KINORAFIELD GUIDE TO FILM
How we tag

Desert Movies

Kinora's catalogue lists 25 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.

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  • 1964

    A Fistful of Dollars

    1800s
    Rural · Desertdir. Sergio Leone
  • 2017

    Blade Runner 2049

    Los Angeles · Las Vegas — Near Future
    Urban · Desertdir. Denis Villeneuve
  • 1995

    Casino

    Las Vegas · Los Angeles — 1970s · 1980s
    Urban · Desertdir. Martin Scorsese
  • 1977

    Close Encounters of the Third Kind

    Indiana · Wyoming — 1970s
    Rural · Wilderness · Desertdir. Steven Spielberg
  • 2021

    Dune

    Far Future
    Desert · Off Worlddir. Denis Villeneuve
  • 2024

    Dune: Part Two

    Far Future
    Desert · Off Worlddir. Denis Villeneuve
  • 1962

    Lawrence of Arabia

    Cairo · Damascus — 1910s · 1930s
    Desert · Urbandir. David Lean
  • 1997

    Lost Highway

    Los Angeles — 1990s
    Urban · Desert · Ruraldir. David Lynch
  • 2015

    Mad Max: Fury Road

    Far Future
    Desert · Wildernessdir. George Miller
  • 2007

    No Country for Old Men

    Texas — 1980s
    Desert · Rural · Urbandir. Joel Coen
  • 2021

    Nomadland

    Nevada · Arizona · South Dakota · California — 2010s
    Rural · Wilderness · Desertdir. Chloé Zhao
  • 1968

    Once Upon a Time in the West

    Arizona — 1800s
    Rural · Desertdir. Sergio Leone
  • 1984

    Paris, Texas

    Los Angeles · Texas · Houston — 1980s
    Desert · Urban · Ruraldir. Wim Wenders
  • 2015

    Sicario

    Arizona · Ciudad Juárez · Texas — 2010s
    Urban · Desert · Undergrounddir. Denis Villeneuve
  • 1939

    Stagecoach

    Arizona · New Mexico — 1800s
    Desert · Ruraldir. John Ford
  • 1966

    The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

    Desert · Rural · Wildernessdir. Sergio Leone
  • 2012

    The Master

    San Francisco · New York City · London — 1940s · 1950s
    Urban · Coastal Sea · Desertdir. Paul Thomas Anderson
  • 1956

    The Searchers

    Texas · New Mexico
    Rural · Desert · Wildernessdir. John Ford
  • 1953

    The Wages of Fear

    1950s
    Desert · Wildernessdir. Henri-Georges Clouzot
  • 1991

    Thelma & Louise

    Arkansas · Grand Canyon — 1990s
    Rural · Desert · Wildernessdir. Ridley Scott
  • 2014

    Timbuktu

    Timbuktu — 2010s
    Desert · Ruraldir. Abderrahmane Sissako
  • 1958

    Touch of Evil

    Mexico — 1950s
    Urban · Desertdir. Orson Welles
  • 1971

    Wake in Fright

    Australia — 1960s
    Rural · Desert · Wildernessdir. Ted Kotcheff
  • 1971

    Walkabout

    Australia — 1960s · 1970s
    Wilderness · Desert · Urbandir. Nicolas Roeg
  • 2014

    Wild Tales

    2010s
    Urban · Rural · Desertdir. Damián Szifron

Frequently asked

How many movies are set in desert environments?

Kinora's catalogue lists 25 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 A Fistful of Dollars (1964), Blade Runner 2049 (2017), Casino (1995), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), and Dune (2021).

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).

Browse the catalogue