The Top 10 Westerns According To The AFI

Is there any genre more classically and uniquely American than the Western? Cowboys, vast desert landscapes, saloon fights, chases on horseback — the Western has it all, as stories of legendary gunslingers, outlaws and sheriffs have played an enormous role in American mythmaking. The American Film Institute defines the Western "as a genre of films set in the American West that embodies the spirit, the struggle and the demise of the new frontier."

The genre was enormously popular in the days of Classical Hollywood but has more or less disappeared from the big screen in the last few decades. The Western is experiencing something of a comeback these days, with a couple of major 2021 films, including "The Harder They Fall" and "The Power of the Dog" being notable examples. But what are the very finest Western films? That's a question the AFI dared to answer, surveying experts to create a list of the very best Westerns in cinema history. In order to help you choose your next great film experience, here are the top 10 Westerns according to the AFI.

No director has won more Best Director Oscars than legendary filmmaker John Ford, who won four. While Ford's work encompassed just about every genre, he's best known for his extraordinary mythmaking in Westerns like "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance," "Rio Grande," and "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon," among many others. The Western genre itself was considered a category best suited for B-movies –- that is, until Ford's 1939 breakthrough, "Stagecoach." The film follows a group of distinct characters who end up traveling on a stagecoach together, a simple, familiar premise that has had an enormous influence on filmmaking.

"Stagecoach" marks Ford's first collaboration with John Wayne, who, after making box office bomb "The Big Trail," was doomed to obscurity for the rest of the 1930s. But Ford was seemingly determined to make Wayne a superstar, a gamble that those familiar with film history can tell you paid off handsomely. Wayne became a success for his ability to feel like the ultimate everyman. His role as the Ringo Kid, who breaks out of prison after learning that his family was murdered and vows revenge against their killer, provided the perfect opportunity to hone his persona.

As a film, "Stagecoach" is extremely entertaining, taking characters saddled with Western stereotypes — including the prostitute with a heart of gold and a doctor with a passion for alcohol — and subverting them, all while elevating the genre itself. Plus there's nothing quite like watching Wayne leap from horse to horse during an epic shootout.

One of the all-time great screen pairings, if only for their immeasurable levels of cool, Paul Newman and Robert Redford lead "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid." The duo star as the eponymous Cassidy (Newman) and Sundance Kid (Redford), expert train robbers on the run from a group of lawmen who will do whatever it takes to take the pair down. As Butch and the Kid, along with the Kid's partner Etta Place (Katharine Ross), look to escape, it appears their only chance at safety involves fleeing to South America. The trio succeed and find themselves in Bolivia, though their irresistible desire to commit crime provides their biggest challenge.

Director George Roy Hill, working with a cutting, banter-filled script from William Goldman, had a surefire hit on his hands, and "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" became the highest-grossing Western ever in 1969. Hill, obviously impressed by the duo of Newman and Redford, brought them together again for his 1973 film "The Sting," which won seven Oscars including Best Picture. That said, "Butch Cassidy" has made a greater cultural impact, winning four Oscars of its own. The film comes to life with the amazing charisma of its leads, creative and memorable train sequences, and a unique use of pop music, including the Oscar-winning song, "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head," which is deployed in a fantastically joyful sequence.

One of the biggest takeaways from watching the fantastic Howard Hawks Western "Red River" is just how incredibly expansive everything feels. The film has John Wayne unraveling his everyman image as Thomas Dunson, who leads the very first cattle drive along the Chisholm Trail from Texas to Kansas. Dunson, working with right-hand man Groot (Walter Brennan) and adopted son Cliff (the excellent Montgomery Clift), goes from a benevolent leader to a whip-cracking one, rarely allowing anyone to take breaks and pushing everyone to their limits. To paraphrase Dunson, tired men can't run away. As the crew begins to turn against one another, a rift forms between father and son, taking the film in an exciting and unexpected direction.

"Red River" is rather limited in action -– though the action sequences it does have are brilliantly shot and executed — and the film's focus is instead on the dynamic between Dunson and Cliff, plus the staggering scale of the cattle drive. The film features a seemingly endless amount of cattle, as well as countless extras, carriages, and stagecoaches. While a number of the films on AFI's list are on a more intimate scale, "Red River" is undoubtedly the biggest Western on the survey and one of those glorious films that make you wonder how on Earth they possibly could have shot it all. For those who love Westerns for their massive scope, none do it better than "Red River."

A beautiful deconstruction of the myth of the American cowboy, George Stevens' 1953 classic "Shane" stars Alan Ladd — in one of cinema's most heartbreaking and powerful performances — as Shane, a cowboy of few words but undeniably impressive fighting skills. Shane wanders into a quiet valley where he is hired by the Starrett family, who are being intimidated out of their land by the vicious cattle baron Rufus Ryker (Emile Meyer), to protect their land. Westerns are often known for their epic shootouts, but most of the violence in "Shane" comes from brutal fistfights, including a standout, expertly choreographed brawl in a saloon.

"Shane" has been influential in Hollywood for decades and referenced in countless films such as "Pale Rider" and "The Negotiator." It also shows up in plenty of surprising places, like 2017's "Logan," which includes clips from "Shane" as well as quoting the film's closing monologue. Speaking of the closing monologue, it remains one of the most beautiful, devastating, and memorable in film history, with young Joey's (Brandon deWilde) cries for Shane to come back now a permanent part of pop culture.

When thinking of what the Western genre encompasses, it's typical to conjure up images of Monument Valley, cowboys, horses, and shoot-'em-ups. But perhaps the single most enduring image of the genre is the final scene of John Ford's "The Searchers," in which John Wayne is standing in a doorway, the vast valley at his back, before he turns away and walks off into the empty expanse of the Wild West.

In Ford's masterpiece, John Wayne stars in his finest role as Ethan Edwards, a nasty, vengeful man utterly consumed by his hatred for Indians. After a long time away from home, Ethan returns to discover his niece Debbie (Natalie Wood) was kidnapped by Comanches, who murder her family and burn down their home. This sends Ethan on a mission — not to save his niece, but to shoot her, because Ethan believes that Debbie has been irreparably tainted by the Comanches and cannot be saved.

The film certainly has its issues, particularly in its portrayal — quite common in the genre for decades — of Native Americans as savages. Roger Ebert wrote, "Ford was trying, imperfectly, even nervously, to depict racism that justified genocide ... Ethan's racism was invisible to [the original audience] because they bought into his view of Indians." Despite its issues, which were unfortunately extremely commonplace both in Westerns but in Hollywood as a whole at the time, "The Searchers" is a timeless classic that features everything people love about the extraordinary Western genre. It's no surprise that it tops the AFI's list.