Movies Like Viva Zapata!

If you liked Viva Zapata! (1952), a history and drama movie directed by Elia Kazan, here are 20 movies with a similar feel, based on TMDB's recommendations. Each one links to its cast, trailer and where it's streaming.

1
And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself (2003)
★ 6.7/10Also drama and history
In 1914, the Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa invites studios to shoot his actual battles against Porfírio Diaz army to raise funds for financing guns and ammunition. The Mutual Film Corporation, through producer…
2
Prizefighter: The Life of Jem Belcher (2022)
★ 6.2/10Also history and drama
At the turn of the 19th century, Pugilism was the sport of kings and a gifted young boxer fought his way to becoming champion of England.
3
Walker (1987)
★ 6.5/10Also drama and history
William Walker and his mercenary corps enter Nicaragua in the middle of the 19th century in order to install a new government by a coup d'etat.
4
Woman Walks Ahead (2018)
★ 6.8/10Also drama and history
Based on a true story, this riveting western follows a headstrong New York widow as she journeys west to meet Sioux chief Sitting Bull, facing off with an army officer intent on war with Native Americans.
5
Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1 (2024)
★ 6.8/10Also western and drama
In 1859, families discover the lure of the Old West as they settle in territories from Wyoming to Kansas. Meanwhile, a gruff cowboy finds himself on the run with a prostitute and a young boy after killing a fellow…
6
Emperor (2020)
★ 7.6/10Also history and drama
An escaped slave travels north and has chance encounters with Frederick Douglass and John Brown. Based on the life story of Shields Green.
7
Outlaws - For Greater Glory (2012)
★ 7/10Also history and drama
A chronicle of the Cristeros War (1926-1929), which was touched off by a rebellion against the Mexican government's attempt to secularize the country.
8
The Quick and the Dead (1987)
★ 6.4/10Also drama and western
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.
9
Blaze (2018)
★ 6.3/10Also drama and history
Inspired by the life of Blaze Foley, the unsung songwriting legend of the Texas outlaw country movement that spawned the likes of Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson. The film weaves together three periods in Blaze's life…
10
Oslo (2021)
★ 6.6/10Also drama and history
The true story of negotiations between implacable enemies — the secret back-channel talks, unlikely friendships and quiet heroics of a small but committed group of Israelis, Palestinians and one Norwegian couple that…
11
All Eyez on Me (2017)
★ 6.7/10Also history and drama
All Eyez on Me chronicles the life and legacy of Tupac Shakur, including his rise to superstardom as a hip-hop artist, actor, poet and activist, as well as his imprisonment and prolific, controversial time at Death Row…
12
Rosewood (1997)
★ 6.5/10Also drama and history
Spurred by a white woman's lie, vigilantes destroy a black Florida town and slay inhabitants in 1923.
13
The Missouri Breaks (1976)
★ 6.5/10Also western and drama
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…
14
Jane Got a Gun (2015)
★ 5.9/10Also western and drama
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…
15
Appaloosa (2008)
★ 6.6/10Also drama and western
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.
16
Dalíland (2022)
★ 5.9/10Also history and drama
In 1973, a young gallery assistant goes on a wild adventure behind the scenes as he helps aging genius Salvador Dali prepare for a big show in New York.
17
Broke (2025)
★ 7/10Also western and drama
A bronc rider in denial about his fading rodeo career battles against brain injury and a sudden blizzard while reflecting on how it became so difficult to achieve his dreams.
18
End of the Spear (2005)
★ 6.3/10Also drama and history
"End of the Spear" is the story of Mincayani, a Waodani tribesman from the jungles of Ecuador. When five young missionaries, among them Jim Elliot and Nate Saint, are speared to death by the Waodani in 1956, a series…
19
McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971)
★ 7.2/10Also drama and western
A gambler and a prostitute become thriving business partners in a remote Old West mining town until a large corporation arrives on the scene.
20
True History of the Kelly Gang (2019)
★ 5.9/10Also drama and western
Set against the badlands of Australia where the English rule with a bloody fist and the Irish endure, Ned Kelly discovers he comes from a line of Irish rebels — an uncompromising army of cross dressing bandits…