The 10 top-rated Westerns of all time – including a 1966 Clint Eastwood masterpiece | Films | Entertainment
With so many films to choose from, it can be tough to know where to start, especially now that the clocks have gone back and it’s the perfect time to settle in for a cosy movie night. While many Westerns have come and gone, some have earned lasting acclaim for their storytelling, performances, and cinematic innovation. From the early classics that defined the genre to modern reinterpretations that give it new life, these films have left an indelible mark on both Hollywood and how we imagine American history.
While the genre has thousands of films to choose from and has evolved over time, a select few Westerns have remained iconic, continuing to captivate both critics and audiences. According to Rotten Tomatoes’ 100 Best Western Movies of All Time, these ten films stand above the rest. They range from early classics like Stagecoach to modern reiterations like Hell or High Water, and of course, include the legendary 1966 Clint Eastwood masterpiece, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.
10. The Searchers
Rounding out the top ten is The Searchers, a 1956 American epic Western directed by John Ford and written by Frank S. Nugent, adapted from the 1954 novel by Alan Le May.
The film stars John Wayne in one of his most complex and haunting performances, portraying Ethan Edwards, a Civil War veteran who goes on a years-long quest to find his abducted niece.
The Critics’ consensus reads: “The Searchers is an epic John Wayne Western that introduces dark ambivalence to the genre that remains fashionable today.”
One viewer wrote: “An absolute masterpiece. Quite possibly the best western ever made.”
Another added: “One of the most acclaimed films from one of the most acclaimed filmmakers who ever set foot on a movie set, The Searchers is a gorgeously shot and absorbing story that is, on the surface, about rescuing an abducted woman from her kidnappers, but deep down it’s an examination of America’s ugly racial history, highlighting the fact that, for its relatively short modern existence, it’s a country that’s almost always been at war with itself.”
(Image: Getty Images)
9. My Darling Clementine
The 1946 film boasts a perfect 100% Tomatometer score and reimagines the story of Wyatt Earp and the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral with Ford’s signature blend of myth and melancholy.
Many consider it to be one of the greatest Western films ever made. In 1991, the Library of Congress in Washington, DC, recognised the film as “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” and added it to the United States National Film Registry for preservation.
(Image: Getty Images)
7. True Grit
The Coen Brothers’ True Grit from 2010 brings a modern sensibility to a classic story. Jeff Bridges shines as Rooster Cogburn, the grizzled US Marshal hired by feisty 14-year-old Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) to track down her father’s murderer.
One person said about the movie: “A masterpiece, plain and simple. Hailee Steinfeld is incredible, and the story moves like Swiss clockwork.”
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
