5 Best Charles Bronson Western Movies, Ranked

Did they say Charles Bronson is a hard man? They were most certainly right, at least when it comes to his on-screen persona. One of Hollywood's premier tough guys, who nevertheless could bring soul to his work, Bronson first garnered acclaim as a magnificent bit part player. Eventually, he proved himself by rising to main character status with "Death Wish" and many more films.

Bronson worked across a number of different genres, but when push comes to shove, it's safe to say that he made his reputation as a Western man. In fact, Bronson has been in some of the absolute best Western movies of all time – often as a supporting character, but sometimes as the main attraction. 

As a reliable presence whose granite features could make any cowboy or desperado seem deadly, Bronson found steady employment in the Wild West genre for much of his career, and his sizable back catalog ended up including some serious gems. As such, anyone who wants to take a deep dive into Bronson's greatest Western hits is in for a huge treat. Don't believe us? Just take a peek at his five best Westerns, based on their Rotten Tomatoes scores.

"Apache" is a 1954 film that has a solid 70% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and an even more solid performance from Charles Bronson. Actually, we mean a performance from Charles Buchinsky – this was so early in the man's career that he was still going by his birth name. 

Directed by Robert Aldrich, "Apache" features Burt Lancaster as Geronimo's last surviving Apache warrior, Massai, who escapes a prison train and starts an arduous journey back home. He wants nothing more than to start a new, peaceful life with his family, but the world isn't about to let a man of his stature do as he pleases.

Bronson plays the significant supporting character Hondo, bringing a huge helping of his signature gruff charm into the role of the Native American scout who's tasked with tracking the fleeing Massai. And as the next entry on this list shows, '54 was a particularly fruitful year for both him and director Aldrich. 

Charles Bronson spent many years as a supporting player before he got the chance to show what he could do as a star. Several of the old school Westerns on this list did not feature him in the kind of role that even ended up on the poster. Despite this, he remains a notable presence in all these films, while they remain a worthy part of his filmography. Case in point: Robert Aldrich's 1954 film "Vera Cruz."

"Vera Cruz" is essentially a vehicle for a huge confrontation between Western legends Gary Cooper and Burt Lancaster, both of whom play highly amoral characters who seek their fortunes during the Franco-Mexican War in the 1860s. Cooper's Ben Traine and Lancaster's Joe Arin are guns for hire, and they end up on a path that will ultimately lead to a climactic showdown between the two. Bronson is still in Charles Buchinsky mode here, playing a robust supporting role as a man called Pittsburgh.

"Vera Cruz" is an excellent movie that's well-acted throughout and retains its tension right down to the climactic duel. Its 93% Rotten Tomatoes score speaks volumes of just how great the film is — and the fact that it doesn't even crack the top three of Bronson's best Westerns is telling of the man's excellence in this genre.

Speaking of Charles Bronson's most memorable movies, how about "The Magnificent Seven"? John Sturges' excellent 1960 Western movie remake of Akira Kurosawa's "Seven Samurai" is an extraordinary movie with a full cast of amazing characters and actors. Eli Wallach's Calvera is a bandit who terrorizes a remote Mexican village, leading the villagers to recruit Chris Adams (Yul Brynner) and a team of gunslingers (and one knife slinger, courtesy of James Coburn) to fight back.

Charles Bronson is part of the crew as Bernardo O'Reilly, one of the better gunfighters on the team who's going through a rough financial patch. The lineup also includes Steve McQueen as Vin Tanner, Robert Vaughn as Lee, Brad Dexter as Harry Luck, and Horst Buchholz as young Chico.

Even if you're only cursorily familiar with great Westerns, you probably have an idea of what "The Magnificent Seven" is all about, so we won't start recapping the film's big beats here. Suffice to say that the movie has a 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, everyone pulls their weight here with gusto, and Bronson manages to be an extremely memorable part of the movie. 

Charles Bronson also turned up in the bona fide 1968 classic "Once Upon a Time in the West" — and this time, he was one of the movie's absolute centerpieces. Sergio Leone's massive epic features Bronson as the ominous Harmonica — and if you think the character feels oddly reminiscent of Clint Eastwood's iconic Man With No Name, it's because Bronson was only cast after Eastwood turned down the role.

Bronson does a great job in a similarly terse role, however, radiating quiet danger with the best of them. Harmonica's vengeful presence shares the spotlight with the mysterious young widow Jill (Claudia Cardinale), the plucky criminal Cheyenne (Jason Robards), and the evil railroad enforcer Frank (Henry Fonda) — who just so happens to be Harmonica's primary target.

"Once Upon a Time in the West" is nothing short of a masterpiece. Easily one of the best Westerns out there and revered enough to be recognized and preserved by the Library of Congress, its 96% Rotten Tomatoes rating makes it clear that we're talking about a true classic of the highest order. Yet, somehow, it's not the highest-rated Western to feature Charles Bronson.

You'd be forgiven for not being familiar with "Jubal." The 1956 Western focuses on Jubal Troop (Glenn Ford), an unfortunate cowboy who's rescued from a bad situation by rancher Shep Horgan (Ernest Borgnine). Jubal quickly turns out to be a good dude who rises through the ranks of Horgan's ranch men, and even finds a friend in fellow drifter turned ranch hand Reb (Charles Bronson in another strong supporting role).

Unfortunately, Horgan's young wife (Valerie French) would like to know Jubal as more than a friend. To make things worse, a villainous ranch hand called Pinky (Rod Steiger) spots an opportunity to take Jubal down a peg or two — or six feet under, if possible. The end result is tragic and brutal even by Western standards. 

Though the plot of Delmer Daves' film seems like a soap opera on paper, "Jubal" is a highly moving and unconventional adult Western that draws inspiration from none other than William Shakespeare's "Othello." With such lofty subject matter and a brilliant execution, "Jubal" has managed to become one of the select few movies with a full 100% rating on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer.