Movies Like Fort Apache (1948)

Fort Apache is a 1948 western film from John Ford with a MovieMagicScore of 7.0/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Rio Grande and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon.

Western

Rio Grande

1950

Lt. Col. Kirby Yorke is posted on the Texas frontier to defend settlers against depredations of marauding Apaches. Col. Yorke is under considerable stress by a serious shortage of troops of his command. Tension is added when Yorke's son (whom he hasn't seen in fifteen years), Trooper Jeff Yorke, is one of 18 recruits sent to the regiment.

6.8

MagicScore

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon

1949

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.

6.9

MagicScore

Alvarez Kelly

1966

In 1864, during the American Civil War, Mexican cattleman Alvarez Kelly supplies the Union with cattle until unexpected circumstances force him to change his customers.

6.1

MagicScore

2001 Maniacs

2005

On their way to Spring Break, college kids take a detour through an old Southern town. The people of Pleasant Valley insist the kids stay for their annual barbecue celebration... but instead of getting a taste of the old South, the old South gets a taste of them!

5.4

MagicScore

Iron Eagle

1986

When Doug's father, an Air Force Pilot, is shot down by MiGs belonging to a radical Middle Eastern state, no one seems able to get him out. Doug finds Chappy, an Air Force Colonel who is intrigued by the idea of sending in two fighters piloted by himself and Doug to rescue Doug's father after bombing the MiG base.

5.6

MagicScore

Iron Eagle II

1988

Chappy Sinclair is called to gather together a mixed Soviet/U.S. strike force that will perform a surgical strike on a massively defended nuclear missile site in the Middle East. Chappy finds that getting the Soviet and U.S. Pilots to cooperate is only the most minor of his problems as he discovers someone in the Pentagon is actively sabotaging his mission.

4.5

MagicScore

Iron Eagle III

1992

Chappy discovers a drug-smuggling scheme at his own air base. It turns out that the lives of some village people in Peru are at stake, and he decides to fly there with ancient airplanes and friends to free them.

4.1

MagicScore

Iron Eagle on the Attack

1995

While Chappy Sinclair is saddled with a bunch of misfits and delinquents for his flight school, he turns to his protégé Doug Masters to assist him in rounding them into shape for an important competition. During their training, they stumble upon a group of subversive air force officers who are dealing in toxic waste as a sideline.

3.8

MagicScore

Tower of London

1962

The twisted Richard III is haunted by the ghosts of those he has murdered in his attempt to become the King of England.

6.0

MagicScore

#10

Broken Arrow

1996

When rogue stealth-fighter pilot Vic Deakins deliberately drops off the radar while on maneuvers, the Air Force ends up with two stolen nuclear warheads -- and Deakins's co-pilot, Riley Hale, is the military's only hope for getting them back. Traversing the deserted canyons of Utah, Hale teams with park ranger Terry Carmichael to put Deakins back in his box.

6.1

MagicScore

#11

Hostiles

2017

A legendary Native American-hating Army captain nearing retirement in 1892 is given one last assignment: to escort a Cheyenne chief and his family through dangerous territory back to his Montana reservation.

6.9

MagicScore

#12

Hondo

1953

Army despatch rider Hondo Lane discovers a woman and her son living in the midst of warring Apaches, and he becomes their protector.

6.6

MagicScore

#13

The Missing

2003

When rancher and single mother of two Maggie Gilkeson sees her teenage daughter, Lily, kidnapped by Apache rebels, she reluctantly accepts the help of her estranged father, Samuel, in tracking down the kidnappers. Along the way, the two must learn to reconcile the past and work together if they are going to have any hope of getting Lily back before she is taken over the border and forced to become a prostitute.

6.3

MagicScore

#14

Fort Massacre

1958

New Mexico Territory, August 1879. The few surviving members of a cavalry column, which has been relentlessly decimated by the Apaches, attempt to reach Fort Crain. On their way through a hostile land, the obsessive and ruthless Sergeant Vinson takes to the limit the battered will of the troopers under his command.

6.1

MagicScore

#15

Cowboys & Aliens

2011

A stranger stumbles into the desert town of Absolution with no memory of his past and a futuristic shackle around his wrist. With the help of mysterious beauty Ella and the iron-fisted Colonel Dolarhyde, he finds himself leading an unlikely posse of cowboys, outlaws, and Apache warriors against a common enemy from beyond this world in an epic showdown for survival.

5.6

MagicScore

#16

The Deceivers

1988

India, 1825: the country lives in mortal fear of cult members known as the “Deceivers." They commit robbery and ritualistic murder. Appalled by their activities, an English military man, Captain William Savage, conceives a hazardous plot to stop them. In disguise, he plans to himself become a “Deceiver” and infiltrate their numbers. Ever present in Savage’s adventures is a sense of dread; he is in constant fear of betrayal and vengeance and also undergoes a disturbing psychological transformation as he experiences the cult’s blood lust firsthand.

5.3

MagicScore

#17

The Outlaw Josey Wales

1976

After avenging his family's brutal murder, Wales is pursued by a pack of soldiers. He prefers to travel alone, but ragtag outcasts are drawn to him - and Wales can't bring himself to leave them unprotected.

7.4

MagicScore

#18

Moby Dick

1956

In 1841, young Ishmael signs up for service aboard the Pequod, a whaler sailing out of New Bedford. The ship is under the command of Captain Ahab, a strict disciplinarian who exhorts his men to find Moby Dick, the great white whale. Ahab lost his leg to that creature and is desperate for revenge. As the crew soon learns, he will stop at nothing to gain satisfaction.

7.1

MagicScore

#19

News of the World

2020

A Texan traveling across the wild West bringing the news of the world to local townspeople, agrees to help rescue a young girl who was kidnapped.

6.9

MagicScore

#20

Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1

2024

In 1859, families discover the lure of the Old West as they settle in territories from Wyoming to Kansas. Meanwhile, a gruff cowboy finds himself on the run with a prostitute and a young boy after killing a fellow gunman.

6.8

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Fort Apache?

The top films similar to Fort Apache by MovieMagicScore are Rio Grande (6.8), She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (6.9), Alvarez Kelly (6.1). Each shares western themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Fort Apache worth watching?

Fort Apache 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 Fort Apache?

Fort Apache (1948) is a western film directed by John Ford, starring John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Shirley Temple.

Where can I find more recommendations like Fort Apache?

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

Keep exploring

Movies like Rio Grande Movies like She Wore a Yellow Ribbon Movies like Alvarez Kelly Movies like 2001 Maniacs Movies like Iron Eagle Movies like Iron Eagle II

About movies like Fort Apache

This ranked list pairs Fort Apache (1948), a western film from John Ford, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of John Wayne 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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