Movies Like River Queen (2005)

River Queen is a 2005 adventure, war film from Vincent Ward with a MovieMagicScore of 5.6/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with The Piano and The Dead Lands.

Adventure War

The Piano

1993

When an arranged marriage brings Ada and her spirited daughter to the wilderness of nineteenth-century New Zealand, she finds herself locked in a battle of wills with both her controlling husband and a rugged frontiersman to whom she develops a forbidden attraction.

7.4

MagicScore

The Dead Lands

2014

Hongi, a Maori chieftain’s teenage son, must avenge his father’s murder in order to bring peace and honour to the souls of his loved ones after his tribe is slaughtered through an act of treachery. Vastly outnumbered by a band of villains led by Wirepa, Hongi’s only hope is to pass through the feared and forbidden “Dead Lands” and forge an uneasy alliance with a mysterious warrior, a ruthless fighter who has ruled the area for years.

6.1

MagicScore

Once Were Warriors

1994

A drama about a Maori family living in Auckland, New Zealand. Lee Tamahori tells the story of Beth Heke’s strong will to keep her family together during times of unemployment and abuse from her violent and alcoholic husband.

7.4

MagicScore

Boy

2010

Boy, an 11-year-old child and devout Michael Jackson fan who lives on the east coast of New Zealand in 1984, gets a chance to know his absentee criminal father, who has returned to find a bag of money he buried years ago.

7.3

MagicScore

What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?

1999

Five years have passed and Jake has turned his back on his family. He's still up to his usual tricks in McClutchy's Bar, unaware, as he downs his latest opponent, that his eldest son, Nig, has died in a gang fight. The uncomfortable family reunion at Nig's funeral sparks a confrontation with second son, Sonny, and sets Jake and Sonny on a downward spiral.

6.6

MagicScore

The Convert

2024

Munro, a soldier turned lay preacher, comes to New Zealand to minister to the first British colonists, but he is converted by the powerful chief Maianui to serve a different purpose.

6.2

MagicScore

Tracker

2010

An ex-Boer war guerrilla in New Zealand is sent out to bring back a Maori accused of killing a British soldier. Gradually they grow to know and respect one another but a posse, led by the British Commanding officer is close behind and his sole intention is to see the Maori hang. Written by Filmfinders 1903. A guerilla fighter from the South African Boer war called Arjan (Winstone) takes on a manhunt for Maori seaman Kereama (Morrison), who is accused of murdering a British soldier. What follows is a cat and mouse pursuit through the varied landscape of NZ with both hunter and huntee testing their bushcraft and wits against that of the other. Written by Anonymous

6.5

MagicScore

Belief: The Possession of Janet Moses

2015

This impressive doco disperses the fog of shame and sensationalism to shed light on the tragedy that made international headlines in 2007 when a young Wainuiomata woman died during a mākutu lifting.

6.4

MagicScore

Utu

1984

In New Zealand in the 1860s the native Māori people fought the British colonials to keep the land guaranteed to them by treaty. The warrior Te Wheke fights for the British until betrayal leads him to seek utu (revenge). The settler Williamson in turn seeks revenge after Te Wheke attacks his homestead. Meanwhile Wiremu, an officer for the British, seems to think that resistance is futile.

7.0

MagicScore

#10

The World's Fastest Indian

2005

The life story of New Zealander Burt Munro, who spent years building a 1920 Indian motorcycle—a bike which helped him set the land-speed world record at Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats in 1967.

7.7

MagicScore

#11

Hunt for the Wilderpeople

2016

Ricky is a defiant young city kid who finds himself on the run with his cantankerous foster uncle in the wild New Zealand bush. A national manhunt ensues, and the two are forced to put aside their differences and work together to survive.

7.7

MagicScore

#12

Goodbye Pork Pie

1981

Gerry hires a car in Kaitaia with a stolen licence and travels to Invercargill with John, whose wife has just left him. The ultimate New Zealand road trip adventure.

6.6

MagicScore

#13

Until They Sail

1957

Four sisters in New Zealand fall for soldiers en route to the Pacific theater in WWII.

6.4

MagicScore

#14

The Navigator: A Medieval Odyssey

1988

Cumberland, 1348. The plague is spreading in medieval England. The remote village of little Griffin is also threatened. But the 9-year-old boy has a recurring dream that holds the key to a tiny hope of survival: a lake with a coffin floating on it. A white church with an iron cross. A falling glove. A falling silhouette. A torch tumble through a dark shaft into infinity. With his brother he recognizes in it a prophecy to escape the Black Death. So they embark with a few men on a journey to a distant cathedral, where they want to set up an iron cross as an offering to God. Her path leads them through a deep and dark mine shaft into an unknown land and completely outlandish time - into the present-day New Zealand of the 1980s.

6.2

MagicScore

#15

Race for the Yankee Zephyr

1981

In a lake high in the mountains of New Zealand hunter Gibbie Gibson discovers a plane wreck from WW2. When he tells it around, a gang of crooks follows and threatens him and his daughter, because they know there are 50 million dollars in the wreck. Helicopter pilot Barney helps Gibbie against them, risking his life thereby.

5.8

MagicScore

#16

The Devil's Rock

2011

Set in the Channel Islands on the eve of D Day, two Kiwi commandos, sent to destroy German gun emplacements to distract Hitler's forces away from Normandy, discover a Nazi occult plot to unleash demonic forces to win the war.

5.6

MagicScore

#17

Under the Mountain

2009

Teenage twins battle dark forces hidden beneath Auckland's volcanoes.

4.6

MagicScore

#18

Battletruck

1982

It's the 21st century, the Oil Wars have made a mess of the planet and the land outside major cities is lawless. After Hunter comes to the aid of Corlie, who has run away from the villainous Straker, he takes her to the peaceful community of Clearwater. Unfortunately for the citizens of Clearwater, Straker fully intends to get Corlie back.

4.5

MagicScore

#19

What We Do in the Shadows

2014

Vampire housemates try to cope with the complexities of modern life and show a newly turned hipster some of the perks of being undead.

7.6

MagicScore

#20

Braindead

1992

When a Sumatran rat-monkey bites Lionel Cosgrove's mother, she's transformed into a zombie and begins killing (and transforming) the entire town while Lionel races to keep things under control.

7.4

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like River Queen?

The top films similar to River Queen by MovieMagicScore are The Piano (7.4), The Dead Lands (6.1), Once Were Warriors (7.4). Each shares adventure/war themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is River Queen worth watching?

River Queen holds a MovieMagicScore of 5.6/10 from 36 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is River Queen?

River Queen (2005) is a adventure, war film directed by Vincent Ward, starring Samantha Morton, Kiefer Sutherland, Cliff Curtis.

Where can I find more recommendations like River Queen?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more adventure recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like The Piano Movies like The Dead Lands Movies like Once Were Warriors Movies like Boy Movies like What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?Movies like The Convert

About movies like River Queen

This ranked list pairs River Queen (2005), a adventure and war film from Vincent Ward, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Samantha Morton take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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