50 Best Westerns of All Time, Ranked

The Western genre has been a defining hallmark of cinema ever since it first rose to prominence as far back as the 1930s. Reaching its pinnacle in the 50s and 60s, it became emblematic of American film, with screen icons like John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart, and Gary Cooper being prolific stars of the genre. However, with the advent of Italy’s spaghetti Westerns, which surged in popularity through the 60s, the Western has become a cherished pillar of cinema’s identity on the global stage.

One of the strengths of the Western, and the reason for its evergreen timelessness, has been its willingness to constantly evolve, with each new generation of filmmakers able to re-align the genre to contemporary sensitivities. As such, the Westerns’ greatest films span across the better part of a century. From pioneering classics of the 30s and 40s to modern-day iterations of the genre, and everything in between, the 25 best Westerns of all time make up some of cinema’s most iconic and enduring achievements.

50. ‘Ride the High Country’ (1962)

Directed by Sam Peckinpah

The best of Sam Peckinpah’s early Westerns before his international breakout later in the decade, Ride the High Country may have been largely overlooked upon release, but it has aged gracefully through its narrative sharpness and its outstanding presentation considering its budget. Aging lawman Steve Judd (Joel McCrea) makes his money transporting gold from a mining town to the bank and enlists his old pal Gil (Randolph Scott) to help guard the stash. However, unbeknownst to Judd, Gil harbors a cunning plan to steal the gold. The web of treachery and deceit grows more complex when the men take in a young runaway.

While there are thematic ideas present and solid performances in abundance, what truly makes Ride the High Country such a gem of Western cinema is its astute storytelling craft. Peckinpah executes every plot beat and grand revelation with the perfect inflection to make for a ceaselessly engrossing 94 minutes that is never rushed. Many herald it as being the director’s first truly great film.

49. ‘Gunfight at the O.K. Corral’ (1957)

Directed by John Sturges

Wyatt Earp’s famed gunfight at the O.K. Corral is the stuff of Western legend, being relayed time and time again, especially in Hollywood movies eager to bring his heroics to life for masses of adoring fans. Gunfight at the O.K. Corral is one of the best of those films, starring Burt Lancaster as the famous U.S. Marshal who embarks on a quest for revenge alongside Doc Holliday (Kirk Douglas) against the outlaw gang that killed his brother.

Well directed by John Sturges and excellently cast, the film thrives as a tense and suspenseful Western, albeit one that sensationalizes the real-life events it is based on. While a couple of awkward scenes do stick in the memory, Gunfight at the O.K. Corral is largely a Western triumph that is engaging and emotionally rousing.

48. ‘3:10 to Yuma’ (1957)

Directed by Delmer Daves

Presenting a tighter tale compared to James Mangold’s famous 2007 remake (which will appear on this list), the original 3:10 to Yuma runs largely as a confined two-character drama. As his drought-ravaged ranch struggles and he battles to care for his two sons, Dan Evans (Van Heflin) agrees to escort ruthless criminal Ben Wade (the fast-drawing Glenn Ford) to Contention City where he will be placed on a train to be sent to his trial. Helped only by the town drunk, Evans must fight off one of Wade’s vengeful henchmen while also being tempted by a lucrative bribe from the criminal.

One of the earliest revisionist Westerns, 3:10 to Yuma has some narrative and thematic weaknesses, but its pitfalls still present intriguing ideas about the morality of the Old West and the sensitivities of those on both sides of the law who inhabited it. Its sense of claustrophobia even amid the vastness of Arizona is a triumph of atmospheric creativity.

47. ‘Bone Tomahawk’ (2015)

Directed by S. Craig Zahler

Released in 2015, Bone Tomahawk has steadily established itself as something of a modern cult classic over the past decade, mixing the themes and setting of Western storytelling with a vicious appetite for horror violence. When several residents from the small town of Bright Hope are abducted by a savage tribe of cave-dwelling cannibals, Sheriff Hunt (Kurt Russell) forms a small posse to carry out a rescue mission and dismantle the troglodyte horde.

Above all else, Bone Tomahawk is fundamentally impressionable. Few who see it will ever be able to forget its most brutal and confronting sequences, and yet it still manages to be defined by its tale of heroism and its technical craft as much as it is by its graphic violence. A gripping slow-burn enhanced by its visceral qualities and an array of strong performances, Bone Tomahawk is among the finest and most daring Westerns released this century.

46. ‘True Grit’ (1969)

Directed by Henry Hathaway

Another classic that received a modern remake that will appear later on this list, 1969’s True Grit is a rousing story of revenge, one that also contains one of John Wayne’s best performances. In the midst of 1880s Arkansas, 14-year-old Mattie Ross (Kim Darby) enlists the help of an aging U.S. Marshal to help her track down and apprehend the man responsible for murdering her father. When a young Texas Ranger joins the search hoping to capture the crook to earn a bounty, the three characters begin to clash over their notions of justice and punishment.

Wayne won his only Academy Award for his grizzled performance as the cantankerous and coarse “Rooster” Cogburn, and his lead role is an obvious highlight of the picture. While the rest of the movie sometimes errs in its juggling of the characters, their ambitions and desires, and the larger thematic focus on justice, True Grit remains a terrific Western that all lovers of the genre ought to enjoy.

45. ‘El Dorado’ (1966)

Directed by Howard Hawks

Featuring two major stars in John Wayne and Robert Mitchum, 1966’s El Dorado is representative of the last days of the classical American Western in old Hollywood. Cole Thornton (Wayne) is a mercenary who refuses to help a crooked rancher run out the honest MacDonald family. However, when he later learns that the town’s Sheriff has become an alcoholic and the rancher is hiring other gunmen, Thornton returns to the town to offer his help to the MacDonalds.

While it didn’t reinvent the genre, El Dorado can still be celebrated as an earnest example of Western entertainment complete with likable heroes, wry humor, and a riveting climactic shootout worth waiting for. Also a fine display of Howard Hawks’ technical excellence as a filmmaker and visual storyteller, El Dorado is Hollywood Western cinema at its most comfortable and familiar.

44. ‘Winchester ’73’ (1950)

Directed by Anthony Mann

One of Jimmy Stewart’s finest efforts in his Western filmography, Winchester ’73 sees the iconic leading man portray Lin McAdam, a cowboy on the hunt for a notorious outlaw, Dutch Henry Brown (Millard Mitchell). When Dutch ambushes McAdam, and steals a prized Winchester rifle he won in a shooting contest, the cowboy sets out to reclaim his gun and kill Dutch once and for all, putting the two men on an inevitable collision course sure to end in an epic gunfight.

With a runtime of just 92 minutes, Winchester ’73 is a brisk and high-tempo film, offering plenty of thrills and action along the way. Furthermore, it’s immense cast – including the likes of Rock Hudson, Shelley Winters, Tony Curtis, and Dan Duryea – imbues it with a vibrancy and energy that feeds into its engaging spectacle. It is undeniably Stewart’s film though, with the bold foray into Western cinema re-branding the actor as a hero of the frontier for years to come.

43. ‘My Darling Clementine’ (1946)

Directed by John Ford

John Ford’s take on the legend of Wyatt Earp (played in this case by Henry Fonda), My Darling Clementine might just be the acclaimed filmmaker’s most underrated movie. Fleshing out the story behind the famous O.K. Corral shootout, it follows Earp as he arrives in Tombstone with his brothers, only to awaken the next morning to find one of them dead and their cattle stolen. While the Earp brothers seek revenge, Wyatt sparks a romantic interest in Clementine Carter (Cathy Downs), the former lover of Doc Holliday (Victor Mature).

Fonda turned in a truly iconic cowboy performance while Mature had a career-best outing as the ailing Doc Holliday. With the film displayed in the brand of epic, cinematic grandiosity that defined many of John Ford’s greatest pictures, it remains a true Western classic and one of the best depictions of Wyatt Earp ever put to screen.

42. ‘Johnny Guitar’ (1954)

Directed by Nicholas Ray

Despite being released to mixed and uncertain domestic reviews, Johnny Guitar became an instant hit in the European market and has endured as a progressive and captivating classic that has earned greater praise over time. Starring Joan Crawford, it follows an abrasive saloon owner as the sympathy she extends to a wounded outlaw sees her become the target of a lynch mob spurred on by her arch nemesis.

Unafraid of breaking genre conventions, Johnny Guitar makes an immediate impression with its rich sense of style, its bold and blistering narrative and characters, and its lyrical dialogue that few Westerns have embraced quite so eagerly. Hinging on Crawford’s performance, the film has become a true classic of the genre, even receiving a stage musical adaptation in 2004 as a testament to its long-running popularity.

41. ‘High Plains Drifter’ (1973)

Directed by Clint Eastwood

Marking Clint Eastwood’s second effort as a director, and his first in the Western genre, High Plains Drifter is an impressive achievement, especially considering he also occupies the starring role with no small amount of presence. It follows a nameless gunfighter who drifts into a small town and is hired to help the townspeople defend their homes from three ruthless bandits soon to be arriving in the area.

Eastwood excels on both sides of the camera, with his performance an attention-grabbing enigma of harsh violence and dry humor, and his direction defined by his sharp and snappy camerawork. It went on to be a significant box office success as well as a rousing tale of defiance that has endured impressively over the course of 50+ years, and it remains one of Eastwood’s strongest directorial outings.

40. ‘The Rider’ (2018)

Directed by Chloé Zhao

Marking the second feature from Oscar-winning filmmaker Chloé Zhao, 2017’s The Rider stands as an underrated modern Western even with critics heaping praise upon the character drama. It follows a rodeo rider who suffers a serious head injury that leads doctors to advise him against further riding. While he struggles to come to terms with the diagnosis, he takes a job at a local grocery store to help his poverty-stricken family which is struggling under the burden of their alcoholic and gambling-addicted patriarch.

Despite being a hard-hitting narrative film, Zhao strayed away from using trained actors, instead opting to cast real Lakota people as fictionalized versions of themselves, including star Brady Jandreau who did suffer a serious head injury as a horse trainer. Completely natural, evocative, and profoundly human, The Rider is a highlight of understated drama and is a film that explores complicated notions of masculinity while posing as a criminally underrated modern Western.

39. ‘Dances with Wolves’ (1990)

Directed by Kevin Costner

Kevin Costner’s directorial debut, Dances with Wolves is an overawing visual spectacle that encompasses the sheer vastness of the frontier and the emotional might that can be found in American history. With Costner also starring, it follows a Civil War veteran who is assigned to a remote western outpost and forms a tight bond with the local Sioux tribe. His new relationships with the tribe members are tested when Union soldiers arrive to take their land.

While it is easy to criticize the movie for the simplicity with which it addresses its cultural focuses, Dances with Wolves maintains an arresting and rousing grandiosity that has seen it, as a whole, age admirably even if some of its parts haven’t. In addition to having a significant impact upon release, it also won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director for Costner.

38. ‘Fort Apache’ (1948)

Directed by John Ford

While its impact today is perhaps underappreciated, Fort Apache is an important landmark in the Western genre as one of the first mainstream Westerns to cast a sympathetic light on the Native Americans and the plights they faced as the frontier expanded. It focuses on the hostile relationship between a respected Civil War veteran, who is the new commander of Fort Apache, and his level-headed deputy, with the two men clashing over a planned attack on the Native Americans in the area.

Director John Ford was able to use the film to elaborate on a world-weary and contemplative view on interpersonal and racial conflicts, and even warfare itself, that would become a defining point of his greatest films going forward. Linked to the legend of General Custer’s cavalry charge, Fort Apache finds its brilliance in its ambiguity and complexity, while Ford’s directorial precision is a feature, as are the performances of John Wayne and Henry Fonda.

37. ‘The Big Country’ (1958)

Directed by William Wyler

A true epic, The Big Country utilizes a 165-minute runtime to depict the Old West in all its sweeping grandiosity as it explores a dramatic tale of family feuding and land rights. Captain James McKay (Gregory Peck) finally retires to America to marry his fiancé, but he soon finds himself embroiled in her family’s squabble with the lawless Hannassey family concerning land and water resources in the area. While the Hannasseys try to provoke violence, McKay prefers to be reasonable, an approach that aggravates his fiancé and soon-to-be father-in-law.

Both its beautiful visual display and its arresting soundtrack imbue The Big Country with a captivating enormity that gives the central conflict a terrific urgency. The cast at large excel in their parts, even if some of the roles may be a touch wooden by today’s standards, making The Big Country a trademark 50s period epic. It was also a favorite movie of President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

36. ‘Rango’ (2011)

Directed by Gore Verbinski

Among the most underappreciated animated films this century, and a film too often omitted from discussion surrounding the best Westerns in recent decades, Rango is a divine gem of eye-popping creativity and accessible, intelligent narrative. Running with a wry comedic wit, it follows a pet chameleon known only as Rango (Johnny Depp) who, when lost by his owners, becomes the unlikely hero of an Old West-style town in desperate need of a new sheriff.

Between the glory of its animated action splendor, the engrossing nature of its hilarious story of heroism and crime, and the intoxicating and eccentric brilliance of every single cast member’s vocal performance, it is difficult to pinpoint what exactly Rango’s greatest strength is. The end result is one of the most arresting and universally accessible family pictures ever made, as well as one of the sharpest satires of the Western genre cinema has seen in a very long time.

35. ‘The Proposition’ (2005)

Directed by John Hillcoat

While Westerns typically make use of the vast, open ranges of America and the frontier, Australia has established itself as an adequate substitute with its barren outback and its sun-scorched landscapes. Dubbed “meat pie Westerns,” Australia has produced a number of excellent films in the genre, with 2005’s The Proposition one of the best and most brutal.

Featuring an all-star cast, it follows a criminal who is given an ultimatum when he and his younger brother are arrested; he can bring his sadistic older brother in to be hanged, or his comparatively innocent younger sibling will face the noose in his stead. All the while, the policeman in charge struggles with the moral ramifications and what he is doing as the force around him take issue with his idea. Gritty, violent, and loaded with complicated characters at breaking strain, The Proposition is an underrated Western and one of the best examples of the genre in the 21st century.

34. ‘Red River’ (1948)

Directed by Howard Hawks

An underrated John Wayne film compared to some of the Western icon’s other acclaimed pictures in the genre, Red River excels as a character-driven drama with a neat, focused story. It follows Texas rancher Thomas Dunson (Wayne) and his adopted son Matt Garth (Montgomery Clift) as they embark on a cattle drive to Missouri as the Civil War rages on. The further they trek, the more hostile their relationship grows.

With esteemed director Howard Hawks at the helm, the film is an exemplary Western rich with awe-inspiring, sweeping visuals and an arresting emotional journey of desperation and tragedy. It maybe sacrifices some of the exhilarating thrills associated with Western stories in pits pursuit of a more grounded depiction of a bleak chapter in American history, but it is a stronger, more powerful film for it. Wayne’s portrayal of Dunson also remains one of the best and most nuanced performances of his career.

33. ‘The Ox-Bow Incident’ (1943)

Directed by William A. Wellman

One of the earlier Western classics to skewer genre-centric notions of themes of crime, justice, and consequence, The Ox-Bow Incident is an uncompromising drama that remains incredibly poignant even today. It follows two drifters who join a posse comprised of local townsfolk intending to hunt down the murderers of a farmer whose cattle has been stolen. The mob quickly develop an appetite for justice when they find three men with the farm’s cattle.

It delivers a powerful and unforgiving message about the reckless and volatile nature of mob mentality, a scathing conviction of the dangers that arise with the blindness and tunnel-vision of self-righteousness. Interestingly, The Ox-Bow Incident received just one Academy Award nomination, but it was for Best Picture. To date, it remains the most recent film to have achieved such a peculiar feat.

32. ‘Duck, You Sucker!’ (aka ‘A Fistful of Dynamite’) (1971)

Directed by Sergio Leone

Few would argue that Sergio Leone is the master of the spaghetti Western and, quite possibly, the greatest director Western cinema has ever seen. While he has many iconic classics heralded as defining masterpieces of the genre, Duck, You Sucker! (also known as A Fistful of Dynamite) is something of a forgotten gem. Set in 1913, amid the Mexican Revolution, it follows the unlikely bond that forms between John (James Coburn), a former Irish revolutionary and explosives expert, and Juan (Rod Steiger), a Mexican peon leading a small band of outlaws.

Leone comfortably juggles his usual penchant for style, violence, glorious mayhem, and slick yet nuanced characters with a profound and powerful drama that catches viewers completely off-guard and enriches the viewing experience. While Duck, You Sucker! is hampered by some content that has aged woefully, it remains an engrossing and adventurous dose of Western bombast that isn’t afraid to pack a hefty thematic punch as well.

31. ‘Tombstone’ (1993)

Directed by George P. Cosmatos and Kevin Jarre

A sleek and stylish Western that was strikingly modern upon release and has endured admirably with its immaculate cast, Tombstone has to be the huckleberry of every 90s Western fan. A dramatized retelling of Wyatt Earp’s (Kurt Russell) exploits, it follows the famous gunman as he and his brothers settle in the Arizona town of Tombstone where they find themselves opposed to a band of outlaws known as “the Cowboys.”

The ensemble cast features A-listers like Sam Elliott, Bill Paxton, Powers Boothe, and Michael Biehn alongside Kurt Russell, but it was Val Kilmer’s portrayal of Doc Holliday that was the true scene stealer. His chemistry with Russell is sensational, with the bond between Holliday and Earp a defining element of the film’s brilliance. Triumphant, rousing, and imbued with gritty fun, Tombstone is a hallmark of Western entertainment in the 1990s.

30. ‘Compañeros’ (1970)

Directed by Sergio Corbucci

While Sergio Corbucci was typically known for the confronting sense of violence he brought to spaghetti Western cinema, his 1970 film, Compañeros, was a masterful blending of comedy and Western. Essentially a buddy movie, it follows a Swedish arms dealer and a Mexican peon as they are dispatched to reclaim an intellectual leader of the revolution from an American prison. Hilarious misadventures aplenty ensue, while the duo are also tracked by a one-handed gunslinger harboring a vengeful fury.

With genre icons Franco Nero and Tomas Milian occupying the starring roles, Compańeros boasted a vibrant energy that saw it go from Western to comedy to all-out action on a whim. There is a degree of ridiculous excess to Compańeros which is perfectly balanced against its narrative progression to be an exuberantly fun viewing experience for Western lovers.

29. ‘Hell or High Water’ (2016)

Directed by David Mackenzie

Hell or High Water has become an underrated cult classic as a well-acted neo-Western that also functions as a lean and gritty heist thriller. It follows Toby (exceptionally portrayed by Chris Pine), a divorced father, and his ill-tempered brother Tanner (Ben Foster), an ex-con, as they are told the bank is readying to foreclose on their family ranch. As they conduct a series of armed robberies on the bank, they find themselves on a collision course with Sheriff Marcus Hamilton (Jeff Bridges), a veteran lawman on the cusp of retirement.

While it replaces the horses and rifles with pick-up trucks and pump-action shotguns, it cuts to the core of the genre with its complex exploration of morality, violence, and justice. David Mackenzie succeeds in walking a tightrope in that audiences are permitted to be roused by the poetic justice of the brothers robbing the bank they are indebted to, while also forcing viewers to grapple with its evocative story of desperation.

28. ‘Brokeback Mountain’ (2004)

Directed by Ang Lee

A renowned Western romance from director Ang Lee, Brokeback Mountain was famously snubbed for Best Picture at the Oscars. That being said, it has endured as a true gem of 21st-century cinema that is an essential viewing experience for all movie lovers. It follows the romance that develops between sheepherders Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger), one that grows complicated when they both return to their girlfriends and get married.

Its concentration on the emotional turmoil of both men gave the film a pointed focus that was poignant and painstakingly specific while still touching on a universal sense of heartache and despair. Impressively, this character-centric approach takes away none of the enormity associated with the genre, with Brokeback Mountain still utilizing an epic scale and spellbinding visuals to enhance the story. The end result is one of the greatest revisionist Westerns of all time.

27. ‘The Hateful Eight’ (2015)

Directed by Quentin Tarantino

A spaghetti Western thriller that also runs as a twisted whodunit, The Hateful Eight is a somewhat underappreciated gem within Quentin Tarantino’s career and of the Western genre at large. It tracks eight strangers stuck in a cabin in 1870 Wyoming when a blizzard strikes, forcing a bounty hunter escorting a violent captive to the hangman to grow suspicious of those in his company.

The close confines and the ever-mounting tensions in The Hateful Eight presented Tarantino with plenty of opportunity to flaunt his signature intensity, seeing the movie border on a level of suspense synonymous with horror films. With an epic scale that allows the story to unfold over its three-hour runtime, The Hateful Eight also holds up incredibly well on multiple rewatches, with all the sly twists and eruptions of violence only becoming more engrossing. Additionally, the wintery Western setting made for a relatively unique aesthetic within the genre.

26. ‘Shane’ (1953)

Directed by George Stevens

A Western classic that was catapulted back into mainstream consciousness with its appearance in, and influence on, 2017’s superhero hit Logan, Shane is a brilliant and contemplative example of the genre. Set in 1880s Wyoming, it follows the titular bounty hunter as he arrives in a small town and begins working as a farmhand. As Shane (Alan Ladd) befriends the family who employ him, he begins dreaming of a quieter life on the homestead, before the arrival of a ruthless cattle baron forces the gunslinger to take up arms once more.

One of the most influential films in Western cinema, its tale of a violent man hoping to settle into some normality and peace only to return to his brutal ways for the greater good is one which has been replicated countless times. Few films, however, have done it with as much pathos as Shane. Rich with gorgeous views that embody the Old West, Shane won Best Cinematography at the Oscars while also earning a further five nominations.

25. ‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford’ (2007)

Directed by Andrew Dominik

Despite becoming a complete flop at the box office, one that famously cost star Brad Pitt a sum of money, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford has come to be viewed as a modern classic of Western drama. The biopic focuses on the last days of Jesse James’ (Pitt) gang through the lens of Robert Ford (Casey Affleck), a young crook whose idolization of the notorious outlaw gradually turns to envy and spite.

Coasting off two exceptional lead performances, the film is a measured, crawling dive into obsession and morality, one that uses the mythic allure of the American train robbers to stunning effect. A brilliant example of revisionism in the genre, The Assassination contains all the grandiosity, grit, and thematic might associated with classic Western cinema, while also featuring a poignant crime story and arresting, poetic narration.

24. ‘True Grit’ (2010)

Directed by Ethan and Joel Coen

An exceptionally rare case where a remake surpasses the original film, the Coen Brothers‘ re-creation of the 1969 John Wayne classic was masterful. With young Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) desperate to avenge her murdered father, she enlists the crotchety, drunken US Marshall veteran Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) to help her bring the culprit to justice while insisting that she accompanies him on his journey.

True Grit represented the first pure-genre film by the Coens. It was an exercise they excelled in as well, with True Grit perfectly capturing the atmosphere of the Old West while drawing terrific performances from the talented cast. In addition to being one of the best Western movies of the 21st century, it also stands as one of the best movies of 2011, one which received 10 Academy Award nominations.

23. ‘McCabe & Mrs. Miller’ (1971)

Directed by Robert Altman

Described as an “anti-Western,” McCabe & Mrs. Miller abandoned more flashy, cinematic ideas of the Old West and was more invested in depicting the way people actually lived. Directed by Robert Altman, it follows gambler John McCabe (Warren Beatty) as he arrives in a quiet mining town and opens a brothel. While many of the townsfolk are charmed by the enterprising newcomer, cockney prostitute Constance Miller (Julie Christie) is awake to his facade and makes herself his business partner.

A revisionist Western decades before the introspective subgenre became a trending idea, McCabe & Mrs. Miller is viewed by many to be among the greatest Westerns of all time. Bereft of macho heroism and suave shootouts, its focus on ordinary yet complicated people in a brutal though romanticized era remains a fresh take on the genre even more than 50 years since its release.

22. ‘3:10 to Yuma’ (2007)

Directed by James Mangold

While it could be viewed as another Western remake that served as an improvement on the original film, James Mangold‘s 3:10 to Yuma is probably more adequately described as its own adaptation of Elmore Leonard‘s short story “Three-Ten to Yuma.” Making use of a brilliant cast, it follows small-time rancher Dan Evans (Christian Bale) who, desperate for money, agrees to help transport a dangerous outlaw, Ben Wade (Russell Crowe), to the train station.

While there are plenty of twists and turns on the journey, 3:10 to Yuma isn’t so much a triumph for its story as much as it was celebrated for its effortlessly smooth presentation. Bale and Crowe were both magnificent in their starring roles, portraying the characters’ initial opposition with an understated sincerity which made the respect that evolved between the two men all the more compelling.

21. ‘The Magnificent Seven’ (1960)

Directed by John Sturges

An adoring recreation of Akira Kurosawa‘s mesmerizing samurai epic Seven Samurai, The Magnificent Seven has become a true classic in its own right, one which maintained many of the Japanese film’s beats while adorning them in a cowboy aesthetic. A rousing tale of honor and camaraderie, it follows seven gunslingers who agree to help a poor Mexican village fight back against a group of bandits.

The film was largely defined by its incredible ensemble cast, with Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, and James Coburg as just some of the iconic actors appearing. With its rollicking score, conflicting character motivations, and emotionally arresting tale all feeding into the film’s overt though surprisingly earnest and welcoming masculinity, The Magnificent Seven remains just as triumphant a viewing experience today as it was way back in 1960.

20. ‘Django’ (1966)

Directed by Sergio Corbucci

Beyond the films of Sergio Leone, there would be few spaghetti Westerns as iconic as 1966’s Django. Co-written and directed by Corbucci, it follows a lone gunslinger who drags a coffin behind him everywhere he goes. When he stumbles into a border town divided by Mexican bandits and an early Ku Klux Klan faction, he immerses himself in the struggle between the two factions.

While the film initially earned some negative reviews on account of its strong violence, it has since come to be viewed as one of the best spaghetti Westerns of all time. Its ability to mix the genre’s sense of style with a gritty story in which no one emerges redeemed (or in one piece) made it a strikingly brutal Western that has long been celebrated for its amoral lens. That being said, Corbucci’s venomous disdain for fascists is made apparent with one particularly frenetic shootout scene.

19. ‘Stagecoach’ (1939)

Directed by John Ford

After working prolifically through the late 20s and the entirety of the 1930s, John Wayne finally got his big break in the now-revered Western classic, Stagecoach. Set in the 1880s, it follows the clashing personalities aboard a stagecoach bound for Lordsburg, New Mexico. With a drunk, a philosophizer, a prostitute, and Wayne’s vengeful outlaw, the Ringo Kid, among the travelers, their trek sees the nine passengers begin to understand one another as the ever-present threat of an Apache attack hangs heavy over their voyage.

A universal story about human interaction, Stagecoach has managed to both transcend the Western genre and become one of the finest examples of it. It made exceptional use of the striking views of Monument Valley – making the location a staple of Western cinema for decades to come – while also displaying Hollywood legend John Ford at his film-making best. A highlight of the astonishing year 1939 was for film, Stagecoach has become a timeless achievement in cinematic storytelling.

18. ‘The Outlaw Josey Wales’ (1976)

Directed by Clint Eastwood

One of the genre’s greatest stars, Clint Eastwood‘s service to Western cinema has perhaps never been more evident than it was in The Outlaw Josey Wales, a film in which he directed and starred. A revenge thriller dressed up as a Western, it follows a Missouri farmer who embarks on a quest for revenge when his wife and son are murdered by Union soldiers. Joining a Confederate guerrilla unit to get closer to his target, he becomes a notorious and feared gunslinger.

While a gritty and grimy picture that hearkens back to Eastwood’s work on the Dollars Trilogy, The Outlaw Josey Wales has more sensitivity on display and also doubles as an effective and damning anti-war film. With a sharper sense of humanity and more regard for the consequences of violence, it can be viewed as an evolutionary step in the context of Eastwood’s career in Western cinema, as well as a powerful film in its own right.

17. ‘A Fistful of Dollars’ (1964)

Directed by Sergio Leone

In addition to being one of the greatest trilogies ever made, Sergio Leone‘s Dollars Trilogy also serves as a major influence on Western cinema over the past 60 years. Another film that took inspiration from the samurai films of Akira Kurosawa, A Fistful of Dollars was a Western re-imagining of the Japanese director’s 1962 picture, Yojimbo. It follows Eastwood’s nameless protagonist as he arrives in a town split by two feuding criminal factions and plays the gangs against each other.

With a low budget, few English-speaking actors, and a relative unknown in Clint Eastwood starring, the film seemed doomed to fail. However, its lack of polish gave it a gritty authenticity that America’s blockbuster Westerns lacked, and the rougher aesthetic was complemented by a grimier story and an out-for-himself anti-hero who remains the best gunslinger in film. A Fistful of Dollars‘ unexpected financial success saw it become a pioneer of spaghetti Western cinema, as well as one of the best movies the subgenre has to offer.

16. ‘The Searchers’ (1956)

Directed by John Ford

John Wayne has become a cinematic icon for his trademark heroism and chivalry, but The Searchers is viewed by many to be his greatest picture because of his against-type performance. Wayne portrays Ethan Edwards, a Civil War veteran who returns home to find his family murdered, and his niece abducted by a Comanche tribe. Refusing to give up on the young girl, Ethan and his nephew set out on a rescue mission that spans years.

The Searchers cut deeper into the fabric of Western tropes than most other movies even thought of, addressing the violent characters and underlying racism the genre often exhibited casually. Nothing evinced this more powerfully than Wayne’s career-best performance as the openly racist and viciously spiteful protagonist. In many respects, The Searchers is an even better film to watch today, as people’s understanding of topics like racism, violence, and frontier life is more mature and better informed.

15. ‘High Noon’ (1952)

Directed by Fred Zinnemann

A rather contentious film upon release, High Noon was met with fiercely mixed reviews as a complete subversion of Western tropes, but it has come to be revered as one of the most commanding and daring films in the genre. Gary Cooper stars as Will Kane, a newlywed marshal whose plans of settling down are disrupted when he learns a freed criminal he imprisoned is coming to town for revenge. Kane’s attempts to form a posse to fight with him falter as the townsfolk reject him or flee.

The tale of one man, cast out by his own community, and forced to go into battle alone stoked the ire of many. John Wayne even described the film as “the most un-American thing I’ve ever seen”. The conjecture is made all the more intriguing considering High Noon‘s screenwriter, Carl Foreman, was blacklisted for having Communist sympathies. Over 70 years on, though, High Noon is a universally celebrated movie that is admired as one of the earliest revisionist Westerns. It won four Academy Awards from seven nominations.

14. ‘The Wild Bunch’ (1969)

Directed by Sam Peckinpah

The barnstorming breakout of director Sam Peckinpah, The Wild Bunch was as shocking as it was sensational, becoming a critically applauded hit shrouded in controversy. An ultra-violent masterpiece, it follows a crew of aging outlaws looking to make one last big score before retiring as the world around them rapidly changes. However, the heist turns out to be an ambush that sees the gunmen flee to Mexico, where they cross paths with a vicious general in the Mexican Federal Army.

Boasting a wide cast of characters which ranged from sadistic villains to remorseful killers, The Wild Bunch made for a more mature and nuanced Western than many that had come before it. Its contemplation on, and skewering of, violence as a spectacle, and what that makes of an audience, was as relentless as it was brutal. Its capacity to affect audiences has diluted little over the decades, with the film earning universal praise retrospectively.

13. ‘Rio Bravo’ (1959)

Directed by Howard Hawks

Another of John Wayne’s classic films, Rio Bravo was cited as being his and director Howard Hawks’ retort to the aforementioned High Noon. Wayne stars as John T. Chance, a small-town sheriff whose arrest of a local cattle baron for murder sees the crook’s vicious gang ride into town to break him out of prison. In response, Chance enlists the aid of the town drunk, a young gunslinger, and a crotchety old man to defend the town and hold the criminals accountable.

An embracing of all that was glorious about the American Westerns of the 50s and 60s, Rio Bravo had the honorable underdog heroes fighting for what was right against a wave of uncivilized evil. Boasting an all-star cast which included Angie Dickinson, Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson, and Walter Brennan, it is a true icon of American cinema. It also helped popularize the siege movie, with John Carpenter stating it inspired his cult classic Assault on Precinct 13.

12. ‘The Great Silence’ (1968)

Directed by Sergio Corbucci

Widely regarded as Sergio Corbucci’s greatest-ever film, The Great Silence exchanged the barren waste of the frontier for raging blizzards in Utah. It follows a mute gunman known as Silence (Jean-Louis Trintignant) as he seeks vengeance for the murder of his parents. His vendetta sees him cross paths with a young widow who asks him to help her avenge her own loss, thus seeing Silence stand with a group of outlaws against a savage gang of bounty hunters.

Bereft of sentimentality or any form of glamorization, The Great Silence is famous for its violent and bleak portrayal of the West, and the ruthless nature of the lawlessness which defined it. Its coarse tone and wintery setting ensure it remains a unique Western film even today, while its vicious conclusion solidifies it as one of the genre’s most uncompromisingly brutal pictures.

11. ‘There Will Be Blood’ (2007)

Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson

An unconventional Western that is undeniably a classic thanks to its scathing yet subversive exploration of the genre’s tropes, There Will Be Blood casts a terrible villain as the protagonist, following a ruthlessly ambitious oil tycoon in the early 1900s. Daniel Day-Lewis puts in a masterful performance as Daniel Plainview, whose desire to find his fortune in an oil field out West sees him clash with a manipulative clergyman in the form of Eli Sunday (Paul Dano).

True to Paul Thomas Anderson’s nature, There Will Be Blood takes great delight in occupying a unique place within its genre, with Plainview’s fierce greed and the grand lie he sells standing in stark contrast to typical Western heroes. A study of American capitalism at its most evil, the film thrives off the back of Day-Lewis’ spellbinding, Oscar-winning performance that is viewed by many to be among the greatest ever put to screen.

10. ‘Blazing Saddles’ (1974)

Directed by Mel Brooks

A comedic masterpiece that offers a great deal of fun for Western lovers with its playful use of genre tropes to satirize modern society, Blazing Saddles is one of Mel Brooks’ defining cinematic achievements. The all-time classic parody sees a corrupt politician hire a Black sheriff for a small town to disperse its residents and see the town collapse. However, when the townsfolk surprisingly take a liking to the sheriff, the lawman becomes the politician’s greatest adversary.

There is certainly an outrageous allure to Blazing Saddles that has seen it stand as one of the most provocative and shocking comedies ever made for half a century. However, it also serves as a remarkably well-told comedic story that offers an insightful look at issues of racism in America. One of the greatest comedies of all time, and a truly brilliant if not unconventional Western, Blazing Saddles excels at both challenging and affirming the genre’s magnificence.

9. ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ (1969)

Directed by George Roy Hill

One of the best aspects of the Western genre is the interesting and complex characters it creates, whether they are fictional or, in the case of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, mythicized versions of actual people. Butch Cassidy (Paul Newman) serves as the quick-thinking leader of the Hole-in-the-Wall gang, with the Sundance Kid (Robert Redford) as his trusty right-hand man. However, when the crew’s train robbery goes bad, the two outlaws must flee to Bolivia to evade the law.

The titular duo makes for one of the greatest pairings in cinematic history, with Newman and Redford’s incredible chemistry the defining quality of the film. Also imbued with some excellent action sequences, a rewarding love story, strong comedic instincts, and an unforgettable ending, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is a highlight of 1960s American cinema which revolutionized what a Western could be.

8. ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’ (1962)

Directed by John Ford

The notion of Western heroes and quick-drawing cowboys has become something of a modern American myth. Few movies have delved into the difference between history in earnest and the great American fable of the Old West quite like The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance which followed U.S. Senator Ransom Stoddard (Jimmy Stewart) as he and his family attend the funeral of a humble rancher, Tom Doniphon (John Wayne). With questions asked as to why a Senator would be there, Stoddard speaks to the media about his old friend.

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance was more considered than the average Western and showcased an enticing eagerness to contemplate the nature and identity of the genre. It was the second last of 14 films Wayne and John Ford worked on as star and director and it has become an icon of Western cinema, enduring as one of America’s greatest-ever movies.

7. ‘For a Few Dollars More’ (1965)

Directed by Sergio Leone

The second film of Sergio Leone’s Dollars Trilogy, For a Few Dollars More sees Clint Eastwood reprising his role as the poncho-wearing Man with No Name, while Lee Van Cleef entered the fray as his unlikely ally. It centers on the uneasy bond between a bounty hunter and a former army officer as they pursue El Indio (Gian Maria Volonté), a cold-blooded bank robber, murderer, and rapist who is at large after being broken out of prison by his gang.

Few Westerns were able to realize grizzled gunslingers quite like Leone’s Dollars Trilogy and, where so many of the greatest examples of the genre have subverted or challenged violence as a central trope, For a Few Dollars More actively embraced it. The result was a heart-racing, engrossing, and intense film that made outstanding use of Ennio Morricone’s sublime score to be a glorious display of spaghetti Western cinema.

6. ‘The Treasure of the Sierra Madre’ (1948)

Directed by John Huston

It’s a big call considering he also made The Maltese Falcon, but the 1948 Western adventure film The Treasure of the Sierra Madre could be John Huston‘s greatest picture. Set in 1920s Mexico, it follows two American drifters who, having fallen on unfortunate times, team up with a veteran prospector and trek into the Sierra Madre in search of gold. While they find the treasure they seek, they also find great dangers in the form of lurking bandits and the growing distrust within their own little gang.

In addition to being a tremendous Western, The Maltese Falcon also stands as a gripping psychological thriller and a dazzling adventure movie. Hollywood icon Humphrey Bogart turned in a career-best performance, while it also saw Huston win the only Oscars of his career (Best Director and Best Screenplay). Despite the story being reworked multiple times, none of its remakes have come close to surpassing it.

5. ‘Django Unchained’ (2012)

Directed by Quentin Tarantino

Quentin Tarantino‘s foray into spaghetti Western cinema with Django Unchained is not only one of the best examples of the Western genre at large, but one of the most infectiously enjoyable films of the 21st century as well. The revenge thriller follows Django (Jamie Foxx), a freed slave who is recruited by German bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz) to help him identify three wanted men. As their bond grows, Schultz devises a plan to help Django get his wife back from the eccentric yet cruel plantation owner, Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio).

A tribute to the many spaghetti Western classics that came before it, Django Unchained was quick to tip its hat while indulging in an onslaught of foul-mouthed ultra-violence the likes of which the genre has seldom seen. The end result marks one of Quentin Tarantino’s best movies and a rousing reminder that Western cinema can still excel in the modern age, not only as revisionist drama but as a major box office drawcard as well.

4. ‘No Country For Old Men’ (2007)

Directed by Ethan and Joel Coen

While Westerns are typically associated with life on the frontier and the lawlessness of 19th-century America, modern iterations of the genre offer intriguing insights and unique perspectives to its central themes. One of the greatest neo-Western films came in the form of No Country For Old Men, the Coen Brothers’ Oscar-winning crime thriller.

Set in 1980s Texas, it follows a hunter as he steals a case full of money from the scene of a Cartel shootout and finds himself being relentlessly pursued by the psychotic hitman, Javier Bardem’s Anton Chigurh. Amid its complex and dense narrative which takes some ambitious turns, No Country For Old Men explored standard Western themes of justice and morality while also including thought-provoking points on modernity and what elements of humanity have deteriorated with social evolution.

3. ‘Unforgiven’ (1992)

Directed by Clint Eastwood

Nearly 30 years after he became a staple of Western cinema, Clint Eastwood was just about ready to hang up the ten-gallon hat and leave his spurs behind, but not before giving one final, fond farewell to the genre that made his career. A masterpiece that gives substantial weight to the violence on display, Unforgiven follows long-retired gunfighter Will Munny (Eastwood) as he takes up arms again to track the bounty on a cowboy who disfigured a prostitute’s face.

With Munny’s ruthless backstory an ever-present shadow that hangs over the character and the story, Unforgiven strips away the myth and romance of the Old West and instead revels in the harsh realities of life in that era. Marking what is undoubtedly Eastwood’s most committed work in the genre, Unforgiven saw him put in a career-best performance. He was also recognized by the Academy Awards with the film winning Best Director and Best Picture among four total wins and nine nominations.

2. ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ (1969)

Directed by Sergio Leone

Few directors have held such a defining grasp over a genre as Sergio Leone had on spaghetti Westerns. Following the success of the Dollars Trilogy, he put forth another classic with Once Upon a Time in the West, a film many consider to be his magnum opus. It follows a mysterious stranger known only as Harmonica (Charles Bronson) who helps an outlaw protect a widow whose land is being sought after by a vicious mercenary working for the railroad.

Immortalized by Ennio Morricone’s sublime score, Henry Fonda’s striking villainous performance, and its gloriously epic story which, while convoluted, gradually unfolds over the film’s 166-minute runtime, Once Upon a Time in the West marked what was perhaps the most ambitious venture of Leone’s career. In the decades since its release, Once Upon a Time in the West has come to be celebrated as one of the best Western movies of all time and one of the most influential accomplishments in cinematic history.

1. ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ (1966)

Directed by Sergio Leone

With Morricone’s timeless and ubiquitous score, its stunning visuals, exceptional performances, and its engrossing tale of greed, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly is the greatest Western of all time. It follows the uneasy alliance formed between “Blondie” (Eastwood) and the slippery Tuco (Eli Wallach), with each man knowing half of the secret to the whereabouts of a stash of Confederate gold. All the while, they are pursued by the vicious killer Angel Eyes (Lee Van Cleef) who wants to get his hands on the treasure as well.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly is a masterpiece of cinematic immersion, using everything from the sweeping cinematography to the pacing and the music to engross the viewer in the Old West, a cut-throat world of betrayal and greed. Additionally, it also manages to be an exuberant and fun watch, with the comedic chemistry between Eastwood and Wallach a treat as their characters try to outwit and manipulate one another. Culminating in one of the greatest scenes ever filmed, is still revered as one of the finest films ever released.

NEXT:The Best Neo-Westerns of the 21st Century