The greatest westerns in film history

The best westerns ever

The best westerns ever, Masterpeices, ‘Stagecoach’ (John Ford, 1939), ‘They Died with Their Boots On’ (Raoul Walsh, 1941), ‘Red River’ (Howard Hawks, 1948), ‘Colorado Territory’ (Raoul Walsh, 1949), ‘Colt .45’ (Edwin L. Marin, 1950), ‘Winchester ’73’ (Anthony Mann, 1951), ‘Westward the Women’ (William A. Wellman, 1951), ‘High Noon’ (Fred Zinnemann, 1952), ‘Shane’ (George Stevens, 1953), ‘Escape from Fort Bravo’ (John Sturges, 1953), ‘The Far Country’ (Anthony Mann, 1954), ‘The Man from Laramie’ (Anthony Mann, 1955), ‘Wichita’ (Jacques Tourneur, 1955), ‘The Indian Fighter’ (André de Toth, 1955), ‘The Searchers’ (John Ford, 1956), ‘Gunfight at the O.K. Corral’ (John Sturges, 1957), ‘The Big Country’ (William Wyler, 1958), ‘Rio Bravo’ (Howard Hawks, 1959), ‘Warlock’ (Edward Dmytryk, 1959), ‘The Magnificent Seven’ (John Sturges, 1960), ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’ (John Ford, 1962), ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ (Sergio Leone, 1966), ‘The Professionals’ (Richard Brooks, 1966), ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ (Sergio Leone, 1968), ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ (George Roy Hill, 1969), ‘The Wild Bunch’ (Sam Peckinpah, 1969), ‘Little Big Man’ (Arthur Penn, 1970), ‘They Call Me Trinity’ (Enzo Barboni, 1971), ‘The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean’ (John Huston, 1972), ‘The Cowboys’ (Mark Rydell, 1972), ‘Blazing Saddles’ (Mel Brooks, 1974), ‘The Long Riders’ (Walter Hill, 1980), ‘Unforgiven’ (Clint Eastwood, 1992), ‘Open Range’ (Kevin Costner, 2003), ‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford’ (Andrew Dominik, 2007), ‘True Grit’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2010), ‘Django Unchained’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2012), ‘Hell or High Water’ (David Mackenzie, 2016), ‘The Hateful Eight’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2016), ‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2018), ‘The Sisters Brothers’ (Jacques Audiard, 2018), ‘News of the World’ (Paul Greengrass, 2020)

The western might seem like a dusty, outdated genre—but in truth, it’s been riding strong for over a century, both in Hollywood and around the world.

Masterpeices

The best westerns ever, Masterpeices, ‘Stagecoach’ (John Ford, 1939), ‘They Died with Their Boots On’ (Raoul Walsh, 1941), ‘Red River’ (Howard Hawks, 1948), ‘Colorado Territory’ (Raoul Walsh, 1949), ‘Colt .45’ (Edwin L. Marin, 1950), ‘Winchester ’73’ (Anthony Mann, 1951), ‘Westward the Women’ (William A. Wellman, 1951), ‘High Noon’ (Fred Zinnemann, 1952), ‘Shane’ (George Stevens, 1953), ‘Escape from Fort Bravo’ (John Sturges, 1953), ‘The Far Country’ (Anthony Mann, 1954), ‘The Man from Laramie’ (Anthony Mann, 1955), ‘Wichita’ (Jacques Tourneur, 1955), ‘The Indian Fighter’ (André de Toth, 1955), ‘The Searchers’ (John Ford, 1956), ‘Gunfight at the O.K. Corral’ (John Sturges, 1957), ‘The Big Country’ (William Wyler, 1958), ‘Rio Bravo’ (Howard Hawks, 1959), ‘Warlock’ (Edward Dmytryk, 1959), ‘The Magnificent Seven’ (John Sturges, 1960), ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’ (John Ford, 1962), ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ (Sergio Leone, 1966), ‘The Professionals’ (Richard Brooks, 1966), ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ (Sergio Leone, 1968), ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ (George Roy Hill, 1969), ‘The Wild Bunch’ (Sam Peckinpah, 1969), ‘Little Big Man’ (Arthur Penn, 1970), ‘They Call Me Trinity’ (Enzo Barboni, 1971), ‘The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean’ (John Huston, 1972), ‘The Cowboys’ (Mark Rydell, 1972), ‘Blazing Saddles’ (Mel Brooks, 1974), ‘The Long Riders’ (Walter Hill, 1980), ‘Unforgiven’ (Clint Eastwood, 1992), ‘Open Range’ (Kevin Costner, 2003), ‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford’ (Andrew Dominik, 2007), ‘True Grit’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2010), ‘Django Unchained’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2012), ‘Hell or High Water’ (David Mackenzie, 2016), ‘The Hateful Eight’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2016), ‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2018), ‘The Sisters Brothers’ (Jacques Audiard, 2018), ‘News of the World’ (Paul Greengrass, 2020)

From iconic duels to sweeping landscapes, here are some of the best westerns ever made, from oldest to newest.

‘Stagecoach’ (John Ford, 1939)

The best westerns ever, Masterpeices, ‘Stagecoach’ (John Ford, 1939), ‘They Died with Their Boots On’ (Raoul Walsh, 1941), ‘Red River’ (Howard Hawks, 1948), ‘Colorado Territory’ (Raoul Walsh, 1949), ‘Colt .45’ (Edwin L. Marin, 1950), ‘Winchester ’73’ (Anthony Mann, 1951), ‘Westward the Women’ (William A. Wellman, 1951), ‘High Noon’ (Fred Zinnemann, 1952), ‘Shane’ (George Stevens, 1953), ‘Escape from Fort Bravo’ (John Sturges, 1953), ‘The Far Country’ (Anthony Mann, 1954), ‘The Man from Laramie’ (Anthony Mann, 1955), ‘Wichita’ (Jacques Tourneur, 1955), ‘The Indian Fighter’ (André de Toth, 1955), ‘The Searchers’ (John Ford, 1956), ‘Gunfight at the O.K. Corral’ (John Sturges, 1957), ‘The Big Country’ (William Wyler, 1958), ‘Rio Bravo’ (Howard Hawks, 1959), ‘Warlock’ (Edward Dmytryk, 1959), ‘The Magnificent Seven’ (John Sturges, 1960), ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’ (John Ford, 1962), ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ (Sergio Leone, 1966), ‘The Professionals’ (Richard Brooks, 1966), ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ (Sergio Leone, 1968), ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ (George Roy Hill, 1969), ‘The Wild Bunch’ (Sam Peckinpah, 1969), ‘Little Big Man’ (Arthur Penn, 1970), ‘They Call Me Trinity’ (Enzo Barboni, 1971), ‘The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean’ (John Huston, 1972), ‘The Cowboys’ (Mark Rydell, 1972), ‘Blazing Saddles’ (Mel Brooks, 1974), ‘The Long Riders’ (Walter Hill, 1980), ‘Unforgiven’ (Clint Eastwood, 1992), ‘Open Range’ (Kevin Costner, 2003), ‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford’ (Andrew Dominik, 2007), ‘True Grit’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2010), ‘Django Unchained’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2012), ‘Hell or High Water’ (David Mackenzie, 2016), ‘The Hateful Eight’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2016), ‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2018), ‘The Sisters Brothers’ (Jacques Audiard, 2018), ‘News of the World’ (Paul Greengrass, 2020)

The film that set the gold standard for westerns. With this masterpiece, John Ford didn’t just direct a great movie—he defined an entire genre.

‘They Died with Their Boots On’ (Raoul Walsh, 1941)

The best westerns ever, Masterpeices, ‘Stagecoach’ (John Ford, 1939), ‘They Died with Their Boots On’ (Raoul Walsh, 1941), ‘Red River’ (Howard Hawks, 1948), ‘Colorado Territory’ (Raoul Walsh, 1949), ‘Colt .45’ (Edwin L. Marin, 1950), ‘Winchester ’73’ (Anthony Mann, 1951), ‘Westward the Women’ (William A. Wellman, 1951), ‘High Noon’ (Fred Zinnemann, 1952), ‘Shane’ (George Stevens, 1953), ‘Escape from Fort Bravo’ (John Sturges, 1953), ‘The Far Country’ (Anthony Mann, 1954), ‘The Man from Laramie’ (Anthony Mann, 1955), ‘Wichita’ (Jacques Tourneur, 1955), ‘The Indian Fighter’ (André de Toth, 1955), ‘The Searchers’ (John Ford, 1956), ‘Gunfight at the O.K. Corral’ (John Sturges, 1957), ‘The Big Country’ (William Wyler, 1958), ‘Rio Bravo’ (Howard Hawks, 1959), ‘Warlock’ (Edward Dmytryk, 1959), ‘The Magnificent Seven’ (John Sturges, 1960), ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’ (John Ford, 1962), ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ (Sergio Leone, 1966), ‘The Professionals’ (Richard Brooks, 1966), ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ (Sergio Leone, 1968), ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ (George Roy Hill, 1969), ‘The Wild Bunch’ (Sam Peckinpah, 1969), ‘Little Big Man’ (Arthur Penn, 1970), ‘They Call Me Trinity’ (Enzo Barboni, 1971), ‘The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean’ (John Huston, 1972), ‘The Cowboys’ (Mark Rydell, 1972), ‘Blazing Saddles’ (Mel Brooks, 1974), ‘The Long Riders’ (Walter Hill, 1980), ‘Unforgiven’ (Clint Eastwood, 1992), ‘Open Range’ (Kevin Costner, 2003), ‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford’ (Andrew Dominik, 2007), ‘True Grit’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2010), ‘Django Unchained’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2012), ‘Hell or High Water’ (David Mackenzie, 2016), ‘The Hateful Eight’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2016), ‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2018), ‘The Sisters Brothers’ (Jacques Audiard, 2018), ‘News of the World’ (Paul Greengrass, 2020)

Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, and Anthony Quinn light up the screen with action, romance, and some of the most unforgettable battle scenes ever shot. A classic that only gets better with time.

‘Red River’ (Howard Hawks, 1948)

The best westerns ever, Masterpeices, ‘Stagecoach’ (John Ford, 1939), ‘They Died with Their Boots On’ (Raoul Walsh, 1941), ‘Red River’ (Howard Hawks, 1948), ‘Colorado Territory’ (Raoul Walsh, 1949), ‘Colt .45’ (Edwin L. Marin, 1950), ‘Winchester ’73’ (Anthony Mann, 1951), ‘Westward the Women’ (William A. Wellman, 1951), ‘High Noon’ (Fred Zinnemann, 1952), ‘Shane’ (George Stevens, 1953), ‘Escape from Fort Bravo’ (John Sturges, 1953), ‘The Far Country’ (Anthony Mann, 1954), ‘The Man from Laramie’ (Anthony Mann, 1955), ‘Wichita’ (Jacques Tourneur, 1955), ‘The Indian Fighter’ (André de Toth, 1955), ‘The Searchers’ (John Ford, 1956), ‘Gunfight at the O.K. Corral’ (John Sturges, 1957), ‘The Big Country’ (William Wyler, 1958), ‘Rio Bravo’ (Howard Hawks, 1959), ‘Warlock’ (Edward Dmytryk, 1959), ‘The Magnificent Seven’ (John Sturges, 1960), ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’ (John Ford, 1962), ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ (Sergio Leone, 1966), ‘The Professionals’ (Richard Brooks, 1966), ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ (Sergio Leone, 1968), ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ (George Roy Hill, 1969), ‘The Wild Bunch’ (Sam Peckinpah, 1969), ‘Little Big Man’ (Arthur Penn, 1970), ‘They Call Me Trinity’ (Enzo Barboni, 1971), ‘The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean’ (John Huston, 1972), ‘The Cowboys’ (Mark Rydell, 1972), ‘Blazing Saddles’ (Mel Brooks, 1974), ‘The Long Riders’ (Walter Hill, 1980), ‘Unforgiven’ (Clint Eastwood, 1992), ‘Open Range’ (Kevin Costner, 2003), ‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford’ (Andrew Dominik, 2007), ‘True Grit’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2010), ‘Django Unchained’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2012), ‘Hell or High Water’ (David Mackenzie, 2016), ‘The Hateful Eight’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2016), ‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2018), ‘The Sisters Brothers’ (Jacques Audiard, 2018), ‘News of the World’ (Paul Greengrass, 2020)

John Wayne and Montgomery Clift face off in a slow-burning cattle drive turned psychological showdown. Tension, drama, and two screen legends at the top of their game.

‘Colorado Territory’ (Raoul Walsh, 1949)

The best westerns ever, Masterpeices, ‘Stagecoach’ (John Ford, 1939), ‘They Died with Their Boots On’ (Raoul Walsh, 1941), ‘Red River’ (Howard Hawks, 1948), ‘Colorado Territory’ (Raoul Walsh, 1949), ‘Colt .45’ (Edwin L. Marin, 1950), ‘Winchester ’73’ (Anthony Mann, 1951), ‘Westward the Women’ (William A. Wellman, 1951), ‘High Noon’ (Fred Zinnemann, 1952), ‘Shane’ (George Stevens, 1953), ‘Escape from Fort Bravo’ (John Sturges, 1953), ‘The Far Country’ (Anthony Mann, 1954), ‘The Man from Laramie’ (Anthony Mann, 1955), ‘Wichita’ (Jacques Tourneur, 1955), ‘The Indian Fighter’ (André de Toth, 1955), ‘The Searchers’ (John Ford, 1956), ‘Gunfight at the O.K. Corral’ (John Sturges, 1957), ‘The Big Country’ (William Wyler, 1958), ‘Rio Bravo’ (Howard Hawks, 1959), ‘Warlock’ (Edward Dmytryk, 1959), ‘The Magnificent Seven’ (John Sturges, 1960), ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’ (John Ford, 1962), ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ (Sergio Leone, 1966), ‘The Professionals’ (Richard Brooks, 1966), ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ (Sergio Leone, 1968), ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ (George Roy Hill, 1969), ‘The Wild Bunch’ (Sam Peckinpah, 1969), ‘Little Big Man’ (Arthur Penn, 1970), ‘They Call Me Trinity’ (Enzo Barboni, 1971), ‘The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean’ (John Huston, 1972), ‘The Cowboys’ (Mark Rydell, 1972), ‘Blazing Saddles’ (Mel Brooks, 1974), ‘The Long Riders’ (Walter Hill, 1980), ‘Unforgiven’ (Clint Eastwood, 1992), ‘Open Range’ (Kevin Costner, 2003), ‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford’ (Andrew Dominik, 2007), ‘True Grit’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2010), ‘Django Unchained’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2012), ‘Hell or High Water’ (David Mackenzie, 2016), ‘The Hateful Eight’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2016), ‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2018), ‘The Sisters Brothers’ (Jacques Audiard, 2018), ‘News of the World’ (Paul Greengrass, 2020)

Raoul Walsh swaps out some of the genre’s trademark grit for deeper psychological storytelling—and the result is spectacular, thanks to a pitch-perfect cast.

‘Colt .45’ (Edwin L. Marin, 1950)

The best westerns ever, Masterpeices, ‘Stagecoach’ (John Ford, 1939), ‘They Died with Their Boots On’ (Raoul Walsh, 1941), ‘Red River’ (Howard Hawks, 1948), ‘Colorado Territory’ (Raoul Walsh, 1949), ‘Colt .45’ (Edwin L. Marin, 1950), ‘Winchester ’73’ (Anthony Mann, 1951), ‘Westward the Women’ (William A. Wellman, 1951), ‘High Noon’ (Fred Zinnemann, 1952), ‘Shane’ (George Stevens, 1953), ‘Escape from Fort Bravo’ (John Sturges, 1953), ‘The Far Country’ (Anthony Mann, 1954), ‘The Man from Laramie’ (Anthony Mann, 1955), ‘Wichita’ (Jacques Tourneur, 1955), ‘The Indian Fighter’ (André de Toth, 1955), ‘The Searchers’ (John Ford, 1956), ‘Gunfight at the O.K. Corral’ (John Sturges, 1957), ‘The Big Country’ (William Wyler, 1958), ‘Rio Bravo’ (Howard Hawks, 1959), ‘Warlock’ (Edward Dmytryk, 1959), ‘The Magnificent Seven’ (John Sturges, 1960), ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’ (John Ford, 1962), ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ (Sergio Leone, 1966), ‘The Professionals’ (Richard Brooks, 1966), ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ (Sergio Leone, 1968), ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ (George Roy Hill, 1969), ‘The Wild Bunch’ (Sam Peckinpah, 1969), ‘Little Big Man’ (Arthur Penn, 1970), ‘They Call Me Trinity’ (Enzo Barboni, 1971), ‘The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean’ (John Huston, 1972), ‘The Cowboys’ (Mark Rydell, 1972), ‘Blazing Saddles’ (Mel Brooks, 1974), ‘The Long Riders’ (Walter Hill, 1980), ‘Unforgiven’ (Clint Eastwood, 1992), ‘Open Range’ (Kevin Costner, 2003), ‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford’ (Andrew Dominik, 2007), ‘True Grit’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2010), ‘Django Unchained’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2012), ‘Hell or High Water’ (David Mackenzie, 2016), ‘The Hateful Eight’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2016), ‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2018), ‘The Sisters Brothers’ (Jacques Audiard, 2018), ‘News of the World’ (Paul Greengrass, 2020)

A movie named after a gun? You already know where this is going. But beyond the shootouts, Edwin L. Marin’s use of color is genuinely masterful.

‘Winchester ’73’ (Anthony Mann, 1951)

The best westerns ever, Masterpeices, ‘Stagecoach’ (John Ford, 1939), ‘They Died with Their Boots On’ (Raoul Walsh, 1941), ‘Red River’ (Howard Hawks, 1948), ‘Colorado Territory’ (Raoul Walsh, 1949), ‘Colt .45’ (Edwin L. Marin, 1950), ‘Winchester ’73’ (Anthony Mann, 1951), ‘Westward the Women’ (William A. Wellman, 1951), ‘High Noon’ (Fred Zinnemann, 1952), ‘Shane’ (George Stevens, 1953), ‘Escape from Fort Bravo’ (John Sturges, 1953), ‘The Far Country’ (Anthony Mann, 1954), ‘The Man from Laramie’ (Anthony Mann, 1955), ‘Wichita’ (Jacques Tourneur, 1955), ‘The Indian Fighter’ (André de Toth, 1955), ‘The Searchers’ (John Ford, 1956), ‘Gunfight at the O.K. Corral’ (John Sturges, 1957), ‘The Big Country’ (William Wyler, 1958), ‘Rio Bravo’ (Howard Hawks, 1959), ‘Warlock’ (Edward Dmytryk, 1959), ‘The Magnificent Seven’ (John Sturges, 1960), ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’ (John Ford, 1962), ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ (Sergio Leone, 1966), ‘The Professionals’ (Richard Brooks, 1966), ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ (Sergio Leone, 1968), ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ (George Roy Hill, 1969), ‘The Wild Bunch’ (Sam Peckinpah, 1969), ‘Little Big Man’ (Arthur Penn, 1970), ‘They Call Me Trinity’ (Enzo Barboni, 1971), ‘The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean’ (John Huston, 1972), ‘The Cowboys’ (Mark Rydell, 1972), ‘Blazing Saddles’ (Mel Brooks, 1974), ‘The Long Riders’ (Walter Hill, 1980), ‘Unforgiven’ (Clint Eastwood, 1992), ‘Open Range’ (Kevin Costner, 2003), ‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford’ (Andrew Dominik, 2007), ‘True Grit’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2010), ‘Django Unchained’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2012), ‘Hell or High Water’ (David Mackenzie, 2016), ‘The Hateful Eight’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2016), ‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2018), ‘The Sisters Brothers’ (Jacques Audiard, 2018), ‘News of the World’ (Paul Greengrass, 2020)

What began as a quick attempt to cash in on the success of ‘Colt .45’ became an unexpected gem—even if James Stewart wasn’t all that into it.

‘Westward the Women’ (William A. Wellman, 1951)

The best westerns ever, Masterpeices, ‘Stagecoach’ (John Ford, 1939), ‘They Died with Their Boots On’ (Raoul Walsh, 1941), ‘Red River’ (Howard Hawks, 1948), ‘Colorado Territory’ (Raoul Walsh, 1949), ‘Colt .45’ (Edwin L. Marin, 1950), ‘Winchester ’73’ (Anthony Mann, 1951), ‘Westward the Women’ (William A. Wellman, 1951), ‘High Noon’ (Fred Zinnemann, 1952), ‘Shane’ (George Stevens, 1953), ‘Escape from Fort Bravo’ (John Sturges, 1953), ‘The Far Country’ (Anthony Mann, 1954), ‘The Man from Laramie’ (Anthony Mann, 1955), ‘Wichita’ (Jacques Tourneur, 1955), ‘The Indian Fighter’ (André de Toth, 1955), ‘The Searchers’ (John Ford, 1956), ‘Gunfight at the O.K. Corral’ (John Sturges, 1957), ‘The Big Country’ (William Wyler, 1958), ‘Rio Bravo’ (Howard Hawks, 1959), ‘Warlock’ (Edward Dmytryk, 1959), ‘The Magnificent Seven’ (John Sturges, 1960), ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’ (John Ford, 1962), ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ (Sergio Leone, 1966), ‘The Professionals’ (Richard Brooks, 1966), ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ (Sergio Leone, 1968), ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ (George Roy Hill, 1969), ‘The Wild Bunch’ (Sam Peckinpah, 1969), ‘Little Big Man’ (Arthur Penn, 1970), ‘They Call Me Trinity’ (Enzo Barboni, 1971), ‘The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean’ (John Huston, 1972), ‘The Cowboys’ (Mark Rydell, 1972), ‘Blazing Saddles’ (Mel Brooks, 1974), ‘The Long Riders’ (Walter Hill, 1980), ‘Unforgiven’ (Clint Eastwood, 1992), ‘Open Range’ (Kevin Costner, 2003), ‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford’ (Andrew Dominik, 2007), ‘True Grit’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2010), ‘Django Unchained’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2012), ‘Hell or High Water’ (David Mackenzie, 2016), ‘The Hateful Eight’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2016), ‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2018), ‘The Sisters Brothers’ (Jacques Audiard, 2018), ‘News of the World’ (Paul Greengrass, 2020)

Giving the spotlight to an all-female cast in a 1950s western was no small feat. The film may not be perfect, but it’s a landmark moment for the genre.

‘High Noon’ (Fred Zinnemann, 1952)

The best westerns ever, Masterpeices, ‘Stagecoach’ (John Ford, 1939), ‘They Died with Their Boots On’ (Raoul Walsh, 1941), ‘Red River’ (Howard Hawks, 1948), ‘Colorado Territory’ (Raoul Walsh, 1949), ‘Colt .45’ (Edwin L. Marin, 1950), ‘Winchester ’73’ (Anthony Mann, 1951), ‘Westward the Women’ (William A. Wellman, 1951), ‘High Noon’ (Fred Zinnemann, 1952), ‘Shane’ (George Stevens, 1953), ‘Escape from Fort Bravo’ (John Sturges, 1953), ‘The Far Country’ (Anthony Mann, 1954), ‘The Man from Laramie’ (Anthony Mann, 1955), ‘Wichita’ (Jacques Tourneur, 1955), ‘The Indian Fighter’ (André de Toth, 1955), ‘The Searchers’ (John Ford, 1956), ‘Gunfight at the O.K. Corral’ (John Sturges, 1957), ‘The Big Country’ (William Wyler, 1958), ‘Rio Bravo’ (Howard Hawks, 1959), ‘Warlock’ (Edward Dmytryk, 1959), ‘The Magnificent Seven’ (John Sturges, 1960), ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’ (John Ford, 1962), ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ (Sergio Leone, 1966), ‘The Professionals’ (Richard Brooks, 1966), ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ (Sergio Leone, 1968), ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ (George Roy Hill, 1969), ‘The Wild Bunch’ (Sam Peckinpah, 1969), ‘Little Big Man’ (Arthur Penn, 1970), ‘They Call Me Trinity’ (Enzo Barboni, 1971), ‘The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean’ (John Huston, 1972), ‘The Cowboys’ (Mark Rydell, 1972), ‘Blazing Saddles’ (Mel Brooks, 1974), ‘The Long Riders’ (Walter Hill, 1980), ‘Unforgiven’ (Clint Eastwood, 1992), ‘Open Range’ (Kevin Costner, 2003), ‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford’ (Andrew Dominik, 2007), ‘True Grit’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2010), ‘Django Unchained’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2012), ‘Hell or High Water’ (David Mackenzie, 2016), ‘The Hateful Eight’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2016), ‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2018), ‘The Sisters Brothers’ (Jacques Audiard, 2018), ‘News of the World’ (Paul Greengrass, 2020)

This real-time thriller helped revive Gary Cooper’s career and nabbed him an Oscar. The ticking-clock shots are iconic, and the influence on action films is still felt today.

‘Shane’ (George Stevens, 1953)

The best westerns ever, Masterpeices, ‘Stagecoach’ (John Ford, 1939), ‘They Died with Their Boots On’ (Raoul Walsh, 1941), ‘Red River’ (Howard Hawks, 1948), ‘Colorado Territory’ (Raoul Walsh, 1949), ‘Colt .45’ (Edwin L. Marin, 1950), ‘Winchester ’73’ (Anthony Mann, 1951), ‘Westward the Women’ (William A. Wellman, 1951), ‘High Noon’ (Fred Zinnemann, 1952), ‘Shane’ (George Stevens, 1953), ‘Escape from Fort Bravo’ (John Sturges, 1953), ‘The Far Country’ (Anthony Mann, 1954), ‘The Man from Laramie’ (Anthony Mann, 1955), ‘Wichita’ (Jacques Tourneur, 1955), ‘The Indian Fighter’ (André de Toth, 1955), ‘The Searchers’ (John Ford, 1956), ‘Gunfight at the O.K. Corral’ (John Sturges, 1957), ‘The Big Country’ (William Wyler, 1958), ‘Rio Bravo’ (Howard Hawks, 1959), ‘Warlock’ (Edward Dmytryk, 1959), ‘The Magnificent Seven’ (John Sturges, 1960), ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’ (John Ford, 1962), ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ (Sergio Leone, 1966), ‘The Professionals’ (Richard Brooks, 1966), ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ (Sergio Leone, 1968), ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ (George Roy Hill, 1969), ‘The Wild Bunch’ (Sam Peckinpah, 1969), ‘Little Big Man’ (Arthur Penn, 1970), ‘They Call Me Trinity’ (Enzo Barboni, 1971), ‘The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean’ (John Huston, 1972), ‘The Cowboys’ (Mark Rydell, 1972), ‘Blazing Saddles’ (Mel Brooks, 1974), ‘The Long Riders’ (Walter Hill, 1980), ‘Unforgiven’ (Clint Eastwood, 1992), ‘Open Range’ (Kevin Costner, 2003), ‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford’ (Andrew Dominik, 2007), ‘True Grit’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2010), ‘Django Unchained’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2012), ‘Hell or High Water’ (David Mackenzie, 2016), ‘The Hateful Eight’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2016), ‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2018), ‘The Sisters Brothers’ (Jacques Audiard, 2018), ‘News of the World’ (Paul Greengrass, 2020)

Elegance meets grit in George Stevens’ visually stunning western. From its intimate fight scenes to Jack Palance’s chilling performance, this is pure cinematic art.

‘Escape from Fort Bravo’ (John Sturges, 1953)

The best westerns ever, Masterpeices, ‘Stagecoach’ (John Ford, 1939), ‘They Died with Their Boots On’ (Raoul Walsh, 1941), ‘Red River’ (Howard Hawks, 1948), ‘Colorado Territory’ (Raoul Walsh, 1949), ‘Colt .45’ (Edwin L. Marin, 1950), ‘Winchester ’73’ (Anthony Mann, 1951), ‘Westward the Women’ (William A. Wellman, 1951), ‘High Noon’ (Fred Zinnemann, 1952), ‘Shane’ (George Stevens, 1953), ‘Escape from Fort Bravo’ (John Sturges, 1953), ‘The Far Country’ (Anthony Mann, 1954), ‘The Man from Laramie’ (Anthony Mann, 1955), ‘Wichita’ (Jacques Tourneur, 1955), ‘The Indian Fighter’ (André de Toth, 1955), ‘The Searchers’ (John Ford, 1956), ‘Gunfight at the O.K. Corral’ (John Sturges, 1957), ‘The Big Country’ (William Wyler, 1958), ‘Rio Bravo’ (Howard Hawks, 1959), ‘Warlock’ (Edward Dmytryk, 1959), ‘The Magnificent Seven’ (John Sturges, 1960), ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’ (John Ford, 1962), ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ (Sergio Leone, 1966), ‘The Professionals’ (Richard Brooks, 1966), ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ (Sergio Leone, 1968), ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ (George Roy Hill, 1969), ‘The Wild Bunch’ (Sam Peckinpah, 1969), ‘Little Big Man’ (Arthur Penn, 1970), ‘They Call Me Trinity’ (Enzo Barboni, 1971), ‘The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean’ (John Huston, 1972), ‘The Cowboys’ (Mark Rydell, 1972), ‘Blazing Saddles’ (Mel Brooks, 1974), ‘The Long Riders’ (Walter Hill, 1980), ‘Unforgiven’ (Clint Eastwood, 1992), ‘Open Range’ (Kevin Costner, 2003), ‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford’ (Andrew Dominik, 2007), ‘True Grit’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2010), ‘Django Unchained’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2012), ‘Hell or High Water’ (David Mackenzie, 2016), ‘The Hateful Eight’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2016), ‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2018), ‘The Sisters Brothers’ (Jacques Audiard, 2018), ‘News of the World’ (Paul Greengrass, 2020)

With a powerhouse cast led by William Holden and Eleanor Parker, this tense western leans into its smart, perfectly paced storytelling. A cult classic for a reason.

‘The Far Country’ (Anthony Mann, 1954)

The best westerns ever, Masterpeices, ‘Stagecoach’ (John Ford, 1939), ‘They Died with Their Boots On’ (Raoul Walsh, 1941), ‘Red River’ (Howard Hawks, 1948), ‘Colorado Territory’ (Raoul Walsh, 1949), ‘Colt .45’ (Edwin L. Marin, 1950), ‘Winchester ’73’ (Anthony Mann, 1951), ‘Westward the Women’ (William A. Wellman, 1951), ‘High Noon’ (Fred Zinnemann, 1952), ‘Shane’ (George Stevens, 1953), ‘Escape from Fort Bravo’ (John Sturges, 1953), ‘The Far Country’ (Anthony Mann, 1954), ‘The Man from Laramie’ (Anthony Mann, 1955), ‘Wichita’ (Jacques Tourneur, 1955), ‘The Indian Fighter’ (André de Toth, 1955), ‘The Searchers’ (John Ford, 1956), ‘Gunfight at the O.K. Corral’ (John Sturges, 1957), ‘The Big Country’ (William Wyler, 1958), ‘Rio Bravo’ (Howard Hawks, 1959), ‘Warlock’ (Edward Dmytryk, 1959), ‘The Magnificent Seven’ (John Sturges, 1960), ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’ (John Ford, 1962), ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ (Sergio Leone, 1966), ‘The Professionals’ (Richard Brooks, 1966), ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ (Sergio Leone, 1968), ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ (George Roy Hill, 1969), ‘The Wild Bunch’ (Sam Peckinpah, 1969), ‘Little Big Man’ (Arthur Penn, 1970), ‘They Call Me Trinity’ (Enzo Barboni, 1971), ‘The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean’ (John Huston, 1972), ‘The Cowboys’ (Mark Rydell, 1972), ‘Blazing Saddles’ (Mel Brooks, 1974), ‘The Long Riders’ (Walter Hill, 1980), ‘Unforgiven’ (Clint Eastwood, 1992), ‘Open Range’ (Kevin Costner, 2003), ‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford’ (Andrew Dominik, 2007), ‘True Grit’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2010), ‘Django Unchained’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2012), ‘Hell or High Water’ (David Mackenzie, 2016), ‘The Hateful Eight’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2016), ‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2018), ‘The Sisters Brothers’ (Jacques Audiard, 2018), ‘News of the World’ (Paul Greengrass, 2020)

James Stewart shines in one of his finest roles, set against breathtaking snowy mountains rarely seen in the genre. Another essential entry from Mann.

‘The Man from Laramie’ (Anthony Mann, 1955)

The best westerns ever, Masterpeices, ‘Stagecoach’ (John Ford, 1939), ‘They Died with Their Boots On’ (Raoul Walsh, 1941), ‘Red River’ (Howard Hawks, 1948), ‘Colorado Territory’ (Raoul Walsh, 1949), ‘Colt .45’ (Edwin L. Marin, 1950), ‘Winchester ’73’ (Anthony Mann, 1951), ‘Westward the Women’ (William A. Wellman, 1951), ‘High Noon’ (Fred Zinnemann, 1952), ‘Shane’ (George Stevens, 1953), ‘Escape from Fort Bravo’ (John Sturges, 1953), ‘The Far Country’ (Anthony Mann, 1954), ‘The Man from Laramie’ (Anthony Mann, 1955), ‘Wichita’ (Jacques Tourneur, 1955), ‘The Indian Fighter’ (André de Toth, 1955), ‘The Searchers’ (John Ford, 1956), ‘Gunfight at the O.K. Corral’ (John Sturges, 1957), ‘The Big Country’ (William Wyler, 1958), ‘Rio Bravo’ (Howard Hawks, 1959), ‘Warlock’ (Edward Dmytryk, 1959), ‘The Magnificent Seven’ (John Sturges, 1960), ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’ (John Ford, 1962), ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ (Sergio Leone, 1966), ‘The Professionals’ (Richard Brooks, 1966), ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ (Sergio Leone, 1968), ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ (George Roy Hill, 1969), ‘The Wild Bunch’ (Sam Peckinpah, 1969), ‘Little Big Man’ (Arthur Penn, 1970), ‘They Call Me Trinity’ (Enzo Barboni, 1971), ‘The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean’ (John Huston, 1972), ‘The Cowboys’ (Mark Rydell, 1972), ‘Blazing Saddles’ (Mel Brooks, 1974), ‘The Long Riders’ (Walter Hill, 1980), ‘Unforgiven’ (Clint Eastwood, 1992), ‘Open Range’ (Kevin Costner, 2003), ‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford’ (Andrew Dominik, 2007), ‘True Grit’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2010), ‘Django Unchained’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2012), ‘Hell or High Water’ (David Mackenzie, 2016), ‘The Hateful Eight’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2016), ‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2018), ‘The Sisters Brothers’ (Jacques Audiard, 2018), ‘News of the World’ (Paul Greengrass, 2020)

A raw and moody character study on the psychological toll of violence, with Stewart at his most intense. A bold, genre-defying masterpiece.

‘Wichita’ (Jacques Tourneur, 1955)

The best westerns ever, Masterpeices, ‘Stagecoach’ (John Ford, 1939), ‘They Died with Their Boots On’ (Raoul Walsh, 1941), ‘Red River’ (Howard Hawks, 1948), ‘Colorado Territory’ (Raoul Walsh, 1949), ‘Colt .45’ (Edwin L. Marin, 1950), ‘Winchester ’73’ (Anthony Mann, 1951), ‘Westward the Women’ (William A. Wellman, 1951), ‘High Noon’ (Fred Zinnemann, 1952), ‘Shane’ (George Stevens, 1953), ‘Escape from Fort Bravo’ (John Sturges, 1953), ‘The Far Country’ (Anthony Mann, 1954), ‘The Man from Laramie’ (Anthony Mann, 1955), ‘Wichita’ (Jacques Tourneur, 1955), ‘The Indian Fighter’ (André de Toth, 1955), ‘The Searchers’ (John Ford, 1956), ‘Gunfight at the O.K. Corral’ (John Sturges, 1957), ‘The Big Country’ (William Wyler, 1958), ‘Rio Bravo’ (Howard Hawks, 1959), ‘Warlock’ (Edward Dmytryk, 1959), ‘The Magnificent Seven’ (John Sturges, 1960), ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’ (John Ford, 1962), ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ (Sergio Leone, 1966), ‘The Professionals’ (Richard Brooks, 1966), ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ (Sergio Leone, 1968), ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ (George Roy Hill, 1969), ‘The Wild Bunch’ (Sam Peckinpah, 1969), ‘Little Big Man’ (Arthur Penn, 1970), ‘They Call Me Trinity’ (Enzo Barboni, 1971), ‘The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean’ (John Huston, 1972), ‘The Cowboys’ (Mark Rydell, 1972), ‘Blazing Saddles’ (Mel Brooks, 1974), ‘The Long Riders’ (Walter Hill, 1980), ‘Unforgiven’ (Clint Eastwood, 1992), ‘Open Range’ (Kevin Costner, 2003), ‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford’ (Andrew Dominik, 2007), ‘True Grit’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2010), ‘Django Unchained’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2012), ‘Hell or High Water’ (David Mackenzie, 2016), ‘The Hateful Eight’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2016), ‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2018), ‘The Sisters Brothers’ (Jacques Audiard, 2018), ‘News of the World’ (Paul Greengrass, 2020)

Leave it to Jacques Tourneur to keep you guessing. From unexpected twists to a wild horse-in-the-newsroom scene, this one delivers surprises at every turn.

‘The Indian Fighter’ (André de Toth, 1955)

The best westerns ever, Masterpeices, ‘Stagecoach’ (John Ford, 1939), ‘They Died with Their Boots On’ (Raoul Walsh, 1941), ‘Red River’ (Howard Hawks, 1948), ‘Colorado Territory’ (Raoul Walsh, 1949), ‘Colt .45’ (Edwin L. Marin, 1950), ‘Winchester ’73’ (Anthony Mann, 1951), ‘Westward the Women’ (William A. Wellman, 1951), ‘High Noon’ (Fred Zinnemann, 1952), ‘Shane’ (George Stevens, 1953), ‘Escape from Fort Bravo’ (John Sturges, 1953), ‘The Far Country’ (Anthony Mann, 1954), ‘The Man from Laramie’ (Anthony Mann, 1955), ‘Wichita’ (Jacques Tourneur, 1955), ‘The Indian Fighter’ (André de Toth, 1955), ‘The Searchers’ (John Ford, 1956), ‘Gunfight at the O.K. Corral’ (John Sturges, 1957), ‘The Big Country’ (William Wyler, 1958), ‘Rio Bravo’ (Howard Hawks, 1959), ‘Warlock’ (Edward Dmytryk, 1959), ‘The Magnificent Seven’ (John Sturges, 1960), ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’ (John Ford, 1962), ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ (Sergio Leone, 1966), ‘The Professionals’ (Richard Brooks, 1966), ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ (Sergio Leone, 1968), ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ (George Roy Hill, 1969), ‘The Wild Bunch’ (Sam Peckinpah, 1969), ‘Little Big Man’ (Arthur Penn, 1970), ‘They Call Me Trinity’ (Enzo Barboni, 1971), ‘The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean’ (John Huston, 1972), ‘The Cowboys’ (Mark Rydell, 1972), ‘Blazing Saddles’ (Mel Brooks, 1974), ‘The Long Riders’ (Walter Hill, 1980), ‘Unforgiven’ (Clint Eastwood, 1992), ‘Open Range’ (Kevin Costner, 2003), ‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford’ (Andrew Dominik, 2007), ‘True Grit’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2010), ‘Django Unchained’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2012), ‘Hell or High Water’ (David Mackenzie, 2016), ‘The Hateful Eight’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2016), ‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2018), ‘The Sisters Brothers’ (Jacques Audiard, 2018), ‘News of the World’ (Paul Greengrass, 2020)

Kirk Douglas is electric in this underrated gem, balancing charm and brute force. He commands every scene with that signature mix of intensity and swagger.

‘The Searchers’ (John Ford, 1956)

The best westerns ever, Masterpeices, ‘Stagecoach’ (John Ford, 1939), ‘They Died with Their Boots On’ (Raoul Walsh, 1941), ‘Red River’ (Howard Hawks, 1948), ‘Colorado Territory’ (Raoul Walsh, 1949), ‘Colt .45’ (Edwin L. Marin, 1950), ‘Winchester ’73’ (Anthony Mann, 1951), ‘Westward the Women’ (William A. Wellman, 1951), ‘High Noon’ (Fred Zinnemann, 1952), ‘Shane’ (George Stevens, 1953), ‘Escape from Fort Bravo’ (John Sturges, 1953), ‘The Far Country’ (Anthony Mann, 1954), ‘The Man from Laramie’ (Anthony Mann, 1955), ‘Wichita’ (Jacques Tourneur, 1955), ‘The Indian Fighter’ (André de Toth, 1955), ‘The Searchers’ (John Ford, 1956), ‘Gunfight at the O.K. Corral’ (John Sturges, 1957), ‘The Big Country’ (William Wyler, 1958), ‘Rio Bravo’ (Howard Hawks, 1959), ‘Warlock’ (Edward Dmytryk, 1959), ‘The Magnificent Seven’ (John Sturges, 1960), ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’ (John Ford, 1962), ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ (Sergio Leone, 1966), ‘The Professionals’ (Richard Brooks, 1966), ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ (Sergio Leone, 1968), ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ (George Roy Hill, 1969), ‘The Wild Bunch’ (Sam Peckinpah, 1969), ‘Little Big Man’ (Arthur Penn, 1970), ‘They Call Me Trinity’ (Enzo Barboni, 1971), ‘The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean’ (John Huston, 1972), ‘The Cowboys’ (Mark Rydell, 1972), ‘Blazing Saddles’ (Mel Brooks, 1974), ‘The Long Riders’ (Walter Hill, 1980), ‘Unforgiven’ (Clint Eastwood, 1992), ‘Open Range’ (Kevin Costner, 2003), ‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford’ (Andrew Dominik, 2007), ‘True Grit’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2010), ‘Django Unchained’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2012), ‘Hell or High Water’ (David Mackenzie, 2016), ‘The Hateful Eight’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2016), ‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2018), ‘The Sisters Brothers’ (Jacques Audiard, 2018), ‘News of the World’ (Paul Greengrass, 2020)

The pinnacle of the genre. John Ford’s magnum opus follows John Wayne and Jeffrey Hunter through a visually stunning and emotionally complex redemption story. A flawless western.

Photo: Warner Bros

‘Gunfight at the O.K. Corral’ (John Sturges, 1957)

The best westerns ever, Masterpeices, ‘Stagecoach’ (John Ford, 1939), ‘They Died with Their Boots On’ (Raoul Walsh, 1941), ‘Red River’ (Howard Hawks, 1948), ‘Colorado Territory’ (Raoul Walsh, 1949), ‘Colt .45’ (Edwin L. Marin, 1950), ‘Winchester ’73’ (Anthony Mann, 1951), ‘Westward the Women’ (William A. Wellman, 1951), ‘High Noon’ (Fred Zinnemann, 1952), ‘Shane’ (George Stevens, 1953), ‘Escape from Fort Bravo’ (John Sturges, 1953), ‘The Far Country’ (Anthony Mann, 1954), ‘The Man from Laramie’ (Anthony Mann, 1955), ‘Wichita’ (Jacques Tourneur, 1955), ‘The Indian Fighter’ (André de Toth, 1955), ‘The Searchers’ (John Ford, 1956), ‘Gunfight at the O.K. Corral’ (John Sturges, 1957), ‘The Big Country’ (William Wyler, 1958), ‘Rio Bravo’ (Howard Hawks, 1959), ‘Warlock’ (Edward Dmytryk, 1959), ‘The Magnificent Seven’ (John Sturges, 1960), ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’ (John Ford, 1962), ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ (Sergio Leone, 1966), ‘The Professionals’ (Richard Brooks, 1966), ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ (Sergio Leone, 1968), ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ (George Roy Hill, 1969), ‘The Wild Bunch’ (Sam Peckinpah, 1969), ‘Little Big Man’ (Arthur Penn, 1970), ‘They Call Me Trinity’ (Enzo Barboni, 1971), ‘The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean’ (John Huston, 1972), ‘The Cowboys’ (Mark Rydell, 1972), ‘Blazing Saddles’ (Mel Brooks, 1974), ‘The Long Riders’ (Walter Hill, 1980), ‘Unforgiven’ (Clint Eastwood, 1992), ‘Open Range’ (Kevin Costner, 2003), ‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford’ (Andrew Dominik, 2007), ‘True Grit’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2010), ‘Django Unchained’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2012), ‘Hell or High Water’ (David Mackenzie, 2016), ‘The Hateful Eight’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2016), ‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2018), ‘The Sisters Brothers’ (Jacques Audiard, 2018), ‘News of the World’ (Paul Greengrass, 2020)

Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas go toe-to-toe in this stylish, Cinemascope reimagining of one of the West’s most iconic gunfights. Their chemistry alone is worth the watch.

‘The Big Country’ (William Wyler, 1958)

The best westerns ever, Masterpeices, ‘Stagecoach’ (John Ford, 1939), ‘They Died with Their Boots On’ (Raoul Walsh, 1941), ‘Red River’ (Howard Hawks, 1948), ‘Colorado Territory’ (Raoul Walsh, 1949), ‘Colt .45’ (Edwin L. Marin, 1950), ‘Winchester ’73’ (Anthony Mann, 1951), ‘Westward the Women’ (William A. Wellman, 1951), ‘High Noon’ (Fred Zinnemann, 1952), ‘Shane’ (George Stevens, 1953), ‘Escape from Fort Bravo’ (John Sturges, 1953), ‘The Far Country’ (Anthony Mann, 1954), ‘The Man from Laramie’ (Anthony Mann, 1955), ‘Wichita’ (Jacques Tourneur, 1955), ‘The Indian Fighter’ (André de Toth, 1955), ‘The Searchers’ (John Ford, 1956), ‘Gunfight at the O.K. Corral’ (John Sturges, 1957), ‘The Big Country’ (William Wyler, 1958), ‘Rio Bravo’ (Howard Hawks, 1959), ‘Warlock’ (Edward Dmytryk, 1959), ‘The Magnificent Seven’ (John Sturges, 1960), ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’ (John Ford, 1962), ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ (Sergio Leone, 1966), ‘The Professionals’ (Richard Brooks, 1966), ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ (Sergio Leone, 1968), ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ (George Roy Hill, 1969), ‘The Wild Bunch’ (Sam Peckinpah, 1969), ‘Little Big Man’ (Arthur Penn, 1970), ‘They Call Me Trinity’ (Enzo Barboni, 1971), ‘The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean’ (John Huston, 1972), ‘The Cowboys’ (Mark Rydell, 1972), ‘Blazing Saddles’ (Mel Brooks, 1974), ‘The Long Riders’ (Walter Hill, 1980), ‘Unforgiven’ (Clint Eastwood, 1992), ‘Open Range’ (Kevin Costner, 2003), ‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford’ (Andrew Dominik, 2007), ‘True Grit’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2010), ‘Django Unchained’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2012), ‘Hell or High Water’ (David Mackenzie, 2016), ‘The Hateful Eight’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2016), ‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2018), ‘The Sisters Brothers’ (Jacques Audiard, 2018), ‘News of the World’ (Paul Greengrass, 2020)

With a majestic score by Jerome Moross and performances by Gregory Peck and Burl Ives, this nearly three-hour epic blends romance, politics, and frontier drama into a sweeping cinematic ride.

‘Rio Bravo’ (Howard Hawks, 1959)

The best westerns ever, Masterpeices, ‘Stagecoach’ (John Ford, 1939), ‘They Died with Their Boots On’ (Raoul Walsh, 1941), ‘Red River’ (Howard Hawks, 1948), ‘Colorado Territory’ (Raoul Walsh, 1949), ‘Colt .45’ (Edwin L. Marin, 1950), ‘Winchester ’73’ (Anthony Mann, 1951), ‘Westward the Women’ (William A. Wellman, 1951), ‘High Noon’ (Fred Zinnemann, 1952), ‘Shane’ (George Stevens, 1953), ‘Escape from Fort Bravo’ (John Sturges, 1953), ‘The Far Country’ (Anthony Mann, 1954), ‘The Man from Laramie’ (Anthony Mann, 1955), ‘Wichita’ (Jacques Tourneur, 1955), ‘The Indian Fighter’ (André de Toth, 1955), ‘The Searchers’ (John Ford, 1956), ‘Gunfight at the O.K. Corral’ (John Sturges, 1957), ‘The Big Country’ (William Wyler, 1958), ‘Rio Bravo’ (Howard Hawks, 1959), ‘Warlock’ (Edward Dmytryk, 1959), ‘The Magnificent Seven’ (John Sturges, 1960), ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’ (John Ford, 1962), ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ (Sergio Leone, 1966), ‘The Professionals’ (Richard Brooks, 1966), ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ (Sergio Leone, 1968), ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ (George Roy Hill, 1969), ‘The Wild Bunch’ (Sam Peckinpah, 1969), ‘Little Big Man’ (Arthur Penn, 1970), ‘They Call Me Trinity’ (Enzo Barboni, 1971), ‘The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean’ (John Huston, 1972), ‘The Cowboys’ (Mark Rydell, 1972), ‘Blazing Saddles’ (Mel Brooks, 1974), ‘The Long Riders’ (Walter Hill, 1980), ‘Unforgiven’ (Clint Eastwood, 1992), ‘Open Range’ (Kevin Costner, 2003), ‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford’ (Andrew Dominik, 2007), ‘True Grit’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2010), ‘Django Unchained’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2012), ‘Hell or High Water’ (David Mackenzie, 2016), ‘The Hateful Eight’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2016), ‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2018), ‘The Sisters Brothers’ (Jacques Audiard, 2018), ‘News of the World’ (Paul Greengrass, 2020)

Leigh Brackett’s script is one of Hollywood’s best, and Howard Hawks brings it to life with John Wayne, Dean Martin, and a show-stealing Angie Dickinson. Western comfort food at its finest.

‘Warlock’ (Edward Dmytryk, 1959)

The best westerns ever, Masterpeices, ‘Stagecoach’ (John Ford, 1939), ‘They Died with Their Boots On’ (Raoul Walsh, 1941), ‘Red River’ (Howard Hawks, 1948), ‘Colorado Territory’ (Raoul Walsh, 1949), ‘Colt .45’ (Edwin L. Marin, 1950), ‘Winchester ’73’ (Anthony Mann, 1951), ‘Westward the Women’ (William A. Wellman, 1951), ‘High Noon’ (Fred Zinnemann, 1952), ‘Shane’ (George Stevens, 1953), ‘Escape from Fort Bravo’ (John Sturges, 1953), ‘The Far Country’ (Anthony Mann, 1954), ‘The Man from Laramie’ (Anthony Mann, 1955), ‘Wichita’ (Jacques Tourneur, 1955), ‘The Indian Fighter’ (André de Toth, 1955), ‘The Searchers’ (John Ford, 1956), ‘Gunfight at the O.K. Corral’ (John Sturges, 1957), ‘The Big Country’ (William Wyler, 1958), ‘Rio Bravo’ (Howard Hawks, 1959), ‘Warlock’ (Edward Dmytryk, 1959), ‘The Magnificent Seven’ (John Sturges, 1960), ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’ (John Ford, 1962), ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ (Sergio Leone, 1966), ‘The Professionals’ (Richard Brooks, 1966), ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ (Sergio Leone, 1968), ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ (George Roy Hill, 1969), ‘The Wild Bunch’ (Sam Peckinpah, 1969), ‘Little Big Man’ (Arthur Penn, 1970), ‘They Call Me Trinity’ (Enzo Barboni, 1971), ‘The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean’ (John Huston, 1972), ‘The Cowboys’ (Mark Rydell, 1972), ‘Blazing Saddles’ (Mel Brooks, 1974), ‘The Long Riders’ (Walter Hill, 1980), ‘Unforgiven’ (Clint Eastwood, 1992), ‘Open Range’ (Kevin Costner, 2003), ‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford’ (Andrew Dominik, 2007), ‘True Grit’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2010), ‘Django Unchained’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2012), ‘Hell or High Water’ (David Mackenzie, 2016), ‘The Hateful Eight’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2016), ‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2018), ‘The Sisters Brothers’ (Jacques Audiard, 2018), ‘News of the World’ (Paul Greengrass, 2020)

Beneath the surface of this traditional western lies a bold (for its time) exploration of masculinity and coded desire. It’s all masked as friendship—but the subtext is undeniable.

‘The Magnificent Seven’ (John Sturges, 1960)

The best westerns ever, Masterpeices, ‘Stagecoach’ (John Ford, 1939), ‘They Died with Their Boots On’ (Raoul Walsh, 1941), ‘Red River’ (Howard Hawks, 1948), ‘Colorado Territory’ (Raoul Walsh, 1949), ‘Colt .45’ (Edwin L. Marin, 1950), ‘Winchester ’73’ (Anthony Mann, 1951), ‘Westward the Women’ (William A. Wellman, 1951), ‘High Noon’ (Fred Zinnemann, 1952), ‘Shane’ (George Stevens, 1953), ‘Escape from Fort Bravo’ (John Sturges, 1953), ‘The Far Country’ (Anthony Mann, 1954), ‘The Man from Laramie’ (Anthony Mann, 1955), ‘Wichita’ (Jacques Tourneur, 1955), ‘The Indian Fighter’ (André de Toth, 1955), ‘The Searchers’ (John Ford, 1956), ‘Gunfight at the O.K. Corral’ (John Sturges, 1957), ‘The Big Country’ (William Wyler, 1958), ‘Rio Bravo’ (Howard Hawks, 1959), ‘Warlock’ (Edward Dmytryk, 1959), ‘The Magnificent Seven’ (John Sturges, 1960), ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’ (John Ford, 1962), ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ (Sergio Leone, 1966), ‘The Professionals’ (Richard Brooks, 1966), ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ (Sergio Leone, 1968), ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ (George Roy Hill, 1969), ‘The Wild Bunch’ (Sam Peckinpah, 1969), ‘Little Big Man’ (Arthur Penn, 1970), ‘They Call Me Trinity’ (Enzo Barboni, 1971), ‘The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean’ (John Huston, 1972), ‘The Cowboys’ (Mark Rydell, 1972), ‘Blazing Saddles’ (Mel Brooks, 1974), ‘The Long Riders’ (Walter Hill, 1980), ‘Unforgiven’ (Clint Eastwood, 1992), ‘Open Range’ (Kevin Costner, 2003), ‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford’ (Andrew Dominik, 2007), ‘True Grit’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2010), ‘Django Unchained’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2012), ‘Hell or High Water’ (David Mackenzie, 2016), ‘The Hateful Eight’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2016), ‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2018), ‘The Sisters Brothers’ (Jacques Audiard, 2018), ‘News of the World’ (Paul Greengrass, 2020)

A slick remake of ‘Seven Samurai’, this star-studded adventure gave us Elmer Bernstein’s legendary score and a breakout performance by Steve McQueen, who pretty much upstaged everyone.

‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’ (John Ford, 1962)

The best westerns ever, Masterpeices, ‘Stagecoach’ (John Ford, 1939), ‘They Died with Their Boots On’ (Raoul Walsh, 1941), ‘Red River’ (Howard Hawks, 1948), ‘Colorado Territory’ (Raoul Walsh, 1949), ‘Colt .45’ (Edwin L. Marin, 1950), ‘Winchester ’73’ (Anthony Mann, 1951), ‘Westward the Women’ (William A. Wellman, 1951), ‘High Noon’ (Fred Zinnemann, 1952), ‘Shane’ (George Stevens, 1953), ‘Escape from Fort Bravo’ (John Sturges, 1953), ‘The Far Country’ (Anthony Mann, 1954), ‘The Man from Laramie’ (Anthony Mann, 1955), ‘Wichita’ (Jacques Tourneur, 1955), ‘The Indian Fighter’ (André de Toth, 1955), ‘The Searchers’ (John Ford, 1956), ‘Gunfight at the O.K. Corral’ (John Sturges, 1957), ‘The Big Country’ (William Wyler, 1958), ‘Rio Bravo’ (Howard Hawks, 1959), ‘Warlock’ (Edward Dmytryk, 1959), ‘The Magnificent Seven’ (John Sturges, 1960), ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’ (John Ford, 1962), ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ (Sergio Leone, 1966), ‘The Professionals’ (Richard Brooks, 1966), ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ (Sergio Leone, 1968), ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ (George Roy Hill, 1969), ‘The Wild Bunch’ (Sam Peckinpah, 1969), ‘Little Big Man’ (Arthur Penn, 1970), ‘They Call Me Trinity’ (Enzo Barboni, 1971), ‘The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean’ (John Huston, 1972), ‘The Cowboys’ (Mark Rydell, 1972), ‘Blazing Saddles’ (Mel Brooks, 1974), ‘The Long Riders’ (Walter Hill, 1980), ‘Unforgiven’ (Clint Eastwood, 1992), ‘Open Range’ (Kevin Costner, 2003), ‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford’ (Andrew Dominik, 2007), ‘True Grit’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2010), ‘Django Unchained’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2012), ‘Hell or High Water’ (David Mackenzie, 2016), ‘The Hateful Eight’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2016), ‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2018), ‘The Sisters Brothers’ (Jacques Audiard, 2018), ‘News of the World’ (Paul Greengrass, 2020)

Ford pulls off a late-career masterstroke here—an elegant, layered critique of justice, politics, and myth-making, wrapped in one of the genre’s most thoughtful scripts. And yes, that cactus scene.

‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ (Sergio Leone, 1966)

The best westerns ever, Masterpeices, ‘Stagecoach’ (John Ford, 1939), ‘They Died with Their Boots On’ (Raoul Walsh, 1941), ‘Red River’ (Howard Hawks, 1948), ‘Colorado Territory’ (Raoul Walsh, 1949), ‘Colt .45’ (Edwin L. Marin, 1950), ‘Winchester ’73’ (Anthony Mann, 1951), ‘Westward the Women’ (William A. Wellman, 1951), ‘High Noon’ (Fred Zinnemann, 1952), ‘Shane’ (George Stevens, 1953), ‘Escape from Fort Bravo’ (John Sturges, 1953), ‘The Far Country’ (Anthony Mann, 1954), ‘The Man from Laramie’ (Anthony Mann, 1955), ‘Wichita’ (Jacques Tourneur, 1955), ‘The Indian Fighter’ (André de Toth, 1955), ‘The Searchers’ (John Ford, 1956), ‘Gunfight at the O.K. Corral’ (John Sturges, 1957), ‘The Big Country’ (William Wyler, 1958), ‘Rio Bravo’ (Howard Hawks, 1959), ‘Warlock’ (Edward Dmytryk, 1959), ‘The Magnificent Seven’ (John Sturges, 1960), ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’ (John Ford, 1962), ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ (Sergio Leone, 1966), ‘The Professionals’ (Richard Brooks, 1966), ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ (Sergio Leone, 1968), ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ (George Roy Hill, 1969), ‘The Wild Bunch’ (Sam Peckinpah, 1969), ‘Little Big Man’ (Arthur Penn, 1970), ‘They Call Me Trinity’ (Enzo Barboni, 1971), ‘The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean’ (John Huston, 1972), ‘The Cowboys’ (Mark Rydell, 1972), ‘Blazing Saddles’ (Mel Brooks, 1974), ‘The Long Riders’ (Walter Hill, 1980), ‘Unforgiven’ (Clint Eastwood, 1992), ‘Open Range’ (Kevin Costner, 2003), ‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford’ (Andrew Dominik, 2007), ‘True Grit’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2010), ‘Django Unchained’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2012), ‘Hell or High Water’ (David Mackenzie, 2016), ‘The Hateful Eight’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2016), ‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2018), ‘The Sisters Brothers’ (Jacques Audiard, 2018), ‘News of the World’ (Paul Greengrass, 2020)

It’s less a western and more a gritty treasure hunt fueled by betrayal, wit, and unforgettable music. Leone turns Eastwood, Van Cleef, and Wallach into icons. Every frame is legendary.

‘The Professionals’ (Richard Brooks, 1966)

The best westerns ever, Masterpeices, ‘Stagecoach’ (John Ford, 1939), ‘They Died with Their Boots On’ (Raoul Walsh, 1941), ‘Red River’ (Howard Hawks, 1948), ‘Colorado Territory’ (Raoul Walsh, 1949), ‘Colt .45’ (Edwin L. Marin, 1950), ‘Winchester ’73’ (Anthony Mann, 1951), ‘Westward the Women’ (William A. Wellman, 1951), ‘High Noon’ (Fred Zinnemann, 1952), ‘Shane’ (George Stevens, 1953), ‘Escape from Fort Bravo’ (John Sturges, 1953), ‘The Far Country’ (Anthony Mann, 1954), ‘The Man from Laramie’ (Anthony Mann, 1955), ‘Wichita’ (Jacques Tourneur, 1955), ‘The Indian Fighter’ (André de Toth, 1955), ‘The Searchers’ (John Ford, 1956), ‘Gunfight at the O.K. Corral’ (John Sturges, 1957), ‘The Big Country’ (William Wyler, 1958), ‘Rio Bravo’ (Howard Hawks, 1959), ‘Warlock’ (Edward Dmytryk, 1959), ‘The Magnificent Seven’ (John Sturges, 1960), ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’ (John Ford, 1962), ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ (Sergio Leone, 1966), ‘The Professionals’ (Richard Brooks, 1966), ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ (Sergio Leone, 1968), ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ (George Roy Hill, 1969), ‘The Wild Bunch’ (Sam Peckinpah, 1969), ‘Little Big Man’ (Arthur Penn, 1970), ‘They Call Me Trinity’ (Enzo Barboni, 1971), ‘The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean’ (John Huston, 1972), ‘The Cowboys’ (Mark Rydell, 1972), ‘Blazing Saddles’ (Mel Brooks, 1974), ‘The Long Riders’ (Walter Hill, 1980), ‘Unforgiven’ (Clint Eastwood, 1992), ‘Open Range’ (Kevin Costner, 2003), ‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford’ (Andrew Dominik, 2007), ‘True Grit’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2010), ‘Django Unchained’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2012), ‘Hell or High Water’ (David Mackenzie, 2016), ‘The Hateful Eight’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2016), ‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2018), ‘The Sisters Brothers’ (Jacques Audiard, 2018), ‘News of the World’ (Paul Greengrass, 2020)

Lee Marvin and Burt Lancaster star in this politically charged heist-western that dared to challenge capitalism—with Claudia Cardinale, no less. Still edgy. Still brilliant.

‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ (Sergio Leone, 1968)

The best westerns ever, Masterpeices, ‘Stagecoach’ (John Ford, 1939), ‘They Died with Their Boots On’ (Raoul Walsh, 1941), ‘Red River’ (Howard Hawks, 1948), ‘Colorado Territory’ (Raoul Walsh, 1949), ‘Colt .45’ (Edwin L. Marin, 1950), ‘Winchester ’73’ (Anthony Mann, 1951), ‘Westward the Women’ (William A. Wellman, 1951), ‘High Noon’ (Fred Zinnemann, 1952), ‘Shane’ (George Stevens, 1953), ‘Escape from Fort Bravo’ (John Sturges, 1953), ‘The Far Country’ (Anthony Mann, 1954), ‘The Man from Laramie’ (Anthony Mann, 1955), ‘Wichita’ (Jacques Tourneur, 1955), ‘The Indian Fighter’ (André de Toth, 1955), ‘The Searchers’ (John Ford, 1956), ‘Gunfight at the O.K. Corral’ (John Sturges, 1957), ‘The Big Country’ (William Wyler, 1958), ‘Rio Bravo’ (Howard Hawks, 1959), ‘Warlock’ (Edward Dmytryk, 1959), ‘The Magnificent Seven’ (John Sturges, 1960), ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’ (John Ford, 1962), ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ (Sergio Leone, 1966), ‘The Professionals’ (Richard Brooks, 1966), ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ (Sergio Leone, 1968), ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ (George Roy Hill, 1969), ‘The Wild Bunch’ (Sam Peckinpah, 1969), ‘Little Big Man’ (Arthur Penn, 1970), ‘They Call Me Trinity’ (Enzo Barboni, 1971), ‘The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean’ (John Huston, 1972), ‘The Cowboys’ (Mark Rydell, 1972), ‘Blazing Saddles’ (Mel Brooks, 1974), ‘The Long Riders’ (Walter Hill, 1980), ‘Unforgiven’ (Clint Eastwood, 1992), ‘Open Range’ (Kevin Costner, 2003), ‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford’ (Andrew Dominik, 2007), ‘True Grit’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2010), ‘Django Unchained’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2012), ‘Hell or High Water’ (David Mackenzie, 2016), ‘The Hateful Eight’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2016), ‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2018), ‘The Sisters Brothers’ (Jacques Audiard, 2018), ‘News of the World’ (Paul Greengrass, 2020)

Morricone’s haunting score. Leone’s slow-burning tension. And a powerhouse cast including Charles Bronson, Claudia Cardinale, and a chilling Henry Fonda. This isn’t just a movie—it’s opera.

‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ (George Roy Hill, 1969)

The best westerns ever, Masterpeices, ‘Stagecoach’ (John Ford, 1939), ‘They Died with Their Boots On’ (Raoul Walsh, 1941), ‘Red River’ (Howard Hawks, 1948), ‘Colorado Territory’ (Raoul Walsh, 1949), ‘Colt .45’ (Edwin L. Marin, 1950), ‘Winchester ’73’ (Anthony Mann, 1951), ‘Westward the Women’ (William A. Wellman, 1951), ‘High Noon’ (Fred Zinnemann, 1952), ‘Shane’ (George Stevens, 1953), ‘Escape from Fort Bravo’ (John Sturges, 1953), ‘The Far Country’ (Anthony Mann, 1954), ‘The Man from Laramie’ (Anthony Mann, 1955), ‘Wichita’ (Jacques Tourneur, 1955), ‘The Indian Fighter’ (André de Toth, 1955), ‘The Searchers’ (John Ford, 1956), ‘Gunfight at the O.K. Corral’ (John Sturges, 1957), ‘The Big Country’ (William Wyler, 1958), ‘Rio Bravo’ (Howard Hawks, 1959), ‘Warlock’ (Edward Dmytryk, 1959), ‘The Magnificent Seven’ (John Sturges, 1960), ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’ (John Ford, 1962), ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ (Sergio Leone, 1966), ‘The Professionals’ (Richard Brooks, 1966), ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ (Sergio Leone, 1968), ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ (George Roy Hill, 1969), ‘The Wild Bunch’ (Sam Peckinpah, 1969), ‘Little Big Man’ (Arthur Penn, 1970), ‘They Call Me Trinity’ (Enzo Barboni, 1971), ‘The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean’ (John Huston, 1972), ‘The Cowboys’ (Mark Rydell, 1972), ‘Blazing Saddles’ (Mel Brooks, 1974), ‘The Long Riders’ (Walter Hill, 1980), ‘Unforgiven’ (Clint Eastwood, 1992), ‘Open Range’ (Kevin Costner, 2003), ‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford’ (Andrew Dominik, 2007), ‘True Grit’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2010), ‘Django Unchained’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2012), ‘Hell or High Water’ (David Mackenzie, 2016), ‘The Hateful Eight’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2016), ‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2018), ‘The Sisters Brothers’ (Jacques Audiard, 2018), ‘News of the World’ (Paul Greengrass, 2020)

Paul Newman and Robert Redford redefine buddy chemistry in this stylish, funny, and poignant tale of two bank robbers on the run. The charm? Off the charts.

‘The Wild Bunch’ (Sam Peckinpah, 1969)

The best westerns ever, Masterpeices, ‘Stagecoach’ (John Ford, 1939), ‘They Died with Their Boots On’ (Raoul Walsh, 1941), ‘Red River’ (Howard Hawks, 1948), ‘Colorado Territory’ (Raoul Walsh, 1949), ‘Colt .45’ (Edwin L. Marin, 1950), ‘Winchester ’73’ (Anthony Mann, 1951), ‘Westward the Women’ (William A. Wellman, 1951), ‘High Noon’ (Fred Zinnemann, 1952), ‘Shane’ (George Stevens, 1953), ‘Escape from Fort Bravo’ (John Sturges, 1953), ‘The Far Country’ (Anthony Mann, 1954), ‘The Man from Laramie’ (Anthony Mann, 1955), ‘Wichita’ (Jacques Tourneur, 1955), ‘The Indian Fighter’ (André de Toth, 1955), ‘The Searchers’ (John Ford, 1956), ‘Gunfight at the O.K. Corral’ (John Sturges, 1957), ‘The Big Country’ (William Wyler, 1958), ‘Rio Bravo’ (Howard Hawks, 1959), ‘Warlock’ (Edward Dmytryk, 1959), ‘The Magnificent Seven’ (John Sturges, 1960), ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’ (John Ford, 1962), ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ (Sergio Leone, 1966), ‘The Professionals’ (Richard Brooks, 1966), ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ (Sergio Leone, 1968), ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ (George Roy Hill, 1969), ‘The Wild Bunch’ (Sam Peckinpah, 1969), ‘Little Big Man’ (Arthur Penn, 1970), ‘They Call Me Trinity’ (Enzo Barboni, 1971), ‘The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean’ (John Huston, 1972), ‘The Cowboys’ (Mark Rydell, 1972), ‘Blazing Saddles’ (Mel Brooks, 1974), ‘The Long Riders’ (Walter Hill, 1980), ‘Unforgiven’ (Clint Eastwood, 1992), ‘Open Range’ (Kevin Costner, 2003), ‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford’ (Andrew Dominik, 2007), ‘True Grit’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2010), ‘Django Unchained’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2012), ‘Hell or High Water’ (David Mackenzie, 2016), ‘The Hateful Eight’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2016), ‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2018), ‘The Sisters Brothers’ (Jacques Audiard, 2018), ‘News of the World’ (Paul Greengrass, 2020)

A bloody ballet of violence and loyalty, this gritty western pushed the envelope with its brutality and subtext. A savage, stylized farewell to the Old West.

‘Little Big Man’ (Arthur Penn, 1970)

The best westerns ever, Masterpeices, ‘Stagecoach’ (John Ford, 1939), ‘They Died with Their Boots On’ (Raoul Walsh, 1941), ‘Red River’ (Howard Hawks, 1948), ‘Colorado Territory’ (Raoul Walsh, 1949), ‘Colt .45’ (Edwin L. Marin, 1950), ‘Winchester ’73’ (Anthony Mann, 1951), ‘Westward the Women’ (William A. Wellman, 1951), ‘High Noon’ (Fred Zinnemann, 1952), ‘Shane’ (George Stevens, 1953), ‘Escape from Fort Bravo’ (John Sturges, 1953), ‘The Far Country’ (Anthony Mann, 1954), ‘The Man from Laramie’ (Anthony Mann, 1955), ‘Wichita’ (Jacques Tourneur, 1955), ‘The Indian Fighter’ (André de Toth, 1955), ‘The Searchers’ (John Ford, 1956), ‘Gunfight at the O.K. Corral’ (John Sturges, 1957), ‘The Big Country’ (William Wyler, 1958), ‘Rio Bravo’ (Howard Hawks, 1959), ‘Warlock’ (Edward Dmytryk, 1959), ‘The Magnificent Seven’ (John Sturges, 1960), ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’ (John Ford, 1962), ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ (Sergio Leone, 1966), ‘The Professionals’ (Richard Brooks, 1966), ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ (Sergio Leone, 1968), ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ (George Roy Hill, 1969), ‘The Wild Bunch’ (Sam Peckinpah, 1969), ‘Little Big Man’ (Arthur Penn, 1970), ‘They Call Me Trinity’ (Enzo Barboni, 1971), ‘The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean’ (John Huston, 1972), ‘The Cowboys’ (Mark Rydell, 1972), ‘Blazing Saddles’ (Mel Brooks, 1974), ‘The Long Riders’ (Walter Hill, 1980), ‘Unforgiven’ (Clint Eastwood, 1992), ‘Open Range’ (Kevin Costner, 2003), ‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford’ (Andrew Dominik, 2007), ‘True Grit’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2010), ‘Django Unchained’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2012), ‘Hell or High Water’ (David Mackenzie, 2016), ‘The Hateful Eight’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2016), ‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2018), ‘The Sisters Brothers’ (Jacques Audiard, 2018), ‘News of the World’ (Paul Greengrass, 2020)

Dustin Hoffman as a white man raised by Native Americans? It sounds bizarre—until you watch it. A bold satire that deconstructs American myths and still manages to be hilarious and tragic.

‘They Call Me Trinity’ (Enzo Barboni, 1971)

The best westerns ever, Masterpeices, ‘Stagecoach’ (John Ford, 1939), ‘They Died with Their Boots On’ (Raoul Walsh, 1941), ‘Red River’ (Howard Hawks, 1948), ‘Colorado Territory’ (Raoul Walsh, 1949), ‘Colt .45’ (Edwin L. Marin, 1950), ‘Winchester ’73’ (Anthony Mann, 1951), ‘Westward the Women’ (William A. Wellman, 1951), ‘High Noon’ (Fred Zinnemann, 1952), ‘Shane’ (George Stevens, 1953), ‘Escape from Fort Bravo’ (John Sturges, 1953), ‘The Far Country’ (Anthony Mann, 1954), ‘The Man from Laramie’ (Anthony Mann, 1955), ‘Wichita’ (Jacques Tourneur, 1955), ‘The Indian Fighter’ (André de Toth, 1955), ‘The Searchers’ (John Ford, 1956), ‘Gunfight at the O.K. Corral’ (John Sturges, 1957), ‘The Big Country’ (William Wyler, 1958), ‘Rio Bravo’ (Howard Hawks, 1959), ‘Warlock’ (Edward Dmytryk, 1959), ‘The Magnificent Seven’ (John Sturges, 1960), ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’ (John Ford, 1962), ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ (Sergio Leone, 1966), ‘The Professionals’ (Richard Brooks, 1966), ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ (Sergio Leone, 1968), ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ (George Roy Hill, 1969), ‘The Wild Bunch’ (Sam Peckinpah, 1969), ‘Little Big Man’ (Arthur Penn, 1970), ‘They Call Me Trinity’ (Enzo Barboni, 1971), ‘The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean’ (John Huston, 1972), ‘The Cowboys’ (Mark Rydell, 1972), ‘Blazing Saddles’ (Mel Brooks, 1974), ‘The Long Riders’ (Walter Hill, 1980), ‘Unforgiven’ (Clint Eastwood, 1992), ‘Open Range’ (Kevin Costner, 2003), ‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford’ (Andrew Dominik, 2007), ‘True Grit’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2010), ‘Django Unchained’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2012), ‘Hell or High Water’ (David Mackenzie, 2016), ‘The Hateful Eight’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2016), ‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2018), ‘The Sisters Brothers’ (Jacques Audiard, 2018), ‘News of the World’ (Paul Greengrass, 2020)

Terence Hill and Bud Spencer bring slapstick swagger to the spaghetti western, parodying the genre with brilliant comic timing and brawls that never take themselves too seriously.

‘The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean’ (John Huston, 1972)

The best westerns ever, Masterpeices, ‘Stagecoach’ (John Ford, 1939), ‘They Died with Their Boots On’ (Raoul Walsh, 1941), ‘Red River’ (Howard Hawks, 1948), ‘Colorado Territory’ (Raoul Walsh, 1949), ‘Colt .45’ (Edwin L. Marin, 1950), ‘Winchester ’73’ (Anthony Mann, 1951), ‘Westward the Women’ (William A. Wellman, 1951), ‘High Noon’ (Fred Zinnemann, 1952), ‘Shane’ (George Stevens, 1953), ‘Escape from Fort Bravo’ (John Sturges, 1953), ‘The Far Country’ (Anthony Mann, 1954), ‘The Man from Laramie’ (Anthony Mann, 1955), ‘Wichita’ (Jacques Tourneur, 1955), ‘The Indian Fighter’ (André de Toth, 1955), ‘The Searchers’ (John Ford, 1956), ‘Gunfight at the O.K. Corral’ (John Sturges, 1957), ‘The Big Country’ (William Wyler, 1958), ‘Rio Bravo’ (Howard Hawks, 1959), ‘Warlock’ (Edward Dmytryk, 1959), ‘The Magnificent Seven’ (John Sturges, 1960), ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’ (John Ford, 1962), ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ (Sergio Leone, 1966), ‘The Professionals’ (Richard Brooks, 1966), ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ (Sergio Leone, 1968), ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ (George Roy Hill, 1969), ‘The Wild Bunch’ (Sam Peckinpah, 1969), ‘Little Big Man’ (Arthur Penn, 1970), ‘They Call Me Trinity’ (Enzo Barboni, 1971), ‘The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean’ (John Huston, 1972), ‘The Cowboys’ (Mark Rydell, 1972), ‘Blazing Saddles’ (Mel Brooks, 1974), ‘The Long Riders’ (Walter Hill, 1980), ‘Unforgiven’ (Clint Eastwood, 1992), ‘Open Range’ (Kevin Costner, 2003), ‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford’ (Andrew Dominik, 2007), ‘True Grit’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2010), ‘Django Unchained’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2012), ‘Hell or High Water’ (David Mackenzie, 2016), ‘The Hateful Eight’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2016), ‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2018), ‘The Sisters Brothers’ (Jacques Audiard, 2018), ‘News of the World’ (Paul Greengrass, 2020)

It’s not Paul Newman’s best role, but let’s be honest — it’s always worth watching Paul Newman. The film includes some pioneering moments, like a shot filmed through the bullet hole in a body, and the legendary cameo by Ava Gardner.

‘The Cowboys’ (Mark Rydell, 1972)

The best westerns ever, Masterpeices, ‘Stagecoach’ (John Ford, 1939), ‘They Died with Their Boots On’ (Raoul Walsh, 1941), ‘Red River’ (Howard Hawks, 1948), ‘Colorado Territory’ (Raoul Walsh, 1949), ‘Colt .45’ (Edwin L. Marin, 1950), ‘Winchester ’73’ (Anthony Mann, 1951), ‘Westward the Women’ (William A. Wellman, 1951), ‘High Noon’ (Fred Zinnemann, 1952), ‘Shane’ (George Stevens, 1953), ‘Escape from Fort Bravo’ (John Sturges, 1953), ‘The Far Country’ (Anthony Mann, 1954), ‘The Man from Laramie’ (Anthony Mann, 1955), ‘Wichita’ (Jacques Tourneur, 1955), ‘The Indian Fighter’ (André de Toth, 1955), ‘The Searchers’ (John Ford, 1956), ‘Gunfight at the O.K. Corral’ (John Sturges, 1957), ‘The Big Country’ (William Wyler, 1958), ‘Rio Bravo’ (Howard Hawks, 1959), ‘Warlock’ (Edward Dmytryk, 1959), ‘The Magnificent Seven’ (John Sturges, 1960), ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’ (John Ford, 1962), ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ (Sergio Leone, 1966), ‘The Professionals’ (Richard Brooks, 1966), ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ (Sergio Leone, 1968), ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ (George Roy Hill, 1969), ‘The Wild Bunch’ (Sam Peckinpah, 1969), ‘Little Big Man’ (Arthur Penn, 1970), ‘They Call Me Trinity’ (Enzo Barboni, 1971), ‘The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean’ (John Huston, 1972), ‘The Cowboys’ (Mark Rydell, 1972), ‘Blazing Saddles’ (Mel Brooks, 1974), ‘The Long Riders’ (Walter Hill, 1980), ‘Unforgiven’ (Clint Eastwood, 1992), ‘Open Range’ (Kevin Costner, 2003), ‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford’ (Andrew Dominik, 2007), ‘True Grit’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2010), ‘Django Unchained’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2012), ‘Hell or High Water’ (David Mackenzie, 2016), ‘The Hateful Eight’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2016), ‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2018), ‘The Sisters Brothers’ (Jacques Audiard, 2018), ‘News of the World’ (Paul Greengrass, 2020)

John Wayne proves once again that he is the Western genre. This coming-of-age story is as tough as it is realistic, with the Duke guiding a group of boys on a rugged cattle drive.

‘Blazing Saddles’ (Mel Brooks, 1974)

The best westerns ever, Masterpeices, ‘Stagecoach’ (John Ford, 1939), ‘They Died with Their Boots On’ (Raoul Walsh, 1941), ‘Red River’ (Howard Hawks, 1948), ‘Colorado Territory’ (Raoul Walsh, 1949), ‘Colt .45’ (Edwin L. Marin, 1950), ‘Winchester ’73’ (Anthony Mann, 1951), ‘Westward the Women’ (William A. Wellman, 1951), ‘High Noon’ (Fred Zinnemann, 1952), ‘Shane’ (George Stevens, 1953), ‘Escape from Fort Bravo’ (John Sturges, 1953), ‘The Far Country’ (Anthony Mann, 1954), ‘The Man from Laramie’ (Anthony Mann, 1955), ‘Wichita’ (Jacques Tourneur, 1955), ‘The Indian Fighter’ (André de Toth, 1955), ‘The Searchers’ (John Ford, 1956), ‘Gunfight at the O.K. Corral’ (John Sturges, 1957), ‘The Big Country’ (William Wyler, 1958), ‘Rio Bravo’ (Howard Hawks, 1959), ‘Warlock’ (Edward Dmytryk, 1959), ‘The Magnificent Seven’ (John Sturges, 1960), ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’ (John Ford, 1962), ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ (Sergio Leone, 1966), ‘The Professionals’ (Richard Brooks, 1966), ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ (Sergio Leone, 1968), ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ (George Roy Hill, 1969), ‘The Wild Bunch’ (Sam Peckinpah, 1969), ‘Little Big Man’ (Arthur Penn, 1970), ‘They Call Me Trinity’ (Enzo Barboni, 1971), ‘The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean’ (John Huston, 1972), ‘The Cowboys’ (Mark Rydell, 1972), ‘Blazing Saddles’ (Mel Brooks, 1974), ‘The Long Riders’ (Walter Hill, 1980), ‘Unforgiven’ (Clint Eastwood, 1992), ‘Open Range’ (Kevin Costner, 2003), ‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford’ (Andrew Dominik, 2007), ‘True Grit’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2010), ‘Django Unchained’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2012), ‘Hell or High Water’ (David Mackenzie, 2016), ‘The Hateful Eight’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2016), ‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2018), ‘The Sisters Brothers’ (Jacques Audiard, 2018), ‘News of the World’ (Paul Greengrass, 2020)

Mel Brooks parodied every genre — and of course, the Western got its turn. He takes on all the clichés, conventions, tropes, and typical situations of the genre. Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder are both brilliant.

‘The Long Riders’ (Walter Hill, 1980)

The best westerns ever, Masterpeices, ‘Stagecoach’ (John Ford, 1939), ‘They Died with Their Boots On’ (Raoul Walsh, 1941), ‘Red River’ (Howard Hawks, 1948), ‘Colorado Territory’ (Raoul Walsh, 1949), ‘Colt .45’ (Edwin L. Marin, 1950), ‘Winchester ’73’ (Anthony Mann, 1951), ‘Westward the Women’ (William A. Wellman, 1951), ‘High Noon’ (Fred Zinnemann, 1952), ‘Shane’ (George Stevens, 1953), ‘Escape from Fort Bravo’ (John Sturges, 1953), ‘The Far Country’ (Anthony Mann, 1954), ‘The Man from Laramie’ (Anthony Mann, 1955), ‘Wichita’ (Jacques Tourneur, 1955), ‘The Indian Fighter’ (André de Toth, 1955), ‘The Searchers’ (John Ford, 1956), ‘Gunfight at the O.K. Corral’ (John Sturges, 1957), ‘The Big Country’ (William Wyler, 1958), ‘Rio Bravo’ (Howard Hawks, 1959), ‘Warlock’ (Edward Dmytryk, 1959), ‘The Magnificent Seven’ (John Sturges, 1960), ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’ (John Ford, 1962), ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ (Sergio Leone, 1966), ‘The Professionals’ (Richard Brooks, 1966), ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ (Sergio Leone, 1968), ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ (George Roy Hill, 1969), ‘The Wild Bunch’ (Sam Peckinpah, 1969), ‘Little Big Man’ (Arthur Penn, 1970), ‘They Call Me Trinity’ (Enzo Barboni, 1971), ‘The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean’ (John Huston, 1972), ‘The Cowboys’ (Mark Rydell, 1972), ‘Blazing Saddles’ (Mel Brooks, 1974), ‘The Long Riders’ (Walter Hill, 1980), ‘Unforgiven’ (Clint Eastwood, 1992), ‘Open Range’ (Kevin Costner, 2003), ‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford’ (Andrew Dominik, 2007), ‘True Grit’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2010), ‘Django Unchained’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2012), ‘Hell or High Water’ (David Mackenzie, 2016), ‘The Hateful Eight’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2016), ‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2018), ‘The Sisters Brothers’ (Jacques Audiard, 2018), ‘News of the World’ (Paul Greengrass, 2020)

Walter Hill dared to revive a genre that had fallen out of favor, and he did it in classic style — delivering a film that blends traditional Western vibes with touches of 1980s flair.

‘Unforgiven’ (Clint Eastwood, 1992)

The best westerns ever, Masterpeices, ‘Stagecoach’ (John Ford, 1939), ‘They Died with Their Boots On’ (Raoul Walsh, 1941), ‘Red River’ (Howard Hawks, 1948), ‘Colorado Territory’ (Raoul Walsh, 1949), ‘Colt .45’ (Edwin L. Marin, 1950), ‘Winchester ’73’ (Anthony Mann, 1951), ‘Westward the Women’ (William A. Wellman, 1951), ‘High Noon’ (Fred Zinnemann, 1952), ‘Shane’ (George Stevens, 1953), ‘Escape from Fort Bravo’ (John Sturges, 1953), ‘The Far Country’ (Anthony Mann, 1954), ‘The Man from Laramie’ (Anthony Mann, 1955), ‘Wichita’ (Jacques Tourneur, 1955), ‘The Indian Fighter’ (André de Toth, 1955), ‘The Searchers’ (John Ford, 1956), ‘Gunfight at the O.K. Corral’ (John Sturges, 1957), ‘The Big Country’ (William Wyler, 1958), ‘Rio Bravo’ (Howard Hawks, 1959), ‘Warlock’ (Edward Dmytryk, 1959), ‘The Magnificent Seven’ (John Sturges, 1960), ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’ (John Ford, 1962), ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ (Sergio Leone, 1966), ‘The Professionals’ (Richard Brooks, 1966), ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ (Sergio Leone, 1968), ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ (George Roy Hill, 1969), ‘The Wild Bunch’ (Sam Peckinpah, 1969), ‘Little Big Man’ (Arthur Penn, 1970), ‘They Call Me Trinity’ (Enzo Barboni, 1971), ‘The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean’ (John Huston, 1972), ‘The Cowboys’ (Mark Rydell, 1972), ‘Blazing Saddles’ (Mel Brooks, 1974), ‘The Long Riders’ (Walter Hill, 1980), ‘Unforgiven’ (Clint Eastwood, 1992), ‘Open Range’ (Kevin Costner, 2003), ‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford’ (Andrew Dominik, 2007), ‘True Grit’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2010), ‘Django Unchained’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2012), ‘Hell or High Water’ (David Mackenzie, 2016), ‘The Hateful Eight’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2016), ‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2018), ‘The Sisters Brothers’ (Jacques Audiard, 2018), ‘News of the World’ (Paul Greengrass, 2020)

Clint Eastwood’s masterpiece oozes Sergio Leone and Don Siegel influences in every scene. His tale of revenge is so dark and traditional, it could easily pass for a film made 40 years earlier.

‘Open Range’ (Kevin Costner, 2003)

The best westerns ever, Masterpeices, ‘Stagecoach’ (John Ford, 1939), ‘They Died with Their Boots On’ (Raoul Walsh, 1941), ‘Red River’ (Howard Hawks, 1948), ‘Colorado Territory’ (Raoul Walsh, 1949), ‘Colt .45’ (Edwin L. Marin, 1950), ‘Winchester ’73’ (Anthony Mann, 1951), ‘Westward the Women’ (William A. Wellman, 1951), ‘High Noon’ (Fred Zinnemann, 1952), ‘Shane’ (George Stevens, 1953), ‘Escape from Fort Bravo’ (John Sturges, 1953), ‘The Far Country’ (Anthony Mann, 1954), ‘The Man from Laramie’ (Anthony Mann, 1955), ‘Wichita’ (Jacques Tourneur, 1955), ‘The Indian Fighter’ (André de Toth, 1955), ‘The Searchers’ (John Ford, 1956), ‘Gunfight at the O.K. Corral’ (John Sturges, 1957), ‘The Big Country’ (William Wyler, 1958), ‘Rio Bravo’ (Howard Hawks, 1959), ‘Warlock’ (Edward Dmytryk, 1959), ‘The Magnificent Seven’ (John Sturges, 1960), ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’ (John Ford, 1962), ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ (Sergio Leone, 1966), ‘The Professionals’ (Richard Brooks, 1966), ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ (Sergio Leone, 1968), ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ (George Roy Hill, 1969), ‘The Wild Bunch’ (Sam Peckinpah, 1969), ‘Little Big Man’ (Arthur Penn, 1970), ‘They Call Me Trinity’ (Enzo Barboni, 1971), ‘The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean’ (John Huston, 1972), ‘The Cowboys’ (Mark Rydell, 1972), ‘Blazing Saddles’ (Mel Brooks, 1974), ‘The Long Riders’ (Walter Hill, 1980), ‘Unforgiven’ (Clint Eastwood, 1992), ‘Open Range’ (Kevin Costner, 2003), ‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford’ (Andrew Dominik, 2007), ‘True Grit’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2010), ‘Django Unchained’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2012), ‘Hell or High Water’ (David Mackenzie, 2016), ‘The Hateful Eight’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2016), ‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2018), ‘The Sisters Brothers’ (Jacques Audiard, 2018), ‘News of the World’ (Paul Greengrass, 2020)

An underrated gem with impressive quality — and at times, it even surpasses ‘Dances with Wolves’, Kevin Costner’s big directorial hit. Realistic and clearly crafted with deep love for the genre, ‘Open Range’ deserves its place among the greats.

‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford’ (Andrew Dominik, 2007)

The best westerns ever, Masterpeices, ‘Stagecoach’ (John Ford, 1939), ‘They Died with Their Boots On’ (Raoul Walsh, 1941), ‘Red River’ (Howard Hawks, 1948), ‘Colorado Territory’ (Raoul Walsh, 1949), ‘Colt .45’ (Edwin L. Marin, 1950), ‘Winchester ’73’ (Anthony Mann, 1951), ‘Westward the Women’ (William A. Wellman, 1951), ‘High Noon’ (Fred Zinnemann, 1952), ‘Shane’ (George Stevens, 1953), ‘Escape from Fort Bravo’ (John Sturges, 1953), ‘The Far Country’ (Anthony Mann, 1954), ‘The Man from Laramie’ (Anthony Mann, 1955), ‘Wichita’ (Jacques Tourneur, 1955), ‘The Indian Fighter’ (André de Toth, 1955), ‘The Searchers’ (John Ford, 1956), ‘Gunfight at the O.K. Corral’ (John Sturges, 1957), ‘The Big Country’ (William Wyler, 1958), ‘Rio Bravo’ (Howard Hawks, 1959), ‘Warlock’ (Edward Dmytryk, 1959), ‘The Magnificent Seven’ (John Sturges, 1960), ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’ (John Ford, 1962), ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ (Sergio Leone, 1966), ‘The Professionals’ (Richard Brooks, 1966), ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ (Sergio Leone, 1968), ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ (George Roy Hill, 1969), ‘The Wild Bunch’ (Sam Peckinpah, 1969), ‘Little Big Man’ (Arthur Penn, 1970), ‘They Call Me Trinity’ (Enzo Barboni, 1971), ‘The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean’ (John Huston, 1972), ‘The Cowboys’ (Mark Rydell, 1972), ‘Blazing Saddles’ (Mel Brooks, 1974), ‘The Long Riders’ (Walter Hill, 1980), ‘Unforgiven’ (Clint Eastwood, 1992), ‘Open Range’ (Kevin Costner, 2003), ‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford’ (Andrew Dominik, 2007), ‘True Grit’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2010), ‘Django Unchained’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2012), ‘Hell or High Water’ (David Mackenzie, 2016), ‘The Hateful Eight’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2016), ‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2018), ‘The Sisters Brothers’ (Jacques Audiard, 2018), ‘News of the World’ (Paul Greengrass, 2020)

The acting showdown between Brad Pitt (as Jesse James) and Casey Affleck (as Robert Ford) is mesmerizing — and so is the breathtaking cinematography by Roger Deakins, who earned an Oscar nomination for his work.

Photo: Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. and Virtual Studios LLC

‘True Grit’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2010)

The best westerns ever, Masterpeices, ‘Stagecoach’ (John Ford, 1939), ‘They Died with Their Boots On’ (Raoul Walsh, 1941), ‘Red River’ (Howard Hawks, 1948), ‘Colorado Territory’ (Raoul Walsh, 1949), ‘Colt .45’ (Edwin L. Marin, 1950), ‘Winchester ’73’ (Anthony Mann, 1951), ‘Westward the Women’ (William A. Wellman, 1951), ‘High Noon’ (Fred Zinnemann, 1952), ‘Shane’ (George Stevens, 1953), ‘Escape from Fort Bravo’ (John Sturges, 1953), ‘The Far Country’ (Anthony Mann, 1954), ‘The Man from Laramie’ (Anthony Mann, 1955), ‘Wichita’ (Jacques Tourneur, 1955), ‘The Indian Fighter’ (André de Toth, 1955), ‘The Searchers’ (John Ford, 1956), ‘Gunfight at the O.K. Corral’ (John Sturges, 1957), ‘The Big Country’ (William Wyler, 1958), ‘Rio Bravo’ (Howard Hawks, 1959), ‘Warlock’ (Edward Dmytryk, 1959), ‘The Magnificent Seven’ (John Sturges, 1960), ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’ (John Ford, 1962), ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ (Sergio Leone, 1966), ‘The Professionals’ (Richard Brooks, 1966), ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ (Sergio Leone, 1968), ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ (George Roy Hill, 1969), ‘The Wild Bunch’ (Sam Peckinpah, 1969), ‘Little Big Man’ (Arthur Penn, 1970), ‘They Call Me Trinity’ (Enzo Barboni, 1971), ‘The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean’ (John Huston, 1972), ‘The Cowboys’ (Mark Rydell, 1972), ‘Blazing Saddles’ (Mel Brooks, 1974), ‘The Long Riders’ (Walter Hill, 1980), ‘Unforgiven’ (Clint Eastwood, 1992), ‘Open Range’ (Kevin Costner, 2003), ‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford’ (Andrew Dominik, 2007), ‘True Grit’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2010), ‘Django Unchained’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2012), ‘Hell or High Water’ (David Mackenzie, 2016), ‘The Hateful Eight’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2016), ‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2018), ‘The Sisters Brothers’ (Jacques Audiard, 2018), ‘News of the World’ (Paul Greengrass, 2020)

The Coen brothers dove headfirst into the Western in 2010, telling a story of revenge led by a stunning Hailee Steinfeld, alongside a relentless Jeff Bridges. A tale of vengeance, lost innocence, and the ever-present possibility of redemption.

Photo: Paramount Pictures

‘Django Unchained’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2012)

The best westerns ever, Masterpeices, ‘Stagecoach’ (John Ford, 1939), ‘They Died with Their Boots On’ (Raoul Walsh, 1941), ‘Red River’ (Howard Hawks, 1948), ‘Colorado Territory’ (Raoul Walsh, 1949), ‘Colt .45’ (Edwin L. Marin, 1950), ‘Winchester ’73’ (Anthony Mann, 1951), ‘Westward the Women’ (William A. Wellman, 1951), ‘High Noon’ (Fred Zinnemann, 1952), ‘Shane’ (George Stevens, 1953), ‘Escape from Fort Bravo’ (John Sturges, 1953), ‘The Far Country’ (Anthony Mann, 1954), ‘The Man from Laramie’ (Anthony Mann, 1955), ‘Wichita’ (Jacques Tourneur, 1955), ‘The Indian Fighter’ (André de Toth, 1955), ‘The Searchers’ (John Ford, 1956), ‘Gunfight at the O.K. Corral’ (John Sturges, 1957), ‘The Big Country’ (William Wyler, 1958), ‘Rio Bravo’ (Howard Hawks, 1959), ‘Warlock’ (Edward Dmytryk, 1959), ‘The Magnificent Seven’ (John Sturges, 1960), ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’ (John Ford, 1962), ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ (Sergio Leone, 1966), ‘The Professionals’ (Richard Brooks, 1966), ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ (Sergio Leone, 1968), ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ (George Roy Hill, 1969), ‘The Wild Bunch’ (Sam Peckinpah, 1969), ‘Little Big Man’ (Arthur Penn, 1970), ‘They Call Me Trinity’ (Enzo Barboni, 1971), ‘The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean’ (John Huston, 1972), ‘The Cowboys’ (Mark Rydell, 1972), ‘Blazing Saddles’ (Mel Brooks, 1974), ‘The Long Riders’ (Walter Hill, 1980), ‘Unforgiven’ (Clint Eastwood, 1992), ‘Open Range’ (Kevin Costner, 2003), ‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford’ (Andrew Dominik, 2007), ‘True Grit’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2010), ‘Django Unchained’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2012), ‘Hell or High Water’ (David Mackenzie, 2016), ‘The Hateful Eight’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2016), ‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2018), ‘The Sisters Brothers’ (Jacques Audiard, 2018), ‘News of the World’ (Paul Greengrass, 2020)

Tarantino couldn’t pass up the chance to make a classic Western — though of course, with his signature twist. Here, he gives us a Black cowboy (Jamie Foxx), and Christoph Waltz steals the show entirely — Oscar included.

Photo: The Weinstein Company

‘Hell or High Water’ (David Mackenzie, 2016)

The best westerns ever, Masterpeices, ‘Stagecoach’ (John Ford, 1939), ‘They Died with Their Boots On’ (Raoul Walsh, 1941), ‘Red River’ (Howard Hawks, 1948), ‘Colorado Territory’ (Raoul Walsh, 1949), ‘Colt .45’ (Edwin L. Marin, 1950), ‘Winchester ’73’ (Anthony Mann, 1951), ‘Westward the Women’ (William A. Wellman, 1951), ‘High Noon’ (Fred Zinnemann, 1952), ‘Shane’ (George Stevens, 1953), ‘Escape from Fort Bravo’ (John Sturges, 1953), ‘The Far Country’ (Anthony Mann, 1954), ‘The Man from Laramie’ (Anthony Mann, 1955), ‘Wichita’ (Jacques Tourneur, 1955), ‘The Indian Fighter’ (André de Toth, 1955), ‘The Searchers’ (John Ford, 1956), ‘Gunfight at the O.K. Corral’ (John Sturges, 1957), ‘The Big Country’ (William Wyler, 1958), ‘Rio Bravo’ (Howard Hawks, 1959), ‘Warlock’ (Edward Dmytryk, 1959), ‘The Magnificent Seven’ (John Sturges, 1960), ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’ (John Ford, 1962), ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ (Sergio Leone, 1966), ‘The Professionals’ (Richard Brooks, 1966), ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ (Sergio Leone, 1968), ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ (George Roy Hill, 1969), ‘The Wild Bunch’ (Sam Peckinpah, 1969), ‘Little Big Man’ (Arthur Penn, 1970), ‘They Call Me Trinity’ (Enzo Barboni, 1971), ‘The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean’ (John Huston, 1972), ‘The Cowboys’ (Mark Rydell, 1972), ‘Blazing Saddles’ (Mel Brooks, 1974), ‘The Long Riders’ (Walter Hill, 1980), ‘Unforgiven’ (Clint Eastwood, 1992), ‘Open Range’ (Kevin Costner, 2003), ‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford’ (Andrew Dominik, 2007), ‘True Grit’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2010), ‘Django Unchained’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2012), ‘Hell or High Water’ (David Mackenzie, 2016), ‘The Hateful Eight’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2016), ‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2018), ‘The Sisters Brothers’ (Jacques Audiard, 2018), ‘News of the World’ (Paul Greengrass, 2020)

A classic-style Western adapted to today’s world, with Chris Pine in top form and Jeff Bridges in a role that fits him like a glove. Violent, realistic, and more relevant than you might expect.

‘The Hateful Eight’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2016)

The best westerns ever, Masterpeices, ‘Stagecoach’ (John Ford, 1939), ‘They Died with Their Boots On’ (Raoul Walsh, 1941), ‘Red River’ (Howard Hawks, 1948), ‘Colorado Territory’ (Raoul Walsh, 1949), ‘Colt .45’ (Edwin L. Marin, 1950), ‘Winchester ’73’ (Anthony Mann, 1951), ‘Westward the Women’ (William A. Wellman, 1951), ‘High Noon’ (Fred Zinnemann, 1952), ‘Shane’ (George Stevens, 1953), ‘Escape from Fort Bravo’ (John Sturges, 1953), ‘The Far Country’ (Anthony Mann, 1954), ‘The Man from Laramie’ (Anthony Mann, 1955), ‘Wichita’ (Jacques Tourneur, 1955), ‘The Indian Fighter’ (André de Toth, 1955), ‘The Searchers’ (John Ford, 1956), ‘Gunfight at the O.K. Corral’ (John Sturges, 1957), ‘The Big Country’ (William Wyler, 1958), ‘Rio Bravo’ (Howard Hawks, 1959), ‘Warlock’ (Edward Dmytryk, 1959), ‘The Magnificent Seven’ (John Sturges, 1960), ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’ (John Ford, 1962), ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ (Sergio Leone, 1966), ‘The Professionals’ (Richard Brooks, 1966), ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ (Sergio Leone, 1968), ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ (George Roy Hill, 1969), ‘The Wild Bunch’ (Sam Peckinpah, 1969), ‘Little Big Man’ (Arthur Penn, 1970), ‘They Call Me Trinity’ (Enzo Barboni, 1971), ‘The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean’ (John Huston, 1972), ‘The Cowboys’ (Mark Rydell, 1972), ‘Blazing Saddles’ (Mel Brooks, 1974), ‘The Long Riders’ (Walter Hill, 1980), ‘Unforgiven’ (Clint Eastwood, 1992), ‘Open Range’ (Kevin Costner, 2003), ‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford’ (Andrew Dominik, 2007), ‘True Grit’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2010), ‘Django Unchained’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2012), ‘Hell or High Water’ (David Mackenzie, 2016), ‘The Hateful Eight’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2016), ‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2018), ‘The Sisters Brothers’ (Jacques Audiard, 2018), ‘News of the World’ (Paul Greengrass, 2020)

Tarantino in full force: fast-paced dialogue, violence, explosions, and bullets flying. Add Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, and Walton Goggins, and you've got a bloody classic.

Photo: The Weinstein Company

‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2018)

The best westerns ever, Masterpeices, ‘Stagecoach’ (John Ford, 1939), ‘They Died with Their Boots On’ (Raoul Walsh, 1941), ‘Red River’ (Howard Hawks, 1948), ‘Colorado Territory’ (Raoul Walsh, 1949), ‘Colt .45’ (Edwin L. Marin, 1950), ‘Winchester ’73’ (Anthony Mann, 1951), ‘Westward the Women’ (William A. Wellman, 1951), ‘High Noon’ (Fred Zinnemann, 1952), ‘Shane’ (George Stevens, 1953), ‘Escape from Fort Bravo’ (John Sturges, 1953), ‘The Far Country’ (Anthony Mann, 1954), ‘The Man from Laramie’ (Anthony Mann, 1955), ‘Wichita’ (Jacques Tourneur, 1955), ‘The Indian Fighter’ (André de Toth, 1955), ‘The Searchers’ (John Ford, 1956), ‘Gunfight at the O.K. Corral’ (John Sturges, 1957), ‘The Big Country’ (William Wyler, 1958), ‘Rio Bravo’ (Howard Hawks, 1959), ‘Warlock’ (Edward Dmytryk, 1959), ‘The Magnificent Seven’ (John Sturges, 1960), ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’ (John Ford, 1962), ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ (Sergio Leone, 1966), ‘The Professionals’ (Richard Brooks, 1966), ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ (Sergio Leone, 1968), ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ (George Roy Hill, 1969), ‘The Wild Bunch’ (Sam Peckinpah, 1969), ‘Little Big Man’ (Arthur Penn, 1970), ‘They Call Me Trinity’ (Enzo Barboni, 1971), ‘The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean’ (John Huston, 1972), ‘The Cowboys’ (Mark Rydell, 1972), ‘Blazing Saddles’ (Mel Brooks, 1974), ‘The Long Riders’ (Walter Hill, 1980), ‘Unforgiven’ (Clint Eastwood, 1992), ‘Open Range’ (Kevin Costner, 2003), ‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford’ (Andrew Dominik, 2007), ‘True Grit’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2010), ‘Django Unchained’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2012), ‘Hell or High Water’ (David Mackenzie, 2016), ‘The Hateful Eight’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2016), ‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2018), ‘The Sisters Brothers’ (Jacques Audiard, 2018), ‘News of the World’ (Paul Greengrass, 2020)

A six-part anthology that lets the Coens explore the Western genre in all its forms. Full of homage and reverence for the old-school classics that shaped the genre.

Photo: Netflix

‘The Sisters Brothers’ (Jacques Audiard, 2018)

The best westerns ever, Masterpeices, ‘Stagecoach’ (John Ford, 1939), ‘They Died with Their Boots On’ (Raoul Walsh, 1941), ‘Red River’ (Howard Hawks, 1948), ‘Colorado Territory’ (Raoul Walsh, 1949), ‘Colt .45’ (Edwin L. Marin, 1950), ‘Winchester ’73’ (Anthony Mann, 1951), ‘Westward the Women’ (William A. Wellman, 1951), ‘High Noon’ (Fred Zinnemann, 1952), ‘Shane’ (George Stevens, 1953), ‘Escape from Fort Bravo’ (John Sturges, 1953), ‘The Far Country’ (Anthony Mann, 1954), ‘The Man from Laramie’ (Anthony Mann, 1955), ‘Wichita’ (Jacques Tourneur, 1955), ‘The Indian Fighter’ (André de Toth, 1955), ‘The Searchers’ (John Ford, 1956), ‘Gunfight at the O.K. Corral’ (John Sturges, 1957), ‘The Big Country’ (William Wyler, 1958), ‘Rio Bravo’ (Howard Hawks, 1959), ‘Warlock’ (Edward Dmytryk, 1959), ‘The Magnificent Seven’ (John Sturges, 1960), ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’ (John Ford, 1962), ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ (Sergio Leone, 1966), ‘The Professionals’ (Richard Brooks, 1966), ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ (Sergio Leone, 1968), ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ (George Roy Hill, 1969), ‘The Wild Bunch’ (Sam Peckinpah, 1969), ‘Little Big Man’ (Arthur Penn, 1970), ‘They Call Me Trinity’ (Enzo Barboni, 1971), ‘The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean’ (John Huston, 1972), ‘The Cowboys’ (Mark Rydell, 1972), ‘Blazing Saddles’ (Mel Brooks, 1974), ‘The Long Riders’ (Walter Hill, 1980), ‘Unforgiven’ (Clint Eastwood, 1992), ‘Open Range’ (Kevin Costner, 2003), ‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford’ (Andrew Dominik, 2007), ‘True Grit’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2010), ‘Django Unchained’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2012), ‘Hell or High Water’ (David Mackenzie, 2016), ‘The Hateful Eight’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2016), ‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2018), ‘The Sisters Brothers’ (Jacques Audiard, 2018), ‘News of the World’ (Paul Greengrass, 2020)

Joaquin Phoenix and John C. Reilly play brothers — and really seem like it — as they hunt down Riz Ahmed, who they’ve been ordered to kill. A total surprise in 2018, and a great one.

‘News of the World’ (Paul Greengrass, 2020)

The best westerns ever, Masterpeices, ‘Stagecoach’ (John Ford, 1939), ‘They Died with Their Boots On’ (Raoul Walsh, 1941), ‘Red River’ (Howard Hawks, 1948), ‘Colorado Territory’ (Raoul Walsh, 1949), ‘Colt .45’ (Edwin L. Marin, 1950), ‘Winchester ’73’ (Anthony Mann, 1951), ‘Westward the Women’ (William A. Wellman, 1951), ‘High Noon’ (Fred Zinnemann, 1952), ‘Shane’ (George Stevens, 1953), ‘Escape from Fort Bravo’ (John Sturges, 1953), ‘The Far Country’ (Anthony Mann, 1954), ‘The Man from Laramie’ (Anthony Mann, 1955), ‘Wichita’ (Jacques Tourneur, 1955), ‘The Indian Fighter’ (André de Toth, 1955), ‘The Searchers’ (John Ford, 1956), ‘Gunfight at the O.K. Corral’ (John Sturges, 1957), ‘The Big Country’ (William Wyler, 1958), ‘Rio Bravo’ (Howard Hawks, 1959), ‘Warlock’ (Edward Dmytryk, 1959), ‘The Magnificent Seven’ (John Sturges, 1960), ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’ (John Ford, 1962), ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ (Sergio Leone, 1966), ‘The Professionals’ (Richard Brooks, 1966), ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ (Sergio Leone, 1968), ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ (George Roy Hill, 1969), ‘The Wild Bunch’ (Sam Peckinpah, 1969), ‘Little Big Man’ (Arthur Penn, 1970), ‘They Call Me Trinity’ (Enzo Barboni, 1971), ‘The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean’ (John Huston, 1972), ‘The Cowboys’ (Mark Rydell, 1972), ‘Blazing Saddles’ (Mel Brooks, 1974), ‘The Long Riders’ (Walter Hill, 1980), ‘Unforgiven’ (Clint Eastwood, 1992), ‘Open Range’ (Kevin Costner, 2003), ‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford’ (Andrew Dominik, 2007), ‘True Grit’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2010), ‘Django Unchained’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2012), ‘Hell or High Water’ (David Mackenzie, 2016), ‘The Hateful Eight’ (Quentin Tarantino, 2016), ‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs’ (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2018), ‘The Sisters Brothers’ (Jacques Audiard, 2018), ‘News of the World’ (Paul Greengrass, 2020)

Tom Hanks and Helena Zengel form an unexpected and beautiful friendship that proves — once again — that Hanks can master any genre.

Photo: Universal Studios

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