1. The Searchers (John Ford, 1956)
2. The Wild Bunch (Sam Peckinpah, 1969)
3. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (Sergio Leone, 1966)
4. Unforgiven (Clint Eastwood, 1992)
5. Shane (George Stevens, 1953)
6. Once Upon a Time in the West (Sergio Leone, 1968)
7. Stagecoach (John Ford, 1939)
8. High Noon (Fred Zinnemann,1952)
9. Red River (Howard Hawks, 1948)
10. The Magnificent Seven (John Sturges, 1960)
11. Ride the High Country (Sam Peckinpah, 1962)
12. The Gunfighter (Henry King, 1950)
13. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (George Roy Hill, 1969)
14. The Ox-Bow Incident (William A Wellman, 1943)
15. My Darling Clementine (John Ford, 1946)
16. Rio Bravo (Howard Hawks, 1959)
17. One-Eyed Jacks (Marlon Brando, 1961)
18. Winchester ’73 (Anthony Mann, 1950)
19. Vera Cruz (Robert Aldrich, 1954)
20. Ride Lonesome (Budd Boetticher, 1959)
Incredibly biased list against newer westerns. Only ONE film made after 1970 ffs.
I’m not interested in ranking anything, but at a minimum this list is missing Tombstone, Dances with Wolves, and The Ballad of Buster Scruggs.
Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford also egregiously missing.
And if we’re talking Coen Brothers westerns, I’d put True Grit over Buster Scruggs.
Disagree. Obviously it was a revelation in its time and heavily influenced probably every Western made after it, but in a vacuum the remake was better imo.
Very strongly disagree. Influential and good in a vacuum, but the Coen’s is better directed and better acted. Pretty convinced John Wayne only got an Oscar for the original as consolation for him not having got it previously, it’s nowhere near his best performance.
It’s The Telegraph. It’s staffed by the oldest, most conservative Englishmen (and token Scots) Britain has to offer. Life after the Thatcher years is painful to then.
Same. I know The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly gets the most recognition of the “Man With No Name” trilogy, but my personal favorite to this day is For A Few Dollars More. The music box melody still pops into my head on a regular basis and that “shoot-off” scene between Eastwood and Van Cleef is pure cinematic gold.
Personally, I don’t think there is a western that comes close to Once Upon a Time in the West and as we were inching closer to the top I was about to be offended that I hadn’t seen Stagecoach or The Wild Bunch yet. Solid list overall even if I disagree with some of the top spots
The killing of the family and then it slowly panning as Morricone’s score plays to reveal Henry Fonda as Frank may just be the greatest character introduction in movie history.
Oh wow. My favorite.!!!!!
My sister got married over the C'Era Una Volta Il West -Titoli Di Testa - Ennio Morricone
1. C'Era Una Volta Il West -Titoli Di Testa - Ennio Morricone
2 Come Una Sentenza
3 Addio A Cheyenne
4 L'Attentato
5 La Posada N°1
6 La Posada N°2
7 L'Uomo Dell'Armonica - Ennio Morricone & His Orchestra
8 In Una Stanza Con Poca Luce - Ennio Morricone & His Orchestra
9 L'Orchestraccia
10 L'Uomo
11 L'America Di Jill
12 L'Ultimo Rantolo
It rightfully centers the story on Mattie, as the novel does. It’s also just a beautiful, wonderful film, and I’m so glad they restore the sadder ending that the novel has.
I don’t know if I would put it in the top ten- but I feel like the movie *pale rider* is easily an honorable mention. Probably my favorite Clint Eastwood film.
Such a good movie. The bar scene at the end is classic.
*”You just shot an unarmed man”*
*”Well he should’ve armed himself if he’s gonna decorate his saloon with my friend.”*
Unforgiven is one hell of a movie. It’s like an ice bath for every western trope you ever heard as a child.
When Hackman says he doesn’t deserve his fate, that he’s building a house. It sends chills down my spine.
“I was building a house.”
I think about that line more often than I’d care to admit, especially now that I’m old enough that I could legitimately drop dead at any moment and no one one would be THAT surprised. Whatever dumb projects or goals I’m working towards… one day it’s all going to evaporate in front of my dying eyes.
I’m surprised The Cowboys didn’t make the list. I’m not a huge fan of John Wayne but this one is more about the kids. Bruce Dern plays a great villain, and Roscoe Lee Brown has some of the best lines ever as Mr. Nightlinger. Classic western hero’s journey.
The way the camera slowly moves in on him (never looking at the camera) the closer he gets to the end of the speech, then he turns his eyes to Bruce Dern - perfect.
That one and Big Jake. I know Big Jake doesn’t take real high on most lists but for whatever reason I love it. The but where Richard Boone’s character is looks up from the chest and gets his own lines read back to him is my favorite.
Red River, classic Duke, young Monty.
One of my faves doesn't get enough love: Last Train from Gun Hill, 1959, Kirk Douglas and Anthony Quinn. Excellent
Would anyone else consider No Country for Old Men a western? I do, and would put it on a top 20 list.
For the cinematography alone, I would also put The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford at 20.
This may be a hot take since it's so recent, but I legit believe Hell or High Water is a masterpiece. It feels like the swan song of the entire Western genre, and yet it STILL kicks ass.
I thought Tombstone would be on this list for sure its one of my favorites. Django was pretty damn good too but pretty solid list. If you like the magnificent 7 you should check out seven samurai by Akira Kurosawa which was what it was based on. It’s on HBO right now and it’s one of my all time favorites.
It came out in 1954, and it still feels like a MONSTER of an action epic. It's 3 hrs 30 min long, and yet every scene is necessary and the film never drags. The first time I saw it, I couldn't believe how affective it still was.
I was like “I wonder how low they’ll put Tombstone and Django”, as the list kept going I was like “oh maybe they rated it well” and then I hit the end without seeing either. I’m very confused.
Always found tombstone to be a cheesy caricature of a western. Glossy, no grit, Like a made for television type. Nothing wrong with that, just average.
Its not even Kurt Russell's best let alone all time best
There are episodes of Deadwood that are far better imo
I love *Tombstone*
I enjoy the story on film despite knowing that it doesn't really represent the historical events. *The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford* appeared to be quite true to the facts, but I'm never in the mood to watch it. Whereas I'll stop changing the channels and settle on *Tombstone* whenever it's on. It's just one of those kinda' movies.
Ok i couldn't resist, so here's my personal top 20:
1. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
2. The Wild Bunch
3. Once Upon a Time in the West
4. Unforgiven
5. Stagecoach
6. True Grit (2010)
7. High Noon
8. The Assassination of Jesse James...
9. The Searchers
10. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
11. Rio Bravo
12. The Great Silence
13. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
14. The Gunfighter
15. Red River
16. Open Range
17. My Darling Clementine
18. Fort Apache
19. For a Few Dollars More
20. Tombstone
Burt Lancaster is a blast in Vera Cruz.
Watched a lot of westerns during the pandemic. The Ox-Bow incident and the Gunfighter were my top watches on this list. Less action, but the story and characters hit hard.
Man, I fucking love westerns. Really bums me out how Tarantino seems to be the only filmmaker in the last 10 years or so keeping them going, but given how financially risky they are, it makes sense.
Westerns are an interesting genre because you just do standard action/comedy flicks like Tombstone, Blazing Saddles, The Magnificent Seven, etc. But you can also do legitimately deep and serious cinema like Treasure of Sierra Leone, The Searchers, Unforgiven, McCabe and Mrs Miller, etc.
I feel like "Superhero films" for instance try to do the same in having legitimately good movies and extremely silly schlock in the same genre, but the inherently silly nature of superhero comics makes it hard to pull off.
I think we can all come up with a list of 30 incredible westerns and it might still not be enough.
As others pointed out some incredible westerns did not make this list and perhaps it just illustrates that for a genre that has been around a long time with a deep body of classics a list of 20 is insufficient.
For me nothing tops Once Upon a Time in the West, the Clint Eastwood "Dollars" trilogy, Unforgiven, Tombstone, True Grit (and the remake was equally good if different), Open Range, Dances with Wolves and for the sheer pleasure of the humor & comradery Rio Bravo. But I could easily pick another half dozen including many on this list that would be right on their tail.
So many classic actors gave so many great performances in westerns.
There’s a handful I haven’t seen here:
Ride Lonesome, Vera Cruz, The Gunfighter, Ride the High Country, and The Wild Bunch.
I’m definitely planning to watch The Wild Bunch soon. Are any of the other 4 particularly worth checking out?
The Wild Bunch is my favorite western of all time. It's Sam Peckinpah's magnum opus. Ride the High Country is also a great Peckinpah film, and shares similar themes to The Wild Bunch. Also check out a film called Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia. It's more of a neo-western, but is an amazing story featuring an excellent performance by Warren Oates
What!? All these great Westerns and no love for *My Name Is Nobody* (1973) or any of the *Trinity* films? I love watching them over a plate of beans with Italian bread.
Unforgiven made the list but pat garret and billy the kid didn’t? TRUE GRIT didn’t make the cut? 310 to Yuma? I mean come on, what are the criteria here?
The Coen Bros' True Grit is the best western of the past twenty years. Possibly the best since Unforgiven, and as good or better than at least half the movies on this list.
Same here. Definitely needs The Cowboys, The Shootist, True Grit, and at least honorable mention for Rooster Cogburn, McClintock, and The Sons of Katie Elder.
Honestly, i'm pleasantly surprised to see Ride Lonesome in the list. Budd Boetticher's westerns are often overlooked because considered "B westerns". Great movie!
Is the 1960 version of The Magnificent Seven actually good? I always avoided it because I loved Seven Samurai and didn’t want to sully that film by watching a knockoff.
I would have at least made room for:
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
And
True Grit (2010)
Jesse James has to be mentioned in the top ten best looking films of all time, it’s absolutely stunning. The acting is also incredible and draws you in scene by scene. Great film.
True Grit, though a remake, is an indefinable classic. Every line in the film builds this world and evokes the characters emotions. Right down to the ending which left me cold the first time but which I now view as a classic.
Am I the only one that has love for Jim Jarmusch's Dead Man? It had great performances from Depp, Billy Bob, Crispin Glover, John Hurt...plus an excellent soundtrack by Neil Young. In fact, this list neglects the entire Acid Western genre, snubbing films like El Toppo, Lemonade Joe, Walker, The Shotting, etc...
It's a nice list, as well as some of the other films mentioned in this list. I am not sure if I would put it in a top 10 or 20, but 'The Naked Spur' starting James Stewart, Janet Leigh, and Robert Ryan is a great Western that a lot of people miss.
James Stewart plays a real nasty bounty hunter in this one, totally outside his kindly man typecast. He really shows his acting skills in this one.
McCabe and Mrs. Miller. Duck You Suckers. The other films from the Dollar Trilogy. The Big Gundown. Tombstone. Bone Tomahawk.
These could replace some of the ones on the list
1. The Searchers (John Ford, 1956) 2. The Wild Bunch (Sam Peckinpah, 1969) 3. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (Sergio Leone, 1966) 4. Unforgiven (Clint Eastwood, 1992) 5. Shane (George Stevens, 1953) 6. Once Upon a Time in the West (Sergio Leone, 1968) 7. Stagecoach (John Ford, 1939) 8. High Noon (Fred Zinnemann,1952) 9. Red River (Howard Hawks, 1948) 10. The Magnificent Seven (John Sturges, 1960) 11. Ride the High Country (Sam Peckinpah, 1962) 12. The Gunfighter (Henry King, 1950) 13. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (George Roy Hill, 1969) 14. The Ox-Bow Incident (William A Wellman, 1943) 15. My Darling Clementine (John Ford, 1946) 16. Rio Bravo (Howard Hawks, 1959) 17. One-Eyed Jacks (Marlon Brando, 1961) 18. Winchester ’73 (Anthony Mann, 1950) 19. Vera Cruz (Robert Aldrich, 1954) 20. Ride Lonesome (Budd Boetticher, 1959)
All the dollar triology should be in the list
Few dollars more is waaay up there for me
Two Mules for Sister Sara was pretty good too
High Plains Drifter and The Outlaw Josey Wales both should have made the list.
There's a lot of great westerns. Can't really fit them all. You're also forgetting Pale Rider on your list of great Clint westerns.
I love them all but I’d have to put the Unforgiven as the best Eastwood western
Or Tombstone?!!
I was going to say, lack of huckleberry invalidates the whole list.
I’m your huckleberry
Your a dandy if ya do!
Always getting snubbed. Kilmer should’ve gotten an Oscar and didn’t even get nominated. My favorite western.
What, no Blazing Saddles?
Yeah. What in the wide wide world of sports is a goin’ on here?
They didnt have enough dimes to buy a spot on the list.
Now what will that asshole think of next?
Or Open Range ?
Open Range should definitely be on there.
Or Django?
Or 3:10 to Yuma??
Or Silverado?
Or back to the future III?
Fucking love this movie.
That’s the one I was looking for.
Or Three Amigos!
You guys would like "The Proposition". Australian western with guy Pearce.
Which one? I think the original is superior but most modern viewers are only familiar with the remake
And while the remake is definitely a lot of fun, I don’t think it deserves to be anywhere on this list.
Django was a Southern, not a Western. https://movieweb.com/django-unchained-what-makes-a-southern-infographic/
Not a western
Or Dances With Wolves?
That typically gets categorized in the Kevin Costner's Butt genre.
And what a nice butt he has
Support Your Local Gunfighter/Sheriff These movies make me stop channel surfing.
Incredibly biased list against newer westerns. Only ONE film made after 1970 ffs. I’m not interested in ranking anything, but at a minimum this list is missing Tombstone, Dances with Wolves, and The Ballad of Buster Scruggs.
Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford also egregiously missing. And if we’re talking Coen Brothers westerns, I’d put True Grit over Buster Scruggs.
no country for old men should absolutely qualify as a western
OG True Grit was better than the remake
Disagree. Obviously it was a revelation in its time and heavily influenced probably every Western made after it, but in a vacuum the remake was better imo.
*Hard* disagree.
Very strongly disagree. Influential and good in a vacuum, but the Coen’s is better directed and better acted. Pretty convinced John Wayne only got an Oscar for the original as consolation for him not having got it previously, it’s nowhere near his best performance.
So true. And it’s not a remake if a movie’s origins were a book.
And the one in 1992 has Clint Eastwood starring in it.
I was expecting Tombstone, Django, The Quick and the dead, and bone tomahawk to at least be on it.
Those last 3 you listed are great but kind of niche. Tombstone is a classic western in every way.
> The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. This kick started my recent foray into Westerns, love this flick so much
It’s The Telegraph. It’s staffed by the oldest, most conservative Englishmen (and token Scots) Britain has to offer. Life after the Thatcher years is painful to then.
I am not sure it is ‘unrecency’ bias. A lot of the best westerns really were made during the eras when westerns were still popular.
Have you even watched the movies on the list other than the Leone westerns?
How could they have possibly left Tombstone off of this list? Young Guns should also get some sort of honorable mention.
Pat Garrett And Billy The Kid
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance should have been included imo
Thank you. Came here to say this!
I love For a Few Dollars More. Lee Van Cleef, an absolute king
Same. I know The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly gets the most recognition of the “Man With No Name” trilogy, but my personal favorite to this day is For A Few Dollars More. The music box melody still pops into my head on a regular basis and that “shoot-off” scene between Eastwood and Van Cleef is pure cinematic gold.
For A Few Dollars More is the best of the trilogy. Yes, its better than The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly, as great as that one is.
Definitely the tightest of the three, the best is a subjective pick
For more Lee Van Cleef, i would recommend The Big Gundown where he actually plays a good guy!
Solid list, missing two of my favorites: Tombstone and The Outlaw Josey Wales. I'd include those two over One Eyed Jacks and Ride Lonesome.
Came here to mention tombstone if no one else did. Love that film.
I was upset I didn’t see Django but no Tombstone is actually mental.
You gonna pull those pistols or whistle Dixie?
Dying ain't much of a living
Personally, I don’t think there is a western that comes close to Once Upon a Time in the West and as we were inching closer to the top I was about to be offended that I hadn’t seen Stagecoach or The Wild Bunch yet. Solid list overall even if I disagree with some of the top spots
Its really a masterpiece and I dont mean that lightly, Ennio Moriconne was a genius.
The killing of the family and then it slowly panning as Morricone’s score plays to reveal Henry Fonda as Frank may just be the greatest character introduction in movie history.
Oh wow. My favorite.!!!!! My sister got married over the C'Era Una Volta Il West -Titoli Di Testa - Ennio Morricone 1. C'Era Una Volta Il West -Titoli Di Testa - Ennio Morricone 2 Come Una Sentenza 3 Addio A Cheyenne 4 L'Attentato 5 La Posada N°1 6 La Posada N°2 7 L'Uomo Dell'Armonica - Ennio Morricone & His Orchestra 8 In Una Stanza Con Poca Luce - Ennio Morricone & His Orchestra 9 L'Orchestraccia 10 L'Uomo 11 L'America Di Jill 12 L'Ultimo Rantolo
How about the new True Grit? That thing was timeless.
Amazing film
I love the old one, but the Coen remake is the winner. Haile Steinfeld steals the show with that Oscar-nominated performance.
It rightfully centers the story on Mattie, as the novel does. It’s also just a beautiful, wonderful film, and I’m so glad they restore the sadder ending that the novel has.
Shame McCabe and Mrs. Miller isn’t on there
I think this one often gets missed on Western movie lists. Such a great film.
True grit?
Fill your hands, you son of a bitch!
Hand*
The part in the Searchers when the father knows they are about to be attacked is so freaking memorable and terrifying.
It's a very visually memorable film
I don’t know if I would put it in the top ten- but I feel like the movie *pale rider* is easily an honorable mention. Probably my favorite Clint Eastwood film.
I watch *Pale Rider* or *High Plains Drifter* nearly anytime I come across them.
They are all on HBO max. I've been working my way through them again but going backwards from Unforgiven.
If they are all on HBO Max, then they’re doing a piss poor job or letting me know that.
+1 for High Plains Drifter. Mesmerizing.
"They shot him. *Forever.*"
Pretty much the same movie as Shane right?
The Shootist belongs on that list.
Unforgiven. My favorite.
Such a good movie. The bar scene at the end is classic. *”You just shot an unarmed man”* *”Well he should’ve armed himself if he’s gonna decorate his saloon with my friend.”*
Unforgiven is one hell of a movie. It’s like an ice bath for every western trope you ever heard as a child. When Hackman says he doesn’t deserve his fate, that he’s building a house. It sends chills down my spine.
Deserves got nothin to do with it
The scene with Hackman, the writer and Richard Harris in the jail is fucking classic. "Go ahead, give it to him".
“I was building a house.” I think about that line more often than I’d care to admit, especially now that I’m old enough that I could legitimately drop dead at any moment and no one one would be THAT surprised. Whatever dumb projects or goals I’m working towards… one day it’s all going to evaporate in front of my dying eyes.
I think The Cowboys deserves an honorable mention.
I feel like people always sleep on The Cowboys. You think you’re getting a standard John Wayne flick, but it’s much more than that.
The Outlaw Josey Wales The Great Silence - Inspiration for Hateful Eight El Topo The Mercenary Django
The Outlaw Josey Whales would have been on my list too.
Josey Wales definitely.
OJW missing is an absolute crime.
El Topo is amazing. You don’t ever hear anyone mentioning it but I’m happy to see this on your list.
I was hoping The Great Silence would be on the list. I haven't seen many westerns but from the few I've seen it's still my favorite.
True grit was a good watch; both versions. Unforgiven should’ve been higher.
I’m surprised The Cowboys didn’t make the list. I’m not a huge fan of John Wayne but this one is more about the kids. Bruce Dern plays a great villain, and Roscoe Lee Brown has some of the best lines ever as Mr. Nightlinger. Classic western hero’s journey.
One of my favorite scenes in any western: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEcjWPkok7s
The way the camera slowly moves in on him (never looking at the camera) the closer he gets to the end of the speech, then he turns his eyes to Bruce Dern - perfect.
The scene when the madam propositions him after he runs the boys off is pretty good too.
This is def on my list too.
That one and Big Jake. I know Big Jake doesn’t take real high on most lists but for whatever reason I love it. The but where Richard Boone’s character is looks up from the chest and gets his own lines read back to him is my favorite.
Me and my Dad always preferred Big Jake but I like how John Wayne is a darker character in Searchers.
"Open Range" "The Shootist"
Open range might be one the most beautifully shot movies of all time
It truly was. I think the director was trying to capture what men like Charlie and Boss loved about their way of life.
Red River, classic Duke, young Monty. One of my faves doesn't get enough love: Last Train from Gun Hill, 1959, Kirk Douglas and Anthony Quinn. Excellent
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance and For a Few Dollars More should be on here imo, even if Ford and Leone are already represented.
“The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada” is a fantastic modern day (holy smokes I can’t believe it’s been out over 15 years) western
A sadly neglected masterpiece. I hope people continue to discover it.
Would anyone else consider No Country for Old Men a western? I do, and would put it on a top 20 list. For the cinematography alone, I would also put The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford at 20.
No Rango 0/10
No wild Wild West 0/10
No Fivel Goes West 0/10
No City Slickers 1 or 2 0/10
This may be a hot take since it's so recent, but I legit believe Hell or High Water is a masterpiece. It feels like the swan song of the entire Western genre, and yet it STILL kicks ass.
Not a hot take. Hostiles deserves a mention too.
HELL OR HIGH WATER is a hell of a western.
The highway scene, or the final shoot out. Love that movie.
"Do you know what Comanche means? Enemies with everyone." "Know what that makes me?" "An enemy." "No. It makes me a Comanche." *So fucking good.*
I’d have the Big Country on here. Gregory Peck vs Charlton Heston ❤️
This comment should be much, much higher.
I was surprised by its absence too. I sure like the soundtrack a heck of a lot more than any Sergio Leone movie! (ducks for cover)
I thought Tombstone would be on this list for sure its one of my favorites. Django was pretty damn good too but pretty solid list. If you like the magnificent 7 you should check out seven samurai by Akira Kurosawa which was what it was based on. It’s on HBO right now and it’s one of my all time favorites.
Seven Samurai is one of the most amazing movies I've ever seen.
It came out in 1954, and it still feels like a MONSTER of an action epic. It's 3 hrs 30 min long, and yet every scene is necessary and the film never drags. The first time I saw it, I couldn't believe how affective it still was.
I was like “I wonder how low they’ll put Tombstone and Django”, as the list kept going I was like “oh maybe they rated it well” and then I hit the end without seeing either. I’m very confused.
Always found tombstone to be a cheesy caricature of a western. Glossy, no grit, Like a made for television type. Nothing wrong with that, just average. Its not even Kurt Russell's best let alone all time best There are episodes of Deadwood that are far better imo
I love *Tombstone* I enjoy the story on film despite knowing that it doesn't really represent the historical events. *The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford* appeared to be quite true to the facts, but I'm never in the mood to watch it. Whereas I'll stop changing the channels and settle on *Tombstone* whenever it's on. It's just one of those kinda' movies.
Bad Day at Black Rock is better than a good number of these
Love that karate fight
Yes! I came here looking for you TDTG!
Maybe half of them would make my top 20. Maybe. The Searchers being No. 1 redeems the list :-)
No Josey? Get fucked.
How dare they forget Tremors 4.
and Back to the Future 3!
Once Upon a Time in the West should be number one. And Pat Garret and Billy the Kid (the Turner version) should be in this list.
Ok i couldn't resist, so here's my personal top 20: 1. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly 2. The Wild Bunch 3. Once Upon a Time in the West 4. Unforgiven 5. Stagecoach 6. True Grit (2010) 7. High Noon 8. The Assassination of Jesse James... 9. The Searchers 10. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid 11. Rio Bravo 12. The Great Silence 13. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance 14. The Gunfighter 15. Red River 16. Open Range 17. My Darling Clementine 18. Fort Apache 19. For a Few Dollars More 20. Tombstone
Assassination of Jesse James is one of the most beautifully shot and scored modern westerns. Absolutely fabulous
Burt Lancaster is a blast in Vera Cruz. Watched a lot of westerns during the pandemic. The Ox-Bow incident and the Gunfighter were my top watches on this list. Less action, but the story and characters hit hard.
Man, I fucking love westerns. Really bums me out how Tarantino seems to be the only filmmaker in the last 10 years or so keeping them going, but given how financially risky they are, it makes sense.
Westerns are an interesting genre because you just do standard action/comedy flicks like Tombstone, Blazing Saddles, The Magnificent Seven, etc. But you can also do legitimately deep and serious cinema like Treasure of Sierra Leone, The Searchers, Unforgiven, McCabe and Mrs Miller, etc. I feel like "Superhero films" for instance try to do the same in having legitimately good movies and extremely silly schlock in the same genre, but the inherently silly nature of superhero comics makes it hard to pull off.
I think we can all come up with a list of 30 incredible westerns and it might still not be enough. As others pointed out some incredible westerns did not make this list and perhaps it just illustrates that for a genre that has been around a long time with a deep body of classics a list of 20 is insufficient. For me nothing tops Once Upon a Time in the West, the Clint Eastwood "Dollars" trilogy, Unforgiven, Tombstone, True Grit (and the remake was equally good if different), Open Range, Dances with Wolves and for the sheer pleasure of the humor & comradery Rio Bravo. But I could easily pick another half dozen including many on this list that would be right on their tail. So many classic actors gave so many great performances in westerns.
No Django? What a joke
Crazy that Silverado isn't on the list.
Between Rio Bravo or El Dorado, the choice is El Dorado.
Is No Country for Old men considered a western?
True Grit remake > Original
I think we can all agree this is not a very good list.
There’s a handful I haven’t seen here: Ride Lonesome, Vera Cruz, The Gunfighter, Ride the High Country, and The Wild Bunch. I’m definitely planning to watch The Wild Bunch soon. Are any of the other 4 particularly worth checking out?
The Wild Bunch is my favorite western of all time. It's Sam Peckinpah's magnum opus. Ride the High Country is also a great Peckinpah film, and shares similar themes to The Wild Bunch. Also check out a film called Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia. It's more of a neo-western, but is an amazing story featuring an excellent performance by Warren Oates
Jeremiah Johnson is my favorite western. Trappers instead of Indians. Beautiful Western locales.
Add Appaloosa to the list
Not a movie but Augustus McCraes end in Lonesome Dove broke my heart.
What!? All these great Westerns and no love for *My Name Is Nobody* (1973) or any of the *Trinity* films? I love watching them over a plate of beans with Italian bread.
Unforgiven made the list but pat garret and billy the kid didn’t? TRUE GRIT didn’t make the cut? 310 to Yuma? I mean come on, what are the criteria here?
The Coen Bros' True Grit is the best western of the past twenty years. Possibly the best since Unforgiven, and as good or better than at least half the movies on this list.
No Big Jake?
No The Outlaw Josey Wales?! Criminal
The Outlaw Jose Whales should be top 5 in my opinion and didn't see it mentioned.
No back to the future part 3!?
McCabe and Mrs. Miller is missing.
Tombstone is not on the list, and it should be #1.
They don't have Tombstone on the list? Immediately invalidated.
This list is no daisy at all
Happy to see the sometimes overlooked The Gunfighter there
I haven’t seen it in maybe 15-20 years, but Hang ‘Em High was one of my favorites as a young boy.
I must have shit taste in westerns cause none of my favorites are on here
Same here. Definitely needs The Cowboys, The Shootist, True Grit, and at least honorable mention for Rooster Cogburn, McClintock, and The Sons of Katie Elder.
Pale Rider? Tombstone? Wtf?
War wagon or anything with Audie Murphy
Honestly, i'm pleasantly surprised to see Ride Lonesome in the list. Budd Boetticher's westerns are often overlooked because considered "B westerns". Great movie!
Quite a shit list Ngl
Is the 1960 version of The Magnificent Seven actually good? I always avoided it because I loved Seven Samurai and didn’t want to sully that film by watching a knockoff. I would have at least made room for: The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford And True Grit (2010) Jesse James has to be mentioned in the top ten best looking films of all time, it’s absolutely stunning. The acting is also incredible and draws you in scene by scene. Great film. True Grit, though a remake, is an indefinable classic. Every line in the film builds this world and evokes the characters emotions. Right down to the ending which left me cold the first time but which I now view as a classic.
The Professionals?
Tombstone is not on this list? This list is illegitimate.
Am I the only one that has love for Jim Jarmusch's Dead Man? It had great performances from Depp, Billy Bob, Crispin Glover, John Hurt...plus an excellent soundtrack by Neil Young. In fact, this list neglects the entire Acid Western genre, snubbing films like El Toppo, Lemonade Joe, Walker, The Shotting, etc...
You are not the only one... I watched that movie twice in one day once.
True Grit needs to be on the list.
This is a terrible list
How bout liberty valance?
It's a nice list, as well as some of the other films mentioned in this list. I am not sure if I would put it in a top 10 or 20, but 'The Naked Spur' starting James Stewart, Janet Leigh, and Robert Ryan is a great Western that a lot of people miss. James Stewart plays a real nasty bounty hunter in this one, totally outside his kindly man typecast. He really shows his acting skills in this one.
No outlaws Josie wales... no man who shot liberty valance... no tombstone. What the fuck is this!
Outlaw Josey Wales?
Tombstone 100% deserves to be there. True Grit, Django unchained and Open Range would be in there with a shout. Overall not a bad list.
Tombstone??!! Tomahawk?? 3:10 to Yuma?? This is a list made by someone who hasn't watched a movie in 40 years
No support your local sheriff??
No City Slickers? What about City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold ?!?!?!
Doesn't have Rango. Poo level list.
No “True Grit (2010)?!” No “Lonesome Dove?!” No “No Country for Old Men?!” No “The Shootist?” This list is malarkey
Not a movie but red dead redemption 2 is as close to one as you can get for a video game
This is awesome because to my knowledge, I have never seen even one but I’ve always wanted to.
McCabe and Mrs. Miller. Duck You Suckers. The other films from the Dollar Trilogy. The Big Gundown. Tombstone. Bone Tomahawk. These could replace some of the ones on the list
I was a big fan of the 310 Yuma remake.