Westernsare an American classic, filled with gunslinging cowboys, righteous sheriffs, and clever outlaws going toe to toe. The Western genre often has action films filled with blood-soaked violence and rogue heroes navigating the Wild West. The harsh and deadly American frontier serves as the perfect backdrop for a classic battle between good versus evil and law versus lawlessness. The conflict between the gun-toting characters promises an action-filled adventure that keeps viewers invested and engaged with the movie.
There is no shortage of incredible Westerns, ranging fromhigh-octane heist moviesto touching tales of friendship and camaraderie. There is a vast variety of sub-genres in Western films, meaning thatthere is an incredible action-filled Western movie for everyone. Thebest Western filmscan perfectly blend intense gunfights and shootouts with the classic Wild West brand of revenge and justice.
10Back To The Future Part III (1990)
Directed By Robert Zemeckis
Back to the Future Part III,the third andfinal installment of theBack to the Futurefranchise, follows Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) and Dr. Emmett Brown (Christopher Lloyd), better known as Doc, and their misadventures in the Wild West. The science fiction Western picks up fromBack To The Future Part II’sendingafter Doc disappears in his iconic DeLorean and is revealed to be trapped in the past in 1885.
Back to the Future Part III
Cast
The final entry in Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale’s timeless trilogy, Back to the Future Part III wraps up Marty McFly and Doc Brown’s adventures through time when Marty travels to 1885’s Wild West to save his mentor, meeting Biff Tannen’s ancestor “Mad Dog” and almost changing the course of history once again along the way.
WhileBack to the Future Part IIIis primarily a science fiction movie, it flawlessly blends the Wild West setting with the time travel hijinks that theBack to the Futurefranchise is famous for.Marty and Doc struggle to return to 1985 while dealing with surviving the Wild West.Back to the Future Part IIIis an action-filled adventure with duels, improper use of trains, and a bear chase.
Directed By Joel & Ethan Coen
The Coen brothers' filmThe Ballad of Buster Scruggsmight be best known for the iconic meme of James Franco casually asking “First time?” while at the gallows with a noose around his neck, fans of Westerns know the film forits thrilling portrayal of life and death in the Wild West explored through six stories. With six different stories unfolding, each with compelling leads and intriguing plots,The Ballad of Buster Scruggsis a thrilling and unique Western.
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs’six storiesisa delightful mix of action-heavy stories, from Tim Blake Nelson as Buster Scruggs, a singing yet deadly cowboy with a quick draw to James Franco as a cowboy on the run from the law after his failed attempt to rob a bank. The Western film is a tragic yet humorous exploration of life in the Wild West, and the six short and engaging stories makeThe Ballad of Buster Scruggsa must-watch Western.
8High Noon (1952)
Directed By Fred Zinnemann
High Noonis aWestern classic starring Gary Cooperasa marshal in a small town as a gang of killers threatens his town. Marshal Will Kane (Cooper) is ready to retire and move to another town with his new wife, Amy Fowler Kane (Gracy Kelly) and live a peaceful and happy life.
The entire movie builds towards the final battle between Cooper and Miller, and the ensuing shootout is a thrilling and satisfactory end to the film.
However, things take a dark turn after Frank Miller (Ian MacDonald), a deadly and dangerous criminal arrested by Kane is released from prison.High Noonisa classic Western film, with a heroic upholder of the law as the main character who is conflicted by his duty to his town and his desire to live a peaceful life with his wife.
High Noon
High Noon is a classic western directed by Fred Zinnemann and stars Gary Cooper as Marshal Will Kane, who must face a gang of outlaws alone after townsfolk abandon him. The film is notable for its real-time narrative as Kane prepares for a duel with the outlaws set to arrive by noon. Grace Kelly co-stars as Kane’s pacifist bride, adding emotional depth to the story.
The hero’s tale sees Kane take on Miller and his entire gang on his own without the support of the townspeople he protects. The entire movie builds towards the final battle between Cooper and Miller, and the ensuing shootout is a thrilling and satisfactory end to the film.
7Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid (1969)
Directed By George Roy Hill
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kidis an iconic Western film loosely based on the outlaws Robert LeRoy Parker, best known as Butch Cassidy (Paul Newman), and his partner in crime Harry Longabaugh, best known as the Sundance Kid (Robert Redford).
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Afterthe two outlaws commit a series of train robberies, they are forced to go on the run from lawmen and avoid being caught for their numerous crimes. The dynamic between Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid propels the movie, and Newman and Redford’s impeccable chemistry makes their relationship entertaining to watch and compelling.
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid follows the exploits of two notorious outlaws as they navigate the challenges of a changing American West. Starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford, the film combines elements of adventure and buddy comedy, capturing their attempts to evade capture while maintaining camaraderie. Directed by George Roy Hill, it explores themes of friendship and survival against the backdrop of early 20th-century societal shifts.
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kidisan action-packed film with multiple train robberies, bank robberies, and deadly gunfights. Thestrong bromance between the leadsalong with their entertaining and action-filled adventures makesButch Cassidy and the Sundance Kida timeless classic that audiences never tire of.
6The Wild Bunch (1969)
Directed By Sam Peckinpah
While most Western films feature a young, dashing group of men as they embark on adventures,The Wild Bunchrevolves around a group of aging outlawsin a gang that struggle to adjust to the changing world. The highly rated Western movie doesn’t shy away from the violence of the Old West, and the film features violent action and fight scenes. In theruthlessly violent Western, the group of outlaws led by Pike Bishop (William Holden) clashes with bounty hunters in a bloody and deadly shootout, and Pike escapes the survivors.
The Wild Bunch
The Wild Bunch is a Western drama film by director Sam Peckinpah, released in 1969. A group of aging outlaws decides to take on one last heist before retiring from their lives of crime. However, Pike Bishop, the head of the gang, discovers that they’ve been betrayed by a former partner, forcing them into a final standoff.
The violence and action scenes inThe Wild Buncharechilling, brutal, and devastating. In the first shootout in the movie, countless innocent bystanders are viciously murdered as Pike uses a parade as a human shield during his escape. The bloody and violent action film is a revolutionary Western, filled with betrayal, robberies, murder, and shootouts.
5No Country For Old Men (2007)
The Western crime thrillerNo Country for Old Menrevolves around the chaos caused by $2 million dollars lost in a drug dealgone wrong near the Rio Grande.No Country for Old Menfollows the three lead characters, Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin), the man who stumbles upon the missing cash, Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem), the ruthless hitman who won’t stop at any cost in his mission to recover the money, and Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones), the sheriff investigating the crimes and overwhelmed by the violence.
No Country for Old Men
No Country for Old Men is a western crime-thriller based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy and directed by the Cohen Brothers. Following three protagonists, the film centers around a large $2,000,000+ cache of dirty money lost near the Rio Grande. With a veteran who finds it, a hitman who will stop at nothing to get it, and a sheriff trying to investigate the crimes connected to it, all roads lead to death and mayhem as they find themselves in each other’s crosshairs.
No Country for Old Menis filled with twists and turns asthe three main characters lead a cat-and-mouse chase and fight for their survival. The Western isa brutal and violent action moviefilled with horrific murders and greed.No Country for Old Menisn’t violent for the sake of being violent, and each tragic and brutal death makes the story more compelling.
4Tombstone (1993)
Directed By George P. Cosmatos & Kevin Jarre
Tombstoneis a Western film revolving aroundthe famous lawmen Wyatt Earp (Kurt Russell) and Doc Holliday (Val Kilmer), and their showdown against the outlaws Johnny Ringo (Michael Biehn) and William Brocius, also known as Curly Bill (Powers Boothe). The outlaw gang known as the Cowboys, led by Curly Bill and his second-in-command Ringo, massacres police officers gathered for an officer’s wedding, drawing Wyatt Earp out of retirement.Tombstonefocuses on the battle between Earp and his men and the Cowboys.
Tombstone
Tombstone chronicles legendary marshal Wyatt Earp and his brothers as they seek fortune in a prosperous mining town. Forced to confront a gang threatening the community, Earp joins forces with the infamous Doc Holliday, highlighting a tense battle between lawmen and outlaws in the American West.
Tombstoneisa violence-filled action Westernthat dramatizes the events of the legendary gunfight at the O.K. Corral and the Earp Vendetta Ride after the ambush on Virgil (Sam Elliot) and Morgan Earp (Bill Paxton). The blood-soaked action scenes inTombstonerange from the classic Western duel to all-out massacres and deadly shootouts in the name of revenge. However,Tombstone’sendingis surprisingly hopeful, making it the perfect Western to rewatch.
3Bone Tomahawk (2015)
Directed By S. Craig Zahler
Bone Tomahawkisone of the darkest, most brutal, and shockingly gruesome filmsin the history of the Western genre. The genre-bending Western horror film revolves around a small-town sheriff, Franklin Hunt, played by Kurt Russel, and his dangerous mission to rescue missing people.
Bone Tomahawkisn’t a traditional Western, as the genre-bending film takes a sudden and ghastly turn to horror.
The search party takes a disturbingly dark and violent turn after Sheriff Hunt and his posse realize that a group of cannibals is behind the abductions.Bone Tomahawk’sgruesome death sceneis chilling and elevated by the fact that the action and violence prior to Deputy Nick’s (Evan Jonigkeit) death aren’t brutal or as violent.
Bone Tomahawk
Bone Tomahawk is a Western film that follows Sheriff Franklin Hunt, who gathers together a group of fighters to save three kidnapped victims from a clan of cannibals. After the town’s doctor is kidnapped along with two others, forcing the sheriff to partner with the town’s Native American professor and find the tribe before it’s too late.
Bone Tomahawkisn’t a traditional Western, asthe genre-bending film takes a sudden and ghastly turn to horror. While the film has a slow start, the battle scenes between Sheriff Hunt and his posse against the cannibals are compelling high-stakes scenes that make the Western unforgettable.
Directed By Sergio Leone
The Good, the Bad and the Uglyis a spaghetti Western that has one of the most famous shootout scenes in history.Known as one of the greatest Westerns of all time, the Westernfollows a gunslinging bounty hunter, bandit, and mercenary as they fight for a cache of Confederate gold.
The Good, The Bad And The Uglyhas a 97% rating onRotten Tomatoes.
The Good, the Bad and the Uglyhas an incredible castwith Blondie, also known as the Man with No Name, being played by Clint Eastwood, Tuco Ramirez, played by Eli Wallach, and Angel Eyes, played by Lee Van Cleef.The Good, the Bad and the Uglyis filled with money-making schemes, betrayal, and shootouts.
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
In the United States, a mysterious gunfighter tries to work together with a bandit and a bounty hunter to find a hidden treasure. The men are forced to forge a difficult alliance as each knows only part of the location. The big problem is that none of them has any intention of sharing the wealth once they’ve found it.
The three leads constantly team up and outsmart and betray each other in their search for gold, leading to an action-filled treasure-hunting adventure. The iconic Mexican stand-off between the three main characters is one of the best climax scenes in movie history.
1Django Unchained (2012)
Directed By Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino’sDjango Unchainedis a subversive revisionist Western film following the titular Django Freeman (Jamie Foxx), a freed slave who teams up with a German bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz), and embarks on a mission to free his wife Broomhilda (Kerry Washington).
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The award-winning filmDjango Unchainedisa violent action film filled with gunslingers and revenge plots. The beautifully choreographed fight scenes and the visually striking action sequences cementDjango Unchained’sstatus as one of the best action Western films.
Django Unchained
Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained follows Jamie Foxx’s Django, a Black slave who is freed before becoming a bounty hunter. After meeting German dentist-turned-bounty-hunter Dr. King Schultz, Django sets off to free his wife from the cruel and charismatic plantation owner Calvin Candie. Christophe Waltz stars alongside Foxx, with Leonardo DiCaprio, Samuel L. Jackson, and Kerry Washington rounding out the cast of Tarantino’s revisionist Spaghetti Western.
The action-heavyWesternDjango Unchainedhas spectacular gunfights, all of them intense, brutal, and satisfying to witness. Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a ruthless plantation owner and a formidable villain with a chilling presence on screen. Candie’s inevitable downfall and death is a well-earned and satisfying action sequence, filled with violence, death, and blood.
