Home

 › 

Entertainment

 › 

Movies

 › 

The Western Genre Is Making a Thrilling 21st Century Comeback

The Western Genre Is Making a Thrilling 21st Century Comeback

Updated: by

Courtesy of A24

40. The Kid (2019)

Courtesy of Lionsgate Films

39. Chaos Walking (2021)

Courtesy of Lionsgate Films

38. For Greater Glory: The True Story of Cristiada (2012)

Courtesy of ARC Entertainment

37. Brimstone (2016)

Courtesy of Momentum Pictures

36. The Longest Ride (2015)

Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

35. The Last Stand (2013)

Courtesy of Lionsgate Films

34. Frontera (2014)

Courtesy of Magnolia Pictures

33. Woman Walks Ahead (2017)

Courtesy of A24

32. Free State of Jones (2016)

Courtesy of STX Entertainment

31. The Keeping Room (2014)

Courtesy of Drafthouse Films

30. The Wind (2018)

Courtesy of IFC Midnight

29. In a Valley of Violence (2016)

Courtesy of Focus World

28. The Beguiled (2017)

Courtesy of Focus Features

27. Forsaken (2015)

Courtesy of Momentum Pictures

26. The Ballad of Lefty Brown (2017)

Courtesy of A24

25. The Dressmaker (2016)

Courtesy of Broad Green Pictures

24. The Homesman (2014)

Courtesy of Roadside Attractions

23. The Hero (2017)

Courtesy of Lionsgate Home Entertainment

22. The Highwaymen (2019)

Courtesy of Netflix

21. Ain't Them Bodies Saints (2013)

Courtesy of IFC Films

20. Meek's Cutoff (2010)

Courtesy of Oscilloscope

19. The Magnificent Seven (2016)

Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

18. Hostiles (2017)

Courtesy of Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures

17. The Sisters Brothers (2018)

Courtesy of Annapurna Distribution

16. Let Him Go (2020)

Courtesy of Focus Features

15. Rango (2011)

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

14. The Hateful Eight (2015)

Courtesy of The Weinstein Company

13. First Cow (2019)

Courtesy of A24

12. Bone Tomahawk (2015)

Courtesy of RLJ Entertainment

11. The Power of the Dog (2021)

Courtesy of Netflix

10. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)

Courtesy of Netflix

9. The Revenant (2015)

Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

8. News of the World (2020)

Courtesy of Universal Pictures

7. Lucky (2017)

Courtesy of Eureka Entertainment

6. The Rider (2017)

Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

5. Wind River (2017)

Courtesy of Ascot Elite Entertainment Group

4. Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

3. True Grit (2010)

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

2. Hell or High Water (2016)

Courtesy of Lionsgate

1. Django Unchained (2012)

Courtesy of The Weinstein Company

40. The Kid (2019)
39. Chaos Walking (2021)
38. For Greater Glory: The True Story of Cristiada (2012)
37. Brimstone (2016)
36. The Longest Ride (2015)
35. The Last Stand (2013)
34. Frontera (2014)
33. Woman Walks Ahead (2017)
32. Free State of Jones (2016)
31. The Keeping Room (2014)
30. The Wind (2018)
29. In a Valley of Violence (2016)
28. The Beguiled (2017)
27. Forsaken (2015)
26. The Ballad of Lefty Brown (2017)
25. The Dressmaker (2016)
24. The Homesman (2014)
23. The Hero (2017)
22. The Highwaymen (2019)
21. Ain't Them Bodies Saints (2013)
20. Meek's Cutoff (2010)
19. The Magnificent Seven (2016)
18. Hostiles (2017)
17. The Sisters Brothers (2018)
16. Let Him Go (2020)
15. Rango (2011)
14. The Hateful Eight (2015)
13. First Cow (2019)
12. Bone Tomahawk (2015)
11. The Power of the Dog (2021)
10. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)
9. The Revenant (2015)
8. News of the World (2020)
7. Lucky (2017)
6. The Rider (2017)
5. Wind River (2017)
4. Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)
3. True Grit (2010)
2. Hell or High Water (2016)
1. Django Unchained (2012)

The Western film genre has always been well-liked in the United States. This variety of movies has been around since the late 1800s and has had a huge presence in Hollywood during the silent film era. It only increased in popularity with the leap to "talkies," and eventually to the small screen in the decades following.

But in the '60s and '70s, they began to drop off, with audiences shifting tastes to something different, with the rise of the science fiction genre. However, with the introduction of streaming platforms in the 1990s, Westerns began to make a comeback. Two films were even awarded the top prize at the Academy Awards – "Dances with Wolves" (1990) took home the statue and "Unforgiven" (1992) took the honor.

People typically think of actors like Clint Eastwood, Gary Cooper, Henry Fonda, and John Wayne when they think of Westerns. The settings often found people in old Gold Rush towns, cattle drive trails, and popular stagecoach routes. In the days of the Wild West, lawmen were trying to stop bandits and gangs from robbing banks, cattle ranchers, people, stagecoaches, and trains. (If superheroes are more your thing, don't miss the trailer for "Captain America: Brave New World." The movie will be released in February 2025.)

National agencies like the FBI didn't exist, which often left the local authorities to keep the peace, which often resulted in a cat-and-mouse game between sheriffs and the criminals they were trying to stop.The film industry captures these stories in movies, focusing on the fine line between good and evil, heroes and the villains they aimed to stop, and life in the Old West with settlers trying to start a new life on the other side of the Mississippi, despite the dangers.

Some of these movies are based on true crimes or people, such as movies about Wild West gang members like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Other movies focused on fictional stories that fit for the time, such as "True Grit" and Rooster Cogburn, a lawman determined to seek justice for a murder after a young teen asks for his help. (Meet some of the greatest Western characters.)

To determine the best Westerns in modern cinema, 24/7 Tempo developed an index of movies using average ratings on IMDb, an online movie database owned by Amazon, and a combination of audience scores and Tomatometer scores on Rotten Tomatoes, an online movie and TV review aggregator, as of March 2024, weighting all ratings equally.Only Western films released since 2010 with at least 5,000 ratings on either IMDb or Rotten Tomatoes were considered (documentaries were omitted).

To top