Desert Movies
Kinora's catalogue lists 56 films set in desert environments, spanning 1939–2024. Each is tagged by where and when it takes place — filter by real-world setting, era, and environment, or open any film for its full tagged world.
- 2010
127 Hours
Wilderness · Desert · Undergrounddir. Danny Boyle - 2007
3:10 to Yuma
Desert · Wildernessdir. James Mangold - 1974
Blazing Saddles
Desert · Ruraldir. Mel Brooks - 1995
Casino
Desert · Urbandir. Martin Scorsese - 1997
Contact
Desert · Off Worlddir. Robert Zemeckis - 2000
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Mountain · Desertdir. Ang Lee - 1971
Duel
Desert · Ruraldir. Steven Spielberg - 2021
Dune
Desert · Off Worlddir. Denis Villeneuve - 2024
Dune: Part Two
Desert · Off Worlddir. Denis Villeneuve - 1996
From Dusk Till Dawn
Desert · Ruraldir. Robert Rodriguez - 1981
Gallipoli
Desert · Rural · Urbandir. Peter Weir - 1973
High Plains Drifter
Desert · Ruraldir. Clint Eastwood - 1996
Independence Day
Urban · Desertdir. Roland Emmerich - 2007
Into the Wild
Wilderness · Rural · Desertdir. Sean Penn - 2008
Iron Man
Desert · Urbandir. Jon Favreau - 2005
Kingdom of Heaven
Desert · Urbandir. Ridley Scott - 1962
Lawrence of Arabia
Desertdir. David Lean - 1979
Life of Brian
Urban · Desertdir. Terry Jones - 2006
Little Miss Sunshine
Suburban · Desertdir. Jonathan Dayton - 2017
Logan
Desert · Ruraldir. James Mangold - 1997
Lost Highway
Urban · Desertdir. David Lynch - 1981
Mad Max 2
Desert · Wildernessdir. George Miller - 2015
Mad Max: Fury Road
Desert · Wildernessdir. George Miller - 1996
Mars Attacks!
Urban · Desertdir. Tim Burton - 2011
Meek's Cutoff
Desert · Wildernessdir. Kelly Reichardt - 2007
No Country for Old Men
Desert · Ruraldir. Joel Coen - 1968
Once Upon a Time in the West
Desert · Ruraldir. Sergio Leone - 2023
Oppenheimer
Desert · Urbandir. Christopher Nolan - 2020
Palm Springs
Desertdir. Max Barbakow - 1984
Paris, Texas
Desert · Urbandir. Wim Wenders - 2002
Rabbit-Proof Fence
Desert · Wildernessdir. Phillip Noyce - 1981
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Desert · Urbandir. Steven Spielberg - 1987
Raising Arizona
Desertdir. Joel Coen - 2015
Sicario
Urban · Desertdir. Denis Villeneuve - 1939
Stagecoach
Desert · Wildernessdir. John Ford - 1977
Star Wars
Off World · Desertdir. George Lucas - 1977
The Gauntlet
Urban · Desertdir. Clint Eastwood - 1966
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Desert · Wildernessdir. Sergio Leone - 2008
The Hurt Locker
Urban · Desertdir. Kathryn Bigelow - 1988
The Land Before Time
Wilderness · Desert · Mountaindir. Don Bluth - 1988
The Last Temptation of Christ
Desert · Urban · Ruraldir. Martin Scorsese - 1994
The Lion King
Wilderness · Desertdir. Roger Allers - 2004
The Motorcycle Diaries
Mountain · Desert · Ruraldir. Walter Salles - 1998
The Prince of Egypt
Desert · Urbandir. Simon Wells - 2005
The Proposition
Desert · Wildernessdir. John Hillcoat - 1983
The Right Stuff
Desert · Off Worlddir. Philip Kaufman - 1956
The Searchers
Wilderness · Desertdir. John Ford - 1953
The Wages of Fear
Desert · Wildernessdir. Henri-Georges Clouzot - 2005
The World's Fastest Indian
Rural · Desert · Urbandir. Roger Donaldson - 1991
Thelma & Louise
Rural · Desertdir. Ridley Scott - 2014
Timbuktu
Desertdir. Abderrahmane Sissako - 1993
Tombstone
Desert · Ruraldir. George P. Cosmatos - 1990
Tremors
Desert · Ruraldir. Ron Underwood - 2012
V/H/S
Urban · Rural · Desertdir. David Bruckner - 1971
Wake in Fright
Desert · Ruraldir. Ted Kotcheff - 1971
Walkabout
Desert · Wilderness · Urbandir. Nicolas Roeg
Frequently asked
How many movies are set in desert environments?
Kinora's catalogue lists 56 films set in desert environments, spanning 1939–2024.
What are some movies set in desert environments?
Films set in desert environments in our catalogue include 127 Hours (2010), 3:10 to Yuma (2007), Blazing Saddles (1974), Casino (1995), and Contact (1997).
What is the oldest movie set in desert environments?
Stagecoach (1939) is the earliest film set in desert environments in our catalogue; the most recent is Dune: Part Two (2024).