Westerns have been a consistent part of the entertainment industry for 130 years. Ever since the first silent reels were released in 1894, the story of cowboys against the backdrop of the Old American Frontier has been a frequent go-to for dozens of filmmakers in the years that followed.
Nowadays, Western movies don’t have to focus on that iconic backdrop or contain a shootout to grab an audience’s attention, and the genre has expanded into so much more than how it began all those years ago. When directors likeSergio LeoneandClint Eastwoodstarted dabbling withWild Western tales in the 60s and 70s, the genre soared even further into success.Westerns are among the best classic movies of all time, and modern critics agree. Many have achieved high scores on the popular review aggregatorRotten Tomatoes, butthese ten are about as close to perfect as they can possibly get.
10’Pale Rider' (1985)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%
Produced, directed, and starring Western icon Clint Eastwood, this 1985 film takes its inspiration from the Four Horsemen of The Apocalypse.Pale Rider’s title directly references the Horseman of Death and uses Eastwood’s character, known only as The Preacher, as a ghostly depiction of the deadly figure.
Pale Riderbecame a critical and commercial success. It was released in June, halfway through the decade, and settled as the highest-grossingWestern movie of the 80sby the time 1990 rolled around. The film has an eerie undertone, given its use of subject matters like death and religious components, but it’ll have viewers on the edge of their seats in anticipation of what’s to come.
Pale Rider
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9’No Country For Old Men' (2007)
The Coen Brothers’No Country For Old Menis among the fewWesterns to dominate the Oscars, claiming the 2008 prize for Best Picture. The 2007 success story starsJosh Brolin,Tommy Lee Jones, andJavier Bardemand follows some of the Coen brothers' favored subjects. Primarily, it’s a story about three men on separate journeys to recover a large sum of money found in the desert.
With its fantastic direction, performances, and screenplay,it’s no wonderNo Country for Old Menhas such high scores on Rotten Tomatoes. Set against the vastly desolate backdrop of West Texas, the film is arguably one of the most intense cinematic experiences thanks to its incredible use of sound design, or lack thereof.No Country for Old Menis a triumph of the Western genre, a chilling and thrilling exercise in tension featuring one of cinema’s greatest villains.
No Country for Old Men
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8'3:10 to Yuma' (1957)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%
While the 2007 adaptation ofElmore Leonard’s 1953 novel might be fresher in the minds of Western fans, the original 1957 adaptation of3:10 to Yumais superior in the eyes of most critics. Outlaws, ranchers, and gunfights a-plenty appear throughout this 92-minute film that premiered sixty-seven years ago to immediate success from viewers.
Nominated for Best Pictureat the 1958 BAFTA Awards,3:10 to Yumawas propelled into the spotlight for its brilliant use of black and white cinematography and constant, gripping, suspenseful undertone, a rarity for Westerns at the time. With stellar performances, a non-stop plot, and a unique atmospheric approach that remains a highlight,3: 10 to Yumawill remain one of the best 1950s Westerns for a long time to come.
3:10 to Yuma
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7’High Noon' (1952)
A National Film Registry and American Film Institute legend, 1952sHigh Noonis the secondgreatest Western film of all time, according to the AFI. The film starsGary Cooperin the lead role as US Marshall Will ane as he’s torn between protecting the town he resides in or skipping town with his new wife (Grace Kelly).
High Noon was nominated for seven Academy Awards, winning four, including Best Actor for Cooper. Atop its critical success, and despite some political controversy,High Noonalso garnered quite the commercial stardom when it grossed over $12 million on a budget of $730,000. Today,High Noonis often regarded as a seminal and gamechanging Western, showing a new side to the genreand paving the way for the neo-Westerns that would emerge in the late ’60s and early ’70s.
6’High Plains Drifter' (1973)
Just as Clint Eastwood played a mysterious strangerin his 1985 classic,Pale Rider, he also did so twelve years prior in another of his successful films as director and star. 1973sHigh Plains Driftersees Eastwood portray a man known as The Stranger, as he seeks justice for the people of a corruption-filled frontier town.Mariana Hill,Jack Ging,Verna Bloom,Mitchell Ryan, andStefan Gieraschalso star alongside Eastwood in the popular 1970s Western.
The appropriately rated R film was released to positive reviews and praise for its pacing and ability to flow, even with the added undertone of humor thrown into the mix. Eastwood is his realibly confident self as the Stranger, epotimizing the gruff archetype that would become synonymous with his persona.High Plains Driftermight not be the most profound Western, but it remains a thrilling adventurefrom one of the genre’s most decisive contributors.
High Plains Drifter
5’True Grit' (2010)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%
One of the more modernized takes on the Western genre came when Josh Brolin,Jeff Bridges,Hailee Steinfeld,Barry Pepper,Matt Damon, and more starred in the 2010 critically successfulTrue Grit. The film is the second adaptation of the 1968 novel, written byCharles Portis, and follows a young girl, her hired muscle in the form of a lawman more than willing to use his firearms, and a Texas ranger.
The 2010 adaptationsucceeded its predecessorin the eyes of many critics.True Gritearned acclaim for its bleak approach to the source material, further enhanced by the gripping performances of its cast. Bridges and Steinfeld received particular acclaim, including Oscar nominations for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress.True Gritis gripping from start to finish, and it’s not hard to see why it was so widely successful, undeniably deserving of its reputation as a superior version of an already great novel.
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4’Unforgiven' (1992)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%
Unforgivenwas released in 1992 and has since become one of, if not the most instantly recognizable Clint Eastwood performances, maybe second only toThe Dollars Trilogy. Whether it’s for its quotability or stunning backdrop,Unforgivenremains a favorite in the minds of Western fans all over the worldthanks to Eastwood’s memorable portrayal of the infamous William Munny.
This iconic Western tale was nominated for almost 100 awards across various organizations for multiple aspects, but its cinematography is one of its highest praised elements. Given its near-perfect reception from critics and audiences, it’s not hard to see why it’s such an iconic entry in the genre.Unforgiven’s reputation keeps improving, with new critics addings to its already impressive collection of reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.
Unforgiven
3’Once Upon A Time In The West' (1968)
When a film is registered forpreservation at the National Film Registryfor being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant,” it’s got to have done something right. Director Sergio Leone is no stranger to Western films and their various subgenres, and this fifty-six-year-old Spaghetti adventure from his extensive filmography is arguably one of his best alongsideThe Dollars Trilogy.
Once Upon A Time in the Westis Leone’s retirement that never was. It follows various characters throughout its significantly long runtime of almost three hours and serves as the first film of three in theOnce Upon A Timefranchise. Particularly noteworthy is an against-typeHenry Fondaas the vicious Frank, one of the genre’s most memorable villains. Despite being a box office flop in the States with a shortened version, the film earned various awards and became a Western classic.
Once Upon a Time in the West
2’Hell or High Water' (2016)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%
Hell or High Wateris an eight-year-old gem of a movie from directorDavid Mackenzieand writerTaylor Sheridan. It starsChris Pine,Ben Foster,Jeff Bridges, andGil Birminghamin primary roles as the movie tells the story of two brothers as they commit bank robberies with the sole intention of saving their family’s ranch.
This Western also has a crime elementthat’ll keep viewers on edge the entire way through. It’s one of those rare films capable of making audiences root for the criminals because they can’t help but feel for them, showcasing the moral ambiguity at the heart of many of cinema’s greatest Westerns.Hell or High Wateris more than deserving of its near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score, given its brilliant cinematography and a screenplay that couldn’t have been written any better in the eyes of many.
Hell or High Water
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The fifty-eight-year-old classic is arguably Sergio Leone’s most notable addition to his famousDollars Trilogy.The Good, The Bad, and The Uglyhas become one of the most well-known Western adventures to date, starring fellow Western legend Clint Eastwood. It follows three men as they partake in all the shootouts, duels, and Western confrontations an audience could want from a movie of its kind.
Taking place during the American Civil War,The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly showcases the violence and brutality of the time, and its cinematography has become a highlgiht of Westerns cinema. Surprisingly, it was not a critical success when it premiered, due to controversialopinions regarding Spaghetti Westerns. However,The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly’s standing has improved over the years, and it’s now widely considered an iconic cinematic triumph and possibly the best-known American Western ever.
