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Michael John Petty
Published 17 minutes ago
Michael John Petty is a Senior Author for Collider who spends his days writing, in fellowship with his local church, and enjoying each new day with his wife and daughters. At Collider, he writes features and reviews, and has interviewed the cast and crew of Dark Winds. In addition to writing about stories, Michael has told a few of his own. His first work of self-published fiction – The Beast of Bear-tooth Mountain – became a #1 Best Seller in "Religious Fiction Short Stories" on Amazon in 2023. His Western short story, The Devil's Left Hand, received the Spur Award for "Best Western Short Fiction" from the Western Writers of America in 2025. Michael currently resides in North Idaho with his growing family.
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When it comes to the Western, there are some movies that you just have to see. From flicks about aging outlaws making their way across the vanishing West, or small-town dramas about a lone lawman standing up for what's right, the horse opera is a vast genre with plenty of great material to choose from. While not every addition is a sure-fire hit, there are plenty of Westerns out there that audiences might consider "perfect."
But what makes a perfect film? Is it the script and the direction? The performances and the cinematography? Is it compelling characters or a clever plot? Frankly, it's a little bit of all of that, but even some films that one might consider perfect, another may not by the same standards (looking at you, Quentin Tarantino). Truth be told, there are probably 10 more Westerns that could easily be added to this list, but if you want to know our top 10 that you should watch immediately if you haven't before, look no further than these genre classics.
10 ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ (1969)
Robert Redford Katharine Ross and Paul Newman in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance KidImage Via 20th Century Fox
It's true that 1969 was a solid year for Westerns, as both True Grit and The Wild Bunch made their way to the screen that same year. But Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is arguably the most influential and finely tuned picture of the three, with unbeatable performances by Paul Newman and Robert Redford that were not only career-defining, but history-making. As the titular outlaws run from a band of lawmen hot on their trail, they find themselves far from the traditional Old West as they continue to chase that American Dream.
With its New Hollywood-style of filmmaking that pulls away from traditional narratives while emphasizing directorial vision and morally ambiguous characters, Butch and Sundance is a stellar Western that arguably reinvented the genre. Director George Roy Hill created a masterpiece here that's difficult to beat. Although its trademark tune feels a bit too upbeat and cheery on the surface, it too was a powerful countercultural display perfect for the film. Even non-Western fans will love this one.
9 ‘3:10 to Yuma’ (2007)
Ben Foster as Charlie Prince pulls his gun in '3:10 to Yuma' (2007)Image via Lionsgate
A remake of a 1957 picture of the same name, director James Mangold made his mark on the genre with a Western that's perfect in every way. 3:10 to Yuma meditates on the tension between known outlaw Ben Wade (Russell Crowe) and upright rancher Dan Evans (Christian Bale) as the men come to learn from and understand one another as the latter leads the former to his ultimate fate. Full of quick action and clever character work, this is one remake that surpasses the already grand original.
Everyone is at their A-game here, from the leading men to the supporting cast — perhaps especially Ben Foster as Wade's erratic right-hand gun Charlie Prince — to even minor players. Mangold effortlessly creates a world where blood and violence is the lay of the land, and yet men like Dan still fight for what's decent and moral. Between the climactic robbery sequence and the epic finale, this motion picture has cemented its status on this list.
8 ‘Unforgiven’ (1992)
Clint Eastwood as Bill Munny sitting on a horse in UnforgivenImage via Warner Bros.
Few actors make the successful leap from thespian to filmmaker, but Clint Eastwood is a star who often defied the odds. No better film is his proficiency and talent on full display both in front of and behind the camera than in Unforgiven, a picture that follows former gunfighter William Munny (Eastwood) as he gets back into the game one last time. A Western to end all Westerns, the film is a masterclass in character work and genre-informed excitement that feels both historically and mythically true.
Although Eastwood originally had a different ending in mind for Unforgiven, what he decided to do with this feature was simply superb. When it comes to Westerns that feel definitive to both a certain performer's time in the genre and the genre itself, you know it's something special. David Webb Peoples' killer screenplay is just as momentous as Unforgiven's leading man, who steals the show in more ways than one.
7 ‘Stagecoach’ (1939)
Claire Trevor as Dallas and John Wayne as Ringo the Kid standing next to each other in StagecoachImage via United Artists
The Western that truly put director John Ford and star John Wayne on the map, Stagecoach was another film that revolutionized the horse opera. Before that, Westerns were largely B-picture fodder, but after Stagecoach, Hollywood began taking the genre more seriously than ever. When an unlikely band find themselves pursued by warring Apaches, they must stand together to keep alive, at least until they get to Lordsburg, New Mexico.
It was here that the Duke proved himself to be a capable leading star, and the script work on these characters feels quite modern even over 80 years later. Stagecoach is easily one of the greatest movies ever made, and continues to influence the genre to this day. No remake has ever been able to recapture the magic of the original, which gave Ford and Wayne the confidence to take the genre by storm.
6 ‘High Noon’ (1952)
Image via United Artists/MGM
Another quintessential picture that ought to be propped up in the Western canon, High Noon was mighty controversial in its day due to some subjective interpretation of director Fred Zinnemann's political messaging, but regardless of where you fall on that spectrum, it's a profound feature that speaks to the genre's greatest strengths. Gary Cooper plays Marshal Will Kane, a man who takes his duty to the law quite seriously despite what others say. When his sworn enemy is announced to be returning to Hadleyville, he stands alone against the outlaw gang that would just as soon gun him down.
Cooper is phenomenal here, but what really makes High Noon work so well is that it tells the story in real time. We watch as Kane wanders around town looking for someone to stand with him, but when he can find none willing to do so, he settles to stand alone against the impending villainous forces. A classical Western in every sense, this one is right up there with the likes of Shane (another film that could easily belong on this list) as being a straightforward representation of what traditional horse operas have to offer.
5 ‘Rio Bravo’ (1959)
John Wayne as John T. Chance with his rifle in 'Rio Bravo'.Image via Warner Bros.
Made as a direct response to High Noon, Howard Hawks and John Wayne teamed up for the first of three films that would follow the same basic idea. But while the other two have some issues of their own, Rio Bravo is a perfect Western that gives the audience exactly what they asked for, even if they didn't know it. Following Sheriff John T. Chance as he awaits the return of a sworn enemy, this lawman is surrounded by his friends as the conflict slowly grows in their small Western town.
There's so much to love about Rio Bravo that it's hard to distill it into a few short words, but between Wayne's work as Chance, Dean Martin's killer performance as "Dude," and the similar (yet distinctly different) concept to High Noon give this Western everything it needed to become an instant classic. To this day, it's one of Quentin Tarantino's favorite films, and we can understand why.
4 ‘The Gunfighter’ (1950)
Closeup of Gregory Peck in The GunfighterImage via 20th Century Studios
When it comes to Western outlaws, sometimes the best of the (wild) bunch are those who would just as soon put up their guns than use them. This is the type of many Gregory Peck's Jimmy Ringo is in The Gunfighter. Haunted and disillusioned by his life carrying a gun, Ringo returns to the town of Cayenne to make amends with his past and see if he can't move on from what he is trying to leave behind — the problem is, trouble follows him home. The Gunfighter is a psychologically rich picture that deals with the consequences of violence and the hopes a man has for escaping it.
The usual Western themes of revenge and redemption are strongly at play here, but The Gunfighter doesn't spend an absorbant amount of time pursuing casual gunplay. Instead, every shot is intentional, and the weight of each bullet is deeply felt. Ringo is the type of protagonist who we want to see get his happy ending, and Peck's work on-screen here is some of the most underrated in the whole genre.
3 ‘Tombstone’ (1993)
Doc Holliday (Val Kilmer) confronts Frank McLaury (Robert John Burke) in 'Tombstone'Image via Buena Vista Pictures
Sometimes considered the best that the genre has to offer, Tombstone is a phenomenal Western that, after successes like Dances with Wolves and Unforgiven, truly set a spark within Hollywood to recapture the mythic nature of the American West. As Wyatt Earp (Kurt Russell) and his brothers arrive in Tombstone, Arizona to strike it rich, they soon find themselves at war with a notorious gang of road agents who threaten to tear down everything the Earps have built. With Val Kilmer's Doc Holliday by their side, the Earps fight back.
There may not be a single Western out there that is more quotable than Tombstone. Almost every line is a work of art as every actor thrives on the screen, threatening to steal the spotlight right out from under their scene players. While perhaps not as historically accurate as its contemporary Wyatt Earp, Tombstone remains a powerhouse of filmmaking that is just as good today as it was 30 years ago. It's simply perfect.
2 ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ (1966)
Lee Cleef and Clint Eastwood in The Good, The Bad and the UglyImage via United Artists
While any one of Sergio Leone's Dollars Trilogy could be argued as perfect, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly stands out as being the end-all-be-all of Spaghetti Westerns. Not only is Clint Eastwood's Man With No Name at his best here, but the full cast, which includes Lee Van Cleef and Eli Wallach, is irreplaceable. Everything from the sweeping cinematography to the accomplished score to the characters themselves makes the Western feel more epic and gritty than most pictures of its day. It's also just a darn good movie.
To understand why The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is often considered a perfect Western, look no further than that iconic Mexican standoff sequence at the end of the film. The tension that builds up between the three men cannot be replicated by any film without simply feeling derivative. It's a moment that makes the whole audience pause for breath before unleashing the full force of the Italian-made picture on them. It's no wonder this one has influenced so many filmmakers over the years.
1 ‘The Searchers’ (1956)
John Wayne as Ethan Edwards standing outside of a doorway in The Searchers.Image via Warner Bros.
If there was any doubt that The Searchers, a picture that has often been considered one of the greatest movies (not just Westerns) of all time, would be listed among the genre's most "perfect," let's put those fears to bed. Ford and Wayne return for a triumphant tale that is, frankly, the pinnacle of their respective filmographies. As Wayne's Ethan Edwards searches alongside Martin Pawley (Jeffrey Hunter) for his missing niece, the pair spend years in the wilderness on the trail of the Comanche. It's a basic plot, but in practice, it's so much more.
This is a movie that you know will be a masterpiece from the get-go. Even the Duke considered it his very best, and for good reason. Ethan's complicated quest to kill the Indians responsible for the death of his kin goes much further and deeper than that, as he is willing to even put a bullet in his own niece when she's revealed to have assimilated with the tribe. It's a powerful picture of the damage that violence and prejudice can do to a man, and how Western heroes can be just as heroic when they show restraint and mercy as they can be toting a firearm on the back of a horse. Ford proves once and for all that he understands the Western better than just about anyone else, and the results speak for themselves.
The Searchers
Like NR Western Release Date May 26, 1956 Runtime 119 minutes Director John Ford Writers Frank S. Nugent Producers C.V. WhitneyCast
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John Wayne
Ethan Edwards
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Jeffrey Hunter
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