Our team compiled the best western movies and here is what they came up with
Western movies have been a staple of American cinema since the early days of the medium. They tell stories of the American frontier and the people who lived there, from gunslingers and outlaws to cowboys and settlers. Here are 18 of the best Western movies of all time, along with a summary of the plot, the MPAA rating, box office gross, year of release, and why the movie was appreciated by audiences.
Here are the 15 best western movies to check out on the streaming service.
1. The Searchers (1956)
Rated G, grossed $20 million. This classic western directed by John Ford and starred by John Wayne, is considered a masterpiece of the genre and tells the story of a Civil War veteran (Wayne) who spends years searching for his niece, who was kidnapped by Comanches. The movie is appreciated for its performances, particularly Wayne, and its representation of the themes of racism and the fading of the frontier.
2. High Noon (1952)
Rated PG, grossed $14 million. This Western directed by Fred Zinnemann and starred by Gary Cooper, tells the story of a town marshal (Cooper) who must confront a vengeful outlaw alone, with the townsfolk refusing to help him. The movie is appreciated for its performances, particularly Cooper, and its representation of the themes of morality, courage, and individualism.
3. The Wild Bunch (1969)
Rated R, grossed $3.2 million. This Western directed by Sam Peckinpah and starred by William Holden, tells the story of a group of aging outlaws who plan one last robbery, but find themselves facing a changing world they no longer understand. The movie is appreciated for its violence, its performances, particularly Holden, and its representation of the themes of aging and the changing times.
4. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
Rated PG-13, grossed $25 million. This Western directed by Sergio Leone and starred by Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef and Eli Wallach, tells the story of three gunslingers in the Civil War era who compete to find a fortune in buried Confederate gold while navigating the moral ambiguity of their profession. The movie is appreciated for its performances, particularly Eastwood and Wallach, and its representation of the themes of greed and morality.
5. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
Rated PG, grossed $102 million. This Western directed by George Roy Hill and starred by Paul Newman and Robert Redford, tells the story of the legendary outlaws and their flight from the law, culminating in a legendary shootout in Bolivia. The movie is appreciated for its performances, particularly Newman and Redford, and its representation of the themes of friendship and the end of the outlaw era.
6. Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
Rated PG-13, grossed $42 million. This Western directed by Sergio Leone and starred by Charles Bronson, Henry Fonda, and Claudia Cardinale, tells the story of a ruthless railroad tycoon and the various people whose lives he affects, both positively and negatively. The movie is appreciated for its performances, particularly Fonda and Cardinale, and its representation of the themes of the taming of the frontier and the building of modern America.
7. The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)
Rated PG, grossed $31.8 million. This Western directed by and starred by Clint Eastwood, tells the story of a Missouri farmer who becomes an outlaw and seeks revenge on the Union soldiers who killed his family during the Civil War. The movie is appreciated for its performances, particularly Eastwood, and its representation of the themes of violence, revenge, and the cost of war.
8. True Grit (1969)
Rated G, grossed $47.3 million. This Western directed by Henry Hathaway and starred by John Wayne and Kim Darby, tells the story of a young girl who hires a one-eyed marshal to help her track down her father’s killer. The movie is appreciated for its performances, particularly Wayne and Darby, and its representation of the themes of justice and determination.
9. The Magnificent Seven (1960)
Rated G, grossed $30 million. This Western directed by John Sturges and starred by Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, and Charles Bronson, tells the story of a group of gunslingers who are hired to protect a poor Mexican village from banditos. The movie is appreciated for its performances, particularly Brynner and McQueen, and its representation of the themes of friendship and sacrifice.
10. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)
Rated R, grossed $15.9 million. This Western directed by Andrew Dominik and starred by Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck, tells the story of the legendary outlaw and his relationship with the man who would betray him. The movie is appreciated for its performances, particularly Pitt and Affleck, and its representation of the themes of celebrity and the cost of fame.
11. Dances with Wolves (1990)
Rated PG-13, grossed $424 million. This Western directed by and starred by Kevin Costner, tells the story of a Union officer who befriends a tribe of Sioux Indians and becomes a part of their way of life, as well as the struggles he faces when the U.S. government attempts to force them from their land. The movie is appreciated for its performances, particularly Costner, and its representation of the themes of friendship, cultural differences and the price of progress.
12. The Hateful Eight (2015)
Rated R, grossed $155.9 million. This Western directed by Quentin Tarantino, starred by Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell and Jennifer Jason Leigh, tells the story of eight strangers who seek refuge from a blizzard in a stagecoach stopover, but tensions rise as they discover they have reasons to distrust one another. The movie is appreciated for its performances, particularly Jackson and Russell, and its representation of the themes of deception, betrayal and morality.
13. The Lone Ranger (2013)
Rated PG-13, grossed $260.5 million. This Western directed by Gore Verbinski and starred by Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer, tells the story of a Texas Ranger who, with the help of a Comanche warrior, goes after a ruthless villain and his gang who have massacred a group of innocent settlers. The movie is appreciated for its performances, particularly Depp and Hammer and its representation of the themes of justice, redemption and the American West.
14. The Good Dinosaur (2015)
Rated PG, grossed $332.2 million. This Animated-Western tells the story of a young Apatosaurus named Arlo who gets lost and befriends a human boy and together they discover a new way of life and the true meaning of family. The movie is appreciated for its Animation, Storytelling and its representation of themes of friendship, family and self-discovery.
15. The Big Lebowski (1998)
Rated R, grossed $46 million. This Western-Comedy directed by the Coen Brothers and starred by Jeff Bridges, tells the story of a laid-back slacker named “The Dude” who gets mistaken for a millionaire and is drawn into a series of mishaps and adventures, including mistaken identity, kidnapping and a possibly imaginary treasure map. The movie is appreciated for its performances, particularly Bridges, and its representation of the themes of identity, coincidence, and the “anti-hero” archetype.