15 Best Western Movies On Netflix

"The Ballad of Buster Scruggs" is an anthology film that tells six separate Western stories, most darkly comedic and with brutal but sharply written punchlines. Over the course of the movie, we're introduced to a singing cowboy who's also a supernaturally good shot (and pretty blithe about the trail of carnage he leaves behind), a condemned man who can't seem to meet or escape the hangman's noose, a grim traveling show that's rivaled by a mathematically gifted chicken, an uncomfortable stagecoach ride where philosophical musings may drift into the supernatural, and more. None of the stories wear out their welcomes, and the twists of humor and viciousness add some seasoning to familiar story elements.

• Starring: Tim Blake Nelson, James Franco, Liam Neeson

• Directors: Joel Coen and Ethan Coen

• Year: 2018

• Runtime: 133 minutes

• Rating: R

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89%

Geronimo reluctantly agrees to lead the Apaches to a reservation, but discontent quickly grows. There are a few white men he trusts — Lieutenant Gatewood and General Crook — but they're not often there; most of his day-to-day dealings are far more frustrating and controlling. When the U.S. Army cracks down on Apache spirituality and any teaching of resistance, Geronimo openly defies them and leads a rebellion, but he and his men are gravely outnumbered. "Geronimo: An American Legend" is a moving, nuanced tragedy and a fine portrait of Geronimo and some of the real U.S. officers he dealt with. While initial reviews were rocky, the film has notable defenders like Quentin Tarantino, and it's due for a critical revival.

• Starring: Wes Studi, Jason Patric, Robert Duvall

• Director: Walter Hill

• Year: 1993

• Runtime: 115 minutes

• Rating: PG-13

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 48%

"The Hateful Eight" takes the coziness out of the locked-room mystery. Quentin Tarantino takes a cast of vicious, amoral characters and strands them in the middle of a snowstorm. The circumstances are suspicious, and post-Civil War tensions are running unbelievably high — and then people start dying. Someone in this isolated outpost isn't who they say they are. Instead, they're here to free outlaw Daisy Domergue, who's bound for the hangman's noose, and they don't mind leaving a trail of bodies behind them. Full of tense standoffs and visceral violence, "The Hateful Eight" is an exciting movie that also demonstrates the volatility — and surprising alliances — of frontier America.

• Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh

• Director: Quentin Tarantino

• Year: 2015

• Runtime: 167 minutes (213 minutes in the "Extended Version")

• Rating: R

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 74%

"In the Valley of Violence" brings charismatic drifter Paul — and his adorable, spirited dog, Abbie — into a classic fix. He's gotten on the wrong side of some young troublemakers, and wouldn't you know it, the leader of the gang is the son of the local marshal. It pits Paul against the town, especially since venomous roughneck Gilly won't let their conflict go ... and escalates it in a horrific fashion. Luckily, Paul has at least one ally, a charming teenage widow who wants to find a better life. But will that be enough when the bullets start flying? A strong cast helps seal the deal.

• Starring: Ethan Hawke, John Travolta, Taissa Farmiga

• Director: Ti West

• Year: 2016

• Runtime: 103 minutes

• Rating: R

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 77%

A dark and gritty Western, "The Nightingale" focuses on Clare Carroll, a transported Irish convict forced to work for the British soldiers occupying Australia. After a shatteringly violent attack, Clare is left for dead ... but she survives. Determined to get back at the men who did this to her, she teams up with an Aboriginal tracker named Mangana (or Billy, as he's first introduced) who has his own wrongs in need of righting. Their partnership carries them, and the audience, through Australia's brutal past and all the damage caused by the country's colonization.

• Starring: Aisling Franciosi, Sam Claflin, Baykali Ganambarr

• Director: Jennifer Kent

• Year: 2018

• Runtime: 136 minutes

• Rating: R

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 86%

Dark undercurrents in tangled family relationships are at the heart of this small-scale Western. When the emotionally fragile Rose marries ranch owner George, she and her son, Peter, step into a life of wealth and privilege — but they seemingly can't escape the resentment of George's brother, Phil, whose constant antagonism starts to send Rose into a decline. Phil's sudden friendliness with Peter only distresses her more. The complicated emotions and sense of impending tragedy give "The Power of the Dog" dramatic weight, and it also offers a beautifully detailed look at Western life.

• Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons

• Director: Jane Campion

• Year: 2021

• Runtime: 127 minutes

• Rating: R

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%

Hindi Western "Thar" brings the rough-and-tumble aesthetic of the American West to India's Thar Desert. People are dying in and around the small border town of Munabao. Inspector Surekha Singh knows there could be any number of motivations for these brutal crimes, but his attention is drawn to traveling antiques dealer Siddharth Kumar. As Surekha unravels the mystery surrounding Siddharth's past and his true intentions, this bloody revenge thriller doesn't let up on the gas. Stunning desert photography adds beauty to this gripping film, in striking contrast to its unfolding horrors.

• Starring: Anil Kapoor, Harshvardhan Kapoor, Fatima Sana Shaikh

• Director: Raj Singh Chaudhary

• Year: 2022

• Runtime: 108 minutes

• Rating: NR

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 70%

Young Native American woman Natalie Hanson is found dead from exposure. FBI Special Agent Jane Banner teams up with Fish and Wildlife Agent Cory Lambert — who is familiar with this region and community, and whose own tragic history hovers in the background — to investigate the suspicious circumstances behind this death. But this case is just the tip of an iceberg of racism, misogyny, and local tension, which leads the dogged Lambert and Banner to some very dark places. Melancholy, thoughtful, and thoroughly rooted in Wyoming's stark landscape, "Wind River" is a moving neo-Western about real problems and hard choices.

• Starring: Jeremy Renner, Elizabeth Olsen, Graham Greene

• Director: Taylor Sheridan

• Year: 2017

• Runtime: 107 minutes

• Rating: R

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 87%