The 10 best Westerns of all time
Columbia/United Artists/OrionWhether you’re already an expert on cowboys or looking to make your first foray into the Wild West, you’ve come to the right saloon, partner. Here’s our list of the best Westerns of all time, from old classics to modern takes on the genre.
The Western is one of the longest-standing genres in cinema. From iconic stars like John Wayne and Clint Eastwood to modern filmmakers and actors championing this type of story once more, cowboys have always been and always will be, incredibly cool.
Anyone familiar with Taylor Sheridan’s work on Yellowstone will know that the Western is well and truly back right now, and with Kevin Costner’s Horizon: An American Saga pegged as one of the biggest new movies of the year, the genre could be set for glory days for years to come.
But enough about the future. We’re here to look back at the past and offer up our rundown of the 10 best Westerns of all time. So saddle up and check out these must-see movies from one of our favorite genres.
The best Westerns of all time
Here’s our rundown of the best Westerns ever made, ranked from worst to best (although, naturally, they’re all very good).
10. Tombstone (1993)
Buena VistaWesterns, in general, are pretty cool, but they don’t come much cooler than Tombstone. When you put Val Kilmer, Kurt Russell, Sam Elliott, Michael Biehn, and Bill Paxton in a movie together, you’re going to get magic regardless of the story, but thankfully, Tombstone focuses on the story of Wyatt Earp and his infamous brothers as they look to start a new life, but trouble finds them nonetheless.
Tombstone is a slick, tightly constructed love letter to the genre without leaning on homages and cliches. Instead, it lets its fascinating characters do all the walking, talking, and shooting necessary to elevate this to be one of the very best modern Westerns around.
Where to watch: Disney+
9. True Grit (2010)
ParamountYes, we know remakes of great movies are usually frowned upon, but sometimes they just work. In the case of the Coen Brothers’ revised version of True Grit, the remake excels and builds upon everything the original got right.
It helps when you’ve got the talents of Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon to rely on, and the pair truly bring their A-game to this one. However, it’s a young Hailee Steinfeld who shines the brightest in her big breakthrough, with an Oscar-nominated performance, no less.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
8. Shane (1953)
ParamountShane truly has it all: the cool cowboy riding into a new town looking for a quiet life, who finds himself not only embroiled in a bitter battle between the townsfolk and a cattle baron but also in the middle of a risky love triangle.
What’s interesting about Shane is that, although you find plenty of the trademark Western staples like gunfights and fisticuffs, the movie has an underlying pacifist attitude, and its complex characters make this a powerful and compelling classic.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
7. Dances with Wolves (1990)
OrionHere he is, the current king of the Western genre (just don’t tell Taylor Sheridan we said that). Kevin Costner has been thriving in the genre long before he joined the Yellowstone cast, and there are a number of his films we could have chosen for this list, but Dances With Wolves is the winner here.
Costner directs and stars in this epic tale that combines emotionally-charged scenes with touches of humor and levity. If Horizon is half the movie Dances with Wolves is, we are in for a treat later this year.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
6. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)
Warner Bros.With a long runtime and an even longer title, it could be easy to be put off this one, but you would be missing out on one of the most visually stunning, thematically rich movies since the turn of the millennium.
Not only does The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford boast the acting talents of Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck, Sam Rockwell, Jeremy Renner, and Sam Shepard, it is also taken from a great movie to an outstanding movie by the cinematography of Sir Roger Deakins, with some of his finest work to date.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
5. Unforgiven (1992)
Warner Bros.If you were building a Mount Rushmore of Western icons, Clint Eastwood would be on there without a doubt — maybe even twice, actually. His work on the genre back in the 1960s with the Man With No Name trilogy (more on that soon) was inimitable, but he returned to the game in the 1990s to star in and direct yet another cowboy classic.
Unforgiven follows traditional beats: an old gunslinger who wants to leave the past behind but gets drawn in by another big job. However, Eastwood weaves such an intricate and riveting story that it’s easy to see why Unforgiven has been heralded as the greatest modern Western.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
4. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
20th Century FoxThe idea of ‘star power’ is something film fans talk about a lot, and sadly, there are very few true movie stars around these days. They just don’t make ’em like they used to, and Paul Newman and Robert Redford are perfect examples of charisma personified, especially when they appear together.
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is a rip-roaring adventure that feels more like a buddy road trip flick than a tense Western, and it’s in the lighter moments that this iconic picture really succeeds. Full of bold bank robberies, daring escapes, and quippy one-liners, you simply cannot help but smile when watching this movie.
Where to watch: Disney+
3. Django Unchained (2012)
Columbia PicturesLove him or hate him, Quentin Tarantino makes one hell of a good picture. Django Unchained carries all the characteristics of the classics of the genre, with a super cool protagonist on a mission to save the woman he loves, but in true Tarantino fashion, this Western comes with profanities, laugh-out-loud humor, and an outrageously stylish lens.
The range of performances, from Jamie Foxx’s bombastic turn as the titular hero to Christoph Waltz’s zany depiction of Dr. King Schultz and Leonardo DiCaprio’s incredible cameo as Calvin Candie, take this one to the next level. If we had your curiosity before, we’re pretty sure we’ve got your attention now.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
2. The Searchers (1956)
Warner Bros.No list of the best Westerns would be complete without at least one appearance from the late, great John Wayne. The Searchers is rightly regarded as one of the all-time greats, and a lot of that comes down to the way Wayne throws himself into the role of American Civil War veteran, Ethan Edwards, here.
The Searchers is brutal, putting Edwards on a year-long mission to rescue his niece from the Comanche tribe that massacred his family, but no matter how uncomfortable and dark this movie is, this realist approach from director John Ford makes the 1956 hit a moving and intelligent study of American history.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
1. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966)
United ArtistsSometimes, a movie is so revered and hyped that you start to wonder if it’s all a bit much. Then you watch The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly and realize that sometimes, all the praise in the world isn’t enough for some movies. The conclusion of Sergio Leone’s masterful trilogy, this blistering takes all the best aspects of its predecessors (Eastwood’s uber-cool hero, beautiful shot composition, a stirring score) and wraps it up into the most perfect package cinema has ever seen.
The sprawling story of three men, bound together by greed, is mesmerizing and full of action. But it’s the final moments of the film where everything truly explodes, with twists and turns, crazy camerawork, and Ennio Morricone’s legendary music combining to allow this movie to achieve greatness and forever be etched into lists like this.
Where to watch: Max
So, that’s us shooting our shot at the best Westerns of all time, but while you’re here, find more cowboy content with our guides to Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2, Yellowstone 2024, Yellowstone 1923 Season 2, 1883 Season 2, and the Dutton family tree. You may also be interested in our guide to all the new TV shows coming this month, or our list of the best horror movies.
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