Top Ten Best Western Movies of All Time

There are hundreds of good westerns to sift through which we may sift to get a good top ten list of western movies. It's easy to name of western movie stars, like John Wayne and Randolph Scott, who all had dozens of good movies to their credit. In pulling my top ten westerns of all time, I'll tell you straight up, my list is going to be John Wayne heavy. He was, after all, the all-American cowboy. To the credit of the genre I have pulled some other popular favorites into the list.

Here are what I believe to be the top ten western movies of all time.

1. Top Ten Best Western Movie of All Time - "True Grit" (1969)

John Wayne has to rise to the top of any list of cowboy movies. I've already said he is the ultimate American Cowboy and this was one of his best movies, which also featured Glen Campbell and Kim Darby in leading roles. John Wayne's portrayal of cantankerous old U.S. Marshall Rooster Cogburn won him an Oscar, as he helped Kim Darby track down her father's murderer in Indian Territory.

Since we've listed "True Grit" as the #1 best western movie of all time, I think there is room to share this honored space with the remake (2010) recently released in theaters. They are both exceptional renditions of a powerful story adapted from the novel by Charles Portis.

2. Top Ten Best Western Movies of All Time - "The Sons of Katie Elder " (1965)

Their father was murdered and their mother swindled and died. The brothers are reunited at their mother's funeral where "The Sons of Katie Elder" band together to get to the bottom of their parents' misfortune. John Wayne, Dean Martin, Earl Holliman, and Michael Anderson are the wayward and gun slinging sons of Katie Elder who get about their task, but not without sibling rivalry. Along the way they ruffle the feathers of a few townspeople and the current owners of their parents' property, so they end up framed for murder. The Elder brothers fight to clear their name, to honor their mother, but there's no hope but that it all ends up in a shootout.

3. Top Ten Best Western Movies of All Time - "The Outlaw Josey Wales" (1976)

If John Wayne was the ultimate cowboy, then Clint Eastwood ran a close second. "The Outlaw Josey Wales" is a vintage Eastwood western, showing him in a role he often portrayed as a rough, dark cowboy. Josey Wales's family is murdered by brutal Union soldiers, and Josey runs off to join a group of guerilla fighting Confederates. His life turns into one on the run as he tries to escape the Unionists who would have his life. This is an action packed adventure across the west, but although Josey Wales is an outlaw on the run he is a man with character and heart.

4. Top Ten Best Western Movies of All Time - "The Magnificent Seven" (1960)

"The Magnificent Seven" brought together one of the greatest casts ever assembled for a western. Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, Robert Vaughn, Brad Dexter, Elli Wallach, and James Coburn play the seven gun fighters who band together to protect the weary inhabitants of an often besieged Mexican village. Banditos will not leave the village alone, but "The Magnificent Seven" will strike back. This is a classic western with a great story line and plenty of shoot-'em-up action.

5. Top Ten Best Western Movies of All Time - "Silverado" (1985)

"Silverado" is often overlooked by western movie fans, but it is just a good, solid movie. It is action packed, like we expect of a good western, but it is also humorous. Kevin Kline, Scott Glenn, Kevin Costner, and Danny Glover are four unlikely heroes who band together to straighten up Silverado and straighten out the crooked sheriff.

"Silverado," made in 1985, is definitely a playback on the classic westerns of the 50's and 60's. It does justice to its cause and is a fun movie to watch.

6. Top Ten Best Western Movies of All Time - "The Long Riders" (1980)

"The Long Riders" is a violent, bloody affair that gives western fans all they could want in a western film, and it's all about Jesse James. This western is told as the drama of Jesse James, his brother and a band of outlaw brothers, the Youngers, unfolds on the Wild West. Banks, trains, and stage coaches are not safe from the unflinching gang of outlaws, who remain cool and hold their own even during a showdown. Don't miss the contrast drawn between the James boys and the Youngers, but how they nonetheless coalesce when it's time to get a job done.

7. Top Ten Best Western Movies of All Time - "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" (1969)

"Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" is a remarkable story about two famous American outlaws, Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid, played by two of America's favorite actors, Paul Newman and Robert Redford. The casting of these two outlaws may be one of the best ever in an American western movie.

Butch Cassidy is the brains, devising bank robberies and train robberies, while the Sundance Kid is the power, supplying the fastest gun in the west. The two make a lethal combination until the law, so hot on their trail, forces them to flee to Bolivia.

"Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" is a mixture of humor, drama, and adventure in the true spirit of classic western movie style.

8. Top Ten Best Western Movies of All Time - "The Tall T" (1957)

No list of the best western movies of all time would be complete without including a nod to iconic American western star Randolph Scott. He was another all-American cowboy, riding high in the saddle, rousing pride in would-be cowboy, movie fans. Westerns may well be considered a genre particularly appealing to men, well; Randolph Scott was a man's man. He dominated the screen.

Admittedly, choosing one Randolph Scott film to represent the star's body of work was difficult, but "The Tall T" fits the bill. Scott plays Brennan who loses his horse in a gamble and finds himself traveling in a hijacked stage coach with a couple of newlyweds. The woman, Doretta (Maureen O'Sullivan) has been duped into marriage, but worse becomes the victim of kidnapping and extortion when the hijackers discover that her father is a wealthy mine owner. The plan backfires on the husband who offers up his wife as the sacrificial lamb and Brennan (Scott) wins the battle and the lady.

9. Top Ten Best Western Movies of All Time - "Rio Bravo" (1959)

John Wayne, Ricky Nelson, Dean Martin, and Walter Brennan bring chemistry to the screen as the unlikely team works together to jail the brother of a notorious gun slinger. Sheriff John T. Chance (John Wayne) tries to sober up Dude (Dean Martin) enough to balance out his easy-riding deputy Stumpy (Walter Brennan) and a hot-headed quick draw named Colorado (Ricky Nelson). The all-star cast moves with grace and ease through tense dramatic action, song, and even humor.

10. Top Ten Best Westerns of All Time - "3:10 to Yuma" (1957) & ( 2007 )

"3:10 to Yuma" is easily one of the most popular western movies of our time, thanks to the 2007 remake. As it is debatable which is the better movie, they are both included in the number 10 slot of top ten best western movies of all time. Both were built on iconic western themes with plenty of gun fights to please even the most ardent cowboy fans.

The original (1957) "3:10 to Yuma" starred Glenn Ford, Van Heflin, Felicia Farr, and Leora Dana.

The remake (2007) had an all-star cast including Christian Bale, Russell Crowe, Ben Foster, and Peter Fonda.

"3:10 to Yuma" is the story of captured outlaw Ben Wade, whom a small-time rancher has agreed to surreptitiously escort to await his train to Yuma prison. Word leaks and Wade awaits his gang. As the situation reaches a climax there is no solution but a showdown.