Movies like How the West Was Won

A feature-film shortlist from the cached Film Atlas engine. The interactive map may include more titles or newer results. These are similarity matches, not a guarantee of age suitability.

1. 

   01

   Rio Grande

   Same director

   1950 · 105 min · Western

   Read synopsis

   Lt. Col. Kirby Yorke is posted on the Texas frontier to defend settlers against depredations of marauding Apaches. Col. Yorke is under considerable stress by a serious shortage of troops of his command. Tension is added when Yorke's son (whom he hasn't seen in fifteen years), Trooper Jeff Yorke, is one of 18 recruits sent to the regiment.

   Why it connects

   • strong story and style similarity
   • the same director
   • strong genre and movie-style overlap

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2. 

   02

   Cheyenne Autumn

   Same director

   1964 · 157 min · Western

   Read synopsis

   A reluctant cavalry Captain must track a defiant tribe of migrating Cheyenne.

   Why it connects

   • strong story and style similarity
   • the same director
   • several principal cast members

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3. 

   03

   Flaming Star

   Similar atmosphere

   1960 · 92 min · Western

   Read synopsis

   Pacer Burton, a young man of mixed Kiowa and white heritage, is caught between two worlds as conflict erupts between Native Americans and white settlers in Texas.

   Why it connects

   • strong genre and movie-style overlap
   • shared theme: native american
   • a closely matched era

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4. 

   04

   Two Rode Together

   Same director

   1961 · 109 min · Western

   Read synopsis

   Two tough westerners bring home a group of settlers who have spent years as Comanche hostages.

   Why it connects

   • strong story and style similarity
   • the same director
   • strong genre and movie-style overlap

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5. 

   05

   Rio Lobo

   Shared cast

   1970 · 116 min · Western

   Read synopsis

   After the Civil War, a former Union colonel searches for the two traitors whose perfidy led to the loss of a close friend.

   Why it connects

   • strong story and style similarity
   • strong genre and movie-style overlap
   • a principal cast member

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6. 

   06

   The Undefeated

   Shared cast

   1969 · 119 min · Western

   Read synopsis

   After the Civil War, ex-Union Colonel John Henry Thomas and ex-Confederate Colonel James Langdon are leading two disparate groups of people through strife-torn Mexico. John Henry and company are bringing horses to the unpopular Mexican government for $35 a head while Langdon is leading a contingent of displaced southerners, who are looking for a new life in Mexico after losing their property to carpetbaggers. The two men are eventually forced to mend their differences in order to fight off both bandits and revolutionaries, as they try to lead their friends and kin to safety.

   Why it connects

   • strong story and style similarity
   • strong genre and movie-style overlap
   • a principal cast member

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7. 

   07

   The Horse Soldiers

   Same director

   1959 · 115 min · War · Western

   Read synopsis

   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 connects

   • strong story and style similarity
   • the same director
   • substantial genre overlap

   Explore movies like The Horse Soldiers
8. 

   08

   Hombre

   Genre overlap

   1967 · 111 min · Drama · Western

   Read synopsis

   John Russell, disdained by his "respectable" fellow stagecoach passengers because he was raised by Indians, becomes their only hope for survival when they are set upon by outlaws.

   Why it connects

   • substantial genre overlap

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9. 

   09

   The Alamo

   Shared cast

   1960 · 202 min · Adventure · History · War · Western

   Read synopsis

   The legendary true story of a small band of soldiers who sacrificed their lives in hopeless combat against a massive army in order to prevent a tyrant from smashing the new Republic of Texas.

   Why it connects

   • strong story and style similarity
   • a principal cast member
   • a closely matched era

   Explore movies like The Alamo
10. 

    10

    The Big Country

    Shared cast

    1958 · 167 min · Drama · Other · Western

    Read synopsis

    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 connects

    • strong story and style similarity
    • principal cast overlap
    • a closely matched era

    Explore movies like The Big Country