Saagar Kote
‘Django Unchained’ revolves around Django (Jamie Foxx), an enslaved Black man in the late 1850s in the American South whose life changes when German bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz) frees him and offers him a chance to become his partner. Schultz initially needs Django’s help tracking down the Brittle Brothers, but their partnership soon takes on a more personal purpose. Django is determined to find his wife, Broomhilda (Kerry Washington), who was separated from him after they attempted to escape and was eventually sold to a plantation in Mississippi. Once they discover where she is, Django and Schultz devise a way to enter the plantation of the sinister Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio) and get close enough to rescue her.
As their plan takes them deeper into the dangerous world of slavery, Django’s desire for freedom and revenge becomes the driving force behind the mission. Written and directed by the auteur Quentin Tarantino, the Western film is often regarded as one of his finest works. These movies on Netflix, similar to ‘Django Unchained,’ feature adrenaline-fueled sequences, twisted characters, rough terrains, dangerous missions, and complex ideas of fairness and justice.
12. 1922 (2017)
‘1922’ follows Wilfred James (Thomas Jane), a Nebraska farmer whose determination to keep his land takes a horrifying turn when his wife, Arlette James (Molly Parker), decides to sell it and move to the city. With the reluctant help of their teenage son, Henry James (Dylan Schmid), Wilfred murders Arlette and buries her remains. But the crime soon brings consequences he cannot escape. Rats begin tormenting him, his life gradually falls apart, and Wilfred becomes convinced that Arlette’s spirit is haunting him.
Told through the perspective of Wilfred, an unreliable narrator, the horror film turns his desperate attempt into supernatural terror. Penned and helmed by Zak Hilditch, the narrative is based on Stephen King’s eponymous novella. ‘1922’ connects with ‘Django Unchained’ through protagonists whose lives are shaped by violence and its consequences. Django embraces violence as part of his pursuit of freedom and revenge, while Wilfred commits murder to preserve the life he wants. Watch it here.
11. Concrete Cowboy (2020)
‘Concrete Cowboy’ is the tale of 15-year-old Cole (Caleb McLaughlin), whose troubles at home and school lead his mother to send him to Philadelphia to spend the summer with his estranged father, Harp (Idris Elba). The rebellious teenager finds himself surrounded by an urban cowboy community that has offered a sense of safety and belonging despite the neighborhood’s poverty, violence, and socioeconomic change. As Cole becomes drawn into this fascinating world of Black cowboys and horseback riding, his time with his father exposes him to a way of life he never knew existed.
Crafted by Ricky Staub, the Western drama film is based on Greg Neri’s novel ‘Ghetto Cowboy’. ‘Concrete Cowboy’ and ‘Django Unchained’ are connected to the Western genre while approaching it through different styles. Both films place African-American characters within worlds shaped by hardship and violence, and explore identity, survival, freedom, and the search for a place to belong. It can be accessed on Netflix.
10. Beasts of No Nation (2015)
Adapted from Uzodinma Iweala’s eponymous novel, ‘Beasts of No Nation’ from writer-director Cary Joji Fukunaga centers on Agu (Abraham Attah), a young boy whose life is torn apart when war reaches his town in an African country. After government forces kill his father and older brother while his mother and younger siblings flee, Agu escapes into the jungle and encounters a rebel battalion led by the charismatic Commandant (Idris Elba). He joins the group without understanding what lies ahead, only to be drawn into the brutal realities of war and forced to become a soldier.
As his childhood gives way to violence, Agu struggles to understand his world. The war drama film’s connection with ‘Django Unchained’ lies in the way violence is used to strip people of control over their own lives. While ‘Django Unchained’ deals directly with slavery, ‘Beasts of No Nation’ examines the devastating consequences of war, showing how oppressive systems can force vulnerable people into brutal circumstances. It can be found here.
9. The Devil All the Time (2020)
‘The Devil All the Time’ steps into the world of Arvin Russell (Tom Holland), a young man whose troubled upbringing and personal losses shape his life in the isolated town of Knockemstiff, Ohio. When he grows older, Arvin finds himself surrounded by moral decay and dangerous people whose paths eventually cross with his own. Among them is Preston Teagardin (Robert Pattinson), a seemingly charming preacher whose manipulative nature hides darker intentions. With danger coming from different directions, Arvin is forced to make difficult moral choices while trying to protect those he cares about.
Antonio Campos steers this crime thriller film, which is based on Donald Ray Pollock’s novel of the same name. Much like ‘Django Unchained,’ the narrative explores a world where cruelty and corruption become deeply embedded in everyday life. The stories place their central conflicts within environments where powerful or dangerous people exploit others, forcing the main characters to confront a society in which justice is rarely straightforward. You can enjoy it on Netflix.
8. The Power of the Dog (2021)
‘The Power of the Dog’ deals with Phil Burbank (Benedict Cumberbatch), a respected but intimidating rancher whose guarded life is unsettled when his brother, George Burbank (Jesse Plemons), marries Rose Gordon (Kirsten Dunst), a single mother. Rose and her son, Peter Gordon (Kodi Smit-McPhee), become part of Phil’s world, creating a complicated dynamic that gradually develops between the rancher and the young man. As Phil’s relationship with Peter takes an unexpected turn, questions surrounding the boy’s own secrets add another layer to the tension within the family.
Shaped by Jane Campion’s directorial vision, the Western psychological drama film is based on Thomas Savage’s novel of the same title. Similar to ‘Django Unchained,’ the movie utilizes the Western genre as a setting for stories about power and social divisions. The films explore unequal relationships and harsh environments in which power operates through intimidation and control rather than through physical violence alone. You may witness it here.
7. The Highwaymen (2019)
Director John Lee Hancock’s ‘The Highwaymen’ delves into the experiences of former Texas Rangers Frank Hamer (Kevin Costner) and Maney Gault (Woody Harrelson), who are brought out of retirement in 1934 to track down notorious outlaws Bonnie Parker (Emily Brobst) and Clyde Barrow (Edward Bossert). While the criminals continue their violence and repeatedly evade justice, the two veteran lawmen pursue them across multiple states.
Relying on their experience, Hamer and Gault gradually close in on their targets despite the difficulties along the way. Their pursuit ultimately builds toward a violent confrontation. ‘The Highwaymen’ and ‘Django Unchained’ shed light on outlaws and the pursuit of justice in hostile places. The stories revolve around violence, lawlessness, and people operating in worlds where vengeance and guns reign supreme. The period crime thriller film is accessible on Netflix.
6. Blood & Gold (2023)
Set during the final days of World War II in 1945, ‘Blood & Gold’ is a German war drama film that depicts the actions of Heinrich (Robert Maaser), a German deserter desperate to reach his daughter after leaving the front lines. His journey is interrupted when an SS unit captures him, but Elsa (Marie Hacke), a farmer, rescues him and hides him at her farm. Elsewhere, the soldiers are hunting for Jewish gold concealed in a nearby village. Their search meets resistance from villagers determined to keep the treasure, drawing Heinrich and Elsa into the escalating conflict.
The ensuing struggle over the gold exposes hidden secrets and becomes increasingly violent as the confrontation culminates in the village church. ‘Blood & Gold’ and ‘Django Unchained’ both use violent historical settings to explore oppression, resistance, and the pursuit of personal justice. The complex characters in the films are drawn into conflicts where powerful forces abuse others, turning individual struggles into greater dangers. The Peter Thorwarth directorial is available here.
5. Harriet (2019)
‘Harriet’ is the story of Minty (Cynthia Erivo), a married woman whose life changes after a plantation owner deceives her and members of her family by breaking his promise to free them from slavery. Determined to escape, Minty flees the plantation and reaches another part of the country, where she takes the name Harriet Tubman and begins building a life of her own. But freedom does not erase the reality faced by those she left behind. Knowing that her family and countless others remain enslaved, Harriet chooses to return and fight the system that once held her captive.
With help from those close to her, she commits herself to challenging slavery and preventing others from suffering the same fate. ‘Harriet’ shares a thematic link to ‘Django Unchained’ as both films depict the fight against slavery and the pursuit of freedom, in their own unique ways. They portray slavery as a brutal system that separates families and denies people control over their own lives, while turning escape and resistance into acts of defiance. Brought to life by Kasi Lemmons, the biographical film is available on Netflix.
4. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)
‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs’ brings together stories from the harsh world of 19th-century post-Civil War America, where violence, greed, chance, and death reign supreme and can quickly change a person’s fate. The anthology film, through six different stories, chronicles the experiences of a singing gunslinger, a bank robber, a traveling impresario, a prospector, a woman traveling with a wagon train, and five strangers sharing a stagecoach. Each story presents a different encounter with the unforgiving realities of the Old West, from failed ambitions and dangerous encounters to unexpected turns of fortune. Despite their differences, the characters are united by the constant presence of death and uncertainty.
In the narrative, “All Gold Canyon” is based on Jack London’s eponymous story, and “The Gal Who Got Rattled” is inspired by Stewart Edward White’s story of the same name. Like ‘Django Unchained,’ the anthology movie embraces the violent and unpredictable nature of the Old West, where danger can appear without warning and survival is never guaranteed. Both films also use the Western setting to explore greed, lawlessness, and the fragile line between life and death. With the Coen brothers serving as writers and directors, the Western black comedy film can be found here.
3. Old Henry (2021)
Set during the first decade of the 1900s, ‘Old Henry’ is penned and crafted by Potsy Ponciroli and centers on Henry McCarty (Tim Blake Nelson). He is a widowed farmer in Oklahoma whose quiet existence is disrupted after he finds the badly wounded Curry (Scott Haze) and a leather bag filled with cash on his property. Henry takes the stranger in, but the peace does not last. A group led by lawman Ketchum (Stephen Dorff) soon arrives, claiming to be searching for an outlaw and demanding Curry’s surrender. After Henry manages to drive them away, he realizes they will return. As the threat grows, Henry presses Curry for answers about the money, while Ketchum becomes increasingly interested in the farmer’s own mysterious past.
With a violent confrontation approaching, the men discover that appearances can be deeply misleading. ‘Old Henry’ and ‘Django Unchained’ both play with the mystery surrounding a man’s past and portray the Old West as a place where violence, money, and competing ideas of justice can quickly collide. Lawmen, outlaws, and personal motives create situations where guns become the answer. The Western action drama film is streaming on Netflix.
2. Slow West (2015)
Written and directed by John Maclean, ‘Slow West’ is a Western film that narrates the journey of Jay Cavendish (Kodi Smit-McPhee), a 17-year-old Scottish aristocrat who crosses into the American West searching for Rose Ross (Caren Pistorius), the girl he dearly loves. Unfamiliar with the dangers of the frontier, Jay hires the mysterious Irish bounty hunter Silas Selleck (Michael Fassbender) to protect and guide him. But Silas is hiding his own reasons for joining the journey, and his discovery that Rose has a price on her head changes the nature of their mission.
When the unlikely pair travels through the wilderness, they must navigate a brutal landscape while staying ahead of other bounty hunters pursuing Rose. ‘Slow West’ is linked to ‘Django Unchained’ through its exploration of the bounty-hunting culture of the American frontier, personal motives that gradually intertwine with the pursuit, unlikely partnerships formed under dangerous circumstances, and uncertainty. Written and directed by John Maclean, the Western film can be enjoyed on Netflix.
1. The Harder They Fall (2021)
Jeymes Samuel steers ‘The Harder They Fall,’ a Western film which revolves around outlaw Nat Love (Jonathan Majors), whose past catches up with him when he learns that his lifetime rival, Rufus Buck (Idris Elba), has been released from prison. Determined to settle their old score, Nat brings his former gang back together, including Stagecoach Mary (Zazie Beetz), Bill Pickett (Edi Gathegi), and Jim Beckwourth (R.J. Cyler). Meanwhile, Rufus and his own crew prepare for the inevitable confrontation. As the two sides close in on each other, old grudges and unfinished business fuel a violent showdown that threatens to reshape their lives in unexpected ways.
‘The Harder They Fall’ and ‘Django Unchained’ use revenge as a driving force and build their stories around old scores that demand violent confrontations. The narratives share a particularly strong Western atmosphere where relationships and loyalties become important and are tested at every turn. The movie can be accessed here.
Read More: Is Django Unchained Based on A True Story?
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