All 3 Movies Directed By Yellowstone Creator Taylor Sheridan, Ranked

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No matter how large his body of work in film and television, both as an actor and a filmmaker, Taylor Sheridan will always be remembered first and foremost as the co-creator and driving force behind "Yellowstone." The neo-Western drama made waves on the Paramount Network between 2018 and 2024 and has spawned several prequels and sequels in the years since its premiere. And that's not counting the half-dozen other television shows that make up his growing TV empire.

While we've already ranked all of Sheridan's television projects, we now turn our sights to his work on the big screen — with a small caveat. Although the cowboy-turned-actor-turned-filmmaker has penned several features over the years, including critical hits like "Sicario" and "Hell or High Water," he has only ever directed a small handful of pictures. But between a low-budget horror film, an action thriller, and a neo-Western crime drama, Sheridan has directed enough films for a ranking.

Based on critical and audience acclaim, overall quality, and the cultural impact of these projects, we've ranked all three of Taylor Sheridan's directorial efforts. Of course, Sheridan has directed several episodes of television, but we're only considering feature films this time around. Considering there are so few entries to choose from, it's unlikely that this ranking will be hotly debated.

• Cast: April Matsen, Eric Jay Beck, Greg Cipes
• Writers: Eric Jay Beck, Rob Kowsaluk
• Rating: R
• Runtime: 88 minutes
• Where to watch: Tubi

Like many modern film directors, Taylor Sheridan first sat in the director's chair on a low-budget horror film. On the surface, "Vile" is a somewhat interesting concept. After 10 strangers are kidnapped and locked in a house with two vials surgically attached to the back of their necks, they are forced to torture one another to fill said vials with fluid from their brains as they endure the pain. But what sounds simple enough drags on for far longer than anyone is comfortable with.

"Vile" lives up to its name in several ways. Many have (rightly) critiqued the film as "torture porn," noting the thematic similarities between it and "Saw II." If you're looking for something even more low-budget and grimy than the "Saw" franchise, perhaps this will check those boxes for you. It doesn't help that there's nothing about "Vile" that screams "Taylor Sheridan," save for the film's second-best performance (after Greg Cipes) by frequent Sheridan collaborator Ian Bohen in what basically amounts to a cameo role.

Unsurprisingly, Sheridan has since denounced "Vile," citing "Wind River" as his true directorial debut. "I think it's generous to call me the director," Sheridan told Rotten Tomatoes in 2017. The budding filmmaker, who had yet to make waves with "Sicario," explained that he only took the gig as a favor to a friend who had written and produced the film, but he had no real involvement beyond production. "It was an excellent opportunity to point a camera and learn some lessons that actually benefited me on 'Wind River.'"

• Cast: Angelina Jolie, Jon Bernthal, Nicholas Hoult
• Writers: Michael Koryta, Charles Leavitt, Taylor Sheridan
• Rating: R
• Runtime: 100 minutes
• Where to watch: Prime Video

Clearly, Sheridan took those low-budget horror lessons to heart. A decade after "Vile," he adapted Michael Koryta's survival thriller novel, "Those Who Wish Me Dead," to the big screen, and the results speak for themselves. The plot follows a young boy (future "Yellowstone" and "Dutton Ranch" star Finn Little) who witnesses the murder of his father, only to find himself allied with local smokejumper Hannah (Jolie) as they evade both the hitmen responsible and the threat of Montana wildfire season.

"Those Who Wish Me Dead" is a competent 2021 action thriller that leans heavily into the solid performances of its main stars while emphasizing the intense dangers — both manmade and natural — around them. The action is top-notch and the plot doesn't feel too preposterous or derivative. It's stylish, emotionally engaging, and far more effective than Sheridan's initial work as a director — we can see his vision for a wildfire-plagued Montana and those desperately seeking to survive it.

A bigger hit with audiences than with critics, "Those Who Wish Me Dead" delivers on all counts, with enough suspenseful action and engaging characters to keep audiences invested. The dynamic between Jolie and Little, in particular, is especially a high point, and echoes many of the on-screen dynamics Sheridan would later replicate on television. It may not be our favorite entry in his directorial catalog, but it's leagues better than his first picture.

• Cast: Jeremy Renner, Elizabeth Olsen, Gil Birmingham
• Writer: Taylor Sheridan
• Rating: R
• Runtime: 107 minutes
• Where to watch: Netflix

The final entry in Sheridan's unofficial "American Frontier" trilogy (which began with "Sicario" and "Hell or High Water"), 2017's "Wind River" is an intimate portrait of one of the most ignored plights in the modern American West: the Native American women who go missing off reservations. After his best friend's daughter is found dead in the title Wyoming rez, U.S. Fish & Wildlife agent Cory Lambert (Renner) assists FBI Agent Jane Banner (Olsen) in tracking down those who might be responsible. It's here that Sheridan outdoes himself.

"Wind River" is a slow-burn, meditative exploration of the poverty and abuse found on many reservations across the country. It's an uncomfortable picture to watch, but an important one. Renner and Olsen serve as windows for the viewer into this largely unexplored world, and the mystery behind Natalie's (Kelsey Asbille) rape and murder results in a powerful (and unexpected) twist that will stick with you long after the film ends. With phenomenal performances from the entire cast, which also includes Graham Greene and Martin Sensmeier, this is one film Sheridan fans cannot miss.

Again, "Wind River" is the movie that Sheridan considers his genuine directorial debut, and we can understand why. Many of the social elements explored in "Yellowstone" are present here, and we can see many of the same narrative threads already at play. It's brutal, intense, and full of complicated characters all dealing with trauma and grief they have yet to fully unpack; no wonder it is highly regarded by critics and audiences alike.