean and confess the truth behind her early release. Taylor will stop at nothing to keep her family safe from Meghan, even if it means stepping back into the world she ultimately escaped.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
The Note II: Taking a Chance on Love (2009)
Columnist Peyton MacGruder befriends a reader who sent her a note that inspires Peyton to reconsider the choices she's made and her reluctance to accept her boyfriend's marriage proposal.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Goodnight, Mister Tom (1998)
A shy and quiet World War II evacuee is housed by a disgruntled old man, and they soon develop a close bond.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Karlovci Experience of 1889 (1983)
A romance based on the motifs of the novel by Veljko Petrovic “Maria, Where Are You?”
Why it matches: Similar story and style
The Birds II: Land's End (1994)
Ted and his family have just moved to the sleepy coastal town of Gull Island so that he can complete work on his thesis. Everything couldn’t seem more picturesque about their new, seaside home… that is, except for the increasing number of aggressively behaving birds.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
SnoozefestMovies like thisNina Is to Blame for All (2008)
Ahmed and Dario want to earn extra money obtained from a robbery in Bosnia. Unknowning to them, bright Nina is involved in their plans.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
The Principal (2003)
François, director of a primary school, teaches third graders. It's a demanding position, leaving him little time for his private life. But he is committed. At the beginning of the school year, his daughter has come to stay with him. Laura is 14 and has arrived from Tahiti with her mother for the first time after his separation, shaking up his calm existence. In the school courtyard, behind the playful games and laughter of the kids, their cries mask problems they struggle with on a day to day basis. Francois is more than a teacher, he's a friend and a protector.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Desperado?
The closest matches to Desperado are The Quick and the Dead (1987), The Jack Bull (1999) and Crossfire Trail (2001). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Desperado?
Start with The Quick and the Dead (1987), the closest match to Desperado.
What is the highest-rated movie like Desperado?
The Big Country (1958), rated 7.6/10 by 434 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Desperado?
Gunfight at Rio Bravo (2023) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Desperado?
Yes: The Quick and the Dead (1987), The Jack Bull (1999) and Crossfire Trail (2001).
How are movies similar to Desperado chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Desperado, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.