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Shane poster

Movies that feel likeShane (1953)

A weary gunfighter attempts to settle down with a homestead family, but a smouldering settler and rancher conflict forces him to act.

If you loved Shane, the closest films we have are Giant (1956), Midnight Cowboy (1969) and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969). All three share Shane's contemplative and gritty feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949).

πŸ… 97% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 7.6 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. George Stevenscontemplativegrittywarm
8 of 12 streaming nowParamount Plus Premium Β· MGM Plus

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If Shane hit the spot, these will too

Giant poster
Giant
1956 Β· dir. George Stevens
πŸ… 86%β˜… 7.6drama Β· western

The same hand behind both of them: George Stevens

The difference: Takes it somewhere less warm than Shane does

Wealthy rancher Bick Benedict and dirt-poor cowboy Jett Rink both woo Leslie Lynnton, a beautiful young woman from Maryland who is new to Texas. She marries Benedict, but she is shocked by the racial bigotry of the White Texans against the local people of Mexican descent. Rink discovers oil on a small plot of land, and while he uses his vast, new wealth to buy all the land surrounding the Benedict ranch, the Benedict's disagreement over prejudice fuels conflict that runs across generations.

Midnight Cowboy poster
Midnight Cowboy
1969 Β· dir. John Schlesinger
πŸ… 89%β˜… 7.8drama

Common ground: friendship

Joe Buck is a wide-eyed hustler from Texas hoping to score big with wealthy New York City women; he finds a companion in Enrico "Ratso" Rizzo, an ailing swindler with a bum leg and a quixotic fantasy of escaping to Florida.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid poster
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
1969 Β· dir. George Roy Hill
πŸ… 89%β˜… 8western Β· crime Β· drama

The same mix in both: stillness, then grit

The difference: Sits closer to crime than Shane does

As the west rapidly becomes civilized, a pair of outlaws in 1890s Wyoming find themselves pursued by a posse and decide to flee to South America in hopes of evading the law.

Bad Education poster
Bad Education
2004 Β· dir. Pedro AlmodΓ³var
πŸ… 88%β˜… 7.4drama Β· crime

One thread runs through both: friendship

The difference: 51 years apart, and the 2000s show

When an old friend brings filmmaker Enrique Goded a semi-autobiographical script chronicling their adolescence, Enrique is forced to relive his youth spent at a Catholic boarding school. Weaving through past and present, the script follows a transvestite performer who reconnects with a grade school sweetheart. Spurred on by this chance encounter, the character reflects on her childhood sexual victimization and the trauma of closeting her sexual orientation.

Pleasure poster
Pleasure
2021 Β· dir. Ninja Thyberg
πŸ… 88%β˜… 6.3dramaRent or buy

Both lean on warmth more than on drama

Bella Cherry arrives in Los Angeles with dreams of becoming an adult film star, but she soon learns that fame won't come easy as she harnesses her ambition and cunning to rise to the top of this mesmerizing and singular world.

Fort Apache poster
Fort Apache
1948 Β· dir. John Ford
πŸ… 100%β˜… 7.4western

Western built on grit, twice over

Owen Thursday sees his new posting to the desolate Fort Apache as a chance to claim the military honour which he believes is rightfully his. Arrogant, obsessed with military form and ultimately self-destructive, he attempts to destroy the Apache chief Cochise after luring him across the border from Mexico, against the advice of his subordinates.

The Ox-Bow Incident poster
The Ox-Bow Incident
1943 Β· dir. William A. Wellman
πŸ… 90%β˜… 8western

Gritty western in both cases

A posse discovers a trio of men they suspect of murder and cow theft and are split between handing them over to the law or lynching them on the spot.

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance poster
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
1962 Β· dir. John Ford
πŸ… 95%β˜… 8.1western

Both are built on the same subject: showdown

Questions arise when Senator Stoddard attends the funeral of a local man named Tom Doniphon in a small Western town. Flashing back, we learn Doniphon saved Stoddard, then a lawyer, when he was roughed up by a crew of outlaws terrorizing the town, led by Liberty Valance. As the territory's safety hung in the balance, Doniphon and Stoddard, two of the only people standing up to him, proved to be very important, but different, foes to Valance.

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon poster
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
1949 Β· dir. John Ford
πŸ… 91%β˜… 7.2drama Β· western

Drama with a pulse of stillness, in both cases

On the eve of retirement, Captain Nathan Brittles takes out a last patrol to stop an impending massive Indian attack. Encumbered by women who must be evacuated, Brittles finds his mission imperiled.

The Searchers poster
The Searchers
1956 Β· dir. John Ford
πŸ… 87%β˜… 7.8western

Western in the same key

As a Civil War veteran spends years searching for a young niece captured by Indians, his motivation becomes increasingly questionable.

A Simple Plan poster
A Simple Plan
1998 Β· dir. Sam Raimi
πŸ… 91%β˜… 7.5crime Β· drama Β· thrillerParamount+

Warm drama, and it commits to that

Captivated by the lure of sudden wealth, the quiet rural lives of two brothers erupt into conflicts of greed, paranoia and distrust when over $4 million in cash is discovered at the remote site of a downed small airplane. Their simple plan to retain the money while avoiding detection opens a Pandora's box when the fear of getting caught triggers panicked behavior and leads to virulent consequences.

The Magnificent Seven poster
The Magnificent Seven
1960 Β· dir. John Sturges
πŸ… 93%β˜… 7.7western

Both run warm where it counts

An oppressed Mexican peasant village hires seven gunfighters to help defend their homes.

In the mood for more contemplative?

all contemplative movies β†’

The best-reviewed films that share Shane’s defining feeling.