Movies Like Lone Star (1996)

Lone Star is a 1996 drama, mystery, romance film from John Sayles with a MovieMagicScore of 7.0/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with No Country for Old Men and Incendies.

Drama Mystery Romance

No Country for Old Men

2007

Llewelyn Moss stumbles upon dead bodies, $2 million and a hoard of heroin in a Texas desert, but methodical killer Anton Chigurh comes looking for it, with local sheriff Ed Tom Bell hot on his trail. The roles of prey and predator blur as the violent pursuit of money and justice collide.

7.9

MagicScore

Incendies

2010

A mother's last wishes send twins Jeanne and Simon on a journey to Middle East in search of their tangled roots. Adapted from Wajdi Mouawad's acclaimed play, Incendies tells the powerful and moving tale of two young adults' voyage to the core of deep-rooted hatred, never-ending wars and enduring love.

8.1

MagicScore

Inheritance

2020

The patriarch of a wealthy and powerful family suddenly passes away, leaving his wife and daughter with a shocking secret inheritance that threatens to unravel and destroy their lives.

6.3

MagicScore

The Locusts

1997

Delilah Potts has always had her choice of men to work her ranch and fill her bed. But from the moment Clay Hewitt, a handsome drifter with a mysterious past, arrives at her door, Delilah knows that her life will never be the same. And when he spurns her affections, she unleashes a torrent of forbidden passions and deadly secrets that will prove to Clay that the only thing darker and more dangerous than the past he's escaping... is the one he's about to discover.

5.7

MagicScore

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada

2005

When brash Texas border officer Mike Norton wrongfully kills and buries the friend and ranch hand of Pete Perkins, the latter is reminded of a promise he made to bury his friend, Melquiades Estrada, in his Mexican home town. He kidnaps Norton and exhumes Estrada's corpse, and the odd caravan sets out on horseback for Mexico.

7.0

MagicScore

Bone Tomahawk

2015

During a shootout in a saloon, Sheriff Hunt injures a suspicious stranger. The doctor's assistant, wife of the local foreman, tends to him in prison. That night, the town is attacked and they both disappear—only the arrow of a cannibal tribe is found. Hunt and a few of his men go in search of the prisoner and the foreman's wife.

6.9

MagicScore

Little Bone Lodge

2023

During a stormy night in the Scottish Highlands, two criminal brothers on the run seek refuge in a desolate farmhouse. But after taking the resident family captive, they find the house holds even darker secrets of its own.

6.6

MagicScore

Paris, Texas

1984

A man wanders out of the desert not knowing who he is. His brother finds him, and helps to pull his memory back of the life he led before he walked out on his family and disappeared four years earlier.

8.1

MagicScore

Hell or High Water

2016

A divorced dad and his ex-con brother resort to a desperate scheme in order to save their family's farm in West Texas.

7.3

MagicScore

#10

Hud

1963

Hud Bannon is a ruthless young man who tarnishes everything and everyone he touches. Hud represents the perfect embodiment of alienated youth, out for kicks with no regard for the consequences. There is bitter conflict between the callous Hud and his stern and highly principled father, Homer. Hud's nephew Lon admires Hud's cheating ways, though he soon becomes too aware of Hud's reckless amorality to bear him anymore. In the world of the takers and the taken, Hud is a winner. He's a cheat, but, he explains, "I always say the law was meant to be interpreted in a lenient manner."

7.3

MagicScore

#11

Eddington

2025

In May of 2020, a standoff between a small-town sheriff and mayor sparks a powder keg as neighbor is pitted against neighbor in Eddington, New Mexico.

6.4

MagicScore

#12

The Last Stand

2013

Ray Owens is sheriff of the quiet US border town of Sommerton Junction after leaving the LAPD following a bungled operation. Following his escape from the FBI, a notorious drug baron, his gang, and a hostage are heading toward Sommerton Junction where the police are preparing to make a last stand to intercept them before they cross the border. Owens is reluctant to become involved but ultimately joins in with the law enforcement efforts.

6.1

MagicScore

#13

The Forever Purge

2021

All the rules are broken as a sect of lawless marauders decides that the annual Purge does not stop at daybreak and instead should never end as they chase a group of immigrants who they want to punish because of their harsh historical past.

6.9

MagicScore

#14

Bonnie and Clyde

1967

In the 1930s, bored European-American waitress Bonnie Parker falls in love with a European-American ex-con named Clyde Barrow and together they start a violent crime spree through the country, stealing cars and robbing banks.

7.5

MagicScore

#15

Frailty

2002

A mysterious man arrives at the offices of an FBI agent and recounts his childhood: how his religious fanatic father received visions telling him to kill people who were in fact "demons."

7.0

MagicScore

#16

Switchback

1997

After FBI agent Frank Lacrosse believes his son was kidnapped by a notorious serial killer, he travels to Amarillo, Texas, where he believes the murderer is in hiding. Although officially taken off the case because of its personal significance to him, Frank continues to pursue the killer, causing concern for local sheriff Buck Olmstead. When another victim pops up at a nearby car garage, Frank knows that he is as close as he'll ever be to tracking down the elusive killer.

6.0

MagicScore

#17

Silent Rage

1982

A mentally ill man in a small Texas town goes on a killing rampage and is fatally wounded by police. When doctors use an experimental serum to bring him back to life, the killer develops superhuman strength and the town sheriff must pursue him.

6.0

MagicScore

#18

The Killer Inside Me

2010

Deputy Sheriff Lou Ford is a pillar of the community in his small west Texas town, patient and apparently thoughtful. Some people think he is a little slow and maybe boring, but that is the worst they say about him. But then nobody knows about what Lou calls his "sickness": He is a brilliant, but disturbed sociopathic sadist.

5.8

MagicScore

#19

Gunslinger

1956

After her husband is gunned down, Rose Hood takes his place as sheriff of a small Western town.

4.1

MagicScore

#20

Rio Bravo

1959

A small-town sheriff in the American West enlists the help of a disabled man, a drunk, and a young gunfighter in his efforts to hold in jail the brother of the local bad guy.

7.8

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Lone Star?

The top films similar to Lone Star by MovieMagicScore are No Country for Old Men (7.9), Incendies (8.1), Inheritance (6.3). Each shares drama/mystery/romance themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Lone Star worth watching?

Lone Star holds a MovieMagicScore of 7.0/10 from 389 viewer ratings, putting it among the better-reviewed titles in its genre.

What kind of movie is Lone Star?

Lone Star (1996) is a drama, mystery, romance film directed by John Sayles, starring Chris Cooper, Elizabeth Peña, Kris Kristofferson.

Where can I find more recommendations like Lone Star?

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

Keep exploring

Movies like No Country for Old Men Movies like Incendies Movies like Inheritance Movies like The Locusts Movies like The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada Movies like Bone Tomahawk

About movies like Lone Star

This ranked list pairs Lone Star (1996), a drama and mystery and romance film from John Sayles, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Chris Cooper 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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