Highest-Rated Movies about 'Desert Setting'

Sand Storm (2016), Bad Day at Black Rock (1955), Lucky (2017), Will Penny (1968), Bone Tomahawk (2015), The Hitch-Hiker (1953), Operation Condor (1991), Quigley Down Under (1990) ... Let's take a look at the ranked list of the best Desert Setting movies.

#2. Bad Day at Black Rock (1955)

Storyline: From the time John J. Macreedy steps off the train in Black Rock, he feels a chill from the local residents. The town is only a speck on the map and few if any strangers ever come to the place. Macreedy himself is tight-lipped about the purpose of his trip and he finds that the hotel refuses him a room, the local garage refuses to rent him a car and the sheriff is a useless drunkard. It's apparent that the locals have something to hide but when he finally tells them that he is there to speak to a Japanese-American farmer named Kamoko, he touches a nerve so sensitive that he will spend the next 24 hours fighting for his life.

Plot Keywords: western, thriller, crime, mystery, racism, small town secrets, revenge ...

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#3. Lucky (2017)

Storyline: Lucky is an old US Navy veteran of rigid habits and attitudes in a small town. When his routine is interrupted by a sudden collapse at home, Lucky finds himself realizing that his remarkably healthy old age is going to face an inevitable decline and he has to accept it. In that difficult reassessment, Lucky must face up to what he believes in and how much it compares to his neighbors' priorities. In doing so, Lucky finds that his life has its positive side as he searches for some meaning that he can accept.

Plot Keywords: drama, comedy, black comedy, independent film, aging, death, existentialism ...

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#4. Will Penny (1968)

Storyline: Will Penny, an aging cowpoke, takes a "line-rider" job on a vast cattle ranch requiring him to keep trespassers and squatters moving until they're off the property. Ironically, he discovers that the mountain cabin reserved for the line rider has been appropriated by Catherine Allen and her young son, Horace, whose guide has deserted them en route to Oregon to join Catherine's husband. Too soft-hearted and ashamed to kick mother and child out just as the bitter Rocky Mountains winter sets in, he agrees to share the cabin until the spring thaw. But it isn't just the snow that slowly thaws; lonely man and woman soon forget their considerable dissimilarities and start developing a deep, if awkward and unstated, love for each another. Beyond this, Horace finds in Will the father he's never known, and Will finds in Horace the son he's never known he's wanted. The trio's little refuge is then invaded by Bible-quoting preacher Quint and his murderous family of "rawhiders", who'd earlier nearly killed Will over an imagined insult, forcing Will to defend his own "family".—Alfred Jingle

Plot Keywords: western, adventure, drama, loneliness, survival, gritty, character study ...

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#5. Bone Tomahawk (2015)

Storyline: After an outlaw unknowingly leads a band of cannibalistic Troglodytes into the peaceful western town of Bright Hope, the monsters kidnap several settlers, including the wife of a local rancher. Despite his injured leg the rancher joins a small rescue party with the sheriff, his aging deputy and a strong-willed gunslinger. What follows is a journey into hell on earth as the posse comes to realize it is up against a foe whose savagery knows no bounds. The film takes place at the turn of the century around the border of what is now Texas and New Mexico.

Plot Keywords: western, horror, thriller, cannibalism, violence, gore, survival ...

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#6. The Hitch-Hiker (1953)

Storyline: Two friends on a fishing trip pick up a stranded motorist who turns out to be a psychotic escaped convict. This sociopath has already murdered other good Samaritans in his efforts to evade authorities. He sadistically taunts and threatens the two men and perversely delights in telling them that he has them both marked for death sometime before the end of the trip. His destination is a ferryboat in Baja, California, which he hopes will help him get to the mainland. The hostages hope to stay alive long enough to escape or be rescued by Mexican authorities.—duke1029

Plot Keywords: film noir, thriller, suspense, crime, psychological thriller, road movie, independent film ...

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#7. Operation Condor (1991)

Storyline: Asian Hawk (Jackie Chan) -- code name Condor -- is a secret agent for hire. Assigned by a Turkish duke to find stolen Nazi gold buried in the Sahara Desert, Condor must face mercenaries, guards and one remaining Nazi (Aldo Sánchez) who wants the treasure he helped steal all those years ago. Even after teaming up with three inept ladies (Carol "Do Do" Cheng, Eva Cobo de Garcia, Shoko Ikeda), Condor still has his work cut out for him on his hunt for the stolen loot.

Plot Keywords: action, adventure, comedy, martial arts, classic, treasure hunt, humor ...

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#8. Quigley Down Under (1990)

Storyline: Sharpshooter Matt Quigley is hired from America by an Australian rancher so he can shoot aborigines at a distance. Quigley takes exception to this and leaves. The rancher tries to kill him for refusing, and Quigley escapes into the brush with a woman he rescued from some of the rancher's men, and are helped by aborigines. Quigley returns the help, before going on to destroy all his enemies.

Plot Keywords: western, action, adventure, drama, historical, gunfight, australia ...

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#9. Heritage of the Desert (1939)

Storyline: John Abbott returns to the desert land he owns, and after being wounded by hired gunman Chick Chance, he is befriended by rancher Andrew Naab and his son, Marvin. Naab's daughter, Marian, falls in love with John but is about to marry Snap Thornton to keep a promise made by her father. She runs away on her wedding day but is captured and held hostage by outlaw Henry Holderness. John, the Naabs and fellow ranchers rush to her rescue.—Les Adams <longhorn1939@suddenlink.net>

Plot Keywords: western, classic film, 1930s, american film, black and white, paramount pictures, adventure ...

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#11. The King and Four Queens (1956)

Storyline: Smooth cowboy Dan Kehoe arrives at a ranch run by an old widow and her four daughters-in-law. He's been tipped off that the proceeds of a gold robbery are hidden on the ranch, but only one of the women knows where. He plays them off against each other in his quest to discover the location.—Col Needham <col@imdb.com>

Plot Keywords: western, adventure, romance, drama, 1950s, color film, outlaw ...

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#12. A Thunder of Drums (1961)

Storyline: Captain Maddocks will never be promoted beyond Captain because of a mistake that he made in the past. Lt. McQuade is a green rookie who is now under the command of the tough Captain and he does not seem to be able to do anything right. Lt. McQuade also has trouble with Tracey, but it will be the renegade Indians that will test him and teach him the importance of following orders.—Tony Fontana <tony.fontana@spacebbs.com>

Plot Keywords: western, american film, military theme, war film, historical drama, action film, drama ...

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#13. Adios Sabata (1971)

Storyline: In Mexico, during the rule of the self-proclaimed Emperor of Mexico Maximillian (1864-1867), Mexican revolutionaries and Republican forces try to bring former Mexican President Benito Juárez back to power. The United States in neutral and is going through the pains of the American Civil War. Mexican guerrilla leader Señor Ocaño hires gunfighter Sabata to steal a wagon-load of gold from Emperor Maximillian's Austrian and French forces. When Sabata and his friends, Escudo and Ballantine, finally get their hands on a wagon, they discover it's full of sand rather than gold. They suspect that the gold was stolen by Austrian Colonel Skimmel. Therefore, Sabata and his partners set out to find the gold and give it to the Mexican revolutionaries.—nufs68

Plot Keywords: western, spaghetti western, action, adventure, gunfight, revenge, mercenary ...

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#14. Kingdom of the Spiders (1977)

Storyline: Investigating the mysterious deaths of a number of farm animals, vet Rack Hansen discovers that his town lies in the path of hoards of migrating tarantulas. Before he can take action, the streets are overrun by killer spiders, trapping a small group of towns folk in a remote hotel.—Ross Horsley <ics6rh@leeds.ac.uk>

Plot Keywords: horror, science fiction, thriller, animal attack, b-movie, cult film, american film ...

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#15. Badlands of Dakota (1941)

Storyline: Bob Holliday (Broderick Crawford), owner of the Bella Union saloon in Deadwood, sends his younger brother, Jim Holliday (Robert Stack), to St. Louis, Missouri to escort back Anne Grayson (Ann Rutherford), Bob's childhood sweetheart. On the riverboat journey back to Deadwood, Jim and Anne fall in love and are married by the riverboat captain. Whe Bob learns of this he is outraged and goes on a drunken binge and is beat up by the ruthless Jack McCall (Lon Chaney, Jr.) and is saved by a teamster called and known only as Jane (Frances Farmer). She loves Bob and has thought she and Bob would get married. Bitter Bob joins McCall's renegades who, disguised as Indians, rob the stagecoach gold shipments , aided by information supplied by Ransome (Bradley Page), the local agent for the stagecoach line. To end the lawlessness, leading citizens of the town decide to hire a town marshal. When Wild Bill Hickok, turns down the job, Bob suggests that the unqualified Jim be given the job. Bob thinks that Jim will be humiliated and possibly killed, so he can marry Jim's widow. With timely interference by Hickok, Jim arrests McCall but he escapes. And Jane makes an unsuccessful attempt to stop Bob riding with the renegades. Jim has a plan to capture the outlaws by having a posse follow the stagecoach, but it goes awry but Jim finds a watch-fob belonging to Bob. The latter claims he lost it when McCall beat him up. Jim buys his exclamation. Meanwhile McCall murders Hickok and Jim is going after him but is stopped when Jane warns the town that, based on smoke signals, it is about to be attacked by the Sioux. Jim sends stagecoach driver, Hurricane Harry (Fuzzy Knight), to bring General Custer (Addison Richards) and his 7th Cavalry troopers. The Sioux attack and set fire to the town, while Bob and McCall and the gang members, disguised as Indians and under cover of the attack, plan to rob the bank.—Les Adams <longhorn1939@suddenlink.net>

Plot Keywords: western, black and white, 1940s, american film, historical drama, action, adventure ...

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