Movies Like Wake in Fright

If you liked Wake in Fright (1971), a drama and thriller movie directed by Ted Kotcheff, 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
Nitram (2021)
★ 6.9/10Also thriller and drama
Based on true events, "Nitram" lives with his parents in suburban Australia in the mid-90s. He lives a life of isolation and frustration at never fitting in. As his anger grows, he begins a slow descent into a…
2
High Ground (2021)
★ 6.4/10Also thriller and drama
In a remote corner of the wild country, a bloody war rages. Travis is a bounty hunter with one last hope of redemption. Gutjuk is a young Indigenous man trying to save the last of his family. Together they embark on a…
3
The Nightingale (2018)
★ 7/10Also drama and thriller
In 1825, Clare, a 21-year-old Irish convict, chases a British soldier through the rugged Tasmanian wilderness, bent on revenge for a terrible act of violence he committed against her family. She enlists the services of…
4
True History of the Kelly Gang (2019)
★ 5.9/10Also drama and thriller
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…
5
Goldstone (2016)
★ 6/10Also thriller
Indigenous Detective Jay Swan arrives in the frontier town of Goldstone on a missing persons inquiry. What seems like a simple investigation unearths an intricate web of crime, corruption, human trafficking, and…
6
Killing Them Softly (2012)
★ 6/10Also thriller
Jackie Cogan is an enforcer hired to restore order after three dumb guys rob a Mob protected card game, causing the local criminal economy to collapse.
7
McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971)
★ 7.2/10Also drama
A gambler and a prostitute become thriving business partners in a remote Old West mining town until a large corporation arrives on the scene.
8
The Dry (2021)
★ 6.8/10Also thriller
Aaron Falk returns to his drought-stricken hometown to attend a tragic funeral. But his return opens a decades-old wound - the unsolved death of a teenage girl.
9
Outback (2020)
★ 5.9/10Also thriller
A young American couple’s Australian holiday takes a terrifying turn when they get lost in the outback. With only one another to rely on, the two are driven to extremes in order to stay alive in the harsh and…
10
The Gambler (2014)
★ 6.1/10Also thriller and drama
Literature professor Jim Bennett leads a secret life as a high-stakes gambler. Always a risk-taker, Bennett bets it all when he borrows from a gangster and offers his own life as collateral. Staying one step ahead, he…
11
Tomorrow, When the War Began (2010)
★ 6.1/10Also drama
Ellie Linton, a teen from an Australian coastal town, leads her friends on an excursion to a camp deep in the woods, dubbed "Hell." Upon their return, the youths find that their town has been overrun by an enemy army…
12
The Rover (2014)
★ 6.3/10Also drama
Ten years after a severe economic collapse in the western world, lawlessness reigns and life is cheap. Eric is a lone drifter, and his car is his only possession. When a gang steals it, Eric comes across the injured…
13
Chopper (2000)
★ 6.8/10Also drama and thriller
The true and infamous story of Australia's notorious criminal Mark 'Chopper' Read and his years of crime, interest in violence, drugs and prostitutes.
14
The Proposition (2005)
★ 7/10Also drama
In 1880s Australia, a lawman offers renegade Charlie Burns a difficult choice. In order to save his younger brother from the gallows, Charlie must hunt down and kill his older brother, who is wanted for rape and…
15
Those Who Wish Me Dead (2021)
★ 6.6/10Also thriller
A young boy finds himself pursued by two assassins in the Montana wilderness, with a survival expert determined to protect him, and a forest fire threatening to consume them all.
16
Apex (2026)
★ 6.9/10Also thriller
A grieving woman pushing her limits on a solo adventure in the Australian wild is ensnared in a twisted game with a cunning killer who thinks she's prey.
17
Gunslingers (2025)
★ 6.1/10Also thriller
When the most wanted man in America surfaces in a small Kentucky town, his violent history -- and a blood-thirsty mob seeking vengeance and a king’s ransom -- soon follow. As brothers face off against one another and…
18
Lawless (2012)
★ 7.1/10Also drama
In 1931, the Bondurant brothers of Franklin County, Virginia, run a multipurpose backwoods establishment that hides their true business — bootlegging. Middle brother Forrest is the brain of the operation; older Howard…
19
The Lost Bus (2025)
★ 7/10Also drama and thriller
A determined father risks everything to rescue a dedicated teacher and her students from a raging wildfire.
20
Thieves Highway (2025)
★ 7.5/10Also thriller
After discovering a plot to haul stolen cattle in the middle of nowhere, a desperate and isolated lawman becomes the only thing standing between a group of dangerous rustlers and a clear run to the border.