11 Best Westerns With Over 90% on Rotten Tomatoes, Ranked

The Rotten Tomatoes scores that define modern movie criticism can be known to occasionally miss the mark. While most truly great and terrible films are recognizable as so, there are times when the venerated Tomatometer has a notable divide between the views of critics and audiences. And yet, a truly high score is worn as a badge of honor and an impossibly low score is akin to a wanted poster dooming the film to empathy. Its fitting then that Rotten Tomatoes with its badges and criminals so frequently gets Western classics right.

Despite lower than expected scores for hits like Tombstone (74%) and Young Guns (33%) the vast majority of Western staples are recognized by both critics and audiences as deserving of high praise. Cowboys, robbers, and the Old West have captured the hearts of viewers since nearly the birth of cinema and great Westerns have continuously been made for over a century. Some, however, are not just loved but loved universally, with over 90% of critics recognizing these cowboys and gunslingers for their stellar and enduring qualities.

11 ‘True Grit’ (2010)

95% – Directed by Ethan Coen and Joel Coen

Western legend John Wayne won an Oscar for originating the character of Rooster Cogburn in the 1969 True Grit, but it is the Jeff Bridges version of the character from the 2010 remake that will appear in viewer’s heads today. Directed by the brothers Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, and starring Bridges, alongside Hailee Steinfeld, Matt Damon, and Josh Brolin, True Grit is one of the best remakes of all time and perfectly updates this classic revenge tale for modern audiences.

The Coen brothers have long resonated with themes such as vengeance, violence and nihilism and use these colors to paint a darker less idealized version of the Old West. Bridges makes the character of Rooster Cogburn decidedly his own, and manages to out do even John Wayne in making the character a tragic and sympathetic figure. True Grit received 10 nominations at that year’s Academy Awards including nods for Bridges, the Coen Brothers and even Hailee Steinfeld at just 13 years old. While it can be hard to make a truly great Western remake, True Grit has rightfully earned recognition from the vast majority of critics and viewers.

10 ‘A Fistful of Dollars’ (1964)

98% – Directed by Sergio Leone

A Fistful of Dollars is the first film in Sergio Leone‘s famed Dollars Trilogy which has come to define the image of Westerns in popular culture. The film stars Clint Eastwood in his first appearance as the iconic Man with No Name, a character defined by Eastwood’s reserved yet charismatic performance and his idea to change the film’s script and purge the character’s dialogue. This initial outing of Clint Eastwood and Sergio Leone is one of the highest rated films on Rotten Tomatoes due to its influence and how it lay the groundwork for what was to follow.

Heavily inspired by the Akira Kurosawa classicYojimbo, A Fistful of Dollars tells the story of a stranger (Eastwood) who stumbles upon a town troubled by warring factions. Keeping his identity and motivations close to the chest, the man with no name interjects himself into this turf war and slowly begins to undermine both factions…improving the lives of those caught in the middle. The combination of its protagonists’ calm but cool demeanor and the equally stylish directing from Leone are juxtaposed with the film’s surprisingly deep empathy for everyday folks just trying to get by in the Old West. Even 60 years later, A Fistful of Dollars is a thrilling watch filled with flare, action, and a surprising well of emotion.

9 ‘The Rider’ (2017)

97% – Directed by Chloe Zhao

Before directing the Best Picture winner Nomadland or the MCU blockbuster Eternals, Chloe Zhao stunned critics and audiences with this deeply personal and heartfelt modern Western. Filmed using unknown or amateur actors, The Rider lets viewers into the tale of Brody (Brady Jandreau) a once promising rodeo star who must re-align his life after a career-ending accident. The film focuses on the pressures of masculinity as Brody must re-orientate his life and struggle against how he is viewed by others, and himself.

The film is driven by Jandreau, who was an actual horse trainer before being discovered and coerced into the movie by Zhao. This actual experience in rodeo and genuine connection between director and actor allows The Rider to portray Brody’s story and struggle with heartbreaking amounts of detail and accuracy. Lost in the shadow of the awards magnet that was Nomadland, T he Rideris an underrated film by Chloe Zhao, but nonetheless serves as a fantastic showcase of her ability to make character and empathy shine on screen. One of the more unconventional Westerns of its time, The Rider is a must-watch for those interested not just in what cowboys do, but how they feel.

8 ‘High Noon’ (1952)

95% – Directed by Fred Zinneman

A Western classic from over 70 years ago, High Noon‘s surprisingly modern acting, action, and thrills, make it hold up even today. With a near perfect score on rotten tomatoes, critics and audiences consistently find themselves drawn to this Western drama which famously turned around Gary Cooper‘s career and won the actor an Oscar. High Noon is told in real time and focuses on Cooper as Marshal Kane, a sheriff who attempts to rally allies before a violent outlaw descends upon his town.

One of the main reasons High Noon is still relevant and accessible today, however, is the film’s enduring thematic and political messages. In the film, the moral and just Kane’s cries for help fall upon deaf ears from the supposedly “good” and “civil” people of his town, leading him to face the threat alone. Though likely meant by its creative team as a rebuttal against Red-Scare era blacklisting in Hollywood, the film’s allegory can be mapped on to many situations in life and has found love from all sides of the political spectrum (it was even the favorite film of Ronald Reagan). Notably, the film and Kane as a character became a point of rallying during Poland’s fight for independence from the Soviet Union.

7 ‘Hell or a High Water’ (2016)

97% – Directed by David Mackenzie

One of the first great Westerns, The Great Train Robbery, was also one of the first great heist movies. Crime, outlaws, and theft have been a part of the genre since nearly its inception, so it is only fitting that one of the best modern Westerns, Hell or High Water is also an amazing heist film. Starring Chris Pine and Ben Foster as a pair of brothers who commit daring robberies to save their family ranch, and proven cowboy Jeff Bridges as the Texas ranger assigned to stop them, Hell or High Water takes a classic Old West set up and updates it with stellar action, drama, and direction.

At a near perfect 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, Hell or High Water appeared on countless year-end lists when it was released in 2016, and garnered four Oscar nominations including Best Picture. Chris Pine and Ben Foster deliver compelling performances as brothers on the run and their desperate nature and nomadic adventures make for one of the best road crime movies of all time. When combined with what might be Jeff Bridges’ definitive Western role,Hell or Highwater is a compelling neo-Western and deserving of its praise.

6 ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’ (1962)

95% – Directed by John Ford

The meeting of legendary Golden Age Hollywood leading men John Wayne, Lee Marvin and Jimmy Stewart, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is one of the most well regarded and well respected Westerns of all time. Under the direction of Western visionary John Ford this film tells the story of a senator (Stewart) who recounts his heroic role in the defeat of the outlaw Liberty Valance (Marvin). It is Western icon John Wayne, however, who shines brightest in the film, as the cowboy puts on one of the best performances of his illustrious career in the role of a rough around the edges local ranger…and the real man, who put an end to the villainous Liberty Valance.

It is this unforeseen and memorable twist from which the film derives most of its themes and lasting impact. In taking credit for the actions of a dead man, Stewart’s senator gains fame, notoriety and political power, but soils the memory of a man who only wanted to do right for those around him. Even when the truth has the opportunity to be revealed, those in the film agree that the power and reach of the fake myth they have participated in has grown too big, and too important to stop. This lasting message about truth, justice, and politics resonates in our modern era, and has allowed The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance to withstand the test of time.

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5 ‘Treasure of the Sierra Madre’ (1950)

100% – Directed by John Huston

One of the rare films with a perfect 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, Treasure of The Sierra Madre is an often overlooked yet absolutely iconic Western film. Directed by The Maltese Falcon director John Huston and often considered to be better than that landmark masterpiece, Treasure of the Sierra Madre is a parable of greed and pride, focusing on Humphrey Bogart as a downtrodden and broken man who, along with several other vagabonds, searches for wealth and gold in Mexico.

Treasure of the Sierra Madre showcases Bogart playing against type as a man who succumbs to greed and corruption, in contrast to the heroic persona he was known for. It is one of the actors’ best performances and some of the greatest acting in a classic Hollywood film. The film’s willingness to defy viewer expectations and work against what was becoming a rigid Western format, has made Treasure of the Sierra Madre an enduring classic, referenced and emulated in everything from Reservoir Dogs to Breaking Bad.

4 ‘Unforgiven’ (1992)

96% – Directed by Clint Eastwood

Arguably the face of the Western genre, Clint Eastwood has not only starred in some of the greatest cowboy films of all time, but has also combined them with his immense talent behind the camera. Unforgiven showcases both of these talents at the same time and rightfully earns its place as the most outstanding Western of the 1990s. The film manages to shirk comparison to Eastwood’s classic Man with No Name films by presenting a uniquely dark, grim, and violent version of the Old West.

Eastwood stars as William Munny, an elderly outlaw who is forced back into action on a quest to find absolution and redemption. Gene Hackman plays opposite Eastwood as the pragmatic and direct Sheriff Little Bill in a role which rightfully earned him an Academy Award. Despite little bill being the antagonist, however, it is Munny who arguably serves as the film’s villain. Through his ponderous direction and thoughtful acting Eastwood portrays William Munny as a violent, near reprehensible man forcing the audience to question whether he is even worthy the redemption that he seeks. Unforgiven serves as Clint Eastwood’s definitive statement on the genre that he himself helped codify, and earned him both Best Director and Best Picture Oscars at the 1993 Academy Awards.

3 ‘Once Upon a Time in the West'(1968)

96% – Directed by Sergio Leone

An encapsulation of so many things that made the Spaghetti Westerns of the 60s so genre defining and everlasting, 1968’s one of Once Upon a Time in the West was for many the final piece of evidence needed to dub Sergio Leone as the greatest western director in history. The film stars Henry Fonda and Charles Bronson as two outlaws on an explosive collision course of violence and revenge. Leone’s gifts for pacing, shine brighter than ever as Once Upon a Time in the West features iconic moments both quiet and loud, and flows between them with the ease of a musician, playing the right notes at every turn.

Beginning with what is arguably the greatest opening in the history of cinema, Once Upon a Time in The West is itself a lot more about endings. Set against the backdrop of a fading Old West as law, order and civilization begin to creep into all corners, the film showcases characters looking for resolution and finality as they feel the chapters of their life turning or ending. It is a bittersweet film that portrays the West with both idyllic reverence and violent truth. Telling a perfect tale of ending eras, just as Western films themselves were beginning to fall out of the mainstream.

2 ‘No Country for Old Men’ (2007)

93% – Directed by Ethan Coen and Joel Coen

One of the most brutal, violent, and hauntingly beautiful films ever made, No Country for Old Men is also a tale of changing times and ending eras. Featuring Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin, and Javier Bardem as one of the most perfect villains ever put to screen, the film focuses on a drug deal gone wrong, the bag of money meant for it, and the violence and corruption characters undergo to control this wealth. Bardem steals the show as the sociopathic and menacing hitman, Anton Chigur, one of the most iconic and memorable villains of the entire 21st century.

The bulk of emotion from the film, however, comes from Tommy Lee Jones as Sheriff Ed Tom Bell, an aging law enforcement officer attempting to track down the ruthless Chigur, and recover the lost money. No Country for Old Men is built around Bell’s feelings of unease with the growing culture of violence and greed among newer generations and his struggles to do right in a world which seems to lose more and more morality by the day. This is exemplified by the film’s unforgettable and haunting ending, in which Bell explains his dreams to his wife, Chigur gets away, and justice fails to be found. Its a Western tale for the 21st century a counterpoint to idealism, and one of the most striking and thought-provoking films of the modern era.

1 ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ (1966)

97% – Directed by Sergio Leone

If Sergio Leone is the greatest director in the Western genre, and Clint Eastwood its greatest actor, then The Good, the Bad and the Ugly represent the greatest of the greats. In the final part of the duo’s Dollars Trilogy, both are presented at the absolute height of their powers in this 97% Rotten Tomatoes film, which has become recognized time and time again as likely the single greatest Western film ever made. Focusing once again on the iconic Man with No Name (the good), The Good, the Bad and the Ugly pits Clint Eastwood across from Lee Van Cliff (the bad) and Eli Wallach (the ugly) in a search for treasure amidst the backdrop of the American Civil War.

Often considered Leone’s best work and his finest direction, the film is known for its iconic long takes and close ups, as well as its iconic Mexican standoff finale, which would go on to be parodied, homaged and imitated in everything from The Simpsons to Stephen King‘s Dark Tower. The film’s music is also widely regarded as some of the best in all of cinema even outside the Western genre. All in all, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is one of the most instantly recognizable and iconic films of all time, making its near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score not only justified but, arguably, three points too low.