Check Out The Best Classic Western Films
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'Stagecoach'
The first Western classic to make our list is John Ford's 1939 film Stagecoach. Starring the young and handsome John Wayne in his breakthrough role as "Ringo the Kid", Stagecoach follows the story of an unlikely crew as they make their way across hostile frontier plains cramped into a stagecoach! Stagecoach has been praised as one of the most influential Westerns ever made!
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'High Noon'
Time is of the essence in this 1952 classic! Starring Gary Cooper as the 'Marshal Will Kane" and Grace Kelly as his beautiful and brave wife "Amy", High Noon takes viewers on a journey of good versus bad, with an unlikely hero saving the day!
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'The Searchers'
Lauded as one of the best Westerns of all time, The Searchers brought the dynamic duo of John Ford and John Wayne back together! A middle-aged John Wayne plays the lead in this edge of your seat thriller as Civil War veteran "Ethan Edwards" on his journey of revenge!
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'The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance'
Yet again it seems the duo of John Ford-John Wayne and success go hand in hand in this 1962 Western classic! The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance keeps audiences entertained trying to figure out the mystery of who really shot the villain "Liberty Valance".
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'Once Upon a Time in the West'
Before there was Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, there came Once Upon a Time in the West, one of the best spaghetti Westerns ever made! Directed by Sergio Leone and starring Charles Bronson and Henry Fonda, we follow the story of a mysterious harmonica-playing stranger and desperado as they team up to protect a beautiful widow from dangerous railroad barrens!
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'The Wild Bunch'
This 1969 revisionist Western starts to blur the lines between good and bad, making you want to root for the outlaw gang led by "Pike Bishop" (William Holden). One of the most graphic Westerns ever made, this film is not for the weak-stomached but has received critical acclaim, nonetheless, for changing the way film was viewed!
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'True Grit'
True Grit, directed by Henry Hathaway brings an older John Wayne back to the screen in this 1969 classic! John Wayne would win both a Golden Globe and Academy Award for Best Actor and the film has gone on to have many sequel adaptations, most recently in 2010 starring actors like Matt Damon and Josh Brolin!
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'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'
1969 was the year for many of the best Westerns, including Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Following the adventures of Wild West outlaws "Butch Cassidy" played by Paul Newman and "the Sundance Kid" played by Robert Redford, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid became the highest-grossing film of 1969, making over $100 million US!
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'Little Big Man'
This 1970 classic follows the story of 121-year-old "Jack Crabb" played by Dustin Hoffman as he looks back at his life. "Jack" having grown up among the Native Cheyennes made Little Big Man one of the first successful revisionist Westerns to paint Natives in a positive light!
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'McCabe and Mrs. Miller'
The next revisionist classic to see success was 1971's McCabe and Mrs. Miller! Following the story of businessman "John McCabe" played by Warren Beatty and the business-savvy prostitute "Mrs. Miller" played by Julie Christie as they embark on opening a successful whorehouse together, the film was one of the first Westerns to star a strong female lead and received critical acclaim!