Paul Newman smirks in Hombre
There are so many great westerns that some are bound to go unnoticed, and these 10 praiseworthy movies deserve to be talked about more. The western helped transform cinema into a blockbuster spectacle, and the genre has waxed and waned in popularity since the earliest days of film.
During Hollywood's Golden Age, the western hit its peak. For decades, Tinseltown was pumping out dozens of new westerns each year, so the genre became quickly oversaturated. For every classic like The Searchers or High Noon, there are plenty of amazing westerns that have faded from popular memory. Despite being terrific films themselves, many don't have the staying power of the most popular westerns.
Sometimes a movie is released at the wrong time, or is overshadowed by a bigger film that gobbles up the spotlight. On other occasions, a western is simply ahead of its time, and audiences aren't prepared for such a forward-thinking movie. No matter why westerns get overlooked, the genre has produced a plethora of excellent movies that are still waiting to get their due. Modern western fans are especially eager to find new hidden gems.
All the movies on this list are woefully overlooked despite being some of the most praiseworthy westerns of their respective eras. Though most of the films come from the genre's heyday, others come from low periods when studios weren't pumping out as many westerns. It's a diverse lot, including films that embrace western tropes and movies that intentionally eschew the conventional approach.
Ride In The Whirlwind Starring a young Jack Nicholson, Ride in the Whirlwind is an anti-western from a time when filmmakers were moving away from the genre's ideals. A duo of wanderers run across a group of outlaws, and the local Sheriff thinks they took part in a recent stagecoach robbery. Part thriller and part western, Ride in the Whirlwind is a gritty little movie.
Along with Nicholson, the film also features veteran character actors like Cameron Mitchell and Harry Dean Stanton. At only 82 minutes, it's a brisk experience with a somewhat dour tone. It dissects the notion of frontier justice, and juxtaposes the Old West location with contemporary issues that were exploding in the middle of the 1960s.
I Shot Jesse James I Shot Jesse James is the first feature directed by Samuel Fuller, and the legendary filmmaker's fingerprints are all over the underrated western. It follows the outlaw Robert Ford in the aftermath of his murder of Jesse James, and examines the psychological impact of his act. John Ireland gives a towering performance as Ford. Though it's light on action, it's a brilliant portrait of a tortured man.
Ford is ostracized from Old West society, and the viewer watches as he grows more and more desperate with every rejection. The movie has a lot to say, especially in the aftermath of WWII, and it's a perfect melding of western and noir genre sensibilities. Slow West Though the production of westerns has slowed to a trickle in recent years, movies like Slow West prove a few underrated gems still exist.
A gunslinging bounty hunter agrees to help a young man search for his childhood sweetheart who lives in Colorado. As the title implies, Slow West is a slow burn.
However, the payoff is definitely worth the wait. Michael Fassbender and Kodi Smit-McPhee have terrific chemistry, and the film straddles the line between modernism and traditional western tropes. It's beautiful to look at, and captures the grandeur of the West like many of its Golden Age predecessors. Slow West also dips into surrealism, embracing dreamy imagery in order to symbolize the hopes of its characters.
Jubal Showcasing the flexibility of the western genre, Jubal is a gripping drama set against the backdrop of the Old West. An injured cowhand is employed by an amiable rancher, but the rancher's wife suddenly takes a liking to the newcomer. With its beautiful color photography and eye-catching scenery, Jubal is a feast for the eyes. What's more, the movie is one of those western dramas that grabs the viewer and doesn't let go.
All the melodramatic jealousy and betrayal splashes across the screen, and Jubal embraces the exaggerated reality of the western. Excellent performances from Ernest Borgnine and Rod Steiger are the driving force behind the underrated cowboy classic. Ride Lonesome Budd Boetticher is perhaps the most underrated western director of all time, and Ride Lonesome is the perfect representation of his filmmaking style.
A bounty hunter escorts a killer to California, but is secretly using his captive as bait to flush out a much bigger criminal. Though it has the glossy look of '50s cinema, Ride Lonesome is a smash-mouth flick. Randolph Scott plays his usual swaggering hero, and Lee Van Cleef is perfectly cast as the movie's sly villain.
The hard edge of Ride Lonesome is likely why the film is overlooked, but that makes it an ideal watch in the modern day. At only 73 minutes, it's one of the shortest praiseworthy western classics ever made. Pursued Pursued is the quintessential noir western, and it stars one of the all-time greats of the noir genre in the leading role.
After being orphaned as a little boy, a man finds his peace shattered when the killers return to finish the job. Set during the turn of the 20th century, Pursued uses the dying of the Old West as a symbol for the drama onscreen. Tense and gritty from the first frame, Pursued is nothing like the rosy and idealistic westerns from the period.
Mitchum's stellar psychological performance is one of his best, and he wears the violence of the story on his furrowed brow. With its exaggerated shadows and somber tone, Pursued is a must-see for western and noir fanatics. The Big Gundown There are so many praiseworthy spaghetti westerns that they could fill their own list, but The Big Gundown is one that doesn't get talked about enough.
Lee Van Cleef plays an American lawman who patrols the U.S. and Mexican border in search of a man accused of heinous crimes. There's a satisfying bluntness to the revenge plot, and it gets right to the point. A streamlined viewing experience, The Big Gundown offers little by way of deeper themes.
Nevertheless, it's a tense exploration of one man's obsession with justice. Like a lot of spaghetti westerns, there is an exaggerated style to the movie's cinematography and acting. Despite its abundant grit, The Big Gundown is a larger-than-life western. Hombre Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is Paul Newman's most famous western, but Hombre is another classic that deserves praise.
Newman stars as John Russell, a white man raised by Native Americans. When he returns to Arizona to collect his inheritance, he is ostracized by white society. Hombre is arguably the best Elmore Leonard adaptation on the big screen. Subscribe for More Hidden Westerns and Film Picks Join the newsletter to uncover overlooked western classics, thoughtful reviews, and hidden-gem recommendations—perfect if you want more film discoveries like these and wider cinema insights.
Subscribe for curated picks and deeper context on great movies. Get Updates By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime. Hombre is a classic example of the revisionist wing of the western genre, and it uses the trappings of the western to comment on the past and present.
Newman's acting is subtle and sharp, and he's grounded in a story that is more symbolic than literal. Paul Newman's westerns are all pretty strong, but Hombre has aged better than most films from that era. Johnny Guitar Joan Crawford headlines Johnny Guitar, one of the few westerns from Hollywood's Golden Age to star a woman. In the film, she plays a saloon owner who is treated with derision by the judgmental townsfolk.
Essentially, Johnny Guitar is a story about outcasts from society, but it puts a new spin on the classic western trope. Crawford is as bombastic as ever, and the movie's vibrant photography heightens every emotion with pops of color. Director Nicholas Ray brings Old Hollywood opulence, but the film also has touches of noir too. It's unusual that Johnny Guitar isn't talked about all that much, and it certainly deserves a place among the best westerns of the 1950s.
The Ox-Bow Incident It's baffling that The Ox-Bow Incident is routinely overlooked among classic westerns, and it deserves a lot more praise. A posse corners cattle thieves suspected of murder, and a lively debate begins as lives hang in the balance. Despite being made at the height of WWII, the film deftly examines the notion of violence as a means to an end.
It looks absolutely gorgeous with its lush black-and-white photography, and it has one of the strongest ensembles in 1940s westerns. Instead of telling an over-the-top, run-and-gun story, The Ox-Bow Incident is a compelling drama wrapped in the guise of a western. Nevertheless, it can't be overlooked by modern movie buffs.
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