180 Films of Ale: Westerns
"Western" may seem like an obvious, simply understood genre - a film set in the American west, in the latter half of the 19th century, typically featuring Native Americans, cowboys, horses, wagon trains, gunfights, saloons, cattle ranchers and sheepmen. Or at least most of those elements.
But with the advent of the Italian westerns in the 1960s, and the "modern" western at about the same time, the western film opened up new frontiers, and some of these are reflected in my favorites list. The first 45 films on the list are ranked in order of preference, the rest are ordered chronologically. You will find many acknowledged classics, some not-so-classic works, and some obscurities.
Directors most featured:
John Ford (11)
Budd Boetticher (7)
Anthony Mann (7)
Jacques Tourneur (5)
Andre de Toth (4)
Sam Fuller (4)
Sergio Leone (4)
William Wellman (4)
Stars most featured:
Randolph Scott (21)
John Wayne (10)
Clint Eastwood (7)
Charles Bronson (6)
James Stewart (5)
Gary Cooper (5)
Henry Fonda (4)
Aurdie Murphy (4)
But with the advent of the Italian westerns in the 1960s, and the "modern" western at about the same time, the western film opened up new frontiers, and some of these are reflected in my favorites list. The first 45 films on the list are ranked in order of preference, the rest are ordered chronologically. You will find many acknowledged classics, some not-so-classic works, and some obscurities.
Directors most featured:
John Ford (11)
Budd Boetticher (7)
Anthony Mann (7)
Jacques Tourneur (5)
Andre de Toth (4)
Sam Fuller (4)
Sergio Leone (4)
William Wellman (4)
Stars most featured:
Randolph Scott (21)
John Wayne (10)
Clint Eastwood (7)
Charles Bronson (6)
James Stewart (5)
Gary Cooper (5)
Henry Fonda (4)
Aurdie Murphy (4)
List activity
218 views
• 0 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
180 titles
- DirectorJim JarmuschStarsJohnny DeppGary FarmerCrispin GloverOn the run after murdering a man, accountant William Blake encounters a strange Native American man named Nobody who prepares him for his journey into the spiritual world.
- DirectorSergio LeoneStarsHenry FondaCharles BronsonClaudia CardinaleA mysterious stranger with a harmonica joins forces with a notorious desperado to protect a beautiful widow from a ruthless assassin working for the railroad.
- 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.
- 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.
- StarsRobert DuvallTommy Lee JonesDanny GloverTwo former Texas Rangers renew their spirit of adventure as they and several other residents of a small Texas town join a cattle drive to the Montana Territory.
- DirectorFritz LangStarsRobert YoungRandolph ScottDean JaggerWhen Edward Creighton leads the construction of the Western Union to unite East with West, he hires a Western reformed outlaw and a tenderfoot Eastern surveyor.
- DirectorAnthony MannStarsRobert TaylorLouis CalhernPaula RaymondAfter the Civil War, a highly decorated Shoshone Indian veteran plans to raise cattle in Wyoming but white farmers plan to grab fertile tribal lands by pitting the whites against the Indians.
- 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 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.
- DirectorJohn FordStarsJohn WayneClaire TrevorAndy DevineA group of people traveling on a stagecoach find their journey complicated by the threat of Geronimo and learn something about each other in the process.
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsClint EastwoodGene HackmanMorgan FreemanRetired 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."
- DirectorFrank D. GilroyStarsCharles BronsonJill IrelandDouglas FowleyAfter spending 3 unforgettable hours with an outlaw, a beautiful young widow turns her story into a worldwide famous book.
- DirectorSam PeckinpahStarsWilliam HoldenErnest BorgnineRobert RyanAn aging group of outlaws look for one last big score as the "traditional" American West is disappearing around them.
- DirectorAlejandro JodorowskyStarsAlejandro JodorowskyBrontis JodorowskyJosé LegarretaA mysterious black-clad gunfighter wanders a mystical Western landscape encountering multiple bizarre characters.
- DirectorLisandro AlonsoStarsViggo MortensenViilbjørk Malling AggerGhita NørbyA father and daughter journey from Denmark to an unknown desert that exists in a realm beyond the confines of civilization.
- DirectorNicholas RayStarsJoan CrawfordSterling HaydenMercedes McCambridgeAfter helping a wounded gang member, a strong-willed female saloon owner is wrongly suspected of murder and bank robbery by a lynch mob.
- DirectorSergio LeoneStarsClint EastwoodEli WallachLee Van CleefA bounty hunting scam joins two men in an uneasy alliance against a third in a race to find a fortune in gold buried in a remote cemetery.
- DirectorWilliam A. WellmanStarsRobert MitchumTeresa WrightDiana LynnAround the turn of the 20th century, during a harsh northern California winter, members of a ranching family are squabbling among themselves while the two oldest sons go hunting for a panther that is killing their livestock.
- DirectorJacques TourneurStarsJoel McCreaVera MilesLloyd BridgesIn 1874, after noticing the total lawlessness in Wichita, Wyatt Earp reluctantly accepts the Marshal's job and runs into the worst local troublemakers.
- DirectorAnthony MannStarsGary CooperJulie LondonLee J. CobbA reformed outlaw becomes stranded after an aborted train robbery with two other passengers and is forced to rejoin his old outlaw band.
- DirectorPeter TscherkasskyStarsClint EastwoodLee Van CleefEli WallachAn attempt to transform a Roman Western into a Greek tragedy.
- 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.
- DirectorAnthony MannStarsJames StewartJanet LeighRobert RyanA bounty hunter trying to bring a murderer to justice is forced to accept the help of two less-than-trustworthy strangers.
- DirectorJohn FordStarsHenry FondaLinda DarnellVictor MatureAfter their cattle are stolen and their brother murdered, the Earp brothers have a score to settle with the Clanton family.
- DirectorTex AveryMichael LahStarsBill ThompsonTex AveryDaws ButlerA jailhouse, a tempting safe, and a sleeping sheriff. Can the two villains make off with the loot without waking him up? Not if deputy Droopy, who is on patrol guarding the safe, has his way. Much of this cartoon is a remake of Rock-a-Bye Bear (1952).
- DirectorEthan CoenJoel CoenStarsTommy Lee JonesJavier BardemJosh BrolinViolence and mayhem ensue after a hunter stumbles upon the aftermath of a drug deal gone wrong and over two million dollars in cash near the Rio Grande.
- DirectorMel BrooksStarsCleavon LittleGene WilderSlim PickensIn order to ruin a western town, a corrupt politician appoints a black Sheriff, who promptly becomes his most formidable adversary.
- DirectorCharles ChaplinStarsCharles ChaplinMack SwainTom MurrayA prospector goes to the Klondike during the 1890s gold rush in hopes of making his fortune, and is smitten with a girl he sees in a dance hall.
- DirectorBudd BoetticherStarsRandolph ScottRichard BooneMaureen O'SullivanAn independent former ranch foreman is kidnapped along with an heiress, who is being held for ransom by trio of ruthless outlaws.
- DirectorSergio SollimaStarsTomas MilianDonald O'BrienLinda VerasA knife-wielding Mexican ne'er-do-well is tasked by a scholar with locating $3 million in revolutionary gold, and finds himself working and competing with various parties for it.
- DirectorSergio SollimaStarsGian Maria VolontèTomas MilianWilliam BergerA history professor has a chance meeting with an infamous outlaw and eventually assumes leadership of his gang.
- DirectorKelly ReichardtStarsAlia ShawkatJohn MagaroDylan SmithA skilled cook has traveled west and joined a group of fur trappers in Oregon, though he only finds true connection with a Chinese immigrant also seeking his fortune. Soon the two collaborate on a successful business.
- DirectorWilliam WylerStarsGary CooperWalter BrennanDoris DavenportJudge Roy Bean, a self-appointed hanging judge in Vinegarroon, Texas, befriends saddle tramp Cole Harden, who opposes Bean's policy against homesteaders.
- DirectorRaoul WalshLouis R. LoefflerStarsJohn WayneMarguerite ChurchillEl BrendelBreck Coleman leads hundreds of settlers in covered wagons from the Mississippi River to their destiny out West.
- 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.
- DirectorJohn FordStarsGeorge O'BrienOlive BordenLou TellegenThree outlaws come to the aid of a young girl after her father is killed.
- DirectorPhil KarlsonStarsVan HeflinTab HunterKathryn GrantA powerful rancher always protects his wild adult son by paying for damages and bribing witnesses, until his crimes become too serious to rectify.
- DirectorSergio SollimaStarsLee Van CleefTomas MilianWalter BarnesAn unofficial lawman and would-be senator is tasked by a railroad baron with hunting down a knife-wielding Mexican peasant accused of raping and killing a young girl.
- DirectorMartin RittStarsPaul NewmanFredric MarchRichard BooneJohn Russell, disdained by his "respectable" fellow stagecoach passengers because he was raised by Native Americans, becomes their only hope for survival when they are set upon by outlaws.
- DirectorDavid Von AnckenStarsPierce BrosnanLiam NeesonAnjelica HustonAfter the end of the American Civil War, a former Confederate colonel hunts down a former Yankee officer with whom he has a grudge.
- DirectorHerbert ColemanStarsAudie MurphyJohn SaxonZohra LampertBanner Cole is a tough sheriff's deputy who forms a small posse to go after 4 death cell escapees who killed the sheriff , along with 3 other men, and kidnapped a woman with rape in mind.
- DirectorD.W. GriffithStarsBlanche SweetGeorge NicholsFrancis J. GrandonWhen her father becomes ill, a young woman takes over the telegraph at a lonely western railroad station. She soon gets word that the next train will deliver the payroll for a mining company. The train brings not only the money, but a pair of ruffians bent on stealing it. All alone, she wires for help, and then holds off the bad guys until it arrives.
- DirectorOldrich LipskýStarsKarel FialaRudolf DeylMilos KopeckýStraight shooting Lemonade Joe cleans up Stetson City, in this musical parody of early Westerns, after shooting the pants off villain Old Pistol. Joe's endorsement of Kolaloka lemonade as the refresher that assures deadly aim, convinces the Arizona sin-town to abstain from alcohol. But Trigger Whiskey maker Duke Badman's brother the devious gunslinger Hogofogo, comes to save his sibling's saloon from Joe's allies, father and daughter temperance revivalists, the Goodmans. Based on famous Czech parody novel from the 1940s and its various stage adaptations.
- DirectorRobert ZemeckisStarsMichael J. FoxChristopher LloydMary SteenburgenStranded in 1955, Marty McFly learns about the death of Doc Brown in 1885 and must travel back in time to save him. With no fuel readily available for the DeLorean, the two must figure how to escape the Old West before Emmett is murdered.
- 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.
- DirectorEdwin S. PorterStarsGilbert M. 'Broncho Billy' AndersonA.C. AbadieGeorge BarnesA group of bandits stage a brazen train hold-up, only to find a determined posse hot on their heels.
- DirectorD.W. GriffithStarsMae MarshLeslie LoveridgeAlfred PagetThe fact that an Indian tribe is eating puppies starts an action-packed battle in a Western town.
- DirectorCharles SwickardWilliam S. HartClifford SmithStarsWilliam S. HartClara WilliamsJack StandingIn the wayward western town known as Hell's Hinges, a local tough guy is reformed by the faith of a good woman.
- DirectorDavid HartfordStarsNell ShipmanCharles ArlingWheeler OakmanA woman finds herself all alone in a remote harbor with the man responsible for the murder of her father. With seemingly nobody around to protect her, she has to be resourceful.
- DirectorBuster KeatonStarsBuster KeatonVirginia FoxJoe RobertsBuster helps a Native American tribe save their land from greedy oil barons.
- DirectorJames CruzeStarsJ. Warren KerriganLois WilsonAlan HaleTwo wagon caravans converge at what is now Kansas City, and combine for the westward push to Oregon. On their quest the pilgrims will experience desert heat, mountain snow, hunger, and Indian attacks. To complicate matters further, a love triangle develops, as pretty Molly must chose between Sam, a brute, and Will, the dashing captain of the other caravan. Can Will overcome the skeleton in his closet and win Molly's heart?
- DirectorJohn FordStarsGeorge O'BrienMadge BellamyCharles Edward BullAfter witnessing the murder of his father by a renegade as a boy, the grown-up Brandon helps to realize his father's dream of a transcontinental railway.
- DirectorHenry KingStarsRonald ColmanVilma BánkyGary CooperWhile building an irrigation system for a Southwestern desert community, an engineer vies with a local cowboy for the affections of a rancher's daughter.
- DirectorB. Reeves EasonArmand SchaeferStarsTom MixCharles MiddletonJoan GaleTexas Ranger tries to stop takeover of Indian lands.
- DirectorOtto BrowerB. Reeves EasonStarsGene AutryFrankie DarroBetsy King RossWhen the ancient continent of Mu sank beneath the ocean, some of its inhabitant survived in caverns beneath the sea. Cowboy singer Gene Autry stumbles upon the civilization, now buried beneath his own Radio Ranch. The Muranians have developed technology and weaponry such as television and ray guns. Their rich supply of radium draws unscrupulous speculators from the surface. The peaceful civilization of the Muranians is corrupted by the greed from above, and it becomes Autry's task to prevent all-out war, ideally without disrupting his regular radio show.
- DirectorGeorge B. SeitzStarsRandolph ScottBinnie BarnesHenry WilcoxonDuring the brutal French and Indian War, the legendary scout Hawkeye is prevailed upon to escort Major Duncan Heyward, and the two daughters of Fort William Henry commander Colonel Munro -- Alice and Cora -- to safety through.
- 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.
- DirectorJames P. HoganStarsJoan BennettRandolph ScottMay RobsonAfter the Civil War, an ex-Confederate soldier faces new battles, including the elements and a carpetbagger intent on destroying him.
- DirectorGeorge MarshallStarsMarlene DietrichJames StewartMischa AuerDeputy sheriff Destry tames the town of Bottle Neck, including saloon singer Frenchy.
- DirectorJohn FordStarsClaudette ColbertHenry FondaEdna May OliverNewlyweds Gil and Lana Martin try to establish a farm in the Mohawk Valley but are menaced by Indians and Tories as the Revolutionary War begins.
- DirectorKing VidorJack ConwayW.S. Van DykeStarsSpencer TracyRobert YoungWalter BrennanLangdon Towne and Hunk Marriner join Major Rogers' Rangers as they wipe out an Indian village. They set out for Fort Wentworth, but when they arrive they find no soldiers and none of the supplies they expected.
- DirectorGeorge MarshallStarsWilliam HoldenGlenn FordClaire TrevorTwo young men head west in search of fortune and adventure.
- DirectorWilliam A. WellmanStarsHenry FondaDana AndrewsMary Beth HughesWhen a posse captures three men suspected of killing a local farmer, they become strongly divided over whether or not to lynch the men.
- DirectorFernando de FuentesMiguel M. DelgadoStarsMaría FélixJulián SolerMaría Elena MarquésA young lawyer and owner of a great property in the interior of Venezuela tries to recover its control in the name of the law, fighting against his neighbour, a powerful, seductive and misterious lady named Doña Bárbara, learning in the process that the only chance to win is by playing on Doña's rules.
- DirectorRobert ClampettStarsMel BlancRobert C. BruceRobert ClampettPorky leads a wagon train into "Injun Joe Territory," and finally comes up against the fearsome Superchief. But Sloppy Moe, a survivor of a previous Injun Joe attack, knows something about him he won't tell... until the very end.
- DirectorTim WhelanStarsRandolph ScottAnn RichardsGeorge 'Gabby' HayesSheriff Mark Rowley and his brother John find themselves in an annexed area of Indian Territory which is home to notorious outlaws like Jesse James and Sam Bass.
- DirectorJacques TourneurStarsDana AndrewsBrian DonlevySusan HaywardBusinessman Logan Stuart is torn between his love of two very different women in 1850's Oregon and his loyalty to a compulsive gambler friend who goes over the line.
- DirectorRaoul WalshStarsTeresa WrightRobert MitchumJudith AndersonA boy haunted by nightmares about the night his entire family was murdered is brought up by a neighboring family in the 1880s. He falls for his lovely adoptive sister but his nasty adoptive brother and mysterious uncle want him dead.
- DirectorJohn FordStarsJohn WaynePedro ArmendárizHarry Carey Jr.Three outlaws on the run risk their freedom and their lives to return a newborn to civilization.
- DirectorRay EnrightStarsRandolph ScottMarguerite ChapmanGeorge MacreadyA man is bent on taking revenge on those he believes are responsible for his fiance's death.
- DirectorJohn FordStarsJohn WayneHenry FondaShirley TempleAt Fort Apache, an honorable and veteran war captain finds conflict when his regime is placed under the command of a young, glory hungry lieutenant colonel with no respect for the local Indian tribe.
- DirectorJohn HustonStarsHumphrey BogartWalter HustonTim HoltTwo down-on-their-luck Americans searching for work in 1920s Mexico convince an old prospector to help them mine for gold in the Sierra Madre Mountains.
- DirectorWilliam A. WellmanStarsGregory PeckAnne BaxterRichard WidmarkA pistol-packing tomboy and her grandfather discover a band of bank robbing bandits taking refuge in the neighboring ghost town.
- DirectorSamuel FullerStarsPreston FosterBarbara BrittonJohn IrelandBob Ford murders his best friend Jesse James in order to obtain a pardon that will free him to marry his girlfriend but is plagued by guilt and self-disgust.
- DirectorJohn FordStarsJohn WayneJoanne DruJohn AgarCaptain Nathan Brittles, on the eve of retirement, takes out a last patrol to stop an impending massive Indian attack. Encumbered by women who must be evacuated, Brittles finds his mission imperiled.
- DirectorJohn SturgesStarsRandolph ScottElla RainesWilliam BishopA group of treasure hunters search for a wagon load of gold, buried years before in Death Valley.
- DirectorSamuel FullerStarsVincent PriceEllen DrewVladimir SokoloffMaster swindler James Reavis painstakingly spends years forging documents and land grants that will make his wife and him undisputed owners of the entire territory of Arizona.
- DirectorAnthony MannStarsBarbara StanwyckWendell CoreyWalter HustonA firebrand heiress clashes with her tyrannical father, a cattle rancher who fancies himself a Napoleon, but their relationship turns ugly only when he finds himself a new woman.
- DirectorHenry KingStarsGregory PeckHelen WestcottMillard MitchellNotorious gunfighter Jimmy Ringo rides into town to find his true love, who doesn't want to see him. He hasn't come looking for trouble, but trouble finds him around every corner.
- DirectorJohn FordStarsBen JohnsonJoanne DruHarry Carey Jr.Two young drifters guide a Mormon wagon train to the San Juan Valley and encounter cutthroats, Indians, geography, and moral challenges on the journey.
- DirectorAnthony MannStarsJames StewartShelley WintersDan DuryeaA cowboy's obsession with a stolen rifle leads to a bullet-ridden odyssey through the American West.
- DirectorHugo FregoneseStarsStephen McNallyColeen GrayWillard ParkerA gambler is thrown out of a western town, but returns when the town is suddenly threatened by a band of marauding Apaches.
- DirectorChuck JonesStarsMel BlancJohn T. SmithDaffy Duck plays a western hero, but things don't go as he hoped in a one horse town.
- DirectorEdwin L. MarinStarsRandolph ScottDavid BrianPhyllis ThaxterCivil War veteran and former newspaperman Ned Britt returns to Fort Worth after the war is over and finds himself fighting an old friend who's grown ambitious.
- DirectorCharles Marquis WarrenStarsLloyd BridgesJohn IrelandMarie WindsorA small band of cavalry attempt to warn Custer of an impending massacre. Friction develops when commander of the patrol suspects his subordinate of having an affair with his wife.
- DirectorAndré De TothStarsRandolph ScottJoan LeslieEllen DrewA private deadly feud ensues when ruthless wealthy rancher Will Isham attempts a takeover of small rancher Owen Merritt's land and marries Owen's old flame, Laurie Bidwell.
- DirectorEdwin L. MarinStarsRandolph ScottAdele JergensRaymond MasseyArriving in Arizona on a wagon train in 1866 former Confederate officer Jackson Redan partners with local businessman Don Miguel while their competitor Asa Goodhue is joined by opportunistic drifter Jacob Stint.
- DirectorWilliam A. WellmanStarsRobert TaylorDenise DarcelHope EmersonA trail guide escorts a group of women from Chicago to California to marry men that have recently begun settling there.
- DirectorHoward HawksStarsKirk DouglasDewey MartinElizabeth ThreattThe success of the journey focuses on keeping the Indian girl alive as well as themselves to complete trade with the Blackfeet.
- DirectorRoy HugginsStarsRandolph ScottDonna ReedClaude Jarman Jr.A Confederate Major and his troops are falsely led to believe the Civil War is not over, and become wanted men after they attack a Union Army wagon train in Nevada.
- DirectorFred ZinnemannStarsGary CooperGrace KellyThomas MitchellA town Marshal, despite the disagreements of his newlywed bride and the townspeople around him, must face a gang of deadly killers alone at "high noon" when the gang leader, an outlaw he "sent up" years ago, arrives on the noon train.
- DirectorFritz LangStarsMarlene DietrichArthur KennedyMel FerrerAfter the murder of his fiancée, a Wyoming ranch hand sets out to find her killer.
- DirectorFrank TashlinStarsBob HopeJane RussellRoy RogersJunior Potter returns to claim his father's gold, which is nowhere to be found. "Mike" is the luscious head of a gang of thieves, and Roy Barton is the federal marshal hot on her trail.
- DirectorJacques TourneurStarsRory CalhounGene TierneyRichard BooneIn 1875 Argentina, after killing a man, a gaucho is sentenced to harsh army duty but he deserts the army and becomes a bandit leader.
- DirectorFred F. SearsStarsJohn HodiakJohn DerekDavid BrianAn innocent cowboy convicted with three robbers, fresh out of Yuma Territorial Prison, travels with them to get a share of their hidden loot.
- DirectorDavid ButlerStarsDoris DayHoward KeelAllyn Ann McLerieThe story of Calamity Jane, her saloon, and her romance with Wild Bill Hickok.
- DirectorJohn SturgesStarsWilliam HoldenEleanor ParkerJohn ForsytheDuring the Civil War, a group of Confederates escapes from the Union POW camp at Fort Bravo but has to contend with the desert, the Mescalero Apaches and the pursuing Union troops.
- DirectorJohn FarrowStarsJohn WayneGeraldine PageWard BondArmy dispatch rider Hondo Lane discovers a woman and young son living in the midst of warring Apaches and becomes their protector.
- DirectorFelix E. FeistStarsRandolph ScottPatrice WymoreDick WessonAn undercover government agent battles insurrectionists whose want Southern California to secede and become a slave state.
- DirectorBudd BoetticherStarsGlenn FordJulie AdamsChill WillsDuring the Alamo siege, John Stroud is sent to Ox Bow to protect the townsfolk but, following a massacre, he infiltrates Jess Wade's gang of turncoat renegades supporting the Mexicans.