Ultimate Top 25 Westerns

Justifiably regarded as one of the all-time greats, it's surprisingly bleak for a John Wayne movie, but has powerful themes and stunning locations (even if they're in the wrong state). A movie everyone should see.

Just an absolute joy to watch. Eli Wallach makes a delightful slimeball as the villain Calvera and the under-praised Horst Buchholz plays a great hotshot against the "cooler," more reserved acting of his co-stars. Excellent chemistry and a phenomenal musical score.

If The Searchers was too dark for you, take this one for a more classic, uplifting John Wayne experience. It has a brilliant script, a world-class cast, lots of laughs, lots of suspense and even a couple of catchy songs.

Here's an obscure one. Two of my favourite movie stars square off in a movie that does a thoughtful job of addressing the madness of the Civil War without losing the thrill of being a good old-fashioned pursuit drama.

A very rare Western that actually receives pretty universal praise. And deserves it. This is another cynical one: it's got revenge, betrayal, murder, religious guilt, hangings, Civil War battles, Clint Eastwood's face getting blistered, it's a really wild ride.

This movie is so dear to my heart. It's like a slice of warm apple pie that lasts two hours. It's Americana at its finest. Probably the most wholesome story about a revenge killing ever.

The '60s were a golden era for the Western and this is the perfect movie to close that chapter. It's rousing and boisterous and an absolute blast, while its mournful undercurrent perfectly befits the last days of the West as well as the ending of the unique decade that the movie itself represents.

Probably the most obscure movie on the list, we're lucky this one even got a DVD release.* A highly underrated film with a career-highlight performance from the great Richard Harris. It's also a pretty unusual Western in that the violence is very minimal, so if you're looking for something to watch with the family, this is a good choice. It's also a very quiet movie with lots of self-reflection, so good for a relaxing watch.

*On a double bill with The Deadly Trackers. Check that one out too, it's nuts.

An appropriately sombre and yet stirring swan song for John Wayne, who gives an all-timer performance in a part that perfectly reflects the grandeur of his real-life status. No other leading man ever got such a glorious sendoff. But then no other movie star was the Duke.

Just an absolute goldmine. If you're willing to take absolutely nothing as sacred, then this style of comedy might be for you. It's the dictionary definition of "irreverence," as everybody knows, so besides that, I'd like to highlight how impeccably cast it is. There's an army of comic talents all in their prime working together to make undeniably one of the all-time classics.

Oddball Westerns of the '70s: I love 'em. This one's a comedy, but not bawdy like Blazing Saddles; more like the warm, idyllic style of True Grit. It's a movie with a big heart, a truly original story and an irresistible hook in the wildly mismatched pairing of Gene Wilder and Harrison Ford, two of the greatest leading men in cinema.

No matter what you've heard, this movie is Clint Eastwood's masterpiece. He'd spent thirty years perfecting this character and got it exactly right this time around. This movie is one of my favourite examples of the art of screenwriting: it's an extremely straightforward story with crystal-clear conflict and strong motivations for every single character. It's also beautifully shot and has some supernatural themes that are pretty unusual for the genre. It's unique and yet it's classic. An all-time great for Eastwood's career and for Westerns in general.

In '85 the time was obviously right for a sudden resurrection of Westerns. This one is a full-on love letter to them featuring an incredible cast and a stellar musical score. You can feel the enthusiasm from all involved and the result is pure joy from start to finish.

What an unlikely success story: in the late '80s, a movie in a supposedly out-of-fashion genre with a group of mostly unproven stars managed to find its footing in spite of these drawbacks. Personally, I think it's down to a real willingness to treat the subject matter seriously and the palpable commitment from all involved to deliver a piece of old-fashioned entertainment.

While the first Young Guns is a nice little entertaining romp, this one somehow managed to surpass that standard and become a beacon of historically great quality for Westerns. Seriously, you'd never know from the way people talk about it, but this is a golden example of how to do this genre right. It's funny, mournful, exhilarating, tragic and all of it within just over an hour and a half. Everyone only seems to talk about it having a Bon Jovi song (and fair enough, it does seem a little out of place, but it's only over the closing credits) and they miss out on a Western of exceptional quality. Do yourself a favour; don't skip it.

It's hard to know where to start with this. Growing up in Arizona, it's just a part of the landscape. But that bias aside, I do feel it may well be the greatest movie of my lifetime. From the perfection of the massive cast to being shot in the actual locations where the story happened to Bruce Broughton's magnificent score, it's the perfect American saga told with affection by people with a passion for the material. It's an outstanding motion picture that exemplifies the artform of the Western and its greatness is not likely to be equaled in our time.

Another oddball one! And you thought we were past that. This time it's a Western set in the other Old West: the Australian Outback. Why didn't anybody else think of that? What could have been merely a forgettably gimmicky movie manages to be a sweeping romantic epic. The big emotional moments have exactly the right impact and the action scenes don't disappoint at all. The idea of a long-distance sharpshooter is such a clever change from the usual six-gun pistoleer; it fits perfectly with the idea of exchanging the American setting for Australia. Alan Rickman is as brilliant as ever and Laura San Giacomo is a surprising highlight. The love story comes across so much better than in so many other similar films and by the end it's the primary thing we care about, story-wise. Very adeptly handled all-around. A movie that sits comfortably right alongside the classics of the Western genre.

This is one of the earliest movies I went to see in the theatre and I take enormous (probably undeserved) pride in that fact. Zorro has always been an enjoyable hybrid of the Western with Muskteer-style adventure stories and this movie fully celebrates that combination. The stuntwork alone is worth the price of admission. James Horner's music is probably the most majestic of his career. There's danger, laughs, romance, betrayal, revenge, swordfights, horseback chases: everything you go to the movies to see.

This movie came along not a moment too soon, just when it had been nearly a decade since the last great Western was in theatres. All the classic themes are here and, surprisingly, none of the modern revisionism. We also get to see two of the great talents of their generation face off in a timeless masterpiece. Special mention has to go to the supporting cast: Ben Foster, Dallas Roberts, Alan Tudyk, Peter Fonda, Gretchen Mol, Kevin Durand. Everyone pulling their weight with an enthusiasm not seen since the days of the '80s/'90s Western Renaissance. It's fantastic to see a new generation getting in on the action and doing such a fine job of it.

Yes, I'm closing us out with a controversial choice. And not ironically, either; I truly enjoy this one. It embraces the silliness of the premise just enough to be a blast while still being a true-blue Western at its heart. It also never dwells so much on the aliens that they get tiresome and they're generic enough "monsters" that the story can just carry on focusing on the human characters, exactly as it should. It's honestly a creative, entertaining movie with a strong cast and I hope it won't be the last time we see this kind of inventiveness applied to the genre.