52 Great American Westerns
No list is definitive and favorites change with the passing of time. So here's a list of (mostly) American made westerns (in no real order) I recommend. Please take note that there's some really major films I haven't seen!
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- DirectorJohn FordStarsJohn WayneJeffrey HunterVera MilesAn American Civil War veteran embarks on a years-long journey to rescue his niece from the Comanches after the rest of his brother's family is massacred in a raid on their Texas farm.John Wayne searches for his niece, for revenge, and ultimately for his soul. Jeffrey Hunter searches for family, honor, and a sense of manhood. Those searching for the greatest western ever made have found it!
- DirectorSam PeckinpahStarsWilliam HoldenErnest BorgnineRobert RyanAn aging group of outlaws look for one last big score as the "traditional" American West is disappearing around them.Wild men in less wilder times have always been a strain on society. In the early 20th century it was wild men with guns. In the early 21st, it's wild men with tongues... and pens... and computer screens...
- DirectorSam PeckinpahStarsCharlton HestonRichard HarrisJim HuttonIn 1864, due to frequent Apache raids from Mexico into the U.S., a Union officer decides to illegally cross the border and destroy the Apache, using a mixed army of Union troops, Confederate POWs, civilian mercenaries, and scouts.Extended version please.
The bridge between Sam Peckinpah's earlier work and his more ambitious stuff, Charleton Heston commands the screen (as well as his group of misfit soldiers), while Richard Harris sears it. Jaw-dropping cast includes James Coburn, Warren Oates, Jim Hutton, Ben Johnson, L.Q. Jones, R.G. Armstrong, Brock Peters, Slim Pickens, and Dub Taylor. From the creator of Dirty Harry! - DirectorBudd BoetticherStarsRandolph ScottKaren SteelePernell RobertsA bounty hunter (Randolph Scott) escorts a killer (James Best) to be tried for murder, but allows the man's outlaw brother (Lee Van Cleef) to catch up with them to have a showdown over a previous shocking murder.Eye-popping photography, excellent scenery, and the powerful presence of Randolph Scott, combine with a script by Burt Kennedy (one of the great unsung western screenwriters) and a cast of soon-to-be-stars, including Bonanza's Pernell Roberts, Lee Van Cleef, James Coburn and James Best (Dukes Of Hazzard), to create probably the greatest western no one's ever heard of. I dare you to call it a B-movie. I DARE YA'!
- DirectorJohn SturgesStarsKirk DouglasAnthony QuinnCarolyn JonesA marshal tries to bring the son of an old friend, an autocratic cattle baron, to justice for his role in the rape and murder of the marshal's Native American wife.Revenge is easy. Justice is hard. Kirk Douglas is even harder!
- DirectorBernard McEveetyStarsChuck ConnorsMichael RennieKathryn HaysAfter an 11-year absence, a buffalo hunter returns home with lots of money in his saddlebags only to be robbed at gunpoint by a trio of no-good town citizens, prompting an eventual revenge quest.From the producers, star, and creative staff that made TV's Branded, comes this violent pulp-western full of truly odd characters, played mostly by former Branded guest-stars and future TV stalwarts. In a twist of (planned) irony, the villains actually brand Chuck Conners!
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsClint EastwoodVerna BloomMarianna HillA gun-fighting stranger comes to the small settlement of Lago and is hired to bring the townsfolk together in an attempt to hold off three outlaws who are on their way.Dirtier than Harry, this is Clint at his most smart-assed. I love it!
- DirectorJohn SturgesStarsYul BrynnerSteve McQueenCharles BronsonSeven gunfighters are hired by Mexican peasants to liberate their village from oppressive bandits.An all-star shoot 'em up that needs no introduction. Magnificent indeed!
- DirectorElliot SilversteinStarsRichard HarrisJudith AndersonJean GasconIn 1825, an English aristocrat is captured by Native Americans. He lives with them and begins to understand their way of life. Eventually, he is accepted as part of the tribe and aspires to become their leader.
- DirectorAnthony MannStarsJames StewartRock HudsonArthur KennedyWhen a town boss confiscates homesteaders' supplies after gold is discovered nearby, a tough cowboy risks his life to try and get it to them.
- DirectorJohn FordStarsJames StewartJohn WayneVera MilesA senator returns to a Western town for the funeral of an old friend and tells the story of his origins.Excellent. They tell you to print the legend. I print the truth!
- DirectorBudd BoetticherStarsRandolph ScottNancy GatesClaude AkinsA man saves a woman who had been kidnapped by Comanches, then struggles to get both of them home alive.
- DirectorHoward HawksStarsJohn WayneRobert MitchumJames CaanCole Thornton, a gunfighter for hire, joins forces with old friend, Sheriff J.P. Hara. Together with an old Indian fighter and a gambler, they help a rancher and his family fight a rival rancher who's trying to steal their water.Rio Bravo versus El Dorado, it depends on which one you saw first. I saw this one. It's easy to see why James Caan went on to be a big star.
- DirectorSam PeckinpahStarsJoel McCreaRandolph ScottMariette HartleyAn ex-union soldier is hired to transport gold from a mining community through dangerous territory. But what he doesn't realize is that his partner and old friend is plotting to double-cross him.
- DirectorKevin CostnerStarsKevin CostnerRobert DuvallDiego LunaA former gunslinger is forced to take up arms again when he and his cattle crew are threatened by a corrupt lawman.
- DirectorRobert D. WebbStarsRobert RyanVirginia MayoJeffrey HunterMarshal Cass Silver has to deal with his old nemesis, a corrupt gambler, and his hired guns come to town as well as recurring bouts of blindness.
- DirectorMonte HellmanStarsMillie PerkinsJack NicholsonWill HutchinsA mysterious woman persuades two cowboys to help her in a revenge scheme.An arty, cerebral western from director Monte Hellman, this is compelling all the way, with an excellent performance by Warren Oates and frigid support by Millie Perkins and a young Jack Nicholson.
- DirectorBudd BoetticherStarsRandolph ScottCraig StevensBarry KelleyTexan Tom Buchanan is heading back home with enough money to start his own ranch, but when he stops in the crooked town of Agry, he's robbed and framed for murder.
- DirectorEdward DmytrykStarsSpencer TracyRobert WagnerJean PetersThe saga of the Devereaux rancher family, set in 1880's Arizona.
- DirectorHoward HawksArthur RossonStarsJohn WayneMontgomery CliftJoanne DruDunson leads a cattle drive, the culmination of over 14 years of work, to its destination in Missouri. But his tyrannical behavior along the way causes a mutiny, led by his adopted son.
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsClint EastwoodSondra LockeChief Dan GeorgeMissouri farmer Josey Wales joins a Confederate guerrilla unit and winds up on the run from the Union soldiers who murdered his family.A timely message to soldiers who fought hard and watched Vietnam slip away, showing similar men in another time and an even more humiliating defeat, not just for Josey, but for the Indians of the story as well, that sometimes a loser has more dignity than a winner.
- DirectorWalter HillStarsDavid CarradineStacy KeachDennis QuaidThe origins, exploits and the ultimate fate of the Jesse James gang is told in a sympathetic portrayal of the bank robbers made up of brothers who begin their legendary bank raids because of revenge.
- DirectorSydney PollackStarsRobert RedfordWill GeerDelle BoltonA mountain man who wishes to live the life of a hermit becomes the unwilling object of a long vendetta by the Crow tribe and proves to be a match for their warriors in single combat on the early frontier.
- DirectorGeoff MurphyStarsMickey RourkeDermot MulroneyTed LevineLeft for dead by his bank robbing gang, a marauder joins a posse to seek revenge.An eccentric performance by Mickey Rourke and a mean script from the always ultra-violent pen of Eric Red push this over the edge!
- DirectorMichael WinnerStarsCharles BronsonJack PalanceJames WhitmoreIn 1870s New Mexico, a half-breed kills a bigoted sheriff in self-defense but the posse that eventually hunts him finds itself in dangerous territory.Though admittedly not an American film and not quite a spaghetti western either, It's a hate-story of the highest order and an interesting precursor to director Michael Winner and Charles Bronson's Death Wish.
- DirectorRobert AldrichStarsGene WilderHarrison FordRamon BieriA Polish rabbi wanders through the Old West on his way to lead a synagogue in San Francisco. On the way, he is nearly burned at the stake by Native Americans and almost killed by outlaws.Gentle, heartwarming comedy of friendship and interfaith understanding, a real change of pace for director Robert Aldrich. Originally set to star John Wayne, who became too sick to continue and was replaced by Harrison Ford. Can you imagine the Duke and Gene Wilder?
- DirectorBarry ShearSamuel FullerStarsRichard HarrisRod TaylorAl LettieriA Sheriff, who negotiates with bank robbers, ends up getting his family killed during their escape. The Sheriff chases the gang into Mexico on his own. While attempting to exact his vengeance, he is at odds with a Mexican lawman.This features Richard Harris' most intense western performance, a really nasty one by Rod Taylor, and a great one by Al Lettieri, as a hard-nosed, yet dignified Mexican Lawman, from a story by the great Samuel Fuller.
- DirectorJohn FordStarsJohn WaynePedro ArmendárizHarry Carey Jr.Three outlaws on the run risk their freedom and their lives to return a newborn to civilization.
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsClint EastwoodMichael MoriartyCarrie SnodgressA mysterious preacher protects a humble prospector village from a greedy mining company trying to encroach on their land.
- DirectorTom GriesStarsCharles BronsonBen JohnsonRichard CrennaJohn Deakin is being transported, as a prisoner, on a train with supplies and medicine to Fort Humboldt, Nevada.A great train mystery and a thrilling western with the mighty Charles Bronson and excellent stunts supervised by the legendary Yakima Cannut, the man who almost single-handedly invented western stuntwork.
- DirectorJoseph H. LewisStarsSterling HaydenSebastian CabotCarol KellyA Swedish whaler is out for revenge when he finds out that a greedy oil man murdered his father for their land.A hard-boiled western-noir, this features a most unlikely hero and an even more unlikely showdown with gun and harpoon!
- DirectorRobert BorisStarsRob LoweBill PaxtonRandy TravisWestern starring Rob Lowe and Bill Paxton, based on the lives of Frank and Jesse James. After the Civil War Frank and Jesse return to their family's farm. When their younger brother is murdered they embark on a mission for revenge.With Rob Lowe as Jesse James(?!) and Bill Paxton as Frank, this failed history lesson is full of action and one of the best of the low-budget 1990's westerns ushered in by big-screen hits like Unforgiven, Tombstone, Young Guns, and Dances With Wolves.
- DirectorSamuel FullerStarsBarbara StanwyckBarry SullivanDean JaggerShowdown in Arizona between the Bonnell brothers, U.S.Marshals, and Jessica Drummond, the iron-fist rancher who controls the territory.Barbara Stanwyk was one of those rare women that got more beautiful with age. Barry Sullivan was one of those great old actor that couldn't get anyone to remember their name, only his face. Director Samuel Fuller made muscular, hard-boiled classics in a variety of genres and brings a little film-noir to this one.
- DirectorAnthony MannStarsJames StewartShelley WintersDan DuryeaA cowboy's obsession with a stolen rifle leads to a bullet-ridden odyssey through the American West.
- DirectorJohn SturgesStarsClint EastwoodRobert DuvallJohn SaxonAn ex-bounty hunter reluctantly helps a wealthy landowner and his henchmen track down a Mexican revolutionary leader.
- DirectorRichard SpenceStarsArmand AssanteElisabeth ShueRobert DaviCanaan, a mysterious gunfighter left nearly blind from Civil War combat, roams through Mexico with a baby he has sworn to protect. On his way to a town where a family will supposedly adopt the baby, Canaan passes through a border town where U.S. Cavalry officers assigned to deliver a shipment of silver are under attack from bandits. With some reluctance, Canaan steps in to help the soldiers.A fast and crazy live action comic-book, this started out as an adaptation of DC comics' Jonah Hex, featuring a blind Armand Assante, Mexican bandit Robert Davi, and a flash of nudity from Elizabeth Shue!
- DirectorSam PeckinpahStarsJason RobardsStella StevensDavid WarnerA hobo accidentally stumbles onto a water spring, and creates a profitable way station in the middle of the desert.
- DirectorMarlon BrandoStarsMarlon BrandoKarl MaldenPina PellicerAfter robbing a bank in Mexico, Dad Longworth absconds with the loot leaving his partner Rio to be captured by the Rurales. Rio escapes prison but struggles with his conflicting desires to love Dad's stepdaughter Louise and to get revenge.
- DirectorRobert SiodmakStarsRobert ShawMary UreTy HardinGeorge Armstrong Custer's love of the heroic traditions of the Calvary and his distaste with the coming of industrialization leads him to his destiny at the Little Big Horn.Robert Shaw doesn't quite generate the sparks he brought to other roles. However, this epic story about the price of arrogance does all the heavy lifting for him. The supporting players, including Ty Hardin, Jeffrey Hunter, and Robert Ryan all shine.
- DirectorJohn GuillerminStarsKris KristoffersonScott WilsonMark MosesAfter a series of vicious crimes by a renegade group of cowboys, led by "Red Jack" Stilwell, a legendary tracker, Noble Adams is pulled out of retirement to capture Stilwell, dead or alive. Reluctantly, needing more men, he allows his son, Tom to tag along, revealing to Tom a whole brutal side of ruthlessness Noble thought he left behind.
- DirectorHenry HathawayStarsJohn WayneDean MartinMartha HyerRanch owner Katie Elder's four sons determine to avenge the murder of their father and the swindling of their mother.
- DirectorBudd BoetticherStarsRandolph ScottGail RussellLee MarvinA former sheriff blames himself for his wife's death during a Wells Fargo robbery and vows to track down and kill the seven men responsible.
- DirectorAndré De TothStarsRobert RyanBurl IvesTina LouiseBlaise Starrett is a rancher at odds with homesteaders when outlaws hold up the small town. The outlaws are held in check only by their notorious leader, but he is diagnosed with a fatal wound and the town is a powder keg waiting to blow.
- DirectorHenry HathawayStarsGary CooperSusan HaywardRichard WidmarkA trio of American adventurers marooned in rural Mexico are recruited by a beautiful woman to rescue her husband trapped in a cave in Apache territory.
- StarsRobert DuvallThomas Haden ChurchGreta ScacchiA veteran cowboy and his nephew save five Chinese girls from prostitution while trekking from Oregon to Wyoming.A affectionate look at and a throwback to the good-guy cowboys of yesteryear, Robert Duvall and director Walter Hill shine brightly. Solid, satisfying entertainment.
- DirectorGeorge MarshallStarsRandolph ScottKay FrancisBrian DonlevyFictionalized story of how the Dalton brothers were wronged by a crooked development company and became outlaws when the corrupt local courts offered them no justice.Another failed history lesson from Hollywood, this pushes the then-accepted boundaries of manufactured anti-heroes, as well as the quantity and quality of western stunt-work.
- DirectorDelmer DavesStarsGlenn FordVan HeflinFelicia FarrBroke small-time rancher Dan Evans is hired by the stagecoach line to put big-time captured outlaw leader Ben Wade on the 3:10 train to Yuma but Wade's gang tries to free him.
- DirectorDaniel PetrieStarsMarjoe GortnerSlim PickensDavid HuddlestonA young gunslinger on the lam impersonates a preacher, brings hope to his parishioners and law-and-order to a town terrorized by a strongman's bunch.Marjoe Gortner was a former child preacher and professional false-prophet who blew the lid off his own scheme and that of others in an Oscar-winning documentary. At the height of his fame, he starred in this lightly comedic TV movie about an outlaw who assumes the identity of a slain minister and finds a sense of duty and purpose, leading him to protect his flock the only way an outlaw knows.
- DirectorKing VidorStarsFred MacMurrayJack OakieJean ParkerTwo down-on-their-luck former outlaws volunteer to be Texas Rangers and find themselves assigned to bring in an old friend, now a notorious outlaw.
- DirectorMack V. WrightStarsRobert LivingstonRay CorriganMax TerhuneA supernatural western! The Three Mesquiteers accompany an archeological expedition to a lost Indian city of gold called Lukachuke.Forty-plus years before Indiana Jones, this stew of pulp weirdness from Republic Pictures really delivers. The Three Mesquiteers didn't have to leave the American southwest to find lost cities, civilizations, and exotic villains!
- DirectorDavid HowardStarsGeorge O'BrienCecilia ParkerCharles MiddletonAn undercover ranger investigates a deranged rancher who acts as a law unto himself, finding a girl held as a prisoner until she agrees to marry the madman.One of the most memorable and atmospheric of the 1930's B-Westerns, with heroics by forgotten western star George O'Brien, classic villainy from Charles Middleton (Flash Gordon serials), and cinematography by the man who literally wrote the book on motion picture photography.
- DirectorAlan JamesStarsKen MaynardCecilia ParkerSheldon LewisMaynard hears the cry of the weird masked "phantom" of Tombstone Canyon. The plot thickens when Maynard discovers a man with a key to his past has been murdered by the phantom.