TheWestern, which has dazzled audiences of all ages for decades about adventures in the Wild West and the challenges of Frontier life, is one of the most beloved of all film genres. But it is not just credited to American filmmakers, lest we forget the incredible additions that come from Europe – and most especially from Italy – in the form of the typically much more unhinged, less censored,and highly stylized Spaghetti Western. Together, these two enormous categories have proffered forth innumerable classics that continue to be celebrated today.
Update June 21, 2025: This list has been updatedMona Bassilto include even more underrated Westerns that are worth checking out.
Films likeThe Searchers,True Grit,Rio Bravo, andTombstonerepresent some of the best of the Hollywood Western, while titles likeThe Good, The Bad, and The Ugly,Django,andOnce Upon a Time in the Westembody the Spaghetti Western craze. But what about the Westerns that didn’t get as much commercial attention as those particular movies? Here is a non-exhaustive list of lesser-known Westerns that are just as good as the classics and deserve more love.
17A Reason to Live, A Reason to Die (1972)
A Reason to Live, A Reason to Dieis a Spaghetti Western starring two Hollywood legends: James Coburn and Telly Savalas. It’s essentially a Civil War spin on the classic World War II action flickThe Dirty Dozen, following Coburn’s attempts to rally a rag-tag group of prisoners together to carry out a dangerous mission. The action is grand and explosive, the direction is stylish, and the acting is superb across the board, as an incredible supporting cast brings to life the colorful team of convicts.
16Major Dundee (1965)
Major Dundeeis one of Hollywood icon Sam Peckinpah’s earliest films and follows a Union Major’s attempts to maintain control over a fort full of Confederate prisoners-of-war and dangerous deserters at the end of the American Civil War. Things get complicated for the Major when an army of Apaches attacks the fort and kidnaps a group of children, prompting him to build a team out of the criminals he was guarding to go out on a rescue mission.
While the film is one of Peckinpah’s least personal works, it still manages to explore a number of the themes typical of his later roles, including his signature brand of melancholic machismo. Charlton Heston leads the star-studded cast, which also includes Richard Harris, Ben Johnson, Jim Hutton, and James Coburn.
15The Bravados (1958)
The Bravadosis a classic Western that doesn’t crop up in “best of” lists nearly as often as it should. It stars genre mainstay Gregory Peck as Jim Douglass, a man anxious to see the thugs responsible for his wife’s death hanged. On the day of the hanging, the dangerous death-row convicts escape, prompting Jim to put together a posse to hunt them down. The film then shifts from being a very typical studio Western flick to a surprisingly dark tale of bloodthirsty revenge. Theever-charismatic Peckturns in a terrific performance as a broken man who has put all of his hopes and dreams of finding peace into his quest for revenge.
14100 Rifles (1969)
100 Riflesis an action-packed Western about a crook, played by Burt Reynolds, whose attempt to rob a bank ends in a run to Mexico with a hard-nosed sheriff, portrayed by Jim Brown, hot on his trail. Once in Mexico, the cop and robber find themselves in the middle of a war between the Mexican government and the Yaqui tribe. The action heats up even further when a tenacious freedom fighter, played by the sculptural Raquel Welch, becomes romantically involved with the lawman. One of the most boisterous of all the Hollywood Westerns and easilyone of Welch’s best films,100 Riflesis an exhilarating blast of Wild West action that deserves more recognition.
13The Eagle and the Hawk (1950)
Co-written and directed by Lewis R. Foster,The Eagle and the Hawkspans politics, romance, and adventure, features many twists and turns, and stars Rhonda Fleming, John Payne, Dennis O’Keefe, Thomas Gomez, and Frank Faylen. It follows a Texas Ranger and a Union Army spy investigating the theft of guns and ammunition. Their mission takes a different turn at the Rio Grande, where they encounter an armed woman with a stuck wagon.
12Django the Bastard (1969)
One of many unauthorizedDjangosequels to follow in the wake of Sergio Corbucci’s 1966 muddy masterpiece,Django, the Bastardis an underrated Spaghetti Western by Sergio Garrone about a Union soldier (Anthony Steffen) who was once thought dead (and maybewasdead but resurrected as a vengeful ghost) hunting down a group of men who betrayed him during the American Civil War. The film is notable for its spooky atmosphere, which is highly uncharacteristic of a Western.
Related:Top 10 Shootouts in Western Movie History
According to theSpaghetti Western Database, “There’s some good style to this movie, and some excellent cinematography at times. Django is presented in an almost supernatural and rather sinister way." While the film doesn’t soar quite as high as the original installment, it nevertheless delivers an interesting horror-Western combo that should be seen by more.
11The Long Riders (1980)
One of cult directorWalter Hill’s best films,The Long Riders,is a late-era Western about the infamous outlaw Jesse James and his gang. This relatively unknown gem features a cast made up of brothers portraying brothers, including James and Stacy Keach as the James brothers; David, Keith, and Robert Carradine as the Younger brothers; Dennis and Randy Quaid as the Miller brothers; and Christopher and Nicholas Guest as the Ford brothers. It’s an exciting title full of riveting action, courtesy of one of the most underrated action directors of all time.
10Ride Lonesome (1959)
Ride Lonesomeis a classic Randolph Scott Western about a bounty hunter traveling across the West to California with a prisoner in tow. Directed by low-budget extraordinaire Budd Boetticher, the film is both action-packed and utterly gorgeous to dissect, and the acting is stellar all around. In addition to Scott and Western legend Lee Van Cleef, the cast is rounded out by James Coburn in his film debut.
9Adiós, Sabata (1970)
Directed by Gianfranco Parolini, scored by Bruno Nicolai, and set in an unstable Mexico under Emperor Maximilian,Adiós, Sabatafeatures Yul Brynner as the titular Sabata/Indio Black, who finds himself helping revolutionaries steal a wagon of gold; Gérard Herter as the evil, monocle-wearing Austrian Colonel Skimmel; Dean Reed as the double-crossing artist Ballantine; and Sal Borgese as the mute Septiembre, who prefers shooting cannonballs from his feet rather than wield a boring gun.
Another one by Sam Peckinpah,The Ballad of Cable Hogue,is a comedy Western about a man who starts a business selling water to the stagecoaches passing near his isolated home in the desert. The film stars Jason Robards, David Warner, and Stella Stevens and features both great performances and clever, if atypical for the genre, writing. Unlike most of Peckinpah’s work, the film is very understated and doesn’t offer much in the way of gun duels or action set-pieces. Make no mistake, however, the film is a Western movie through and through.
