The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)

[7] Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck star in Andrew Dominik's dramatization of the last months of famous outlaw Jesse James' life. Pitt plays James and Affleck plays his admirer-turned-assassin, Robert Ford. The young Ford character is smitten from the outset, but ridicule…
El Dorado (1967)

El Dorado (1967)

[7] John Wayne and Robert Mitchum headline this Howard Hawks western about a gunfighter-for-hire (Wayne) who teams up with a drunk sheriff (Mitchum) to help a family protect their land from a rival rancher. The plot to El Dorado was a little…
Yellow Sky (1948)

Yellow Sky (1948)

[6] Gregory Peck stars in William Wellman's (The Ox-Bow Incident, The Story of G.I. Joe) eerie western about a band of thieves that wander into a Death Valley ghost town where a young woman (Anne Baxter) and her grandfather have struck gold.…
True Grit (2010)

True Grit (2010)

[8] A teenaged girl ropes an aging, alcoholic U.S. Marshall into helping her find justice for her father's murder. In this age of sequels and remakes, it's hard to believe one of them could actually be this good. The Coen Brothers take…
Hombre (1967)

Hombre (1967)

[7] Paul Newman reunites with director Martin Ritt (Hud, The Long Hot Summer) for this ensemble Western based on the novel by Elmore Leonard. It's an Eastwoodesque performance from Newman, playing a reticent loner raised by Apaches who ends up having to…
The Searchers (1956)

The Searchers (1956)

[7] John Ford reteams with frequent leading man John Wayne in what is often considered one of the best Hollywood westerns ever made. Wayne plays Ethan Edwards, a loner returning home from the Civil War. After his brother's family is murdered by…
Pale Rider (1985)

Pale Rider (1985)

[6] Eastwood directs and stars in this Western tale of revenge. The most interesting thing about Pale Rider is the mysterious nature of Eastwood's character, a preacher/gunfighter who enters a mining colony's life in answer to a young girl's prayer. The film…
Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull’s History Lesson (1976)

Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull’s History Lesson (1976)

[6] Robert Altman uses the circus-like atmosphere of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show for a commentary on racism and the whitewashing of American history. It's actually a pretty light-hearted film built around Buffalo Bill's contentious relationship with Sitting Bull. Paul Newman is…
Chisum (1970)

Chisum (1970)

[7] John Wayne worked pretty much right up until the end of his life, and even in that last decade there are gems to be found. Chisum stars Wayne as the title character, John Chisum, a New Mexico cattle baron who ends…
Track of the Cat (1954)

Track of the Cat (1954)

[5] Robert Mitchum headlines this William Wellman flick about a family battling their personal demons while also trying to hunt and destroy a near-mythical black panther that is preying on their cattle during a deadly snowstorm. Mitchum plays one of three brothers, along…