John Wayne’s Best Non-Western Movies, Ranked

John Wayne will always be closely tied to the American Western. His roles in classics like Stagecoach, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and True Grit helped define his screen persona, and True Grit earned him the Academy Award for Best Actor. But Wayne’s career stretched far beyond cowboy hats, frontier towns, and gunslingers.

Across a film career that lasted roughly 50 years, Wayne appeared in more than 170 movies, including war dramas, action films, adventure stories, romances, sports movies, and military epics. He played soldiers, pilots, seamen, coaches, treasure hunters, and men of authority in settings far removed from the Old West. War films were especially important to his career, giving audiences another version of the toughness and patriotic image that made him one of Hollywood’s most recognizable stars.

To rank John Wayne’s non-Western movies, 24/7 Tempo reviewed his acting credits and excluded films primarily classified as Westerns. The final ranking considers audience and critic reception, including IMDb ratings, Rotten Tomatoes audience scores, and Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer scores where available. These are John Wayne’s non-Western films, ranked from best to worst.

• Combined score: 2.63 — #593 highest out of 17,179 movies in all genres
• Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance
• Starring: John Wayne, Maureen O’Hara, Barry Fitzgerald, Ward Bond
• Wayne’s character is Sean Thornton, a retired American boxer. He moves back to the Irish village of his birth hoping to buy his father’s land. Once there, he falls for a spirited local lady but her brother is dead set against the match.

• Combined score: 2.59 — #821 highest out of 17,179 movies in all genres
• Genres: Action, Drama, History
• Starring: John Wayne, Robert Ryan, Richard Burton, Henry Fonda
• Set during World War II, the action sees Lt. Col. Benjamin Vandervoort (played by Wayne) receiving several awards including the Distinguished Service Cross twice. This D-Day movie is unusual in that it shows the story from the perspective of the American forces.

• Combined score: 2.53 — #1,185 highest out of 17,179 movies in all genres
• Genres: Action, Drama, Romance
• Starring: John Wayne, John Agar, Adele Mara, Forrest Tucker
• Another war movie sees Wayne playing John Stryker. This strict tyrant soldier is disliked by his troops. However, after fighting the Battle of Iwo Jima together, the men begin to respect both him and his methods. This highly critically movie was a hit with reviewers.

• Combined score: 2.39 — #2,097 highest out of 17,179 movies in all genres
• Genres: Drama, Romance, War
• Starring: John Wayne, Susan Hayward, Dennis O’Keefe, William Frawley
• The critics loved this Wayne movie. He plays the part of a construction company chief hired by the Navy. His task? To train the men to use heavy machinery.

• Combined score: 2.38 — #2,132 highest out of 17,179 movies in all genres
• Genres: Drama, War
• Starring: Robert Montgomery, John Wayne, Donna Reed, Jack Holt
• Wayne continues his success in war movies with ‘They Were Expendable’ set during the battles against Japan during World War II. Wayne is one of two Navy commanders who prove that a new PT (patrol torpedo) boat can be useful. The movie was applauded for its richness and cinematography.

• Combined score: 2.14 — #3,856 highest out of 17,179 movies in all genres
• Genres: Action, Adventure, Comedy
• Starring: John Wayne, Elsa Martinelli, Hardy Krüger, Red Buttons
• This Wayne movie from the early 1960s sees the actor playing a wild animal trapper in Africa. The plot is about a young, female photographer who initially fails but then succeeds in earning the respect of the rough crew. This one was more popular with audiences that critics.

• Combined score: 2.13 — #3,919 highest out of 17,179 movies in all genres
• Genres: Adventure, Drama
• Starring: John Wayne, Lloyd Nolan, Walter Abel, James Arness
• This movie, set during Work War II stars Wayne as an airman. He crashes his plane whilst delivering supplies to England and finds himself in a remote part of Canada. The action is all about the stranded crew’s efforts to stay alive.

• Combined score: 2.11 — #4,031 highest out of 17,179 movies in all genres
• Genres: Drama, War
• Starring: John Wayne, Anthony Quinn, Beulah Bondi, Fely Franquelli
• Once again, Wayne plays a military leader, this time he is an army colonel. He and his men are fighting against the Japanese in the Philippines during World War II. The critics were largely happy about this offering but audiences were less sure.

• Combined score: 2.05 — #4,392 highest out of 17,179 movies in all genres
• Genres: Action, Drama, Romance
• Starring: John Wayne, John Carroll, Anna Lee, Paul Kelly
• The plot is a little more unusual in ‘Flying Tigers’. Captain Jim Gordon, played by Wayne, is leading a group of American mercenary fighter pilots. They are called the Flying Tiger unit and are flying missions against the encroaching Japanese military prior to the Pearl Harbor attacks. The action intensifies when a reckless pilot threatens to tear the Tigers apart. The film received three Academy Award nominations.

• Combined score: 2.05 — #4,434 highest out of 17,179 movies in all genres
• Genres: Action, Drama, War
• Starring: John Wayne, Robert Ryan, Don Taylor, Janis Carter
• In ‘Flying Leathernecks’ Wayne plays the stern Maj. Daniel Kirby as he is trying to instill discipline into the squadron he commands during World War II. The action takes place ahead of the Battle of Guadalcanal.

• Combined score: 2.04 — #4,476 highest out of 17,179 movies in all genres
• Genres: Action, Adventure, Drama
• Starring: Ray Milland, John Wayne, Paulette Goddard, Raymond Massey
• Wayne’s character is a 19th-century ship captain in this 1942 movie directed by Hollywood legend Cecil B. DeMille. It was nominated for three Academy Awards, and won for best special effects. The plot is about Wayne’s character falling for salvager Loxi Claiborne but there is another suitor on the scene.

• Combined score: 2.03 — #4,557 highest out of 17,179 movies in all genres
• Genres: Adventure, Comedy, Romance
• Starring: John Wayne, Lee Marvin, Elizabeth Allen, Jack Warden
• Wayne also tried his hand at comedy during his long career and this is one of the attempts. Whilst the critics were not so impressed, 77% of fans liked it. It is set on a French Polynesian island where three veterans are trying to claim a large inheritance. Notably, this is the last collaboration between Wayne and director John Ford.

• Combined score: 1.95 — #5,007 highest out of 17,179 movies in all genres
• Genres: Drama, War
• Starring: John Wayne, Kirk Douglas, Patricia Neal, Tom Tryon
• Here’s another military role for Wayne. He plays Naval officer Capt. Rockwell Torrey. Having survived Pearl harbor, he allows his ship to get damaged in a later battle. There are further complications in his private life! Starring with Wayne were Patricia Neal, Kirk Douglas, and Henry Fonda.

• Combined score: 1.65 — #6,814 highest out of 17,179 movies in all genres
• Genres: Biography, Drama, War
• Starring: John Wayne, Maureen O’Hara, Dan Dailey, Ward Bond
• Assuming the role of a fighter pilot, Wayne plays real-life hero Frank “Spig” Wead who has a complicated relationship with his family. At first he puts his career first but is then paralyzed in an accident. When he becomes a screenwriter to share his experiences of the war, he also attempts to reconnect with his family.

• Combined score: 1.64 — #6,884 highest out of 17,179 movies in all genres
• Genres: Action, Crime, Drama
• Starring: John Wayne, Eddie Albert, Diana Muldaur, Colleen Dewhurst
• This movie sees Wayne playing a police officer. In one of his final movies, he plays a Seattle police lieutenant called McQ. The officer makes a startling discovery connected with corruption and an underground narcotics operation with connections to his own department.

• Combined score: 1.55 — #7,476 highest out of 17,179 movies in all genres
• Genres: Action, Adventure, Drama
• Starring: John Wayne, Katharine Ross, Jim Hutton, Vera Miles
• Another macho role for Wayne, this time as a fire chief. His crew is called in to tackle oil rig fires all over the world. Meanwhile, his marriage is on the rocks and he is falling for his colleague’s daughter! This one was not loved by critics – only 13% of them gave it a positive reaction.

• Combined score: 1.54 — #7,513 highest out of 17,179 movies in all genres
• Genres: Action, Drama, Romance
• Starring: John Wayne, Janet Leigh, Jay C. Flippen, Paul Fix
• This movie combines fighter pilot action with a tense espionage plot. The lead character, Air Force Col. Jim Shannon, is played by Wayne who is tasked to escort a Soviet jet in American airspace. The love interest is introduced by the female pilot, Anna Marladovna, but are her intensions honorable?

• Combined score: 1.41 — #8,345 highest out of 17,179 movies in all genres
• Genres: Drama, War
• Starring: John Wayne, David Janssen, Jim Hutton, Aldo Ray
• Another tough role for Wayne as his character leads a top secret mission. There have been hundreds of films about the Vietnam War (which Wayne supported) and this one puts a positive spin on it. Only 23% of critics liked it though.

• Combined score: 1.22 — #9,573 highest out of 17,179 movies in all genres
• Genres: Action, Comedy, Crime
• Starring: John Wayne, Richard Attenborough, Judy Geeson, Mel Ferrer
• Wayne takes on the role of Chicago police Lt. Brannigan in one of his last movies. He has the job of escorting a gangster from the U.K. back to America, but things go wrong. The gangster boss is snatched and a frantic manhunt through London follows.

• Combined score: 1.20 — #9,674 highest out of 17,179 movies in all genres
• Genres: Drama, Romance, War
• Starring: John Wayne, Patricia Neal, Ward Bond, Scott Forbes
• In this military movie, John Wayne plays the role of Lt. Cmdr. Duke E. Gifford, the commander of a submarine called Thunderfish. The 1951 movie plot sees the submarine have trouble with its torpedoes yet still complete a successful rescue mission in the Pacific. Meanwhile, the commander’s reunion with his ex-wife is disrupted by another call of duty.

• Combined score: 1.20 — #9,691 highest out of 17,179 movies in all genres
• Genres: Comedy, Romance
• Starring: Claudette Colbert, John Wayne, Don DeFore, Anne Triola
• In an unusual role for Wayne, he plays the romantic lead in one of the earliest romantic comedy films. His character is Captain, Rusty Thomas, who falls in love with famous author Kit Masterson. The plot typically involves a lot of confusion and comedic moments as Thomas is offered the part of a film adaption of the author’s latest novel.

• Combined score: 1.19 — #9,759 highest out of 17,179 movies in all genres
• Genres: Action, Drama, War
• Starring: John Wayne, Lana Turner, David Farrar, Lyle Bettger
• The overriding problem with this movie for the critics who reviewed it was that Wayne was cast to play a German Captain! Nevertheless, he made a pretty good job of playing an opponent of Nazi ideology at the beginning of World War II. The plot required him to travel from Australia back to Germany in order to help a German spy. At the same time, he had to evade Allied warships.

• Combined score: 1.16 — #9,925 highest out of 17,179 movies in all genres
• Genres: Action, Adventure, Romance
• Starring: John Wayne, Gail Russell, Gig Young, Adele Mara
• This is another of Wayne’s historic sea captain roles. He plays Captain Ralls and the action joins him on his search for sunken treasure. Before he can reach the loot, he has to encounter gigantic sea monsters and hostile natives. There is also a love interest in the form of the partner of another sea captain. When all the main characters are shipwrecked on a small island things get tricky!

• Combined score: 1.13 — #10,051 highest out of 17,179 movies in all genres
• Genres: Adventure, Drama, History
• Starring: Kirk Douglas, John Wayne, Frank Sinatra, Senta Berger
• In this movie, Wayne concedes the leading male part to Kirk,Douglas, who plays David Marcus. The action centers around preparing the newly formed Israeli army for battle. Further stars in this movie include Frank Sinatra and Angie Dickinson.

• Combined score: 0.97 — #10,858 highest out of 17,179 movies in all genres
• Genres: Adventure, Drama, History
• Starring: John Wayne, Eiko Ando, Sam Jaffe, Sô Yamamura
• Set in the mid-1800s, Wayne takes on the character of Townsend Harris. He has recently been appointed as U.S. Consul General to Japan. He lists the help of a local Geisha to help him allay the initial reservations of the Japanese government.

• Combined score: 0.97 — #10,895 highest out of 17,179 movies in all genres
• Genres: Adventure, Drama, Romance
• Starring: John Wayne, Laraine Day, Cedric Hardwicke, Judith Anderson
• In this action movie, an American engineer is tasked with building tunnels through the Andes mountains, with all of the associated risks and dangers. Wayne’s character falls in love with the daughter of the boss, which makes things even more complicated.

• Combined score: 0.93 — #11,046 highest out of 17,179 movies in all genres
• Genres: Adventure, Drama
• Starring: John Wayne, Sophia Loren, Rossano Brazzi, Kurt Kasznar
• This is another treasure hunting movie, but this time the loot is hidden somewhere in the Sahara desert. Wayne’s character is Joe January, a gruff treasure hunter, who is joined by a kindhearted prostitute on his quest.

• Combined score: 0.71 — #12,482 highest out of 17,179 movies in all genres
• Genres: Drama, War
• Starring: John Wayne, Thomas Mitchell, Ian Hunter, Ward Bond
• One of Wayne’s earlier movies is ‘The Long Voyage Home’, which follows a merchant ship sailing from the West Indies to Baltimore. Aboard is a cargo of dynamite and potentially a Nazi spy! This is a highly acclaimed movie that the critics loved and was nominated for six Oscars.

• Combined score: 0.69 — #12,830 highest out of 17,179 movies in all genres
• Genres: Action, Adventure, Drama
• Starring: John Wayne, Claire Trevor, Laraine Day, Robert Stack
• Another pilot role for Wayne but this time he is a commercial airline copilot named Dan Roman. The movie received six Academy award nominations and won the best score of dramatic or comedy picture award. The plot unfolds as the plane’s engines fail over the ocean and disaster looms.

• Combined score: 0.69 — #12,830 highest out of 17,179 movies in all genres
• Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance
• Starring: John Wayne, Donna Reed, Charles Coburn, Tom Tully
• The plot here is the looming bankruptcy of a Catholic College, who are struggling to train their football team. Wayne is the hero character, a former football coach, who looks as if he is going to save the day. However, things are complicated when an investigation is launched into his recruiting strategy.

• Combined score: 0.68 — #13,020 highest out of 17,179 movies in all genres
• Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance
• Starring: Marlene Dietrich, John Wayne, Albert Dekker, Broderick Crawford
• The central character of this plot is a saloon singer played by Marlene Dietrich. She has a reputation for stirring up trouble, and Wayne plays the character of Navy officer Dan Brent, who is one of her many love interests.

• Combined score: 0.63 — #13,762 highest out of 17,179 movies in all genres
• Genres: Adventure, History, War
• Starring: Claire Trevor, John Wayne, George Sanders, Brian Donlevy
• Another of Wayne’s earlier works, and his second movie of 1939. Wayne plays a local trader in Colonial America, who becomes suspicious that a corrupt trader is supplying Native Americans with weapons.

• Combined score: 0.63 — #13,762 highest out of 17,179 movies in all genres
• Genres: Drama, Romance, War
• Starring: Joan Crawford, John Wayne, Philip Dorn, Reginald Owen
• Wayne had a very busy year in 1942 and released seven films, this is one of them, a film where he stars alongside Joan Crawford in a typical war plot. An American pilot who has been shot down near Paris during the German occupation, he turns to a wealthy French woman to hide him from the Nazis but things are complicated because her fiancé is a Nazi sympathizer.

• Combined score: 0.63 — #13,762 highest out of 17,179 movies in all genres
• Genres: Action, Adventure
• Starring: John Wayne, Lauren Bacall, Paul Fix, Joy Kim
• Set in China, Wayne plays Capt. Tom Wilder, a successful merchant. However, his ship gets seized by the Communists, and he ends up in prison. All is not lost because he is broken out by nearby villagers and they all sail to Hong Kong and safety.

• Combined score: 0.51 — #15,300 highest out of 17,179 movies in all genres
• Genres: Crime, Drama, History
• Starring: John Wayne, Nancy Olson, James Arness, Alan Napier
• Another of Wayne’s movies on the theme of Communism, this one is set during the Cold War. Wayne’s character is an investigator for the House Un-American Activities Committee. He finds himself in Hawaii trying to root out Communists, but gets targeted by a Communist party boss.

• Combined score: 0.40 — #16,365 highest out of 17,179 movies in all genres
• Genres: Adventure, Biography, History
• Starring: John Wayne, Susan Hayward, Pedro Armendáriz, Agnes Moorehead
• The critics were unimpressed with this Wayne offering from 1956. It was filmed close to a nuclear bomb test site in the Utah desert, although the filmmakers did not know that at the time! Sadly, nearly half of the cast and crew went on to develop cancer, including Wayne who died of stomach cancer in 1979.
• No one will ever know if these deaths were connected with the filming location. Wayne plays Mongolian leader Genghis Khan, who falls in love with the daughter of an enemy. The combination of his American accent, and his dark make up did not go down well.