A Definitive Ranking Of The Top Western Films Of All Time
In this world, there are two kinds of people, my friend: those who love John Wayne, and those who love Clint Eastwood. And whichever person you are, you probably love either Wayne’s traditionalist Westerns or Eastwood’s revisionist takes on the cowboy genre. But in a six-gun shootout, which Western is considered the best of all time? Well, pardner, you’re about to find out.
To make our definitive ranking, we compiled the Rotten Tomatoes scores, the Metacritic scores, and the IMDb scores for the world’s top-rated Westerns. We then figured out the average score for each flick and ranked them accordingly. Any ties are split by the Rotten Tomatoes score. But enough talking: let’s mount up.
40. Open Range
Year: 2003
Director: Kevin Costner
Stars: Kevin Costner, Robert Duvall, Diego Luna
No. of Oscars: 0
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 79
Metacritic Score: 67
IMDb Score: 7.4
Our Ranking: 73.3
39. The Harder They Fall
Year: 2021
Director: Jeymes Samuel
Stars: Jonathan Majors, Zazie Beetz, RJ Cyler
No. of Oscars: 0
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88
Metacritic Score: 68
IMDb Score: 6.6
Our Ranking: 73.7
38. Shanghai Noon
Year: 2000
Director: Tom Dey
Stars: Jackie Chan, Owen Wilson, Lucy Liu
No. of Oscars: 0
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 80
Metacritic Score: 77
IMDb Score: 6.6
Our Ranking: 74.3
37. The Good, the Bad, the Weird (Joheun-nom, Nabbeun-nom, Isanghan-nom)
Year: 2008
Director: Jee-woon Kim
Stars: Kang-ho Song, Lee Byung-hun, Jung Woo-sung
No. of Oscars: 0
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 82
Metacritic Score: 69
IMDb Score: 7.2
Our Ranking: 74.3
36. Near Dark
Year: 1987
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Stars: Adrian Pasdar, Jenny Wright, Lance Henriksen
No. of Oscars: 0
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 82
Metacritic Score: 76
IMDb Score: 6.9
Our Ranking: 75.7
35. Blazing Saddles
Year: 1974
Director: Mel Brooks
Stars: Cleavon Little, Gene Wilder, Slim Pickens
No. of Oscars: 0
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89
Metacritic Score: 63
IMDb Score: 7.7
Our Ranking: 76.3
34. City Slickers
Year: 1991
Director: Ron Underwood
Stars: Billy Crystal, Jack Palance, Daniel Stern
No. of Oscars: 1
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91
Metacritic Score: 70
IMDb Score: 6.8
Our Ranking: 76.3
33. Westworld
Year: 1973
Director: Michael Crichton
Stars: Yul Brynne, Richard Benjamin, James Brolin
No. of Oscars: 0
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 85
Metacritic Score: 77
IMDb Score: 6.9
Our Ranking: 77.0
32. The Proposition
Year: 2005
Director: John Hillcoat
Stars: Ray Winstone, Guy Pearce, Emily Watson
No. of Oscars: 0
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 85
Metacritic Score: 73
IMDb Score: 7.3
Our Ranking: 77.0
31. The Sisters Brothers
Year: 2018
Director: Jacques Audiard
Stars: John C. Reilly, Joaquin Phoenix, Jake Gyllenhaal
No. of Oscars: 0
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 87
Metacritic Score: 78
IMDb Score: 6.9
Our Ranking: 78.0
30. Bone Tomahawk
Year: 2015
Director: S. Craig Zahler
Stars: Kurt Russell, Patrick Wilson, Matthew Fox
No. of Oscars: 0
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91
Metacritic Score: 72
IMDb Score: 7.1
Our Ranking: 78.0
29. Dances With Wolves
Year: 1990
Director: Kevin Costner
Stars: Kevin Costner, Mary McDonnell, Graham Greene
No. of Oscars: 7
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 83
Metacritic Score: 72
IMDb Score: 8.0
Our Ranking: 78.3
28. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Year: 1969
Director: George Roy Hill
Stars: Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Katharine Ross
No. of Oscars: 4
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89
Metacritic Score: 66
IMDb Score: 8.0
Our Ranking: 78.3
27. The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
Year: 2005
Director: Tommy Lee Jones
Stars: Tommy Lee Jones, Barry Pepper, Dwight Yoakam
No. of Oscars: 0
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 85
Metacritic Score: 77
IMDb Score: 7.4
Our Ranking: 78.7
26. Meek’s Cutoff
Year: 2010
Director: Kelly Reichardt
Stars: Michelle Williams, Bruce Greenwood, Paul Dano
No. of Oscars: 0
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 86
Metacritic Score: 85
IMDb Score: 6.5
Our Ranking: 78.7
25. The Outlaw Josey Wales
Year: 1976
Director: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Clint Eastwood, Sondra Locke, Chief Dan George
No. of Oscars: 0
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90
Metacritic Score: 69
IMDb Score: 7.8
Our Ranking: 79.0
24. The Magnificent Seven
Year: 1960
Director: John Sturges
Stars: Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson
No. of Oscars: 0
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89
Metacritic Score: 74
IMDb Score: 7.7
Our Ranking: 80.0
23. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Year: 2018
Director: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Stars: Tim Blake Nelson, Willie Watson, Clancy Brown
No. of Oscars: 0
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89
Metacritic Score: 79
IMDb Score: 7.3
Our Ranking: 80.3
22. 3:10 to Yuma
Year: 2007
Director: James Mangold
Stars: Russell Crowe, Christian Bale, Ben Foster
No. of Oscars: 0
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89
Metacritic Score: 76
IMDb Score: 7.7
Our Ranking: 80.7
21. A Fistful of Dollars
Year: 1964
Director: Sergio Leone
Stars: Clint Eastwood, A Gian Maria Volontè, Marianne Koch
No. of Oscars: 0
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 98
Metacritic Score: 65
IMDb Score: 7.9
Our Ranking: 80.7
20. True Grit
Year: 1969
Director: Henry Hathaway
Stars: John Wayne, Kim Darby, Glen Campbell
No. of Oscars: 1
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89
Metacritic Score: 83
IMDb Score: 7.4
Our Ranking: 82.0
19. Lone Star
Year: 1996
Director: John Sayles
Stars: Chris Cooper, Elizabeth Peña, Stephen Mendillo
No. of Oscars: 0
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94
Metacritic Score: 78
IMDb Score: 7.4
Our Ranking: 82.0
18. Giant
Year: 1956
Director: George Stevens
Stars: Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, James Dean
No. of Oscars: 1
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88
Metacritic Score: 84
IMDb Score: 7.6
Our Ranking: 82.7
17. The Power of the Dog
Year: 2021
Director: Jane Campion
Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons
No. of Oscars: 1
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93
Metacritic Score: 89
IMDb Score: 6.9
Our Ranking: 83.7
16. Django Unchained
Year: 2012
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Stars: Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio
No. of Oscars: 2
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 86
Metacritic Score: 81
IMDb Score: 8.4
Our Ranking: 83.7
15. True Grit
Year: 2010
Director: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Stars: Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Hailee Steinfeld
No. of Oscars: 0
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95
Metacritic Score: 80
IMDb Score: 7.6
Our Ranking: 83.7
14. Brokeback Mountain
Year: 2005
Director: Ang Lee
Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Heath Ledger, Michelle Williams
No. of Oscars: 3
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88
Metacritic Score: 87
IMDb Score: 7.7
Our Ranking: 84.0
13. McCabe & Mrs. Miller
Year: 1971
Director: Robert Altman
Stars: Warren Beatty, Julie Christie, Rene Auberjonois
No. of Oscars: 0
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 84
Metacritic Score: 93
IMDb Score: 7.6
Our Ranking: 84.3
12. Johnny Guitar
Year: 1954
Director: Nicholas Ray
Stars: Joan Crawford, Sterling Hayden, Mercedes McCambridge
No. of Oscars: 0
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94
Metacritic Score: 83
IMDb Score: 7.6
Our Ranking: 84.3
11. Deadwood: The Movie
Year: 2019
Director: Daniel Minahan
Stars: Timothy Olyphant, Ian McShane, Molly Parker
No. of Oscars: 0
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 98
Metacritic Score: 86
IMDb Score: 7.4
Our Ranking: 86.0
10. Once Upon a Time in the West
Year: 1968
Director: Sergio Leone
Stars: Henry Fonda, Charles Bronson, Claudia Cardinale
No. of Oscars: 0
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95
Metacritic Score: 80
IMDb Score: 8.5
Our Ranking: 86.7
9. Unforgiven
Year: 1992
Director: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman
No. of Oscars: 4
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96
Metacritic Score: 85
IMDb Score: 8.2
Our Ranking: 87.7
8. High Noon
Year: 1952
Director: Fred Zinnemann
Stars: Gary Cooper, Grace Kelly, Thomas Mitchell
No. of Oscars: 4
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95
Metacritic Score: 89
IMDb Score: 8.0
Our Ranking: 88.0
7. The Wild Bunch
Year: 1969
Director: Sam Peckinpah
Stars: William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, Robert Ryan
No. of Oscars: 0
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90
Metacritic Score: 97
IMDb Score: 7.9
Our Ranking: 88.7
6. The Searchers
Year: 1956
Director: John Ford
Stars: John Wayne, Jeffrey Hunter, Vera Miles
No. of Oscars: 0
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94
Metacritic Score: 94
IMDb Score: 7.9
Our Ranking: 89.0
5. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Year: 1962
Director: John Ford
Stars: James Stewart, John Wayne, Vera Miles
No. of Oscars: 0
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94
Metacritic Score: 94
IMDb Score: 8.1
Our Ranking: 89.7
4. Rio Bravo
Year: 1959
Director: Howard Hawks
Stars: John Wayne, Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson
No. of Oscars: 0
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 98
Metacritic Score: 93
IMDb Score: 8.0
Our Ranking: 90.3
3. Stagecoach
Year: 1939
Director: John Ford
Stars: John Wayne, Claire Trevor, Andy Devine
No. of Oscars: 2
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100
Metacritic Score: 93
IMDb Score: 7.8
Our Ranking: 90.3
2. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Year: 1966
Director: Sergio Leone
Stars: Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach, Lee Van Cleef
No. of Oscars: 0
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97
Metacritic Score: 90
IMDb Score: 8.8
Our Ranking: 91.7
1. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
Year: 1948
Director: John Huston
Stars: Humphrey Bogart, Walter Huston, Tim Holt
No. of Oscars: 3
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100
Metacritic Score: 98
IMDb Score: 8.2
Our Ranking: 93.3
