Netflix
From 'The Harder They Fall' to 'The Power of the Dog,' Here Are 15 Great Westerns to Watch on Netflix
It’s been the better part of a century since Westerns were the most popular genre in Hollywood. And yet, like a grizzled old gunslinger nursing dreams of revenge, the Western has proven to be a true survivor. Every decade has brought new variations on these tales of wilderness pioneers, frontier towns and heroic horsemen (alongside the straightforward genre movies that never went away).
When you're jonesing to do a deep dive into Westerns, here are the 15 Westerns on Netflix we recommend most, from celebrated Oscar nominees to little-seen independent cowboy dramas.
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Best Westerns on Netflix
1. The Harder They Fall (2021)
A recent spin on the Western is co-screenwriter and director Jeymes Samuel’s The Harder They Fall, featuring a historically based, all-Black outlaw gang and a fierce cast that includes Oscar winner Regina King, Oscar nominees Idris Elba and Lakeith Stanfield, plus Zazie Beetz and Jonathan Majors.
2. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)
Writer-directors Joel and Ethan Coen walk a sublime line between comedy and tragedy in this anthology Western. Six short films include the surreal musical of the title (starring Tim Blake Nelson), an unlikely romance on the Oregon trail and an ominous stagecoach journey with a satisfying twist.
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3. Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002)
While there are plenty of horses in most westerns, there are very few about the actual horses themselves. In this DreamWorks animated family film, a young mustang stallion named Spirit just wants to run free on the plains. However, after he is captured by the US military, he must break free. Matt Damon provides the voice of Spirit and Bryan Adams adds the rousing theme "Here I Am" to the soundtrack.
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4. Concrete Cowboy (2021)
Inspired by the little-known, century-long culture of Black horseback riding in inner city Philadelphia, Ricky Staub’s neo-Western tells the unforgettable story of a father (the always stellar Idris Elba) who tries to reconnect with his estranged teenage son (Caleb McLaughlin of Stranger Things) by bringing him into the urban riding community.
5. The Beguiled (2017)
Many a classic Western is set during the Civil War. Sofia Coppola’s underrated drama moves the camera away from the soldiers and onto the abandoned women who must protect their own frontier—in this case, a Southern girls’ school where the teachers (Nicole Kidman, Kirsten Dunst) and students (including Elle Fanning) find their isolated world turned upside down by the appearance of a wounded soldier (Colin Farrell).
6. The Mule (2018)
Back in 2014, The New York Times wrote a story about a 90-year-old drug mule for the cartels to make extra cash. Obviously there was only one man to play such a role and that was Clint Eastwood. In addition to starring, Eastwood also directed the project. At the time, many thought it could be his last film, but the 93-year-old is still behind the camera churning out movies quicker than directors 60 years younger than him.
7. Hold the Dark (2018)
A haunting neo-Western from low-budget thriller master Jeremy Saulnier, Hold the Dark takes viewers to a remote Alaskan village, where an animal expert (Jeffrey Wright) has been summoned to track a child-stealing wolf. The longer he stays in town, the deeper and more violent its mysteries become.
8. The Power of the Dog (2021)
The rare Western to sweep awards season, Jane Campion's stunning drama stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Phil Burbank, a cruel cattle rancher trying to keep macho cowboy traditions alive in 1920s Montana. When his kind brother George marries widow Rose (Kirsten Dunst), bringing her sensitive teenage son, Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee), into the family, Phil essentially declares psychological warfare. The rest is best left unspoiled, as the film takes some unexpected turns, but does it so slowly and masterfully that viewers may not realize what has occurred until the very last scene. The Power of the Dog demands an audience's full attention, and with Campion's gorgeous camera work, giving yourself over is a pleasure.
9. The Highwaymen (2019)
John Lee Hancock's true crime thriller has a tantalizing premise indeed: It's the story of the 1930s Bonnie and Clyde manhunt, from the perspective of law enforcement. Kevin Costner co-stars with Woody Harrelson, both as Texas Rangers. The Highwaymen is surely not as gripping as Bonnie & Clyde (scarcely few films are) but it's slick, well-acted period entertainment.
10. Seraphim Falls (2007)
Put James Bond in western with a man who has a "very particular set of skills" and you get Seraphim Falls. In a sort of reworking of The Outlaw Josey Wales, Pierce Brosnan plays a Union soldier on the run from a band of Confederate bounty hunters led by Taken's Liam Neeson. It's a classic showdown format and you'll mostly forget that both of these actors are Irish.
11. Mudbound (2017)
During World War II, Black and white soldiers went off to serve their country together, and while racism certainly didn't disappear during war, it did seem to lessen a bit. For Black soldiers, that made returning home extremely difficult. In Mudbound, a pair of soldiers, one Black and one white, return to rural Mississippi and smash up against rules that they'd begun to forget. Tremendous supporting performances by Carey Mulligan and Mary J. Blige are especially powerful in this film that earned four Oscar nominations.
12. Strange Way of Life (2023)
If you need something short and sweet, why not turn on Pedro Almodovar's gay western starring Pedro Pascal and Ethan Hawke. While it surprisingly missed out on an Oscar nomination, it earned plenty of buzz when it was released and includes some pretty sexy scenes including one horny makeout in a wine cellar.
13. The Ridiculous 6 (2015)
If you haven't heard of Adam Sandler's The Ridiculous 6, you are certainly not alone. The Netflix Original, part of Sandler's ongoing deal with the streamer, received horrible reviews and was quickly relegated to the back corners of the platform. However, if you're looking for something sort of stupid and fun, this spoof on The Magnificent Seven and the genre in general, is a good time. The movie follows six half brothers played by Sandler, Terry Crews, Jorge Garcia, Taylor Lautner, Rob Schneider and Luke Wilson as they set out to find their estranged father played by Nick Nolte. As you can imagine, the movie just gets dumber from there (but sometimes in a good way).
14. Blood & Gold (2023)
While the "western" genre usually means that the characters are hanging out in the American west, this German film certainly has western energy. (Just listen to "Paint It Black" playing in the trailer.) After World War II, a German deserter must face off against the Nazis tor justice and stolen gold.