Highest-Rated Movies about 'American West'

Bad Company (1972), Ride in the Whirlwind (1965), Buck (2011), Hour of the Gun (1967), Santa Fe Trail (1940), Unforgiven (1992), The Wind (2018), The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972) ... Let's take a look at the ranked list of the best American West movies.

#16. The Petrified Forest (1936)

Storyline: Gabby lives and works at her dads small diner out in the desert. She can't stand it and wants to go and live with her mother in France. Along comes Alan, a broke man with no will to live, who is traveling to see the pacific, and maybe to drown in it. Meanwhile Duke Mantee a notorious killer and his gang is heading towards the diner where Mantee plan on meeting up with his girl.

Plot Keywords: film noir, crime, drama, thriller, hostage, fugitive, gangster ...

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#17. Fort Apache (1948)

Storyline: Deep into the territory of the great Apache chief, Cochise, the demoted Civil War general, Lieutenant Colonel Owen Thursday, reports for duty as a commanding officer at the remote U.S. cavalry outpost known as Fort Apache, along with his daughter, Philadelphia. There, the arrogant commander will soon lock horns with the realistic and sensible second-in-command, Captain Kirby York, who, as an expert in the local Apaches, disagrees with Thursday who wants to make a name for himself in the Arizona frontier. In the end, is it wise to engage in battle when personal glory is all you seek?

Plot Keywords: western, military, conflict, honor, duty, leadership, classic ...

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#18. Sergeant Rutledge (1960)

Storyline: Lieutenant Tom Cantrell is sent to defend Sergeant Braxton Rutledge, a black cavalry soldier, on a charge of rape and murder. The story begins in a courtroom and it is told through flashbacks. This is a story of how a black soldier in the face of danger from the Indians can be so easily mistaken as a criminal.—Christopher D. Ryan <cryan@direct.ca>

Plot Keywords: western, race, american civil war, african american, injustice, honor, prejudice ...

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#19. American Mustang (2013)

Storyline: In an artful blend of exquisite nature documentary and character-driven narrative, the majestic wild horses of the American West are revealed in stereoscopic 3D as never before. The wonder in a girl's eye pulls us into the drama that unfolds on hundreds of millions of acres of public land. The battle lines have long been carved into the landscape, and the players are deeply entrenched. Yet as the subtle choreography that has evolved over thousands of years begins, we are captivated. The intricate dance between a man and a wild horse presents lessons for us all, even the battle-hardened special interest groups fighting for the place of the AMERICAN MUSTANG.—American Mustang Team

Plot Keywords: documentary, wildlife, conservation, american west, nature, ecology, animal rights ...

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#20. The Cowboys (1972)

Storyline: When his cattle drivers abandon him for the gold fields, rancher Wil Andersen is forced to take on a collection of young boys as his drivers in order to get his herd to market in time to avoid financial disaster. The boys learn to do a man's job under Andersen's tutelage; however, neither Andersen nor the boys know that a gang of cattle thieves is stalking them.

Plot Keywords: western, revenge, coming of age, american west, 19th century, villain, violence ...

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#21. The Westerner (1940)

Storyline: Cole Harden just doesn't look like a horse thief, Jane-Ellen Matthews tells Judge Roy Bean as she steps up to the bar. Cole says he can't take it with him as he empties all of his coins on the bar to buy drinks for the jury. He notices two big pictures of Lily Langtry behind the bar. Sure, Cole has met the Jersey Lily, whom the hanging judge adores, even has a lock of her hair. Hanging is delayed for two weeks, giving Cole time to get in the middle of a range war between cattlemen and homesteaders and to still be around when Lily Langtry, former mistress of Edward VII who became an international actress, arrives in Texas.—Dale O'Connor <daleoc@interaccess.com>

Plot Keywords: western, classic, gunfight, revenge, law, justice, american west ...

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#22. The Man From Laramie (1955)

Storyline: Mysterious Will Lockhart delivers supplies to storekeeper Barbara Waggoman at Coronado, an isolated town in Apache country. Before long, he's tangled with Dave Waggoman, vicious son of autocratic rancher Alec and cousin of sweet Barbara. But he sticks around town, his presence a catalyst for changes in people's lives, searching for someone he doesn't know...who's been selling rifles to the Apaches.—Rod Crawford <puffinus@u.washington.edu>

Plot Keywords: western, revenge, gunfight, american west, classic film, black and white, desert ...

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#23. Calamity Jane (1953)

Storyline: Deadwood, Dakota Territory, is largely the abode of men, where Indian scout Calamity Jane is as hard-riding, boastful, and handy with a gun as any; quite an overpowering personality. But the army lieutenant she favors doesn't really appreciate her finer qualities. One of Jane's boasts brings her to Chicago to recruit an actress for the Golden Garter stage. Arrived, the lady in question appears (at first) to be a more feminine rival for the favors of Jane's male friends...including her friendly enemy Wild Bill Hickock.—Rod Crawford <puffinus@u.washington.edu>

Plot Keywords: musical, western, comedy, romance, historical, biographical, adventure ...

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#24. The Furies (1950)

Storyline: The 1870s, New Mexico territory: T.C. Jeffords (Walter Huston) is a cattle baron who built his ranch, the Furies, from scratch. He borrows from banks, pays hired hands with his own script ("T.C.'s"), and carries on low-level warfare with the Mexicans who settled the land, but are now considered squatters. He has enemies, including Rip Darrow (Wendell Corey), a saloon owner whose father T.C. took land from. His headstrong daughter, Vance (Barbara Stanwyck), has a life-long friend in one of the Mexicans, her heart set on Rip, and dad's promise she'll run the Furies someday. Her hopes are smashed by Rip's revenge, a gold-digger who turns T.C.'s head, and T.C.'s own murderous imperialism. Is Vance to be cursed by fury and hatred?—<jhailey@hotmail.com>

Plot Keywords: western, revenge, romance, female protagonist, 1950s, classic film, black and white ...

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#25. The Tin Star (1957)

Storyline: Veteran bounty-hunter Morg Hickman rides into a town in danger. The sheriff has been killed, and young inexperienced Ben Owens named a temporary replacement until a permanent can be found. Ben wants to be that permanent replacement, so needs to impress the townspeople with his skill. When he finds that Morg was a sheriff for a long time before he became a bounty-hunter, he asks the older man to teach him. Morg thinks that being a sheriff is a foolish goal, but agrees to instruct Ben in handling people, more important to a sheriff than handling a gun.—Ken Yousten <kyousten@bev.net>

Plot Keywords: western, black and white, classic film, gunfight, sheriff, bounty hunter, moral dilemma ...

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#26. Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (1973)

Storyline: It's 1881 in New Mexico, and the times they are a'changing. Pat Garrett, erstwhile travelling companion of the outlaw Billy the Kid has become a sheriff, tasked by cattle interests with ridding the territory of Billy. After Billy escapes, Pat assembles a posse and chases him through the territory, culminating in a final confrontation at Fort Sumner, but is unaware of the full scope of the cattle interests' plans for the New West.

Plot Keywords: western, historical, biographical, crime, action, adventure, drama ...

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#27. Pale Rider (1985)

Storyline: A gold mining camp in the California foothills is besieged by a neighboring landowner intent on stealing their claims. A preacher (Clint Eastwood) rides into camp and uses all of his powers of persuasion to convince the landowner to give up his attacks on the miners.

Plot Keywords: western, clint eastwood, revenge, gunfight, gold rush, american west, violence ...

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#28. She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949)

Storyline: After Custer and the 7th Cavalry are wiped out by Indians, everyone expects the worst. Capt. Nathan Brittles is ordered out on patrol but he's also required to take along Abby Allshard, wife of the Fort's commanding officer, and her niece, the pretty Olivia Dandridge, who are being evacuated for their own safety. Brittles is only a few days away from retirement and Olivia has caught the eye of two of the young officers in the Company, Lt. Flint Cohill and 2nd Lt. Ross Pennell. She's taken to wearing a yellow ribbon in her hair, a sign that she has a beau in the Cavalry, but refuses to say for whom she is wearing it.

Plot Keywords: western, classic hollywood, retirement, honor, duty, leadership, legacy ...

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#29. The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid (1972)

Storyline: In 1877, Frank (John Pearce) and Jesse James (Robert Duvall) are expecting to receive amnesty from the state of Missouri for all their previous crimes. But the railroad owners whom the brothers have repeatedly robbed intervene, stopping the amnesty and sending the Pinkertons to kill the gang. Meanwhile, Frank and Jesse team up with Cole Younger (Cliff Robertson) and his gang, and plot to rob the biggest bank west of the Mississippi, located in Northfield, Minn.

Plot Keywords: western, historical drama, crime, action, adventure, gunfight, outlaw ...

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#30. The Ballad of Cable Hogue (1970)

Storyline: Double-crossed and left without water in the desert, Cable Hogue is saved when he finds a spring. It is in just the right spot for a much needed rest stop on the local stagecoach line, and Hogue uses this to his advantage. He builds a house and makes money off the stagecoach passengers. Hildy, a sex worker from the nearest town, moves in with him. Hogue has everything going his way until the advent of the automobile ends the era of the stagecoach.—John Oswalt <jao@jao.com>

Plot Keywords: western, comedy, drama, survival, redemption, friendship, betrayal ...

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