#1 of 270 Best western movie
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
98 Metascore
About The Treasure of the Sierra Madre Top 100 · Western
The 100 Best Western Movies, Ranked
We rank 270 of the 3,238 western films on the site; these are the top 100. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) is #1 with a critics & audiences score of 92/100, level with Ride the High Country (1962) and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1967). Ranked by Echo Score; 74 of these 100 films have none (released before 2017, when Echo Scores start) and are ranked by a blend of their Metascore and IMDb/Letterboxd user ratings. A ranked watchlist for frontier tales and outlaw showdowns. For new releases and box office hits, see the western movies guide.
- ranked western films
- 270
- western films on the site
- 3,238
- release years in the top 100
- 1939–2024
- award winners in the top 100
- 26
#1 of 270 Top 10
What Are the Best Western Movies?
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) leads with a critics & audiences score of 92/100, level with Ride the High Country (1962); 4 of the top 10 are from the 1960s. Bisbee '17 (2018), a documentary directed by Robert Greene, is the only one ranked by Echo Score (88); the other 9, all released before 2017, are ranked by a blend of Metascore and IMDb/Letterboxd user ratings.
- 1. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre 98 Metascore (Metascore 98 out of 100)
1948 · Adventure, Drama · 2h 6m
No Echo Score: ranked 92/100 on critics & audiences · 5 award wins
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1. Ride the High Country 92 Metascore (Metascore 92 out of 100)1962 · Drama, Western · 1h 34m
Dir. Sam Peckinpah No Echo Score: ranked 92/100 on critics & audiences
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3. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly 90 Metascore (Metascore 90 out of 100)1967 · Adventure, Western · 2h 41m
Dir. Sergio Leone No Echo Score: ranked 91/100 on critics & audiences
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3. The Wild Bunch 98 Metascore (Metascore 98 out of 100)1969 · Action, Adventure · 2h 15m
Dir. Sam Peckinpah No Echo Score: ranked 91/100 on critics & audiences · 3 award nominations
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5. Bisbee '17 88 Echo (Echo Score 88 out of 100)2018 · Western, Documentary · 1h 52m
Dir. Robert Greene
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5. The Searchers 94 Metascore (Metascore 94 out of 100)1956 · Adventure, Drama · 1h 59m
Dir. John Ford No Echo Score: ranked 88/100 on critics & audiences · 1 award nomination
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7. Stagecoach 93 Metascore (Metascore 93 out of 100)1939 · Adventure, Drama · 1h 36m
Dir. John Ford No Echo Score: ranked 87/100 on critics & audiences · 2 award wins
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7. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance 94 Metascore (Metascore 94 out of 100)1962 · Drama, Western · 2h 3m
Dir. John Ford No Echo Score: ranked 87/100 on critics & audiences · 1 award nomination
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9. The Gunfighter 94 Metascore (Metascore 94 out of 100)1950 · Western · 1h 25m
Dir. Henry King No Echo Score: ranked 87/100 on critics & audiences · 1 award nomination
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10. No Country for Old Men 92 Metascore (Metascore 92 out of 100 (39 critic reviews))2007 · Drama, Thriller · 2h 2m
Dir. Ethan Coen No Echo Score: ranked 87/100 on critics & audiences · 17 award wins · $171.6M worldwide
#11 to #100
Western Movies Ranked #11 to #100
Places 11 to 100: Rio Bravo (1959) opens the list and The Beguiled (1971) closes it. 5 of these 90 films are not in English; 5 languages appear in all. Filter by decade or language, or sort by year or box office.
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Decade
Language
Places 11 to 100; films with the same score share a rank. Use a filter or another sort to include the top 10.
Echo Score, our 0–100 rating (films from 2017 on) Blend: Metascore with IMDb/Letterboxd user ratings, for films without an Echo Score
- 1 1. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
1948 · Adventure, Drama · 2h 6m
92 Blend - 1 1. Ride the High Country
1962 · Drama, Western · 1h 34m
92 Blend - 3 3. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
1967 · Adventure, Western · 2h 41m
91 Blend - 3 3. The Wild Bunch
1969 · Action, Adventure · 2h 15m
91 Blend - 5 5. Bisbee '17
2018 · Western, Documentary · 1h 52m
88 Echo $117.5K - 5 5. The Searchers
1956 · Adventure, Drama · 1h 59m
88 Blend - 7 7. Stagecoach
1939 · Adventure, Drama · 1h 36m
87 Blend - 7 7. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
1962 · Drama, Western · 2h 3m
87 Blend - 9 9. The Gunfighter
1950 · Western · 1h 25m
87 Blend - 10 10. No Country for Old Men
2007 · Drama, Thriller · 2h 2m
87 Blend $171.6M - 11
11. Rio Bravo1959 · Action, Drama · 2h 21m
86 Blend - 12
12. How to Blow Up a Pipeline2023 · Drama, Thriller · 1h 43m
85 Echo $1M - 12
12. In Searching2018 · Adventure, Drama · 1h 30m
85 Echo $5.2K - 14
14. Django Unchained2012 · Action, Adventure · 2h 45m
84 Blend $426.1M - 14
14. Unforgiven1992 · Drama, Crime · 2h 11m
84 Blend $159.2M - 16
16. Red River1948 · Drama, Western · 2h 13m
84 Blend - 17
17. Quantum Cowboys2023 · Animation, Comedy · 1h 39m
84 Echo - 18
18. The Yearling1947 · Drama, Western · 2h 8m
84 Blend - 19
19. McCabe & Mrs. Miller1971 · Drama, Western · 2h
83 Blend $34.3K - 20
20. Brokeback Mountain2005 · Drama, Romance · 2h 14m
82 Blend $178.1M - 20
20. Sweet Country2018 · Adventure, Drama · 1h 53m
82 Echo $1.8M - 20
20. Five Fingers For Marseilles2018 · Drama, Thriller · 2h
82 Echo $136.4K - 23
23. Shane1953 · Drama, Western · 1h 58m
82 Blend - 24
24. News of the World2020 · Action, Adventure · 1h 58m
80 Echo $12.7M - 24
24. The Rider2018 · Adventure, Drama · 1h 44m
80 Echo $3.4M - 24
24. The Wind2019 · Horror, Western · 1h 26m
80 Echo $131K - 24
24. Little Woods2019 · Drama, Crime · 1h 45m
80 Echo $171.9K - 24
24. Sweetgrass2010 · Adventure, Western · 1h 41m
80 Blend $209.2K - 24
24. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs2018 · Drama, Mystery · 2h 13m
80 Echo - 24
24. Old Yeller1957 · Adventure, Drama · 1h 23m
80 Blend - 31
31. True Grit1969 · Adventure, Drama · 2h 8m
80 Blend - 32
32. Aferim!2016 · Adventure, Drama · 1h 48m
79 Blend $350.1K - 33
33. El Dorado1967 · Drama, Romance · 2h 6m
79 Blend - 34
34. Giant1956 · Drama, Western · 3h 21m
79 Blend - 35
35. The Revenant2015 · Adventure, Drama · 2h 36m
78 Blend $533M - 36
36. Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia1974 · Action, Drama · 1h 52m
78 Blend $18.9K - 37
37. Hostiles2017 · Adventure, Drama · 2h 14m
78 Echo $35.7M - 37
37. The Sisters Brothers2018 · Adventure, Drama · 2h 1m
78 Echo $13.1M - 37
37. Meek's Cutoff2011 · Western · 1h 44m
78 Blend $1.2M - 37
37. High Ground2021 · Action, Adventure · 1h 44m
78 Echo $2.3M - 37
37. Bomb City2018 · Action, Drama · 1h 35m
78 Echo $59.3K - 37
37. The Westerner1940 · Drama, Romance · 1h 40m
78 Blend - 43
43. True Grit2010 · Drama, Western · 1h 50m
78 Blend $252.3M - 44
44. Duck, You Sucker1972 · Action, Adventure · 2h 18m
78 Blend $980 - 45
45. 3:10 to Yuma1957 · Drama, Thriller · 1h 32m
78 Blend - 46
46. For a Few Dollars More1967 · Western · 2h 12m
77 Blend - 47
47. Western2015 · Western, Documentary · 1h 32m
77 Blend - 48
48. The Shootist1976 · Drama, Romance · 1h 40m
76 Blend $8.1M - 49
49. 3:10 to Yuma2007 · Action, Drama · 2h 2m
76 Blend $70M - 50
50. The Dead Don't Hurt2024 · Drama, Western · 2h 9m
76 Echo $2M - 50
50. 3 Godfathers1949 · Drama, Western · 1h 46m
76 Blend - 52
52. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers1954 · Drama, Comedy · 1h 42m
76 Blend - 53
53. The Hateful Eight2015 · Drama, Mystery
75 Blend $161.2M - 54
54. Dances with Wolves1990 · Adventure, Drama · 3h 1m
75 Blend $424.2M - 54
54. Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 12024 · Drama, Western · 3h 1m
75 Echo $38.8M - 54
54. The Desert Bride2018 · Adventure, Drama · 1h 18m
75 Echo $205.4K - 54
54. She Wore a Yellow Ribbon1949 · Western · 1h 44m
75 Blend - 54
54. The Misfits1961 · Drama, Romance · 2h 5m
75 Blend - 54
54. Jeremiah Johnson1972 · Adventure, Drama · 1h 48m
75 Blend - 54
54. They Died with Their Boots On1942 · War, Western · 2h 20m
75 Blend - 61
61. Lone Star1996 · Drama, Mystery · 2h 15m
75 Blend $12.4M - 62
62. Of Mice and Men1992 · Drama, Western · 1h 55m
75 Blend $5.5M - 63
63. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid1969 · Adventure, Drama · 1h 50m
75 Blend - 64
64. Hondo1953 · Drama, Romance · 1h 23m
75 Blend - 64
64. Running Wild: The Life of Dayton O. Hyde2013 · Biography, History · 1h 33m
75 Blend - 66
66. The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada2005 · Adventure, Drama · 2h 1m
74 Blend $12M - 66
66. Hombre1967 · Western · 1h 51m
74 Blend - 68
68. Blazing Saddles1974 · Comedy, Western · 1h 33m
74 Blend $119.6M - 69
69. Killers of the Flower Moon2023 · Crime, Drama · 3h 26m
74 Echo $158.8M - 69
69. Blood & Gold2023 · Action, Drama · 1h 40m
74 Echo - 71
71. The Magnificent Seven1960 · Action, Adventure · 2h 8m
74 Blend - 72
72. The Professionals1966 · Action, Adventure · 1h 57m
73 Blend - 73
73. The Proposition2006 · Drama, Crime · 1h 44m
73 Blend $5M - 73
73. Surrounded2023 · Western · 1h 40m
73 Echo - 75
75. The Retrieval2014 · Drama, History · 1h 32m
73 Blend $50.3K - 76
76. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford2007 · Biography, Drama · 2h 40m
73 Blend $15M - 76
76. The Outlaw Josey Wales1976 · Western · 2h 15m
73 Blend $31.8M - 78
78. Westworld1973 · Action, Sci-Fi · 1h 28m
73 Blend $614 - 79
79. True History of the Kelly Gang2020 · Action, Biography · 2h 4m
72 Echo $471.2K - 79
79. Django1966 · Action, Western · 1h 31m
72 Blend - 79
79. There Was a Crooked Man...1970 · Comedy, Western · 2h 6m
72 Blend $15.2K - 79
79. The Outsider2019 · Western · 1h 26m
72 Echo $1.9K - 83
83. Bone Tomahawk2015 · Adventure, Drama · 2h 12m
72 Blend $382.6K - 84
84. Skin Game1971 · Comedy, Romance · 1h 42m
72 Blend - 85
85. Shanghai Noon2000 · Action, Adventure · 1h 50m
71 Blend $99.3M - 86
86. The Long Riders1980 · Western · 1h 40m
71 Blend $15.8M - 87
87. The Good, the Bad, the Weird2010 · Action, Adventure · 2h 10m
71 Blend $346.9K - 88
88. The Harder They Fall2021 · Drama, Western
71 Echo $8.3K - 88
88. Old Henry2021 · Western · 1h 39m
71 Echo $77.5K - 90
90. Open Range2003 · Drama, Romance · 2h 19m
71 Blend $68.3M - 90
90. My Name Is Nobody1974 · Comedy, Western · 1h 57m
71 Blend - 92
92. High Plains Drifter1973 · Mystery, Western · 1h 45m
71 Blend $15.7M - 93
93. Little Big Man1970 · Adventure, Drama · 2h 19m
71 Blend $31.6M - 94
94. Barbarosa1982 · Western · 1h 30m
71 Blend $1.7M - 94
94. Aatsinki: The Story of Arctic Cowboys2014 · Biography, Western · 1h 24m
71 Blend $6.6K - 96
96. The Settlers2024 · Crime, Drama · 1h 37m
70 Echo $113.5K - 96
96. A Fistful of Dollars1967 · Western · 1h 39m
70 Blend - 98
98. Slow West2015 · Action, Thriller · 1h 24m
70 Blend $1.3M - 99
99. Silverado1985 · Action, Western · 2h 13m
69 Blend $32.2M - 100
100. The Beguiled1971 · Drama, Thriller · 1h 45m
69 Blend $1.1M
No film in this list matches both filters. Choose "All" in one of them.
Decade by decade
The Best Western Movie of Every Decade
From Stagecoach (1939) in the 1930s to How to Blow Up a Pipeline (2023) in the 2020s: the highest-ranked western movie of each of 10 decades. The 2010s place the most films in the top 100 (27).
- 1930s 93 Metascore Stagecoach 1939
- 1940s 98 Metascore The Treasure of the Sierra Madre 1948
- 1950s 94 Metascore The Searchers 1956
- 1960s 92 Metascore Ride the High Country 1962
- 1970s 93 Metascore McCabe & Mrs. Miller 1971
- 1980s 68 Metascore The Long Riders 1980
- 1990s 85 Metascore Unforgiven 1992
- 2000s 92 Metascore No Country for Old Men 2007
- 2010s 88 Echo Bisbee '17 2018
- 2020s 85 Echo How to Blow Up a Pipeline 2023
Awards
Which Western Movies Won the Most Awards?
Brokeback Mountain (2005) has the strongest record with 18 wins from 41 nominations, including wins at Oscars, Golden Globes and BAFTA. Wins and nominations are counted across every ceremony on our awards pages.
- Brokeback Mountain 18 wins / 41 nom.2005 · Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTA · 87 Metascore
- No Country for Old Men 17 wins / 31 nom.2007 · Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTA · 92 Metascore
- Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid 15 wins / 23 nom.1969 · Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTA · 66 Metascore
- The Revenant 12 wins / 23 nom.2015 · Golden Globes, BAFTA, Critics' Choice · 76 Metascore
- Dances with Wolves 11 wins / 28 nom.1990 · Oscars, Golden Globes, DGA Awards · 72 Metascore
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High Noon 8 wins / 15 nom.1952 · Oscars, Golden Globes - Unforgiven 7 wins / 19 nom.1992 · Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTA · 85 Metascore
- Django Unchained 7 wins / 18 nom.2012 · Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTA · 81 Metascore
Keep exploring
More Ways to Explore Western Movies
The top 100 are the best 37% of 270 ranked western films. The western guide, the full list of 3,238 films and the western box office chart cover the rest of the genre.
FAQ
Western Movies: Questions & Answers
Answers from the western ranking above: the best western film, how many western movies there are, the strongest decade and the most awarded western film.
What is the best western movie?
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) is the best-ranked western movie on What's After the Movie, with a critics & audiences score of 92/100. Ride the High Country (1962) and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1967) follow. Bisbee '17 (2018), a documentary directed by Robert Greene, is the only one ranked by Echo Score (88); the other 9, all released before 2017, are ranked by a blend of Metascore and IMDb/Letterboxd user ratings.
About The Treasure of the Sierra Madre How many western movies are there?
The site lists 3,238 western films. 270 of them are ranked: features of 60+ minutes with a real audience, critic, award or box office signal and a score. This page shows the top 100.
All western movies Which decade has the best western movies?
The 2010s place 27 films in the top 100, more than any other decade. The oldest film in the list is Stagecoach (1939), the newest The Dead Don't Hurt (2024).
What is the most awarded western movie?
Brokeback Mountain (2005) won 18 awards from 41 nominations, ahead of No Country for Old Men (2007) (17 wins), counted across the Oscars, festivals and guild awards on our awards pages.
Movie awards How is this list different from the western genre page?
This page is only the ranking of the 100 best western films. The western genre page covers the whole genre: new releases, the biggest box office hits, its directors and how it changed over the decades.
Western movies guide