Best movies like Burke & Wills
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
A story based on true events about two explorers on a doomed journey trying to cross Australia on foot in the 19 century.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 276
Genere: Adventure, Drama, History, Romance
Country: Australia
Duration: 140 min
Plot tags: rough, bleak, epic, serious, captivating, realistic, stylized, independent film, period drama
Best tv shows and movies like Burke & Wills (1985):
Similar in 83%
A Summer Story (1988)
Plot Summary:
A bittersweet tale of lost love, based on a short story ("The Apple Tree") by John Galsworthy.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: period piece, independent film, sentimental, touching, serious, emotional, realistic, period drama
Similar in 89%
Mad Dog Morgan (1976)
Plot Summary:
The true story of Irish outlaw Daniel Morgan, who is wanted, dead or alive, in Australia during the 1850s.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, History, Western
Country: Australia
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: period piece, mockbuster, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, psychotronic, independent film, weird, cult film
Similar in 78%
Sweet Country (2017)
Plot Summary:
It’s 1929 on the vast, desert-like, Eastern Arrernte Nation lands that are now known as the Central Australian outback. Sam Kelly, a middle-aged Aboriginal man, works the land of a kind preacher, Fred Smith. After an ill-tempered bully arrives in town and Kelly kills him in self-defence, he and his wife go on the run as a posse gathers to hunt him down.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Adventure, Crime, Drama, Thriller, Western
Country: Australia
Duration: 113 min
Plot tags: sincere, captivating, suspense, disturbing, inspirational, social, visual, sweet, pastoral, intercultural
Similar in 80%
Krakatoa: East of Java (1968)
Plot Summary:
A team of maritime salvage workers are about to embark on a recovery dive. However the 1883 Krakatoa Volcano eruption provides more pressing problems.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 131 min
Plot tags: epic, independent film, tense, serious, suspenseful, 70mm film, disaster movie
Similar in 87%
The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith (1978)
Plot Summary:
The true story of a part aboriginal man who finds the pressure of adapting to white culture intolerable, and as a result snaps in a violent and horrific manner.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama, History
Country: Australia
Duration: 122 min
Plot tags: thought provoking, grindhouse, psychological, rough, epic, serious, emotional, realistic, disturbing, contemplative
Similar in 83%
Archer (1985)
Plot Summary:
During the 1860s, Dave Powers, apprentice to a horse trainer, volunteers to ride Archer to the Melbourne Cup race. Their start is 600 miles from Melbourne, and the journey is anything but easy. Of course, the pair have numerous adventures along the way, and in the end Archer competes in the Melbourne Cup race.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 292
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Western
Country: Australia
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, independent film
Similar in 81%
Charlie's Country (2013)
Plot Summary:
Blackfella Charlie is getting older, and he's out of sorts. The intervention is making life more difficult on his remote community, what with the proper policing of whitefella laws that don't generally make much sense, and Charlie's kin and ken seeming more interested in going along with things than doing anything about it. So Charlie takes off, to live the old way, but in doing so sets off a chain of events in his life that has him return to his community chastened, and somewhat the wiser.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Adventure, Drama
Country: Australia
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: semi autobiographical, atmospheric, thought provoking, realistic, serious, psychological, captivating, political, anthropological, gloomy
Similar in 79%
Lost Holiday: The Jim & Suzanne Shemwell Story (2007)
Plot Summary:
In Idaho, an estranged couple are trapped in a blizzard while on vacation just before Christmas.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 297
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: touching, serious, captivating, realistic
Similar in 80%
The Earthling (1980)
Plot Summary:
Patrick Foley has been on the move all his live. Tired of drifting, he wants to spend his last days in an isolated Australian valley where he grew up. On his difficult journey he meets Shawn, a little desperate city-boy whose parents were killed in an accident in this remote inhospitable territory. Being unable to accompany the boy back to the civilized world he reluctantly takes him with him on his trip to that valley and teaches him in a rugged way how to survive.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Adventure, Drama
Country: Australia, USA
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: anamorphic, serious, surreal, independent film
Similar in 87%
Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002)
Plot Summary:
In 1931, three aboriginal girls escape after being plucked from their homes to be trained as domestic staff and set off on a trek across the Outback.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 30000
Genere: Adventure, Biography, Drama
Country: Australia
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: touching, emotional, poignant, factual, heartbreaking, thought provoking, serious, independent film, realistic, sad
Similar in 86%
A Far Off Place (1993)
Plot Summary:
Thrown together under incredible circumstances, two strangers must discover courage and strength when they begin a journey across the treacherous African desert! Equipped only with their wits and the expertise of a native bushman who befriends them, they are determined to triumph over impossible odds and reach their destination. But along the way, the trio face a primitive desert wilderness.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Family, Romance
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: scenic, touching, exciting, inspirational, atmospheric, sad, poignant, anamorphic, serious, gloomy
Similar in 77%
We of the Never Never (1982)
Plot Summary:
Based on the well-loved Australian classic by Mrs. Aeneas Gunn, this is the remarkable true story of Jeannie Gunn, a woman who fought to overcome sexual and racial prejudice amid the harsh beauties of the outback. Leaving her Melbourne existence for a new life on her husband's isolated ranch, Jeannie's feisty, good-natured attitude soon wins over the misogynistic stockmen, but she faces a much tougher challenge in trying to change their racist attitudes towards the indigenous aboriginal population.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 456
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: Australia
Duration: 134 min
Plot tags: independent film, sentimental, sincere, uplifting, touching, serious, realistic, crying, period piece, period drama
Similar in 87%
Mountains of the Moon (1990)
Plot Summary:
The story of Captain Richard Francis Burton's and Lt. John Hanning Speke's expedition to find the source of the Nile river in the name of Queen Victoria's British Empire. The film tells the story of their meeting, their friendship emerging amidst hardship, and then dissolving after their journey.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, History, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 136 min
Plot tags: captivating, atmospheric, serious, realistic, period piece, costume drama, brutal, independent film, epic, exciting
Similar in 82%
Breaker Morant (1980)
Plot Summary:
During the Boer War, three Australian lieutenants are on trial for shooting Boer prisoners. Though they acted under orders, they are being used as scapegoats by the General Staff, who hopes to distance themselves from the irregular practices of the war. The trial does not progress as smoothly as expected by the General Staff, as the defence puts up a strong fight in the courtroom.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 14000
Genere: Drama, History, War
Country: Australia
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: political, tense, witty, factual, atmospheric, intense, rough, suspenseful, disturbing, thought provoking
Similar in 78%
Ned Kelly (2003)
Plot Summary:
After getting threatened by Kelly's friends and family, Constable Fitzpatrick places the blame on Ned Kelly and exaggerates what happened. With the biggest ever award available, Kelly and his gang set into the wild, to remain hidden from everyone who seeks them. Even if it means having his family arrested, the Kelly Gang stay hidden and plan a way to get their names cleared.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 28000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Biography, Crime, Drama, History, Romance, Western
Country: Australia, UK, USA, France
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: romantic, captivating, factual, sincere, rough, dramatic, historical drama, psychotronic, educational, costume drama
Similar in 87%
Beloved Sisters (2014)
Plot Summary:
A love triangle forms between post-Enlightenment writer Friedrich Schiller and two sisters -- one who became his wife, and the other, his biographer.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, History, Romance
Country: Germany, Austria, Switzerland
Duration: 138 min
Plot tags: romantic, emotional, realistic, touching, serious, captivating, sexy, period piece, costume drama, gloomy
Similar in 78%
Queen of the Desert (2015)
Plot Summary:
A chronicle of Gertrude Bell's life, a traveler, writer, archaeologist, explorer, cartographer, and political attaché for the British Empire at the dawn of the twentieth century.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Adventure, Biography, Drama, History, Romance
Country: USA, Morocco
Duration: 128 min
Plot tags: stylized, serious, captivating, realistic, sincere, period piece, suspenseful, factual, inspirational, independent film
Similar in 80%
The Lighthorsemen (1987)
Plot Summary:
Palestine, 1917. The British advance has been stopped by the Turkish line running from Gaza to Beersheba. The latest attack on Gaza has failed. The attacking forces included a regiment of Australian mounted infantry, the Light Horse... Lighthorseman Frank is wounded in a skirmish with Bedouin. He is replaced by a young soldier, Dave, who proves to be a crack shot, but reluctant to fire at the enemy. Dave proves himself during a German biplane attack. Recuperating in hospital, he meets a sympathetic nurse, Anne... The regiment is called upon for a bold flanking attack on Beersheba. But how do you convince the Turks the main attack will come at Gaza? And how do you attack across a desert without water?.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, History, War
Country: Australia
Duration: 131 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, disturbing, tense, anamorphic, epic, crying, independent film
Similar in 84%
Miss Austen Regrets (2007)
Plot Summary:
An outwardly confident but unmarried woman on the verge of her fortieth birthday reflects on her past suitors and the choices she once made while attempting to help her marriage minded niece choose between a number of potential suitors in this tale inspired by the life and letters of Jane Austen. Jane Austen is about to turn forty, but she still hasn't found her ideal man. When Jane is approached by her niece Fanny and asked to help select the perfect husband for the young girl, the aging spinster begins to wonder why it is that she never found a man to share her own life with. Perhaps if Jane had accepted the proposal of a wealthy landowner she could have saved her family from financial ruin, and what of the handsome young physician who once warmed to Jane after tending to her ailing family members?.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, Romance
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: realistic, stylized, period piece, captivating, melancholic, historical drama, historical romance, clever, serious, period drama
Similar in 90%
Gallipoli (1981)
Plot Summary:
As World War I rages, brave and youthful Australians Archy and Frank, both agile runners, become friends and enlist in the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps together. They later find themselves part of the Dardanelles Campaign on the Gallipoli peninsula, a brutal eight-month conflict which pit the British and their allies against the Ottoman Empire and left over 500,000 men dead.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 41000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, History, War
Country: Australia
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, touching, harsh, emotional, intense, serious, captivating, realistic, depressing, sad
Similar in 81%
Forbidden Territory: Stanley's Search for Livingstone (1997)
Plot Summary:
British explorer Henry Stanley travels to Africa in 1871 seeking missionary David Livingstone.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 262
Genere: Adventure, Drama, History
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic
Similar in 80%
Quigley Down Under (1990)
Plot Summary:
American Matt Quigley answers Australian land baron Elliott Marston's ad for a sharpshooter to kill the dingoes on his property. But when Quigley finds out that Marston's real target is the aborigines, Quigley hits the road. Now, even American expatriate Crazy Cora can't keep Quigley safe in his cat-and-mouse game with the homicidal Marston.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 24000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, Romance, Western
Country: Australia, USA, France
Duration: 119 min
Plot tags: suspense, entertaining, exciting, harsh, rough, realistic, serious, period piece, spaghetti western, funny
Similar in 89%
Walkabout (1971)
Plot Summary:
Under the pretense of having a picnic, a geologist takes his teenage daughter and 6-year-old son into the Australian outback and attempts to shoot them. When he fails, he turns the gun on himself, and the two city-bred children must contend with harsh wilderness alone. They are saved by a chance encounter with an Aborigine boy who shows them how to survive, and in the process underscores the disharmony between nature and modern life.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 27000
Genere: Adventure, Drama
Country: UK, Australia
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: road movie, atmospheric, visual, surreal, scenic, visually stunning, meditative, thought provoking, touching, philosophical
Similar in 78%
The Man from Snowy River (1982)
Plot Summary:
Jim Craig has lived his first 18 years in the mountains of Australia on his father's farm. The death of his father forces him to go to the low lands to earn enough money to get the farm back on its feet. Kirk Douglas plays two roles as twin brothers who haven't spoken for years, one of whom was Jim's father's best friend and the other of whom is the father of the girl he wants to marry.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Romance, Western
Country: Australia
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: sentimental, cult classic, surprise ending, feel good, serious, captivating, realistic, independent film, exciting, light
Similar in 75%
The Bounty (1984)
Plot Summary:
The familiar story of Lieutenant Bligh, whose cruelty leads to a mutiny on his ship. This version follows both the efforts of Fletcher Christian to get his men beyond the reach of British retribution, and the epic voyage of Lieutenant Bligh to get his loyalists safely to East Timor in a tiny lifeboat.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 29000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, History, Romance
Country: UK, USA, New Zealand
Duration: 132 min
Plot tags: epic, period piece, costume drama, captivating, suspenseful, breathtaking, suspense, intense, factual, melancholic
Similar in 81%
Phar Lap (1983)
Plot Summary:
Phar Lap, the big bold chestnut reigned as the king of the turf in the depression that gripped Australia of the 1930s. From his humble beginnings the New Zealand bred horse raced on to become the hero of a nation.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Family, History, Sport
Country: Australia
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: anamorphic, sentimental, serious, realistic
Similar in 76%
Tracks (2013)
Plot Summary:
Accompanied only by her faithful dog and four camels, an Australian satisfies her craving for solitude by embarking on a solo trip across the desert from Alice Springs to the Indian Ocean.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 31000
Genere: Adventure, Biography, Drama
Country: Australia
Duration: 112 min
Plot tags: uplifting, touching, scenic, atmospheric, sexy, feel good, social, artsy, independent film, cerebral
Similar in 89%
Australia (2008)
Plot Summary:
Set in northern Australia before World War II, an English aristocrat who inherits a sprawling ranch reluctantly pacts with a stock-man in order to protect her new property from a takeover plot. As the pair drive 2,000 head of cattle over unforgiving landscape, they experience the bombing of Darwin, Australia, by Japanese forces firsthand.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 129000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Romance, War, Western
Country: UK, Australia, USA
Duration: 165 min
Plot tags: scenic, emotional, epic, romantic, period piece, captivating, stylized, breathtaking, romantic drama, sentimental
Similar in 84%
The Lost City of Z (2016)
Plot Summary:
A true-life drama in the 1920s, centering on British explorer Col. Percy Fawcett, who discovered evidence of a previously unknown, advanced civilazation in the Amazon and disappeared whilst searching for it.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 98000
Genere: Adventure, Biography, Drama, History
Country: USA
Duration: 141 min
Plot tags: inspirational, meditative, exciting, period piece, suspense, atmospheric, factual, historical drama, motivational, retro
Similar in 79%
The Way Back (2010)
Plot Summary:
Peter Weir's follow-up to Master & Commander (2003) is the stark & brilliant The Way Back, which takes on the theme of man's struggle for freedom. At the dawn of WWII, several men escape from a Russian gulag. The film details their perilous & uncertain journey to freedom, as they cross deserts, mountains, & several nations.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 121000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, History
Country: USA, United Arab Emirates, Poland, India
Duration: 133 min
Plot tags: realistic, epic, inspirational, rough, serious, bleak, visually appealing, intense, road movie, dramatic