Top 15 Classic Western Films 

Check out our second video in the series, looking at the best MODERN WESTERNS: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-9VVh128gZEA.html

The good the bad and the ugly can easily compete for the best movie ever.

The Outlaw Josey Wales is my pick for best classic western

Silverado (1985) is criminally underrated.

The Outlaw Josey Wales, Big Jake, Silverado, Cattle Empire, Wells Fargo, Union Pacific, Santa Fe Trail, Canadian Pacific, Cariboo Trail, The Rare Breed, Once Upon A Time in the West, Ride the High Country, The Tall T, The Gun Fight at the O.K. Corral, Hombre, South of St. Louis.

The last 3 years only, I think I watched over 200 western movies, let alone the once I have see over a life time. They are an acquired taste. Today's young folks don't care for it. They are truly missing out.

Well done Brit, you certainly know your Westerns. Good job especially putting The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly at number 1. It's not only the greatest Western ever made, but in my opinion, it is the greatest film ever made.

1. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) 2. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) 3. Winnetou 1 (1963) 4. Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) 5. The Searchers (1956) 6. For a Few Dollars More (1965) 7. Winnetou 3 (1965) 8. The Treasure of the Silver Lake (1962) 9. The Great Silence (1968) 10. Django (1966) 11. The Man who shot Liberty Valance (1962) 12. Duck you Sucker (1971) 13. A Fistful of Dollars (1964) 14. The Wild Bunch (1969) 15. Rio Bravo (1959)

Once Upon a Time in the West is one of my all time favorites, I think it’s Leone’s true masterpiece.

I’m not a fan of best of lists, but you really have put together a superb collection here. Regardless of ranking, these are all top choices. Well done.

Jeremiah Johnson is vastly underrated and should be included. Also, in my view, The Searchers should have been number 1.

Great List! I would´ve put Stagecoach and the magnificent seven higher but still a very satisfying video with great picks! Keep up the good work

Josey Wales, High Plains Drifter, Big Jake all needed to be on this list.

I really love Rio Bravo and your brief description here sums it up well. It's such a nice time.

Thanks for putting this together as I’m deep diving the classic western!!

Never cared much for spaghetti westerns, but overall a solid list. More honorable mentions: "3:10 to Yuma", "Bend of the River" and "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon".

Wow, you guys did your homework You could put together a top 50 list and someone would complain you left their favorite off,but picking a top 15 is rough. I would have to agree with most of your list Some truly awesome films here

Superb list! Great job

Warlock. A very good western rarely listed.

You could also mention Pale Rider one of Eastwood's finest films.

My favourite has to be One Eyed Jacks directed by Marlon Brando. It might have a strange ending because of the war that Brando had with the studio while making that movie, but it almost doesn't even matter because the whole movie is in a weird way, a bit of a disaster that somehow comes together as something truly special. I just love the characters, the drama, the story, the spectacle, the photography, it's just such a wonderful film. It also has to be one of the most visually fascinating Westerns out there.

Fantastic video. Good job.

Excellent video 😊👍

Oxbow Incident good one as well

For this list, we are looking at films from all genres of western, made BEFORE 1990. Whether that be your more classically defined genre western, or more modern neo-westerns (such as 'The Treasure of the Sierra Madre').

she wore a yellow ribbon was one of my favorite westerns. great topic.

Love your videos

The Professionals (1966).

Very good list

Great choices, especially the top two. What a revelation they were, compared to the too cleanish neat well painted (rough, hahaha) villages of the US Wild West.

Mentioned are a lot of my all time favorites, glad you listed many of Spaghetti Western movies and proud number one is Sergio Leone's masterpiece with top notch players. Western movies are much more than meets the eyes, either those well-to-do classics - even if edulcorated and bit deceiptive.

Brilliant video! I love Westerns particularly ones directed by John Ford.

I've found that RU-vid is a great source for westerns, at least 10 dedicated channels with classics going back to the 1930s including early john wayne, Randolph scott, hopalong Cassidy & roy Rogers amongst others.

I mean... surprise, surprise - the best film ever made is on number 1

It’s a bit disappointing to see how low the view count is compared to its Modern Western counterpart. So many great films here that deserve a watch if you’re looking to engross yourself in the genre. Good videos though all the same dude

There are. Not 13 Western Films better than Magnificent 7. Insane.

Note: Lee Van Cleef's 1st movie role was as one of Miller's gang in High Noon. He's the first one seen on camera, alone, and has no lines, but his menacing look and intensity was such that he got steady work in the '50s in TV and the movies. He also played one of Liberty Valance's gang.

True Grit… my favourite, love westerns .

Great video what are your thoughts on the young guns films ?

The Professionals

My choice for number one would be The Wild Bunch. Would have Shane at number two three would be The Searchers.

I have to put El Dorado ahead of Rio Lobo- though they're basically the same move. Has more action, humor, and all around better acting.

Good list. I'd have added Robert Aldrich's Ulzana's Raid.

I love westerns. I agree with your selection and your presentation was nicely delivered!

I might quibble a bit about the order (I'd rank _The Magnificent Seven_ in the top five), but a very good list.

Chisum is one of my favourite it also features a Merle haggard song you can only hear from the movie as I’ve yet to find it recorded outside of the film

Thanks for this selection. Movies wise I’m missing a few that I’ll have to catch up. At 3:43, about The Great Silence. Saw a filmed interview recently made with Jean-Louis Trintignant who plays the main (silent) role. Trintignant made a lot of Italian films in the 60s and 70s. He was mentioning that he wanted to do a favour to the producer who had lost money with a movie he starred in. Because westerns were a big hit in Italy at the time he said to the producer «if you want I can do a western, but I don’t want to speak!». Trintignant thought at the time that there was too much dialogues (or silly dialogues) in those films genre. The film was made but it was also a failure... and it was probably the only Italian western that lost money at the time. The poor producer never recovered from that... On a positive note «Il Grande SIlenzio» (original title) became popular over the years. (If the action in the movie is in Utah, the film was actually shot in the north of Italy, close to a ski resort. Trintignant mentioned that sometimes they had to reshoot scenes because skiers were passing by in the background. And yes, Klaus Kinski was hard to work with :-).

Anything John Wayne has my vote! GOAT of westerns

The Big Country also a classic !

I liked "magnificent seven" when I first saw it..then I discovered "seven samurai", the contrast is large..

Shane, The Magnificent Seven, The Great Silence, High Noon, McCabe & Mrs. Miller, Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre, Rio Bravo, The Wild Bunch, Pat Garrett and Billy The Kid, Young Guns, Once Upon A Time In The West, Django, The Outlaw Josey Wales and The Man With No Name Trilogy are my favorites. Western movies may be dying but not forgotten.

The Bravado’s also a good one !

Hombre, by Martin Ritt with Paul Newman. The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean by John Houston, with Paul Newman

Good selection. Your top two are also my top two. To me The Magnificent Seven rates a higher number; in the top 5. Personally as for Shane and High Noon I have seen both and find them boring. And could never sit thru Mrs. McCabe, Josey Wales and Django, to me, would replace any of the three I find boring in my list. However still a very good list with great diversity. And especially nice that OUATITW is on your list. A lot of reviewers do not list it as they do not really understand the premise. And The Great Silence is indeed a masterpiece. Very dark and not to everyone's taste. Will check out your top 10 modern westerns.

A generally well-thought-out selection. There will always be disagreement with choices and rankings of course, but do have to quibble just a wee bit. Rio Bravo? Much over-rated for my money, and no way streets ahead of Shane,, Stagecoach, High Noon, and Red River. Also not sure Treasure of the Sierra Madras is actually a western; more a psychological drama in a western setting as I see it. But if included would surely have to come out top. And why is One-eyed Jacks never featured in any of these lists of great westerns? Beats me.

Amazing , can you make a list of best japanese films , also korean.

I can’t believe western movie listers are this sleeping on the great 1966 The Professionals. You just don’t know Westerns if you Leave “ The Professionals “ off your list . Starring Lee Marvin and Burt Lancaster , this is a far superior “ Buddy Movie “ than “ Butch and Sundance “ . Great Action ; The dialogue is incredible, having more memorable lines than any movie in any genre . The Film score by Maurice Jarre is one of the composers finest works , as good as Ennio Morricone’s but in a different style .

So "The Outlaw Josey Wales " is part if the Clint Eastwood franchise? Hence the reason why it isn't #2?

The Big Country should also be mentioned.

Okay, overall a good 15. However I would definitely bump a couple. You didn't have a single John Ford Calvary film. There is not a single Audie Murphy film. No Glenn Ford and 3:10 to Yuma. Nevada Smith. Silverado. The Alamo.

The Magnificent 7 will always be #1 , Good, Bad and Ugly definitely #2 ! For got The Left Handed Gun and The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean, The Commancheros and Nevada Smith, Flaming Star !

I like your list, good to be reminded of some of those. I would have put Fort Apache and The Outlaw Josey Wales on the list myself.

Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid is the coolest movie ever.

You got #1 right.

My top 15 Rio Bravo Once Upon A Time In the West The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance The Good, the Bad & the Ugly The Searchers Shane Winchester 73 My Darling Clementine Stagecoach McCabe & Mrs Miller The Far Country The Ox Bow Incident Ride the High Country The Big Country Red River

In total agreement with #1 & #2.

1. Once Upon a time in the West 2. The Good, The Bad and the Ugly 3. Treasure of the Sierra Madre 4. My Darling Clementine 5. McCabe and Mrs. Miller 6. Stagecoach 7. High Noon 8. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance 9. The Searchers 10. For a Few Dollars More 11. Duck, You Sucker! 12. 3:10 to Yuma (original) 13. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid 14. The Ox-Bow Incident 15. High Plains Drifter

once upon the time in the west,liberty valence,shane, true grit,the shootist,fastest gun alive,the alamo,chisum,rio bravo,major dundee,the unforgiven by john huston,the good the bad....red river,el chuncho,josey wales,big country,winchester 73,the beguiled,hombre,warlock,ok coral,3.10,el dorado,barquero,ride the high country,the last challenge

Mackenn’s Gold is also one of the great film and should be in the list.

Lonesome Dove. End of the conversation

True Grit ( the John Wayne and the Jeff Bridges version ) , Vera Cruz ( Cooper & Lancaster ) and River of no return ( Monroe & Mitchum ) are awesome westerns too. Denke ich.

The Great Silence ❤

I would have substituted in "For A Few Dollars More", but great list overall.

You are all wrong here!😀The best Cowboy/Western Film is the Sergio Leone Film from 1973 "My Name is Nobody (Original: Il mio nome è Nessuno)", with Henry Fonda and Terence Hill. Music: Ennio Morricone!😀Best Regards from Germany!

I love the effort, but have issues with the list. LOL Of course it takes all kids to make the world go around. The top 5 are, in debatable order: The Magnificent 7 The Searchers Stage Coach Shane High Noon. I can't trust a man who doesn't have these as top 5. j/k Keep the fun coming.

John Ford the master of western Sergio Leone the master of spaghetti western

Hey I just noticed this...A video that came out a week after yours (There Are Only 11 Near-Perfect Westerns According To Metacritic) plagiarized you on some titles.

I love Western genres especially Revisionist Western likes the Wild Bunch (1969) and El Topo (1970)

The sons of Katie elder should of made the list

I’d have had Ride The High Country in there and the original 3:10 to Yuma instead of Django and The Great Silence.

Why no mention of Waterhole #3?

What about Hombre and Saddle the Wind?

I would include "The Long Riders" where actor brothers depict brothers in the film, for example James and Stacey Keach play Frank and Jesse James. Another would be "The Grapes of Wrath" by John Ford. It's the last western in that Grandma and Grandpa Joad came west in a covered wagon and now must leave in a truck. A form of ethnic cleansing in a way.

Its good list , but warlock and inforgiven was good

'HOUR OF THE GUN'

How about a review of comedic westerns - I nominate Destry Rides Again, Cat Balou, Support Your Local Sheriff and of course, Blazing Saddles.

Ii was hoping that your top choice would not be the one you chose. I find this kind of Western too stylized with, two dimensional characters, an overly repetitive them and long drawn out supposedly suspenseful but mainly irritating slow action prior to important moments such as the final shoot out.

The Outlaw Josey Wales is better than The Good, The Bad and The Ugly… in my humble opinion.😊

I'm not agree with the first place,in my opinion it would be The magnificent seven

True Grit?

No 1 is always on top. Goodbadugly

I would put Destry on this list.

Also can Michael Mann’s “ The Last Of The Mohicans “ starring Daniel Day Lewis be considered a western ?

So I've been watching every movie on this list, and most of them are great, but frankly, I thought that Stagecoach sucked. I am not a fan of John Wayne's dry acting but even aside from him I thought the whole film dragged its feet and suffered from an identity crisis. That being said, everything else on this list has been great so far. And I'm sure that the Searchers will be better than Stagecoach. Every film I have seen on this list besides Stagecoach really deserves its spot.

Top 15 Westerns: Shane The Searchers The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance The Big Country The Magnificent 7 Red River Stagecoach Fort Apache Gunfight at the OK Corral Winchester '73 Broken Arrow Shenandoah Once Upon a Time in The West High Noon Hondo

Where’s Silverado?

Good call. #1 is no argument here.

Fine list. Maybe include "High Plains Drifter".

A very enjoyable viewing, thank you. Seeing as we are talking westerns... Would people consider The Alamo a war film or a western? (I am especially thinking about the original.)

Where is For A Few Dollars More????? hahahahahahha