Here are the 34 best “western” and cowboy movies of all time. Unforgiven marks a sort of mature capstone to Clint Eastwood's reign as outlaw king. Wearier and more solemn than Eastwood's previous western work, Unforgiven reflects on many of the American myths the western genre first perpetuated.

Early Westerns set the standard with cowboys played by the likes of Gary Cooper and John Wayne, and spaghetti Westerns, products of the Italian film industry in the '60s and '70s, starred box-office draws like Henry Fonda and Clint Eastwood.

Anchored by thrilling performances by Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, and Eli Wallach as the title characters, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly remains in contention for the title of single best Western film ever made, and features one of the all-time great showdown scenes in all of cinema. 18. Django (1966)

30 Best Western Movies of all time and where to watch every title online across 200+ streaming services with JustWatch's free streaming guide!