15 Best Modern Western Movies, Ranked

People have always had a fascination with cowboys. Cowboys have always had a romantic image, idolized on film for decades via cool duster jackets, slick revolvers, and riding horses across the open plains. While they are a key pillar of the Western genre, they are not essential. Countless Westerns have been made without them, focusing on the ordinary people attempting to live in the unforgiving West.

While most people will think of the eras of John Wayne and Clint Eastwood when thinking of Westerns, the genre has never gone away despite those golden years being sixty-plus decades ago. Several directors have transported the themes and imagery of a Western into the modern day, telling updated stories through the nostalgic lens of the genre, resulting in some of the greatest Westerns of all time. While they don’t all have cowboys, they all feature the true spirit of the Old West.

15 ‘The Way of the Gun’ (2000)

Directed by Christopher McQuarrie

Parker (Ryan Phillipe) and Longbaugh (Benecio del Toro) are two petty criminals who scrape by committing minor crimes. Setting their sights on “the big score” that will set them up for life, they kidnap the surrogate mother for the child of a Mafia kingpin. What follows is a twisty crime journey as the two thieves find themselves way over their heads.

The debut of director Christopher McQuarrie (the current custodian of the Mission: Impossible series), The Way of the Gun features that franchise’s cool style but with a darker edge. Parker, Longbaugh, and the crimes they encounter are renegades living on the edge of the law, and like so many great Westerns, their story can only end with violence.

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14 ‘Cry Macho’ (2021)

Directed by Clint Eastwood

Former rodeo star Mike Milo (masterfully played by Clint Eastwood) is living in retirement in Texas, yearning for his glory days despite his aged and battered body. When his former boss approaches Mike with a job to find the man’s teenage son and transport him from Mexico to the U.S., Mike finds a new purpose as he bonds with the teen and imparts his knowledge of the world onto him.

Eastwood is synonymous with the Western genre, and Cry Macho sees The Man with No Name playing a much different cowboy than audiences are used to. His presence gifts the film a self-reflective quality as it is easy to see Mike as merely being a cipher for Eastwood as he reflects on a life spent on horseback in the great desert plains.

13 ‘Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia’ (1974)

Directed by Sam Peckinpah

When powerful crime lord El Jefe learns that his daughter has fallen pregnant to Alfredo Garcia, an underling that Jefe was grooming to be his successor, he puts a $1 million bounty on his head. Several characters, including two hitmen and a former U.S. Army officer, race to collect the cash.

Set in Mexico, Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia feels like a precursor to the works of Robert Rodriguez, with the movie’s over-the-top action and colorful characters not feeling out of place in a Machete film. While it was a bomb and savaged by critics at release, contemporary reappraisal has seen it considered one of the best neo-Westerns.

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12 ‘Holes’ (2003)

Directed by Andrew Davis

Based on the children’s book of the same name, Holes stars Shia LaBeouf as Stanley, a teen who is wrongly convicted of theft and sent to a juvenile detention camp. Situated in the desert, the camp forces its prisoners to dig holes in the ground, which Stanley does while befriending his fellow delinquents.

Pitched as a kids’ movie, Holes does what every great family movie does: appeal to people of all ages. While it provides amusing moments that will make children laugh, it is unafraid to explore themes such as race, class, and forced labor to craft a story that will resonate with anyone.

11 ‘Red Hill’ (2010)

Directed by Patrick Hughes

When police officer Shane Cooper (Ryan Kwanten) is relocated to the small town of Red Hill along with his pregnant wife, he is expecting a peaceful assignment. Instead, he finds himself in a battle for survival as an escaped convict rides into town and leaves death in his wake, while also shining a light on police corruption.

Hailing from Australia, Red Hill is a fresh take on the neo-Western genre as the film uses the Australian outback as its setting rather than the American West. The bushland and small-town life of Red Hill make for a perfect substitute as Shane and the locals find themselves engaging in brutal gunfights that harken back to the Old West.

10 ‘Near Dark’ (1987)

Directed by Kathryn Bigelow

Near Dark follows Caleb, a young cowboy who falls in love with Mae after meeting her in a bar. Alas, Mae is a vampire and Caleb discovers that love sucks after she bites and turns him. Forced to live as one of the creatures, Caleb decides to travel with Mae and her pack, which includes Lance Henriksen and Bill Paxton.

Director Kathryn Bigelow originally wanted to make a traditional Western. Finding it difficult to receive financial backing, she decided to combine the Western setting with the Vampire genre to set the film apart. The result is one of the best vampire movies and another classic in Bigelow’s stellar filmography.

9 ‘Let Him Go’ (2020)

Directed by Thomas Bezucha

Still grieving after the death of their adult son, married couple George (Kevin Costner) and Margaret (Diane Lane) are forced to watch as their widowed daughter-in-law finds a new, abusive boyfriend. As this new man and his dangerous family threaten to take their grandson away forever, George and Margaret fight to protect all that remains of their son.

Anchored by the presence of legendary actors Costner and Lane, both offer some of the finest performances of their later careers. A neo-Western that is part drama, part revenge thriller film, Let Him Go shows age is no barrier for kicking ass as George and Margaret battle the villainous family to the death to rescue their grandson.

8 ‘The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada’ (2005)

Directed by Tommy Lee Jones

After learning that his best friend was murdered by a corrupt Border Patrol officer, Perkins (Tommy Lee Jones) kidnaps the man responsible, Norton (Barry Pepper), and forces him to accompany him to Mexico, where they will lay the dead man’s body to rest in his hometown. The result is one of the 21st century’s best Westerns.

Inspired by a similar real-life murder, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada is less concerned about action than its characters. As the two men travel through Texas, the morality of the righteous Perkins and his captive Norton are explored as they attempt to give an innocent man some peace in the next life.

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7 ‘Wind River’ (2017)

Directed by Taylor Sheridan

When a young woman’s body is found on frozen Native American land, FBI agent Jane Banner (Elizabeth Olsen) is sent to investigate. Unfamiliar with the area, she teams up with local Wildlife Service agent Cory Lambert (Jeremy Renner) to discover what happened to the woman, which leads to a greater conspiracy.

Wind River swaps the desert plains of the West for the chilly but equally unforgiving landscape of snowy Wyoming. While the central mystery is the core of the movie, what makes Wind River work so well is its focus on its characters, shining a light on their inner turmoil as they each seek redemption in this great mystery thriller.

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6 ‘Brokeback Mountain’ (2005)

Directed by Ang Lee

Beginning in 1963, Brokeback Mountain follows two cowboys hired to work as sheep herders on the titular mountain. The two men, Ennis (Heath Ledger) and Jack (Jake Gyllenhaal) become close, and their bond eventually turns into a romantic relationship that continues on and off for several years.

Using the concept of a Western to tell a love story, Brokeback Mountain is both touching and heartbreaking as the pair try to realize their love for each other while fearing what others will think. Releasing almost two decades ago, Brokeback Mountain was a progressive film that helped to normalize LGBT+ themes in mainstream cinema.

5 ‘El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie’ (2019)

Directed by Vince Gilligan

Serving as an epilogue to Breaking Bad and a conclusion to Jesse Pinkman’s (Aaron Paul) story, El Camino finds Jesse still on the run from his enemies and the police. As his past as a former meth cook threatens to catch up to him, Jesse attempts to flee the country to start a new life for himself.

During its run, Breaking Bad was considered by many to be a contemporary Western, and that same style carries over into El Camino. Writer/director Vince Gilligan wears his Western influences on his sleeve, with one particular scene (a duel) staged to replicate the work of legendary director Sergio Leone.

4 ‘No Country for Old Men’ (2007)

Directed by The Coen Brothers

When hunter Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) stumbles across the remains of a drug deal gone wrong, he thinks he has hit the jackpot when he finds a satchel containing $2 million. His joy is short-lived, however, as sociopathic hitman Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) is sent to retrieve the money, killing anyone who crosses his path.

No Country for Old Men features all the elements that make the Western genre great: shady heroes, bad guys who represent pure evil, and gunfights across the desert plains of America. It is based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy and is one of the best thrillers based on a book.

3 ‘Logan’ (2017)

Directed by James Mangold

The best X-Men movie, Logan is a fitting finale for the franchise’s most popular character. Having reached old age and lost most of his friends, Logan, aka Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), is living in retirement. When he crosses paths with a young girl with similar powers, Logan agrees to escort her to safety as an evil corporation hunts her down.

Director James Mangold was inspired by Westerns when it came to crafting Logan, and that influence is apparent as Logan’s broken, aged demeanor calls to mind the fading gunslingers of the past who refuse to lay down their guns. The movie was set to be Jackman’s final performance as his most beloved character, but the recent news of his participation in Deadpool 3 proved this false.

2 ‘A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night’ (2014)

Directed by Ana Lily Amirpour

Set in a rundown Iranian town dubbed “Bad City,” A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night revolves around a vampire (Sheila Vand) as she skateboards around and feeds on evil men who hurt women. Eventually, she encounters Arash, a kind young man who becomes fascinated by her and who begins following her throughout the night.

Hailed as the first “Iranian vampire Western,” A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night is an intoxicating mix of genres. Debut director Ana Lily Amirpour expertly blends elements of Westerns, horror, and romance in one of the best modern westerns, as it uses black and white framing to elevate its story.

1 ‘Hell or High Water’ (2016)

Directed by David Mackenzie

When Tanner (Ben Foster) reunites with his brother Toby (Chris Pine) after being released from prison, he learns they are about to lose their family home. Resolving to fix their woes by going on a bank robbing spree, the brothers capture the attention of Texas Ranger Hamilton (Jeff Bridges), who pursues them across Texas.

A throwback to the bank-robbing Westerns of the past, Hell or High Water is a thrilling bank robbery movie that’s as much about the dying Texan countryside as it is about its characters. As the brothers stop in each town to rob the local bank, they see others just like them, people trying to survive in a world that seems to be doing everything possible to prevent that.

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