The Western genre is one of the oldest and cherished film genres to ever enter the landscape of cinema and successfully transitioned into the Talkies, only growing immensely popular among movie goers. With a monumental legacy and array of classics such asHigh Noon,The Searchersand,The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, the western genre continues to thrive today, inspiring current filmmakers such asQuentin Tarantinoand theCoen Brothers, who have kept the iconic genre at the forefront of cinema.
Throughout the years, there have been countless notable Westerns that have entertained and thrilled audiences, but some, includingRio Bravo,Once Upon a Time in the West, andNo Country for Old Men, reign as spectacular contributions to the western genre. Out of all the noteworthy titles, such asTrue Grit,Unforgiven,andDjango Unchained, the following are 12 Western films that are credited by many as genuine masterpieces.
12’The Magnificent Seven' (1960)
Directed by John Sturges
John Sturges’The Magnificent Sevenis a signature Western classic, featuring an ensemble cast includingYul Brynner,Steve McQueen, andEli Wallach, and follows a gripping story of self-preservation and redemption. When a small town is taken over by a ruthless outlaw, Calvera (Wallach), and his men, the townspeople resort to hiring a group of skilled gunmen to run him out of town and end his reign of terror.
The Magnificent Sevenis an American remake ofAkira Kurosawa’s 1954 film,Seven Samuari, with a Western backdrop, deeming it to be a unique work of cinema. Unlike Kurosawa’s film,The Magnificent Sevenisn’t drenched in heavy suspense, but instead has a touch of light humor and charm that softens the film’s overall intensity and action. Between the vivid backdrop of the desolate desert and the collection of exceptional performances,The Magnificent Sevenranks as a marvelous entry in the Western genre.
The Magnificent Seven
11’Rio Bravo' (1959)
Directed by Howard Hawks
Western icon,John Wayne, stars as a no-nonsense sheriff, John T. Chance, who locks up a gunslinger, Joe Burdette (Claude Atkins),after killing a man. When word reaches Burdette’s brother (John Russell) about his arrest, he arrives with a group of men, threatening to break Joe out. With the help of a former sharpshooter (Dean Martin), a baby-faced cowboy (Ricky Nelson) and a wily elderly man (Walter Brennan), Chance fights to defend the jail until reinforcements arrive.
Howard Hawks' classic Western,Rio Bravo, hasa distinctive formula that strays from the traditional story structure and is defined as a “hang out” movie, relying on the characters' personal growth to move the story along instead of action. Despite not being an overly saturated action Western,Rio Bravostands out for its character development and riveting performances, as well as its memorable scene of Martin and Nelson’s musical number, “My Rifle, My Pony and Me.”
10’High Noon' (1952)
Directed by Fred Zinnemann
High Noonis a vital classic of the Western genre starringGary Cooperas a marshal, Will Kane, who is about to retire when he learns that an outlaw who he put behind bars has been released and plans on taking his revenge on the marshal. Despite his plans, Kane’s sense of duty and loyalty keeps him from leaving and decides to face the outlaw even if he has to do it alone.
High Noonisthe definitive example of a revisionist Western and has also been credited as one of the most influential Westerns of the 1950s. The movie is also noted for introducing the now-common theme of the man-alone as Cooper’s character fails at recruiting any of the townspeople to help him, settingHigh Nooneven further apart from the traditional Western.High Noonwent on to receive seven Academy Award nominations and won four Oscars, including Best Song, Best Film Editing, and Best Actor for Cooper.
9’The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance' (1962)
Directed by John Ford
John Ford’sThe Man Who Shot Liberty Valancegoes beyondthe ideal Western hero and conveys one man’s selfless choice to bow out for the greater good of humanity. The film opens with a U.S. Senator, Ransom Stoddard (James Stewart), arriving in the town of Shinbone to attend the funeral of his friend, Tom Doniphon (John Wayne). When the towns' reporters press Stoddard about his connection to Doniphon, the Senator recalls when he first arrived in town as a young lawyer and his encounter with a notorious outlaw, Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin).
The Man Who Liberty Valanceis a gripping Western with an unusual non-linear story structure and a riveting cast which also includesVera Miles,Andy Devine, andEdmund O’Brien. The film went on to makeOscar history by being one of the few Westerns to earn a nomination for Best Costume Design for the infamous designer,Edith Head. Film critic,Roger Ebert, gaveThe Man Who Shot Liberty Valancefour out of four stars, claiming it to be Ford’s most thoughtful and pensive Western.
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
A senator returns to a Western town for the funeral of an old friend and tells the story of his origins.
8’No Country for Old Men' (2007)
Directed by Ethan Coen and Joel Coen
The neo-Western,No Country for Old Men, is a homage to the classic Western with a sinister touch andone of the best Western villainsplayed byJavier Bardem.Josh Brolinstars as Llewelyn Moss who, while out hunting, comes across a drug deal gone bad and a bag of unclaimed cash. When Moss tries to take off with the loot, he is unaware that a sadistic madman (Bardem) is hot on his tail, with a dedicated lawman (Tommy Lee Jones) not too far behind them.
No Country for Old Menis a highly intense game of cat and mouse that keeps audiences on high alert and entirely invested from start to finish. The film isa subtle homage to the classic Western with its traditional dynamic of a ruthless outlaw in search of a lone gunman, but with a modernized twist of suspense and violence.No Country for Old Menearned eight Academy Award nominations, winning four Oscars, including Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director, Best Picture, and Best Supporting Actor.
No Country for Old Men
Violence and mayhem ensue after a hunter stumbles upon a drug deal gone wrong and more than two million dollars in cash near the Rio Grande.
7’Django Unchained' (2012)
Directed by Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino’s 2012 revisionist Western,Django Unchained, is a compelling tribute to the spaghetti Western genre but isn’t without the director’s traditional use of violence and bloodshed.Jamie Foxxstars as the titular character, a slave who is acquired by a German bounty hunter, Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz), who agrees to help Django find his wife in exchange for helping him bring in some of the West’s most wanted outlaws.
Django Unchainedwent on to become Tarantino’s highest-grossing film of all time and is noted for its bold style and dark humor, solidifying it as a modern Western masterpiece. Most might thinkDjango Unchainedis just a violent film set in the South, butTarantino captures the heart and soul of the spaghetti Westernwith an array of intriguing characters and an insightful plot, making the film so much more than just a bloody visual spectacle.
Django Unchained
With the help of a German bounty-hunter, a freed slave sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal plantation owner in Mississippi.
6’Stagecoach' (1939)
John Ford’s 1939 Western classic,Stagecoach, is primarily known for launching John Wayne’s film career as a leading man, butit is also recognized as one of the first Westerns that transcends the traditional formula of the genre. The film follows a group of passengers traveling in a stagecoach from Arizona to New Mexico and must cross through dangerous territory. Their journey becomes more treacherous when Ringo Kid (Wayne) escapes from prison, forcing a U.S. Marshal to accompany the stagecoach and find the outlaw before it’s too late.
Stagecoachwas a massive hit, earning praise for Ford’s masterful direction and Wayne’s mesmerizing performance that would change the course of his career forever. Today, the film is regarded as one of the most influential films of all time and, according toThis is Orson Wellesby Welles andPeter Bogdanovich, Welles stated that he watchedStagecoachevery night for over a month in preparation for his feature debut,Citizen Kane. “It was almost like going to school.”
Stagecoach
Stagecoach follows a diverse group of passengers traveling through dangerous territory under the looming threat of attack. As they face external perils on their way to Lordsburg, each character’s personal story unfolds, revealing hidden depths and forging unexpected connections, ultimately shaping their shared journey and individual destinies.
5’Once Upon a Time in the West' (1968)
Directed by Sergio Leone
Once Upon a Time in the Westis the first installment ofSergio Leone’sOnce Upon a Timetrilogy and features two of Hollywood’s biggest stars,Henry FondaandCharles Bronson, in triumphant against-type roles. The film is set in an old Western town, Flagstone, where there’s only one piece of property with water on it, and when a railroad baron desires the land, he sends a gunslinger, Frank (Fonda) to scare the property owner off. Meanwhile, a mysterious stranger (Bronson) soon arrives in town with a score to settle with Frank, setting a wheel of revenge and greed into unsettling motion.
Initially,Once Upon a Time in the Westearned mixed reviews, but in recent years, it has gained immense support and is considered to be a vital cult classic of the spaghetti Western genre. Fonda and Bronson are an absolute force and significant duo, delivering riveting performances that are the core appeal of this classic.Once Upon a Time in the Westalso showcases Leone’s legendary expertise and mastery in the genreand has been claimed to be one of the director’s finest films.
Once Upon a Time in the West
A mysterious stranger with a harmonica joins forces with a notorious desperado to protect a beautiful widow from a ruthless assassin working for the railroad.
4’True Grit' (1969)
Directed by Henry Hathaway
True Gritis a thrilling Western with an all-star cast including John Wayne,Robert Duvall, andGlen Campbell, and features a pair of two unlikely characters who go out in search of justice and redemption.Kim Darbytakes on the role of 14-year-old Mattie who, after her father is murdered by a hired hand, Tom Chaney (Jeff Corey), hires a wily U.S. Marshal, Rooster Cogburn (Wayne), to track Chaney down in dangerous territory.
In 2010, the Coen Brothers remadeTrue GritwithJeff Bridgesas Cogburn and while it is one of the best remakes to date, it can never surpass the impact of the original film. Wayne ultimately breathes life in Cogburn, giving the character distinguishing characteristics of charm and grit and a menacing presence that only the Duke could achieve on the silver screen, earning the star the Oscar for Best Actor.True Gritis celebrated for its unpredictability and moments of amusement and sentiment, ultimately deeming it to be a vital Western masterpiece.
A determined young girl enlists the help of a tough U.S. Marshal and a Texas Ranger to track down her father’s murderer in Indian Territory. As the unlikely trio ventures into dangerous lands, their quest for justice is complicated by their differing motives and the harsh realities of the Wild West.
3’Unforgiven' (1992)
Directed by Clint Eastwood
Unforgivenis a gripping Western directed by and starringClint Eastwood, who ranks as one of the most iconic stars of the Western genre. Eastwood stars as a former gunslinger, William Munny, who learns of a hefty bounty on the heads of two men who brutally attacked a woman, permanently disfiguring her. Munny and his friend, Ned (Morgan Freeman) decide to do one more job and set out for the town of Big Whiskey, where they receive far from a warm welcome from the town’s corrupt sheriff (Gene Hackman).
Unforgivenis a beautiful summary of Eastwood’s talents both behind and in front of the camera, as well as a fitting nod to the traditional Western tale.The film effectively conveys the cruel and lawless Wild West without cutting any corners against a raw, gritty backdrop that effortlessly lures audiences in without losing its hold.Unforgivenisone of the few Westerns to dominate the Academy Awards, winning four of its nine nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Film Editing, and Best Supporting Actor for Hackman.
Unforgiven
Retired Old West gunslinger William Munny reluctantly takes on one last job with the help of his old partner Ned Logan and a young man, The “Schofield Kid.”
