Movies Like Desert Rats

If you liked Desert Rats (1988), a movie directed by Tony Wharmby, 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
El Dorado (1966)
★ 7.4/10
Cole Thornton, a gunfighter for hire, joins forces with an old friend, Sheriff J.P. Harrah. Together with a fighter and a gambler, they help a rancher and his family fight a rival rancher that is trying to steal their…
2
Firecreek (1968)
★ 6.2/10
A peace-loving, part-time sheriff in the small town of Firecreek must take a stand when a gang of vicious outlaws takes over his town.
3
R.I.P.D. 2: Rise of the Damned (2022)
★ 6.2/10
When Sheriff Roy Pulsipher finds himself in the afterlife, he joins a special police force and returns to Earth to save humanity from the undead.
4
Lonely are the Brave (1962)
★ 7.4/10
A fiercely independent cowboy arranges to have himself locked up in jail in order to then escape with an old friend who has been sentenced to the penitentiary.
5
The Devil All the Time (2020)
★ 7.2/10
In Knockemstiff, Ohio and its neighboring backwoods, sinister characters converge around young Arvin Russell as he fights the evil forces that threaten him and his family.
6
Normal (2026)
★ 7.2/10
An unassuming substitute sheriff with a troubled past responds to a bank robbery in a small, sleepy town and unknowingly uncovers something far more explosive.
7
Desert Dawn (2025)
★ 6.3/10
A newly appointed small-town sheriff and his begrudging deputy get tangled up in a web of lies and corruption involving shady businessmen and the cartel while investigating the murder of a mysterious woman.
8
The Warrior's Way (2010)
★ 6.6/10
A warrior-assassin is forced to hide in a small town in the American Badlands after refusing a mission.
9
Young Guns (1988)
★ 6.7/10
A group of young gunmen, led by Billy the Kid, become deputies to avenge the murder of the rancher who became their benefactor. But when Billy takes their authority too far, they become the hunted.
10
Close Range (2015)
★ 6.5/10
A rogue soldier turned outlaw is thrust into a relentless fight with a corrupt sheriff, his obedient deputies, and a dangerous drug cartel in order to protect his sister and her young daughter.
11
Fire in the Sky (1993)
★ 6.7/10
After clearing brush for the government, a group of men return to town claiming their friend was abducted. Despite no apparent motive or evidence of foul play, no-one believes their story and his disappearance is…
12
The Last Stand (2013)
★ 6.1/10
Ray Owens is sheriff of the quiet US border town of Sommerton Junction after leaving the LAPD following a bungled operation. Following his escape from the FBI, a notorious drug baron, his gang, and a hostage are…
13
Frontera (2014)
★ 6.5/10
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…
14
Appaloosa (2008)
★ 6.6/10
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.
15
Decision at Sundown (1957)
★ 6.4/10
A man and his partner arrive at a small Western town to kill its most powerful man because the former blames him for his wife's death.
16
The Last Hard Men (1976)
★ 6.1/10
In 1909 Arizona, retired lawman Sam Burgade's life is thrown upside-down when his old enemy Provo and six other convicts escape a chain-gang in the Yuma Territorial Prison and come gunning for Burgade.
17
Judy & Punch (2019)
★ 6.1/10
In the anarchic town of Seaside, nowhere near the sea, puppeteers Judy and Punch are trying to resurrect their marionette show. The show is a hit due to Judy's superior puppeteering but Punch's driving ambition and…
18
Odd Thomas (2013)
★ 7/10
In a California desert town, a short-order cook with clairvoyant abilities encounters a mysterious man with a link to dark, threatening forces.
19
Needful Things (1993)
★ 6.3/10
A mysterious new shop opens in a small town which always seems to stock the deepest desires of each shopper, with a price far heavier than expected.
20
Rio Bravo (1959)
★ 7.8/10
A small-town sheriff in the American West enlists the help of a disabled man, a drunk, and a young gunfighter in his efforts to hold in jail the brother of the local bad guy.