rugged backdrop

Movies with rugged vibe

Captain Fantastic

1. Captain Fantastic

Adventure Drama Coming-of-Age Adventure Family Drama
7.8
20161h 58min

Overview

Deep in the forests of the Pacific Northwest, a father devoted to raising his six kids with a rigorous physical and intellectual education is forced to leave his paradise and enter the world, beginning a journey that challenges his idea of what it means to be a parent.

Themes

Grief and memory, Education vs isolation, Parent child autonomy, Custody and legal pressure, Nontraditional family bonds, Ideology versus pragmatism

Available on

Google Play Movies
YouTube
Kanopy
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Hunt for the Wilderpeople

2. Hunt for the Wilderpeople

Adventure Comedy Drama Survival Adventure Buddy Comedy
7.8
20161h 41min

Overview

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.

Themes

Survival under pressure, Deception and misperception, Foster care instability, Trust and dependence, Bonding under crisis, Reputation and stigma

Available on

Apple TV
fuboTV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Lone Ranger

3. The Lone Ranger

Action Adventure Western Classic Western Epic Action
6.4
20132h 29min

Overview

The Texas Rangers chase down a gang of outlaws led by Butch Cavendish, but the gang ambushes the Rangers, seemingly killing them all. One survivor is found, however, by an American Indian named Tonto, who nurses him back to health. The Ranger, donning a mask and riding a white stallion named Silver, teams up with Tonto to bring the unscrupulous gang and others of that ilk to justice.

Themes

Memory and guilt, Betrayal and loyalty, Vigilante justice vs law, Frontier mythmaking, Greed behind expansion, Resilience through alliance

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Battery

4. The Battery

Drama Horror Zombie Horror Sports Competition
6.3
20121h 41min

Overview

In rural Connecticut, baseball players Ben and Mickey are trying to survive a zombie plague. They are forced to form a battery: a catcher and a pitcher who work together to outwit the batter, the one who hits the ball. And the batter in this case just happens to be a zombie. Tough Ben and gentle Mickey frequently disagree on the best way to go about the situation. Then they suddenly hear a human voice through their walkie-talkies. Is salvation nearby, like Mickey thinks, or is Ben’s suspicion justified?

Themes

Trust vs suspicion, Fragile alliances, Survival horror under pressure, Isolation amidst danger, Zombie apocalypse resilience, Routine as coping

Available on

Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Flicka

5. Flicka

Family Drama Animal Companion Family Family Drama
6.0
20061h 35min

Overview

Katy McLaughlin desires to work on her family's mountainside horse ranch, although her father insists she finish boarding school. Katy finds a mustang in the hills near her ranch. The headstrong 16 year old then sets her mind to tame a mustang and prove to her father she can run the ranch. But when tragedy happens, it will take all the love and strength the family can muster to restore hope.

Themes

Mountainside horse ranch tradition, Mustang loyalty and responsibility, Boarding school resistance to authority, Private school vs family duty, Mountainside horse ranch power dynamics, Parental control vs autonomy

Available on

Disney Plus
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

As Far As My Feet Will Carry Me

6. As Far As My Feet Will Carry Me

Drama War Historical Drama World War II
7.3
20012h 38min

Overview

The German soldier Clemens Forel - determined to be reunited with his beloved family - makes a dramatic escape through bitter cold winters, desolate landscapes, and life threatening ventures from a Siberian labor camp after World War II. 8000 miles and three endless years of uncertainty later, he is finally about to reach his destination... An edge of your seat drama that celebrates the power of the human spirit and the force of will, while inspired and impowered by love.

Themes

Survival under coercive labor, Loyalty amid betrayal, Pursuit and escape dynamics, Endurance in freezing wilderness, Longing for home, Human resilience under stress

Available on

Amazon Video
The Roku Channel
Shout! Factory TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Legends of the Fall

7. Legends of the Fall

Drama Western Romance War Action
7.5
19942h 13min

Overview

In early 20th-century Montana, Col. William Ludlow lives on a ranch in the wilderness with his sons, Alfred, Tristan, and Samuel. Eventually, the unconventional but close-knit family are bound by loyalty, tested by war, and torn apart by love, as told over the course of several decades in this epic saga.

Themes

World war i trauma, Loss and loyalty, Sibling relationship tensions, Duty versus family

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
fuboTV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Last of the Mohicans

8. The Last of the Mohicans

Action History Romance War Epic Action
7.6
19921h 52min

Overview

In war-torn colonial America, in the midst of a bloody battle between British, the French and Native American allies, the aristocratic daughter of a British Colonel and her party are captured by a group of Huron warriors. Fortunately, a group of three Mohican trappers comes to their rescue.

Themes

Loyalty under pressure, Cross-cultural tension, Power under siege, Deception and ambush ethics, Protection of civilians, Duty versus personal risk

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.