The 50 greatest westerns â The full list

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We count down the greatest westerns of all time

| 50 - 41 | 40 - 31 | 30 - 21 | 20 - 11 | 10 - 1 |

The Hired Hand

Dir Peter Fonda (Peter Fonda, Warren Oates, Verna Bloom)

Lonesome Dove (1989)

Dir Simon Wincer (Robert Duvall, Tommy Lee Jones, Danny Glover)

Open Range (2003)

Dir Kevin Costner (Kevin Costner, Robert Duvall, Annette Bening)

The Claim (2000)

Dir Michael Winterbottom (Peter Mullan, Milla Jovovich, Wes Bentley)

Rancho Deluxe (1975)

Dir Frank Perry (Jeff Bridges, Sam Waterston, Slim Pickens)

Meek's Cutoff (2010)

Dir Kelly Reichardt (Michelle Williams, Bruce Greenwood, Shirley Henderson)

Day of the Outlaw (1959)

Dir André de Toth (Robert Ryan, Burl Ives, Tina Louise)

The Missouri Breaks (1976)

Dir Arthur Penn (Marlon Brando, Jack Nicholson, Harry Dean Stanton)

Ulzana’s Raid (1972)

Dir Robert Aldrich (Burt Lancaster, Bruce Davison, Joaquín Martínez)

Blazing Saddles (1974)

Dir Mel Brooks (Gene Wilder, Cleavon Little, Madeline Kahn)

| 50 - 41 | 40 - 31 | 30 - 21 | 20 - 11 | 10 - 1 |

Wagon Master (1950)

Dir John Ford (Ben Johnson, Joanne Dru, Ward Bond)

Requiescant (aka Kill and Pray) (1967)

Dir Carlo Lizzani (Lou Castel, Mark Damon, Pier Paolo Pasolini)

A Man Called Horse (1970)

Dir Elliot Silverstein (Richard Harris, Judith Anderson, James Gammon)

Vera Cruz (1954)

Dir Robert Aldrich (Gary Cooper, Burt Lancaster, Denise Darcel)

Little Big Man (1970)

Dir Arthur Penn (Dustin Hoffman, Faye Dunaway, Chief Dan George)

Rancho Notorious (1952)

Dir Fritz Lang (Marlene Dietrich, Arthur Kennedy and Mel Ferrer)

Ride the High Country (1962)

Dir Sam Peckinpah (Randolph Scott, Joel McRea, Ron Starr)

The Magnificent Seven (1960)

Dir John Sturges (Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Eli Wallach et al)

The Great Silence (1968)

Dir Sergio Corbucci (Jean-Louis Trintignant, Klaus Kinski, Frank Wolff)

High Plains Drifter (1973)

Dir Clint Eastwood (Clint Eastwood, Verna Bloom, Mitch Ryan)

| 50 - 41 | 40 - 31 | 30 - 21 | 20 - 11 | 10 - 1 |

7 Women (1966)

Dir John Ford (Anne Bancroft, Sue Lyon, Mildred Dunnock)

The Naked Spur (1953)

Dir Anthony Mann (James Stewart, Janet Leigh, Robert Ryan)

Rio Bravo (1959)

Dir Howard Hawks (John Wayne, Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson)

The Ox-bow Incident (1943)

Dir William Wellman (Henry Fonda, Dana Andrews, Anthony Quinn)

Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)

Dir Sergio Leone (Henry Fonda, Charles Bronson, Claudia Cardinale)

Django (1966)

Dir Sergio Corbucci (Franco Nero, José Bódalo, Loredana Nusciak)

Shane (1953)

Dir George Stevens (Alan Ladd, Jean Arthur, Van Heflin)

Stagecoach (1939)

Dir John Ford (John Wayne, Claire Trevor)

Seven Men From Now (1956)

Dir Budd Boetticher (Randolph Scott, Lee Marvin, Stuart Whitman)

El Topo (1970)

Dir Alejandro Jodorowsky (Alejandro Jodorowsky, Alfonso Arau)

| 50 - 41 | 40 - 31 | 30 - 21 | 20 - 11 | 10 - 1 |

High Noon (1952)

Dir Fred Zinnemann (Gary Cooper, Lloyd Bridges, Grace Kelly)

One-Eyed Jacks (1961)

Dir Marlon Brando (Brando, Karl Malden, Katy Jurado, Ben Johnson)

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

Dir Andrew Dominik (Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck, Sam Rockwell)

Red River (1948)

Dir Howard Hawks (John Wayne, Montgomery Clift, Walter Brennan)

Forty Guns (1957)

Dir Samuel Fuller (Barbara Stanwyck, Gene Barry, Robert Dix)

Unforgiven (1992)

Dir Clint Eastwood (Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, Gene Hackman)

The Wild Bunch

Dir Sam Peckinpah (William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, Robert Ryan)

The Shooting (1968)

Dir Monte Hellman (Millie Perkins, Jack Nicholson, Warren Oates)

Heaven’s Gate (1980)

Dir Michael Cimino (Kris Kristofferson, Jeff Bridges, Isabelle Huppert)

My Darling Clementine (1946)

Dir John Ford (Henry Fonda, Linda Darnell, Victor Mature)

| 50 - 41 | 40 - 31 | 30 - 21 | 20 - 11 | 10 - 1 |

The Good, The Bad and the Ugly (1966)

Dir Sergio Leone (Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach, Lee Van Cleef)

Decision at Sundown (1957)

Dir Budd Boetticher (Randolph Scott, Noah Beery Jr, HM Wynant)

Johnny Guitar (1954)

Dir Nicholas Ray (Joan Crawford, Sterling Hayden, Mercedes McCambridge)

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)

Dir John Ford (James Stewart, John Wayne, Vera Miles)

Dead Man (1995)

Dir Jim Jarmusch (Johnny Depp, Gary Farmer, Crispin Glover)

The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)

Dir Clint Eastwood (Eastwood, Chief Dan George, Sandra Locke)

Winchester ’73 (1950)

Dir Anthony Mann (James Stewart, Shelley Winters, Dan Duryea)

The Searchers (1956)

Dir John Ford (John Wayne, Jeffrey Hunter, Natalie Wood)

Pat Garrett

Dir Sam Peckinpah (Kris Kristofferson, James Coburn, Bob Dylan)

McCabe

Dir Robert Altman (Warren Beatty, Julie Christie, Rene Auberjonois)

| 50 - 41 | 40 - 31 | 30 - 21 | 20 - 11 | 10 - 1 |

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My all time favorite western is "The Quick and the Dead" (1995). Wonderful, fun, over-the-top performances by all (Gene Hackman, Sharon Stone, Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe, and a great supporting cast), and great direction by Sam Raimi. Just a fun shoot 'em up that doesn't take itself too seriously.

Mr_S Thu Apr 14 2011
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First, I disagree with your assertion that Joh Ford needed to make up anything to Native Americans in "7 Women". If you go as far back as "Drums Along The Mohawk", sure, there were some sterotypes, unfortunately necessary for the times. But just 10 years later with "Fort Apache", Ford was already treating Native Americans with respect and honesty. There is NO stereotype in the characters of Cochese and Geronimo, just historical accuracy. John Wayne's character in particular clearly shows respect and affection for them. Second, "Pat Garrett and Bill The Kid" 2nd?!!! That shouldn't even be on the list!! "Stagecoach" "High Noon" being as low as they ae show you are either inorant, or just trying to cause argument on purpose. Not only is it insane to not have "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" included, but you left off the best modern western, "Silverado" (1985). A great story, great cinematography, and a brilliant cast (Brian Denehey, Scott Glenn, Kevin Kline, Danny Glover, Kevin Costner, et all). You really missed the boat with this list.

SteveDJ34 Thu Apr 14 2011
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The Proposition That's it, that's the list.

JR Thu Apr 14 2011
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Tombstone??? Silverado??

sandy Thu Apr 14 2011
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Did you forget Raoul Walsh's 'Pursued'? 'Django' before 'Faccia a Faccia', or 'Quien Sabe', or 'The Mercenary'? 'Vera Cruz' before 'Ulzana's Raid'? No 'For a Few Dollars More'?? 'The Claim' in the top 50?! 'Dead Man' before 'The Wild Bunch'??? McCabe may be a revisionist western, but the hardly makes it the best. Interesting list...

Red Thu Apr 14 2011
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Here is a superior article: http://www.neddihyllausiv.com/2011/04/genre-western.html

T. Sinclair Thu Apr 14 2011
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Destry rides again (1939) She wore a yellow ribbon (1949) The gunfighter (1950) 3:10 to Yuma (1957) The tall T (1957) Ride lonesome (1959) No name on the bullet (1958) The big country (1958) A fistful of dollars (1964) Hombre (1965) The professionals (1966) Quien sabe? (1966) Support your local sherrif (1968) Faccia a faccia (1968) The ballad of Cable Hogue (1970) The beguiled (1971) My name is nobody (1973) The shootist (1976) Oopsy-daisy. This still won't cover each of your entries that has got to go (including the number one). Well, at least you rightfully omitted Dances with wolves.

Maarten Thu Apr 14 2011
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What??? No "3:10 to Yuma" - original and/or remake? "Dances With Wolves?" "True Grit"? Didn't see the original so I'll go for the remake.

Allison Thu Apr 14 2011
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The 50 greatest westerns â The full list

The Hired Hand

Lonesome Dove (1989)

Open Range (2003)

The Claim (2000)

Rancho Deluxe (1975)

Meek's Cutoff (2010)

Day of the Outlaw (1959)

The Missouri Breaks (1976)

Ulzana’s Raid (1972)

Blazing Saddles (1974)

Wagon Master (1950)

Requiescant (aka Kill and Pray) (1967)

A Man Called Horse (1970)

Vera Cruz (1954)

Little Big Man (1970)

Rancho Notorious (1952)

Ride the High Country (1962)

The Magnificent Seven (1960)

The Great Silence (1968)

High Plains Drifter (1973)

7 Women (1966)

The Naked Spur (1953)

Rio Bravo (1959)

The Ox-bow Incident (1943)

Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)

Django (1966)

Shane (1953)

Stagecoach (1939)

Seven Men From Now (1956)

El Topo (1970)

High Noon (1952)

One-Eyed Jacks (1961)

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

Red River (1948)

Forty Guns (1957)

Unforgiven (1992)

The Wild Bunch

The Shooting (1968)

Heaven’s Gate (1980)

My Darling Clementine (1946)

The Good, The Bad and the Ugly (1966)

Decision at Sundown (1957)

Johnny Guitar (1954)

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)

Dead Man (1995)

The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)

Winchester ’73 (1950)

The Searchers (1956)

Pat Garrett

McCabe

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The 50 greatest westerns â The full list