Westerns are one of the oldest film genres initially established in the Silent Era by trailblazing directors such as John Ford, D.W. Griffin, and Roaul Walsh. Once the Talkies came around, Westerns gained immense popularity and created notable stars, including John Wayne, James Stewart, and Clint Eastwood, who are universally recognized for their Western roles. Through the years, there have been a number of award-worthy Westerns, but there are some that embody every ingredient of an absolutely perfect tale of the Wild West.

With tales of redemption and revenge and gunslingers running outlaws out of town, Westerns feature some of the greatest storytelling in cinema, and films like The Magnificent Seven and Unforgiven are just a few prime examples. From Quentin Tarantino's Oscar-winning Western, Django Unchained, to John Ford's landmark classic, The Searchers, these are 10 of the best Westerns that are perfect from start to finish, ranked.

10 'Django Unchained' (2012)

Directed by Quentin Tarantino

Jamie Foxx gives an epic performance in Quentin Tarantino's pre-Civil War film, Django Unchained, which follows Django, a victim of slavery, who crosses paths with a German bounty hunter, Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz) and finds himself accompanying him on his various hunts for wanted outlaws. When Django reveals to Shultz that he's been trying to find and rescue his wife (Kerry Washington), they plan a ruse to get them in the good graces of her sadistic owner, Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio), to save her.

Django Unchained is a stellar modern Western and a homage to the 1967 spaghetti Western, Django, starring Franco Nero, who has a brief cameo in the film. The movie depicts a raw portrayal of a brutal time in American history, painted with eccentric, detail-oriented characters, specifically Schultz, who provides a rare and educated perspective on the subject of slavery. With unbelievable performances by the overall star-studded cast, an Oscar-winning screenplay courtesy of Tarantino, plus a notable soundtrack, Django Unchained has all the makings of a perfect Western.

Watch on Hulu

9 'The Magnificent Seven' (1960)

Directed by John Sturges

Yul Brynner and Steve McQueen star in the 1960 Western, The Magnificent Seven, as two of seven gunslingers who are recruited by the residents of a small town that has been invaded by a ruthless outlaw, Calvera (Eli Wallach) and his gang of bandits, who have terrorized the community and pillaged all of their resources. With the help of the seven gunmen, they teach the townspeople to defend themselves and prepare for an ultimate shootout to rid their home of Calvera and his men forever.

The Magnificent Seven is an Old West remake of Akira Kurosawa's 1954 film, Seven Samurai, and is considered by many to be one of the most memorable Westerns of all time. Known for its ensemble cast and unique characters, The Magnificent Seven is also heavy with moral themes of self-sacrifice and redemption tied up with a climatic shootout that solidifies it as a classic tale of the Wild West. Brynner and McQueen are the film's main allure, but Wallach runs away with the picture as the villain Clavera, delivering one of the actor's greatest performances in his extensive career.

Watch on Amazon

8 'True Grit' (1969)

Directed by Henry Hathaway

John Wayne takes on the role of U.S. marshal, Rooster Cogburn, who is recruited by a 14-year-old girl, Mattie Ross (Kim Darby), to track down a hired hand, Tom Chaney (Jeff Corey), who murdered her father. With the help of a Texas Ranger (Glenn Campbell) who is also in pursuit of Chaney, they track him into Native American territory only to discover that he's joined outlaw, Lucky Ned Pepper (Robert Duvall), making their mission more dangerous than they initially believed.

True Grit is a staple of the Western genre and an adaptation of the 1968 novel by the same name written by Charles Portis. The movie earned immense praise from critics and audiences, leading to Wayne winning a long overdue Academy Award for Best Actor as the no-nonsense, sharpshooter, Cogburn. Initially, Wayne was hesitant about taking on the part, but even though it was outside his comfort zone, he still managed to deliver one of the most iconic characters in the Western genre. Considering Wayne's Oscar-winning performance and the film's timeless tale of honor and loyalty, True Grit ranks as a top-notch Western without question.

Watch on Pluto TV

7 'Tombstone' (1993)

Directed by George P. Cosmatos and Kevin Jarre

Kurt Russell stars as real-life lawman, Wyatt Earp, who decides to put his gunfighting days behind him and, with his brothers (played by Bill Paxton and Sam Elliot) move to Tombstone, Arizona where they start their own business. While the brothers try to lead a legitimate, law-abiding life, they're soon targeted by the notorious Cowboy gang who plan to take over the town. With the help of Earp's friend and sharpshooter, Doc Holliday (Val Kilmer), the brothers draw their guns one more time to save their new home and protect it at all costs.

Tombstone is a rip-roaring Western loosely based on the 1880s events of the Gunfight at O.K. Corral and Earp Vendetta Ride in southwestern Arizona. The film initially earned generally positive reviews and became a cult classic, but this Western is mainly recognized for Kilmer's captivating and memorable performance as Holliday ("I'll be Your Huckleberry.") While Kilmer ultimately steals the show, Russell, Elliott, and Paxton still manage to successfully hold their own in this foolproof shootout Western.

Watch on Peacock

6 'The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance' (1962)

Directed by John Ford

Set after the establishment of law in the American West, Senator Ransom Stoddard (James Stewart), returns to his former home in Shinbone to attend the funeral of his friend, Tom Doniphon (John Wayne). As his arrival stirs the small town, the press pry into Stoddard's return, leading the Senator to recall the local legend of an infamous outlaw, Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin) and the day he finally met his match.

Ford's The Man Who Liberty Valance is an essential Western centered around the ironic destiny of a hero and the unfortunate sacrifice that comes with it. Many consider The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance to be one of Ford's greatest films as well as one of Wayne's best performances as the noble, Doniphon, but Marvin's portrayal as the taunting Valance is delightfully sinister and crucial to the film's overall appeal. Considering the unique story paired with the visionary expertise of Ford and a legendary cast of stars, there's no denying that The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is a bulletproof Western.

Watch on Paramount+

5 'Dances with Wolves' (1990)

Directed by Kevin Costner

Kevin Costner stars in his directorial debut, Dances With Wolves, as Union Army lieutenant, John J. Dunbar, who travels in search of a military post and ends up meeting a group of Lakota Native Americans. Attracted to their simple, humble lifestyle, Dunbar leaves his former life behind, living among the Lakota, who, eventually, give him the name Dances with Wolves. As Dunbar settles into his new life, it's soon jeopardized when a Union army arrives seeking to take away their land.

Dances With Wolves ruled the Oscars, earning a grand total of twelve nominations, and going on to win seven, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. The movie was praised for its realistic and sympathetic portrayal of Native Americans and the influential impact it had on audiences that remains relevant today. Dances With Wolves might not be a typical gunslinger Western packed full of action, but its depiction of the Lakota nation and an insightful story of the American Frontier cements it as a perfect modern Western.

Watch on Amazon

4 'No Country for Old Men' (2007)

Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen

Josh Brolin plays an everyday Texan, Llewelyn Moss, who, while out hunting, makes the grave discovery of a drug deal gone bad and, against his better judgment, he takes a large sum of unclaimed cash. As Moss thinks he's in the clear, he's unaware that a merciless murderer, Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem), is hot on his trail. As Chigurh and Moss play a relentless game of cat and mouse, an aging sheriff (Tommy Lee Jones) is also in pursuit with the hope that he can protect Moss from Chigurh's senseless brutality.

The Coen Brothers' No Country for Old Men is one of the greatest Westerns (and all-around films) of the 21st century and went on to become one of four Western films to ever win the Oscar for Best Picture. Even though Brolin and Jones are spectacular, Bardem is undeniably the main attraction as well as one of the Coen Brothers' best villains. Bardem delivers a spine-chilling performance as the sociopathic Chigurh, which earned him the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. With four Academy Award wins, brilliant performances, and a tantalizing suspenseful plot, No Country for Old Men is the definition of a perfect Western guaranteed to become a beloved classic of future generations.

Watch on Pluto TV

3 'Unforgiven' (1992)

Directed by Clint Eastwood

When two men brutally attack a woman in Big Whiskey, Wyoming, her friends and residents secretly raise a reward for anyone willing to murder the men who got off with a slap on the wrist for their crime. In Kansas, a veteran gunfighter and widower, William Munny (Clint Eastwood) learns about the hefty reward, and with very little money and in need to care for his two children, he recruits his friend, Ned Logan (Morgan Freeman) for one last job, but when they arrive in town, they're met by the town's sheriff, Little Bill Daggett (Gene Hackman) who doesn't take kindly to vigilantism.

Eastwood's Unforgiven is a classic Western tale of redemption and revenge which earned several Academy Awards nominations, including Best Director and Best Supporting Actor, and went on to win for Best Picture. The film ideally deconstructs the traditional image of the lawless American West and is dominantly seen in Eastwood's character, who is plagued by his past of unforgivable sin and the countless lives he stole. The film is riddled with unbelievable performances and a cinematic finale, but the film's reverse reflection of the Wild West is what ultimately makes Unforgiven a perfect Western film.

Watch on AppleTV

2 'The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly' (1966)

Directed by Sergio Leone

In his breakout role, Eastwood stars as the Man with No Name in the quintessential spaghetti Western, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, alongside Eli Wallach and Lee Van Cleef. Set during the Civil War, Eastwood's character operates a profitable scam with a wanted outlaw, Tuco (Eli Wallach), but the partnership sours after Tuco is almost left for dead. When they discover a dying soldier who reveals the location of a buried fortune, the two reluctantly team up again and set out to find the treasure before a sadistic gunslinger, Angel Eyes (Lee Van Cleef), gets there first.

Sergio Leone's The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly is a pillar of the Western genre, known for its close-up cinematography, exemplary musical score, and meticulously stylized gunfights. Throughout the film, Leone creates a consistent balance of violence and tension that eventually leads up to one of the most memorable final shootouts in cinema history tailored with a beautifully suspenseful score by Ennio Morricone. Despite initially receiving mixed reviews from critics, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly revitalized the Western genre by ushering in a new style of filmmaking and changing the landscape of the genre forever.

Watch on Max

1 'The Searchers' (1956)

Directed by John Ford

Wayne stars in one of his most memorable roles as Ethan Edwards in another Ford collaboration, The Searchers, which also stars Ward Bonda, Natalie Wood, and Vera Miles. Shortly after Edwards returns home to Texas after the Civil War, his brother and his family are brutally attacked and murdered by a group of Comanche Native Americans who abduct his nieces. As Edwards and several men set out in search of those responsible, their main concern becomes rescuing Edwards' nieces who he discovers are still alive.

The Searchers is regarded by many as a masterpiece and has influenced several award-winning filmmakers, including Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, and Quentin Tarantino. In 2007, the American Film Institute named Ford's classic as the twelfth greatest movie on their list of 100 Years...100 Movies list. The following year, the AFI ranked the film as the greatest Western of all time, beating out other classics such as High Noon, Shane, and The Wild Bunch. While there are dozens of noteworthy qualities about the film, Ford's legendary vision and Wayne's tour de force performance are the pivotal points that make The Searchers a perfect Western from start to finish.

Watch on Max

KEEPING READING: The 15 Best Westerns of All Time, Ranked According to IMDb