Image credit: Cannon Film, Warner Bros., Universal Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Walt Disney Studios, Bleecker Street Media, Twentieth Century Fox
If you've seen every Indiana movie a dozen times and you're itching for something similar, yet different, this list got you covered.
Here are some of the hidden gems, the movies that aren't on everyone's "best of" lists but totally deserve a watch.
1. "Firewalker" (1986) You like buddy dynamics, right? Who doesn't! Chuck Norris and Louis Gossett Jr. team up as two fortune hunters on the quest for a treasure hidden deep in Central America. They're hired by a mysterious woman who's got the map but isn't letting on all she knows.
Through jungles, across rivers, and against armed goons, the duo fights and wise-cracks their way to riches — or so they hope.
2. "High Road to China" (1983) Think of it as Indiana Jones, but in a biplane. Tom Selleck, the king of mustaches, plays a drunken aviator hired by a rich socialite to find her missing father in Afghanistan. Dodging bullets, rival pilots, and even the occasional romantic tension, this movie takes you from one daring locale to another.
It's like an air safari with bar fights. What's not to love?
3. "The Rundown" (2003) Who knew The Rock would be chasing folklore treasures in the Amazon? He plays a bounty hunter sent to Brazil to retrieve his employer's wayward son, played by Seann William Scott. But wait — there's a twist. The son is searching for a priceless artifact known as El Gato Diablo. Navigating through a hostile jungle, they go up against a greedy local tyrant.
The film is action-packed and sprinkled with bits of comedy.
4. "Sahara" (2005) Ever think about finding a Civil War-era battleship in the African desert? Me neither. But Dirk Pitt (Matthew McConaughey) does just that. Hired to find a toxic waste source, Dirk and his buddy Al stumble upon a much bigger treasure — the long-lost ship of a Confederate explorer.
Between chases in the sand and showdowns on boats, this movie is like Indiana Jones with a Southern drawl.
5. "The Lost City of Z" (2016) This one's based on a true story, which makes it even cooler. British explorer Percy Fawcett is sent to map the Amazon and stumbles upon evidence of an advanced civilization that once lived there. His numerous expeditions to find the mythical city are fraught with danger: jungle predators, deadly diseases, and even World War I.
Unlike your typical action-packed treasure hunt, this film's a slow burn, but the quest for discovery is just as compelling.
6. "The Mummy" (1999) This one has Brendan Fraser instead of Harrison Ford, and it's a total blast. Evelyn, a British librarian, drags her brother and a brash American adventurer, Rick, to the city of Hamunaptra. They accidentally awaken Imhotep, an ancient Egyptian priest. As plagues descend upon the land, they realize they need to stop him before he resurrects his dead lover and unleashes chaos.
Sandstorms, killer scarabs, and a bit of romance? This is a wild mix, but oh-so entertaining.
7. "Romancing the Stone" (1984) Say hello to Joan Wilder, a romance novelist who ends up living her own love story. She receives a treasure map from her murdered brother-in-law and travels to Colombia to rescue her kidnapped sister. She meets Jack Colton, a rugged adventurer, and they go off searching for the "Stone," a priceless gem. They trek through jungles, slide down mudslides, and dodge corrupt cops.
8. "The Goonies" (1985) How about a kid's version of an Indy movie? A group of youngsters find a treasure map in one of their attics. They embark on an adventure to find the long-lost treasure of One-Eyed Willy, a legendary 17th-century pirate. Navigating booby-trapped caves, evading mobsters, and solving intricate puzzles, these kids are basically mini-Indys-in-training.
9. "King Solomon's Mines" (1985) This one stars Richard Chamberlain as Allan Quatermain, a hunter in Africa who's hired to find a woman's missing husband. They soon discover he was searching for the fabled King Solomon's Mines. Cue treacherous landscapes, tribal warriors, and Nazis wanting the treasure for evil deeds.
It's pretty much an Indiana Jones film set in Africa, minus the whip.
10. "National Treasure" (2004) This one puts a modern twist on the treasure-hunting genre – and it has Nicolas Cage in the lead role. Benjamin Gates is a historian and amateur cryptologist who believes that a treasure hidden by the Founding Fathers exists. But there's a catch; the clues are scattered on historic documents like the Declaration of Independence.
Ben and his tech-savvy sidekick, Riley, navigate through underground tunnels, decipher codes, and dodge the FBI. And yes, they actually steal the Declaration of Independence.
