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- High Plains Drifter (1973) The first of his much touted “revisionist westerns”(though, as said, the merit of that moniker is debatable), “High Plains Drifter” demonstrates that even from very early on, Eastwood had a keen understanding of his own cinematic persona – and the intelligence to see the ways he could weaponize and subvert that iconic image to explore the darker facets of the western as a whole.
- Pale Rider (1985) The four straight westerns Eastwood directed are usually all classified under the same umbrella of “revisionism,” but that’s not exactly accurate.
- Two Mules For Sister Sara (1970) Throughout their collaboration, Eastwood and Don Siegel made a few movies adjacent to the western while never quite fitting into it.
- Hang ‘Em High (1968) Eastwood began his career playing supporting roles in B-westerns before breaking big with “Rawhide,” one of the quintessential western TV shows that were so popular in the ‘50s and ‘60s and from which many a star made their name, including Steve McQueen (the type of show Tarantino wonderfully homaged in his latest film).
- The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) The third and best-known film in Sergio Leone’s imperious “Dollars” trilogy, this superb spaghetti western is arguably the most famous on-screen depiction of the violent, opportunistic American West – despite being filmed in Spain and Italy rather than the States.
- Django (1966) It’s best-known now for lending its name to Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained, but Sergio Corbucci’s spaghetti western is iconic in its own right, spawning over 30 unofficial sequels.
- The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) One of John Ford’s many classic westerns, albeit with a far more claustrophobic feel than his sweeping outdoor epics, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance features an all-star cast led by James Stewart and John Wayne.
- The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) Directed by and starring Clint Eastwood (a solid fixture in our best western movies list, unsurprisingly), this is one of the earliest “revisionist” westerns: films that attempted to portray the Old West in a far more realistic, less clear-cut way than the more simplistic good guy/bad guy movies churned out in the past.
- 'The Train Robbers'
- 'Appaloosa'
- 'The Long Riders'
- 'The Electric Horseman'
- 'Lone Wolf McQuade'
- 'Bomb City'
- 'Hostiles'
- 'El Topo'
- 'A Fistful of Dollars'
- 'Never Grow old'
- Director: Burt Kennedy - Metascore: 64 - Runtime: 92 minutes John Wayne plays a Union Army veteran who signs on to help a train robber's widow, played by Ann-Margret, find a stash of gold hidden by her late husband. Director Burt Kennedy also wrote the movie, which is action-filled with an unexpected ending.
- Director: Ed Harris - Metascore: 64 - Runtime: 115 minutes When a rancher terrorizes a small town in New Mexico, two lawmen, played by Viggo Mortensen and Ed Harris, are hired to straighten things out. Harris not only stars in Appaloosa, but also co-wrote, directed, and produced it. The story is based on a novel of the same name written by Robert...
- Director: Walter Hill - Metascore: 64 - Runtime: 100 minutes The Long Ridersfollows a fictionalized depiction of Jesse James' bank-robbing escapades. Notably, four real-life sets of brothers were cast to play four sets of brothers, including James Keach and Stacy Keach, who played Jesse James and Frank James respectively. The Keach brothers also ...
- Director: Sydney Pollack - Metascore: 64 - Runtime: 121 minutes Robert Redford plays a washed-up rodeo star who is hired as a spokesperson for a cereal company. He feels like such a sellout that he steals the company's horse and runs away, soon followed by reporter Hallie Martin, played by Jane Fonda. Country music star Willie Nelson had a role i...
- Director: Steve Carver - Metascore: 65 - Runtime: 107 minutes In this action Western, a Texas Ranger seeks revenge on the man who hijacked a U.S. Army convoy, injuring his daughter and killing her boyfriend. Chuck Norris stars in the film, which served as the basis for his later television series titled Walker, Texas Ranger.
- Director: Jameson Brooks - Metascore: 65 - Runtime: 95 minutes Bomb City is based on true events surrounding the death of 19-year-old Brian Deneke. In 1997, Deneke was murderedwhen 17-year-old Dustin Camp intentionally hit him with his car. The film depicts the hit-and-run, the resulting court case, and the perception of the punk rock community i...
- Director: Scott Cooper - Metascore: 65 - Runtime: 134 minutes Christian Bale plays an Army captain tasked with escorting a Cheyenne chief, played by Wes Studi, back to his home in Montana. The National Congress of American Indians praisedHostilesfor representing Native Americans well, and using Native American languages appropriately.
- Director: Alejandro Jodorowsky - Metascore: 65 - Runtime: 125 minutes The surreal El Topo follows the quest of a mystical man clad in black, traveling on horseback through the Mexican desert with a naked child. El Topo means the mole, which the movie says will go blind seeing the sun after a life digging tunnels underground. With Alejandro Jodoro...
- Director: Sergio Leone - Metascore: 65 - Runtime: 99 minutes Clint Eastwood had his first leading role playing the Man With No Name, who gets involved in an argument between three brothers and a sheriff. A Fistful of Dollars is the first film of the spaghetti Western Dollars Trilogy, all directed by Sergio Leone.
- Director: Ivan Kavanagh - Metascore: 65 - Runtime: 100 minutes A small Western town is disrupted by the arrival of an outlaw, played by John Cusack, who opens a salon and a brothel. Emile Hirsch plays an Irish immigrant and the town's undertaker, whose life changes with the villain's arrival. Bleak and grim, the filmwas shot in Ireland and direct...
- The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Cool and controlled bounty hunter Blondie has a mercurial partnership with Tuco, an outlaw with a price on his head: Blondie turns Tuco in, collects the reward, and then rescues him from the hangman's noose.
- The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. Fred C. Dobbs is no hero in a white hat. He's just scraping by, taking odd jobs and trying to get his wages out of tight-fisted and untrustworthy bosses.
- Rio Bravo. When Sheriff John T. Chance arrests a rich man's brother for murder, he's letting himself in for a lot of trouble: Nathan Burdette is willing to send a lot of armed men into town to set his brother free.
- The Searchers. "The Searchers" provides an unusually brutal and unsentimental look at the Old West, one that strips away a lot of the mystique to reveal all the ugliness, racism, and cynicism underneath.
- ‘The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly’ (1966) Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97% This iconic Italian epic spaghetti Western is revered for good reason. As the third and final installment of the Dollars Trilogy, the film follows three gunslingers, The Good (Clint Eastwood), The Bad (Lee Van Cleef), and The Ugly (Eli Wallach) as they search for a buried treasure.
- 'The Treasure of the Sierra Madre' (1948) Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100% The incredible Humphrey Bogart stars as a broke American drifter hired to construct oil rigs, then make their way into trying to strike it rich in the Sierra Madre mountains, prospecting for the riches of gold.
- 'High Noon' (1952) Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94% This truly phenomenal film soared to the tops of hearts and minds in 1952, earning it seven Academy Award nominations and four wins.
- 'Stagecoach' (1939) Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100% Another great John Ford film, Stagecoach takes its rightful place here on the list. And again, another great performance by John Wayne.
Sep 12, 2024 · The movies on this list, such as Tombstone, Unforgiven, and Open Range, are modern-day Western classics that have been praised, loved, and revisited time and again for their distinctive characters, gripping narratives, and mesmerizing cinematography.
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1. Unforgiven. 1992 2h 10m R. 8.2 (442K) Rate. 85 Metascore. Retired Old West gunslinger Will Munny reluctantly takes on one last job to avenge an injustice with the help of his old partner and a newer outlaw known simply as The Schofield Kid. Director Clint Eastwood Stars Clint Eastwood Gene Hackman Morgan Freeman. Oscars: 4. Oscar Nominations: 9.
