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Movies like The Plainsman (1936)

The best movies like The Plainsman (1936) are The Fighting Kentuckian (1949), Distant Drums (1951) and Oklahoma! (1955). If The Plainsman hooked you with its western and war, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.

Quick picks

  1. The Fighting Kentuckian (1949)

    John Breen (John Wayne), a Kentucky militiaman falls in love with French exile Fleurette De Marchand (Vera Ralston). He discovers a plot to steal the land that Fleurette's exiles plan to settle on and aims to foil it.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western & romance

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  2. Distant Drums (1951)

    After destroying a Seminole fort, American soldiers and their rescued companions must face the dangerous Everglades and hostile Indians in order to reach safety

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western & war

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  3. Oklahoma! (1955)

    There's a box social coming up, and Curly asks Laurey if she'll be his date. Trouble is, Laurey thinks he's waited too long, and in a fit of pique accepts an offer from the boorish ranch hand Jud instead. Meanwhile, Laurey's friend Ado Annie is also torn between two men: cowboy Will and foreign peddler Ali Hakim. Both women struggle to know their own hearts before it's too late.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western & romance

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  4. Major Dundee (1965)

    During the last winter of the Civil War, cavalry officer Amos Dundee leads a contentious troop of Army regulars, Confederate prisoners and scouts on an expedition into Mexico to destroy a band of Apaches who have been raiding U.S. bases in Texas.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western & war

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  5. The Big Sky (1952)

    Two tough Kentucky mountaineers join a trading expedition from St. Louis up the Missouri River to trade whisky for furs with the Blackfoot Indians. They soon discover that there is much more than the elements to contend with.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western & romance

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  6. Virginia City (1940)

    Union officer Kerry Bradford escapes from a Confederate prison and races to intercept $5 million in gold destined for Confederate coffers. A Confederate sympathizer and a Mexican bandit, each with their own stake in the loot, stand in his way.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western & romance

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  7. Will Penny (1967)

    Will Penny, an aging cowpoke, takes a job on a ranch which requires him to ride the line of the property looking for trespassers or, worse, squatters. He finds that his cabin in the high mountains has been appropriated by a woman whose guide to Oregon has deserted her and her son. Too ashamed to kick mother and child out just as the bitter winter of the mountains sets in, he agrees to share the cabin until the spring thaw. But it isn't just the snow that slowly thaws; the lonely man and woman soon forget their mutual hostility and start developing a deep love for one another.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western & romance

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  8. The Horse Soldiers (1959)

    A Union Cavalry outfit is sent behind confederate lines in strength to destroy a rail supply center. Along with them is sent a doctor who causes instant antipathy between him and the commander. The secret plan for the mission is overheard by a southern belle who must be taken along to assure her silence.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western & war

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  9. Colorado Territory (1949)

    After escaping from jail, outlaw Wes McQueen is convinced by his old partner in crime to do one last heist.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both western & romance

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  10. Helen of Troy (1956)

    Prince Paris of Troy, shipwrecked on a mission to the king of Sparta, meets and falls for Queen Helen before he knows who she is. Rudely received by the royal Greeks, he must flee...but fate and their mutual passions lead him to take Helen along. This gives the Greeks just the excuse they need for much-desired war.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both war & romance

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  11. The Pride and the Passion (1957)

    During the Napoleonic Wars, when the French have occupied Spain, some Spanish guerrilla soldiers are going to move a big cannon across Spain in order to help the British defeat the French. A British officer is there to accompany the Spanish and along the way, he falls in love with the leader's girl.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both war & romance

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  12. Solomon and Sheba (1959)

    Near death, King David has a vision that his poet son, Solomon, should succeed him, rather than hot-headed Adonijah. Furious, Adonijah departs the court, swearing he will become king. Other rulers are concerned that Solomon's benevolent rule and interest in monotheism will threaten their tyrannical, polytheistic kingdoms. The Queen of Sheba makes an agreement with the Egyptian pharaoh to corrupt Solomon for their mutual benefit.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & war

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  13. Legends of the Fall (1994)

    In early 20th-century Montana, Col. William Ludlow lives on a ranch in the wilderness with his sons, Alfred, Tristan, and Samuel. Eventually, the unconventional but close-knit family are bound by loyalty, tested by war, and torn apart by love, as told over the course of several decades in this epic saga.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both western & romance

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  14. The Silence (1963)

    Traveling through an unnamed European country on the brink of war, sickly, intellectual Ester, her sister Anna and Anna's young son, Johan, check into a near-empty hotel. A basic inability to communicate among the three seems only to worsen during their stay. Anna provokes her sister by enjoying a dalliance with a local man, while the boy, left to himself, has a series of enigmatic encounters that heighten the growing air of isolation.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance

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  15. Silverado (1985)

    Four unwitting heroes cross paths on their journey to the sleepy town of Silverado. Little do they know the town where their family and friends reside has been taken over by a corrupt sheriff and a murderous posse. It's up to the sharp-shooting foursome to save the day, but first they have to break each other out of jail, and learn who their real friends are.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both western

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  16. Must Love Dogs (2005)

    Sarah Nolan is a newly divorced woman cautiously rediscovering romance with the enthusiastic but often misguided help of her well-meaning family. As she braves a series of hilarious disastrous mismatches and first dates, Sarah begins to trust her own instincts again and learns that, no matter what, it's never a good idea to give up on love.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance

  17. Trinity Is Still My Name (1971)

    The two brothers Trinity and Bambino are exchanged by two federal agents and take advantage of the situation to steal a huge booty hidden in a monastery by a gang of outlaws.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both western

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  18. Sabrina (1995)

    After her return from school in Paris, a playboy finally takes notice of his family's chauffeur's daughter Sabrina, who's long had a crush on him, but he questions his more serious brother's motives when he warns against getting involved with her.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance

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  19. Solino (2002)

    The movie portrays the story of an Italian family emigrated in Germany in the 1970s. Romano (Gigi Savoia), the father, decides to open a pizzeria which, by mutual decision with the wife Rosa (Antonella Attili), will call Solino, leaving his sons Gigi and Giancarlo to work there. A hostile relationship comes to life between the father and his sons, which will end up in the escape of the boys from family.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance

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  20. Forbidden Territory (1934)

    Britisher Sir Charles Farrington and a son, Rex Farrington, arrive in a Russian Soviet territory searching for another Farrington son, Michael,who has been thrown into prison. Valarie Perrovna is a singer who is in love with the imprisoned son and she provides the searchers with the information as to where the missing son is being held. They all go there and help Michael escape. But is their escape vehicle---a flat wagon pulled by three horses--- fast enough and sturdy enough through the snow to beat the Commmisar and his troops to the Rumanian border

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance

  21. Inventing the Abbotts (1997)

    In the 1950s, brothers Jacey and Doug Holt, who come from the poorer side of their sleepy Midwestern town, vie for the affections of the wealthy, lovely Abbott sisters. Lady-killer Jacey alternates between Eleanor and Alice, wanting simply to break the hearts of rich young women. But sensitive Doug has a real romance with Pamela, which Jacey and the Abbott patriarch, Lloyd, both frown upon.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance

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  22. Brideshead Revisited (2008)

    Befriended by aristocrat Sebastian Flyte, Oxford student Charles Ryder finds that the power and privilege experienced by the family is seductive. On a visit to the ancestral home, Brideshead, he falls in love with his friend's sister, Julia. However, as his ties to the Flytes deepen, Ryder finds himself at odds with their strong Roman Catholicism.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance

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  23. Feeling Minnesota (1996)

    Sam Clayton's marriage to ex-stripper Freddie comes about when she's strong-armed into the match by Red, a club proprietor who once did her a favor. But Freddie falls in love with Jjaks, Sam's brother, and the pair tries to escape the situation together. It isn't long before both Sam and Red catch up with them, resulting in threats against the two of them -- although tension also starts to build between Sam and Red.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance

  24. Look Who's Talking Now! (1993)

    When high-powered executive Samantha LeBon hatches a scheme to spend a romantic Christmas with her new employee – the unsuspecting, blithesome James – his wife, their kids and their two dogs, Rocks and Daphne, must rescue him before he makes a terrible mistake.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance

  25. Genova (2009)

    A man moves his two daughters to Italy after their mother dies in a car accident, in order to revitalize their lives. Genoa changes all three of them as the youngest daughter starts to see the ghost of her mother, while the older one discovers her sexuality.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance

  26. While You Were Sleeping (1995)

    A transit worker pulls commuter Peter off railway tracks after he's mugged, but—while he's in a coma—his family mistakenly thinks she's Peter's fiancée, and she doesn't correct them. Things get more complicated when she falls for his brother, who's not quite sure that she's who she claims to be.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  27. Atonement (2007)

    A young girl irrevocably changes the course of several lives when she accuses her older sister's lover of a crime he did not commit.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  28. The Nightingale (2027)

    The lives of two French sisters are torn apart by the onset of World War II.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both war

    Coming SoonMovies like this
  29. Carolina (2003)

    A young woman escapes her wildly eccentric family in search for a life of normalcy.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance

  30. Deadwood '76 (1965)

    A young drifter is mistaken for Billy the Kid. The concequences prove deadly.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both western

Like The Plainsman and something else?

Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best movies like The Plainsman?

The closest matches to The Plainsman are The Fighting Kentuckian (1949), Distant Drums (1951) and Oklahoma! (1955). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.

What should I watch after The Plainsman?

Start with The Fighting Kentuckian (1949), the closest match to The Plainsman.

What is the highest-rated movie like The Plainsman?

Atonement (2007), rated 7.6/10 by 4,906 TMDB users.

What is the newest movie like The Plainsman?

Genova (2009) is the most recent release on this list.

Are there English movies like The Plainsman?

Yes: The Fighting Kentuckian (1949), Distant Drums (1951) and Oklahoma! (1955).

How are movies similar to The Plainsman chosen?

First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Plainsman, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.

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