15 Best Western Movies On Netflix

Whether you want rattling spurs, struggling ranches, risky rodeos, gunfights, or just as many horses as you can possibly fit on a screen, Westerns have you covered. The Western is one of Hollywood's oldest genres, so there are plenty of classic, must-see films out there, and others are getting made — or getting rediscovered — all the time.

But with a lot of streaming services to juggle, it can be hard to figure out what's available where. We want to help you out by doing some of that research for you and keeping track of the 15 best movie Westerns currently on Netflix. Grab yourself a glass of sarsaparilla, put on a cowboy hat, and get ready to choose tonight's film.

Updated on July 5, 2022: As Netflix changes its selection, we'll keep this list updated to reflect the changes in its streaming catalog. Picture us riding herd on a bunch of Westerns and lassoing them for you so you'll always have a current account of the best Netflix has to offer.

"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%

"Concrete Cowboy" offers an unusual and intriguing angle on the modern Western. Cole, a young teenager from Detroit, winds up finding a new purpose in life when his mom sends him to stay with his father in Philadelphia. Cole's dad, Harp, introduces him to riding and the joy of taking care of horses. The horses offer hope, and their loyal riders provide a sense of community, but the prickly and estranged relationship between father and son still needs work. And more pressingly, drug deals and the possibility of violence still lurk in the background, threatening to shatter everything.

• Starring: Caleb McLaughlin, Idris Elba, Jharrel Jerome

• Director: Ricky Staub

• Year: 2020

• Runtime: 111 minutes

• Rating: R

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 80%

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 Harder They Fall" brings together several iconic Black figures of the American West — cowboy criminal Nat Love, U.S. Marshal Bass Reeves, trailblazing mail carrier Stagecoach Mary Fields, and outlaw leader Rufus Buck, among others — and puts them in the middle of a thrilling story. Nat Love wants revenge on Rufus Buck. Each man gathers a circle of charismatic allies, which eventually come together for the ultimate face-off. "The Harder They Fall" is a smart and well-executed spin on Western tropes, featuring an all-star cast.

• Starring: Jonathan Majors, Idris Elba, Zazie Beetz

• Director: Jeymes Samuel

• Year: 2021

• Runtime: 137 minutes

• Rating: R

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 83%

"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%

This gripping Western neo-noir pits two brothers — one careful and one reckless — against both the Texas Rangers and a chain of banks whose harsh policies threaten to trap them in a tragic cycle of poverty. They have all the makings of folk heroes, but even though their cause is sympathetic, their actions spin completely out of control. "Hell or High Water" is a gritty, nuanced update of classic Western lawmen-and-outlaws stories. Strong central performances from Chris Pine and Jeff Bridges keep viewers hooked and make it hard to pick a side.

• Starring: Jeff Bridges, Chris Pine, Ben Foster

• Director: David Mackenzie

• Year: 2016

• Runtime: 102 minutes

• Rating: R

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%

"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%

This vivid, well-realized biopic tells the life story of Montford Johnson, a 19th-century Chickasaw man who — despite facing hard times and pervasive racism — built and maintained a successful, sprawling cattle ranch. The movie stays lean and compelling, providing plenty of action (from gunfights to cattle drives) while also enriching the Western genre by infusing it with a fresh, underseen perspective and real historical richness. Biopics can sometimes be staid, but the well-paced storytelling and a strong central performance from Martin Sensmeier keep this one light on its feet.

• Starring: Martin Sensmeier, Dermot Mulroney, Tommy Flanagan

• Director: Nathan Frankowski

• Year: 2021

• Runtime: 96 minutes

• Rating: NR

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 75% (Audience)

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%

Robert Rodriguez's "Mexico Trilogy" wraps up with its strongest film, a wild ride that's a hybrid of a modern Western and a no-holds-barred action movie. Here, a CIA agent tracks down Antonio Banderas' famous killer, El Mariachi, as the CIA wants him to take out a general on the verge of overthrowing the Mexican government. From that hook, Rodriguez constructs an elaborate and flashy tale of violence, catharsis, schemes, and attempts at both redemption and revenge. The visuals here are paramount, so this is definitely one to check out if you like a distinctive style and vivid — and sometimes grotesque — images. And while it builds off the first two movies, you can also watch it as a standalone.

• Starring: Antonio Banderas, Selma Hayek, Johnny Depp

• Director: Robert Rodriguez

• Year: 2003

• Runtime: 101 minutes

• Rating: R

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 66%

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%

An elite crew of hardened experts — they know explosives, tracking, weapons, and horses — agree to take on the job of retrieving a millionaire rancher's wife from Mexico, where she's ostensibly being held prisoner. Soon enough, however, they find out they don't have the whole story. These men don't appreciate being manipulated, but any potential payback hinges on getting out of Mexico alive ... and that means they have their hands full. "The Professionals" is gritty and exciting, with strong performances and an immortal last line.

• Starring: Burt Lancaster, Lee Marvin, Claudia Cardinale

• Director: Richard Brooks

• Year: 1966

• Runtime: 117 minutes

• Rating: PG-13

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89%

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%

Westerns are known for their lonely expanses of landscape. And what inspires awe can also create horror, as we see in "The Wind." Here, the isolation of a New Mexico homestead makes it vulnerable to supernatural forces, and Lizzy Macklin is plagued by the loneliness of her prairie and by unsettling horrors. (Or is she? Her husband doesn't believe the demons she fears are real.) The arrival of another couple, Gideon and Emma, only makes things worse. With all the paranoia, chloroform, adultery, jealousy, pregnancy, and the constantly howling sound of the wind, the film shows how many terrors — real or imagined — could lurk out on the frontier.

• Starring: Caitlin Gerard, Ashley Zukerman, Julia Goldani Telles

• Director: Emma Tammi

• Year: 2018

• Runtime: 88 minutes

• Rating: R

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 81%

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%