These are the greatest Westerns of all time, according to the experts

Any “best of” list is subjective, dependent on who is doing the judging and on the criteria of the films being considered. Therefore, they are all highly subject to debate.

That’s why we’re giving you a few “greatest of all time” lists here to choose from, so you can judge for yourself. (The snarky comments in parentheses are ours; we couldn’t resist.)

The Buffalo Bill Center of the West

“Museum curators, historians, firearms experts and film buffs” selected by The Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyo., were given a list of 100 films from which to choose favorites. From those, the center compiled the 20 Greatest Westerns Ever Made. (Personally, I love that voters chose “Blazing Saddles” as No. 7.) See more at centerofthewest.org. (Note: Few of these are available to watch for free; most are rentals on the services listed, which may change without notice; check listings. May be shown on other sites. Current as of Dec. 15, 2025.)

The countdown:

No. 20: “Lonesome Dove” (1989), a miniseries (the center readily admits to breaking the rules to include this one), starring Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones. Where to watch: free with subscription to Amazon Prime Video, Tubi, Peacock and other streaming services.

No. 19: “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre” (1948), starring Humphrey Bogart and Walter Huston. Not rated. Running time: 126 minutes. Where to watch: Rent on Prime Video, Apple TV.

No. 18: “Once Upon a Time in the West” (1968), starring Henry Fonda and Claudia Cardinale. Not rated. Running time: 175 minutes. Where to watch: Pluto TV, or rent on Prime Video, Apple TV, YouTube and others.

No. 17: “She Wore a Yellow Ribbon” (1949), starring John Wayne and directed by John Ford. Not rated. Running time: 104 minutes. Where to watch: Rent on Prime Video, Apple TV, YouTube and others.

No. 16: “Winchester ’73 (1950), starring Jimmy Stewart. Not rated. Running time: 92 minutes. Where to watch: Rent on Prime Video, Apple TV and others.

No. 15: “Stagecoach” (1939), starring John Wayne and directed by John Ford. Not rated. Running time: 96 minutes. Where to watch: Free on Tubi, Prime Video and HBO Max and other services (with subscription), and for rent on Apple TV.

No. 14: “Dances With Wolves” (1990), starring and directed by Kevin Costner. Rated: PG-13. Running time: 181 minutes. Where to watch: Hulu, HBO Max, Prime Video and Apple TV (with subscription).

No. 13: “Quigley Down Under” (1990), starring Tom Selleck and Alan Rickman. Rated: PG-13. Running time: 120 minutes. Where to watch: Free on Tubi and Prime Video (with subscription), for rent on Apple TV and other services.

No. 12: “The Magnificent Seven” (1960), starring Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen and Charles Bronson. Not rated. Running time: 128 minutes. Where to watch: AMC+ and Prime Video, or rent at MGM+, Apple TV and other services.

No. 11: “McLintock!” (1963), starring John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara. Not rated. Running time: 127 minutes. Where to watch: Free on Tubi, Pluto TV and Prime Video (with subscription), or rent at Apple TV.

No. 10: “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance” (1962), starring John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart and directed by John Ford. Rated: PG-13. Running time: 123 minutes. Where to watch: Prime Video, YouTube, Apple TV and others, with subscription.

No. 9: “High Noon” (1952), starring Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly. Rated: PG. Running time: 85 minutes. Where to watch: Free on Pluto TV, with subscription on Prime Video and AMC+, and for rent at Apple TV.

No. 8: “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” (1969), starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford. Rated: PG. Running time: 110 minutes. Where to watch:  Prime Video,  YouTube, Netflix and AMC+ (subscriptions) and for rent at Apple TV.

No. 7. “Blazing Saddles” (1974), starring Gene Wilder and Cleavon Little. Rated: R. Running time: 95 minutes. Where to watch: HBO Max, or for rent at Apple TV and Prime Video.

No. 6: “The Searchers” (1956), starring John Wayne and directed by (you guessed it) John Ford. Not rated. Running time: 119 minutes. Where to watch: For rent at Prime Video, YouTube and Apple TV.

No. 5: “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966), starring Clint Eastwood. Rated: R. Running time: 178 minutes. Where to watch: Prime Video, YouTube or AMC+ (subscription), or rent at Apple TV.

No. 4: “Unforgiven” (1992), starring Clint Eastwood, who took home Best Picture and Best Director Oscars for it. Rated: R. Running time: 130 minutes. Where to watch: Rent on Prime Video, YouTube or Apple TV.

No. 3: “True Grit” (1969), starring John Wayne and Kim Darby. Rated: PG-13. Running time: 110 minutes. Where to watch: Netflix, Prime Video or AMC+ (with subscription), or rent at Apple TV.

No. 2: “Shane” (1953), starring Alan Ladd and Brandon De Wilde. Rated: G. Running time: 118 minutes. Where to watch: Rent with Prime Video, YouTube and Apple TV.

No. 1: “Tombstone” (1993), starring Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, Sam Elliott and Bill Paxton (and narrated by Robert Mitchum!). Rated: R. Running time: 130 minutes. Where to watch: Hulu (subscription, or rent at Prime Video, Apple TV and YouTube. “If I’m going to tell a person to watch a single Western, because it is all they can stomach, care about, muster, last day on Earth, there is a good chance it would be Tombstone. It’s your huckleberry,” said Danny M. of the Cody Firearms Museum in his vote. What he said.

Streaming services

When reading these, consider the source — meaning these all showed on these streaming services when the lists were published. (Cause I certainly don’t remember “The Last Son” from 2022 or “Bandidas” from 2006, and I’m betting you won’t, either.)

Hulu (Posted April 2025)

“Tombstone” (1993), about the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Ariz., in 1881. Starring: Val Kilmer as Doc Holliday and Kurt Russell as Wyatt Earp. Rated: R. Running time: 130 minutes. Where to watch: Hulu (subscription, or rent on Prime Video, Apple TV and YouTube.

“3:10 to Yuma” (2007), starring Russell Crowe and Christian Bale. Rated: R. Running time: 122 minutes. Where to watch: Hulu, Prime Video and Peacock (with subscription), or rent on Apple TV.

“Dances With Wolves” (1990), starring (and directed by) Kevin Costner, and winner of seven Academy Awards. Rated: PG-13. Running time: 181 minutes. Where to watch: Hulu, HBO Max, Prime Video and Apple TV (with subscription).

“The Last Victim” (2021), starring Ron Perlman. Rated: R. Running time: 103 minutes. Where to watch: For rent on Prime Video and Apple TV; check listings for Hulu availability.

“Stagecoach” (1939), starring John Wayne. Not rated. Running time: 96 minutes. Where to watch: Hulu, Tubi, Prime Video and HBO Max (with subscription), and for rent on Apple TV.

“The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” (1966), starring Clint Eastwood and Eli Wallach. Rated: R. Running time: 178 minutes. Where to watch: Prime Video, YouTube or AMC+ (subscription), or rent at Apple TV. Also on Hulu with Live TV add-on.

“The Last Son” (2021), starring Sam Worthington and Machine Gun Kelly. Rated: R. Running time: 96 minutes. Where to watch: For rent on Prime Video and Apple TV.

“The Old Way (2023), starring Nicholas Cage. Rated: R. Running time: 95 minutes. Where to watch: For rent on Prime Video and Apple TV.

“How the West Was Won” (1962), starring Gregory Peck, John Wayne and James Stewart. Rated: G. Running time: 164 minutes. Where to watch: Rent on Apple TV or Amazon Prime.

“Hostile Territory” (2022), starring Brea Bee and Matt McCoy. Rated: R. Running time: 94 minutes. Where to watch: Free on the Roku Channel and Tubi, on Prime Video (subscription) and for rent on Apple TV.

“Jane Got A Gun” (2015), starring Natalie Portman. Rated: R. Running time: 98 minutes. Where to watch: Free on the Roku Channel, Hulu, Prime Video and Pluto TV, for rent on Apple TV.

“Bandidas” (2006), starring Salma Hayek and Penelope Cruz. Rated: PG-13. Running time: 93 minutes. Where to watch: Hulu, and for rent at YouTube, Apple TV and Prime Video.

“True Grit” (2010 version), starring Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon and Hailee Steinfeld. Rated: PG-13. Running time: 110 minutes. Where to watch: Free on Pluto TV, and with subscription to Netflix, Paramount+, Prime Video and AMC+, or rent on Apple TV.

“Cry Macho” (2021), starring and directed by Clint Eastwood. Rated: PG-13. Running time: 104 minutes. Where to watch: Netflix and Max (subscription) and for rent on Prime VIdeo, Apple TV.

“Blazing Saddles” (1974), starring Gene Wilder and Cleavon Little. Rated: R. Running time: 95 minutes. Where to watch: HBO Max, or for rent at Apple TV and Prime Video.

“Open Range” (2003), starring Robert Duvall, Kevin Costner (who also directed) and Annette Bening. Rated: R. Running time: 139 minutes. Where to watch: Netflix, or rent on Prime Video and Apple TV.

“Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” (1969), starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford. Rated: PG. Running time: 110 minutes. Where to watch:  Prime Video,  YouTube and AMC+ (subscriptions) and for rent at Apple TV.

“Butcher’s Crossing” (2022), starring Nicolas Cage. Rated: R. Running time: 107 minutes. Where to watch: Netflix, Hulu and Disney+, and to rent on Prime Video and Apple TV.

Netflix (Posted Dec. 4, 2025)

“The Battle of Buster Scruggs” (2018), starring Liam Neesen, James Franco and Tyne Daly. (It’s a Coen brothers film, so buckle up.) Rated: R. Running time: 134 minutes. Where to watch: Netflix

“El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie” (2019), starring Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul. (It’s a Vince Gilligan movie, so beware.) Rated: TV-MA. Running time: 122 minutes. Where to watch: Netflix.

“The Harder They Fall” (2021), starring Jonathan Majors and Regina King. Rated: R. Running time: 139 minutes. Where to watch: Netflix.

“The Highwaymen” (2019), starring Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson. Rated: R. Running time: 132 minutes. Where to watch: Netflix.

“Mudbound” (2017), starring Mary J. Blige. Rated: R. Running time: 135 minutes. Where to watch: Netflix.

“The Power of the Dog” (2021), starring Jesse Plemons, Benedict Cumberbatch and Kirsten Dunst. (Jane Campion won a Best Director Oscar for it). Rated: R. Running time: 128  minutes. Where to watch: Netflix.

“Concrete Cowboy” (2021), starring Idris Elba and Caleb McLaughlin. Rated: R. Running time: 111 minutes. Where to watch: Netflix.

“Train Dreams” (2025), starring Joel Edgerton and Felicity Jones. Rated: PG-13. Running time: 103 minutes. Where to watch: Netflix.

Viewer reviews

From Rotten Tomatoes’ Top 100 best-reviewed Western movies of all time. (Although the site says it only chose “classical period films,” the animated “Spirit” from 2002 is No. 100, so do with that what you will.) For the other 90 on this list, go to rottentomatoes.com.

No. 1: “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly” (1966), starring Clint Eastwood and Eli Wallach. Rated: R. Running time: 178 minutes. Where to watch: Prime Video, YouTube or AMC+ (subscription), or rent at Apple TV. Also on Hulu with Live TV add-on.

No. 2: “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre” (1948), starring Humphrey Bogart and Walter Huston. Not rated. Running time: 126 minutes. Where to watch: Rent on Prime Video, Apple TV.

No. 3: “High Noon” (1952), starring Gary Cooper. Rated: PG. Running time: 85 minutes. Where to watch: Free on Pluto TV, with subscription on Prime Video and AMC+, and for rent at Apple TV.

No. 4: “Stagecoach” (1939), starring John Wayne and Claire Trevor. Not rated. Running time: 96 minutes. Where to watch: Hulu, Tubi, Prime Video and HBO Max (with subscription), and for rent on Apple TV.

No. 5: “Rio Bravo” (1959), starring John Wayne and Dean Martin, directed by Howard Hawks. Not rated. Running time: 141 minutes. Where to watch: Rent on YouTube, Apple TV, Netflix and Prime Video.

No. 6: “Hell or High Water” (2016), starring Jeff Bridges and Chris Pine. Rated: R. Running time: 102 minutes. Where to watch: Hulu, Prime Video, Paramount+, or rent at Apple TV.

No. 7: “True Grit” (2010), starring Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon. Rated: PG-13. Running time: 110 minutes. Where to watch: Free on Pluto TV, and with a subscription to Netflix, Paramount+, Prime Video and AMC+, or rent on Apple TV.

No. 8: “Unforgiven” (1992), starring Clint Eastwood and Gene Hackman. Rated: R. Running time: 130 minutes. Where to watch: Rent on Prime Video, YouTube or Apple TV.

No. 9: “My Darling Clemetine” (1946), starring Henry Fonda and Linda Darnell. Not rated. Running time: 97 minutes. Where to watch: Rent on Prime Video or YouTube.

No. 10: “The Searchers” (1956), starring John Wayne and Natalie Wood. Not rated. Running time: 119 minutes. Where to watch: Netflix, or rent at Apple TV or Prime Video.