With sweeping visuals, iconic characters, and stories that are as enthralling as they are epic, it is difficult to dispute that the Western is the genre that best embodies the mighty history of American cinema, both at home and abroad. While it truly thrived during the ’50s and ’60s, Western films have proven to be rather timeless, dating as far back as the earliest days of cinema and still challenging audiences with revisionist spins today.
Of course, this overwhelming success can only be achieved through the work, talent, and expertise of those who direct such pictures, with many great filmmakers dedicating huge portions, if not the entirety, of their careers to Western cinema. From giants of Hollywood’s Golden Era to masters of the Spaghetti Western and even some filmmakers from more recent times,these directors are the greatest the Western genre has ever seen.
10Delmer Daves
‘3:10 to Yuma’ (1957), ‘Broken Arrow’ (1950) & ‘The Last Wagon’ (1956)
While he may not be a household name today,Delmer Davesenjoyed a spectacular career through the ’40s, ’50s, and ’60s as a writer, director, and producer. However, it was always his work in Western cinema where Daves did his best work. Having launched his directing career with ’40s film noir, wartime drama, and even romantic musicals, Daves madehis first Western with 1950’sBroken Arrow.
His next effort in the genre, 1954’sDrum Beat, was only a moderate success, but Daves had later triumphs withThe Last Wagon,3:10 to Yuma, andThe Hanging Tree. Interestingly, Daves’ Westerns oftendidn’t engage with the grandiose mythos of the American frontier. While this may offer some explanation for his apparent neglect from the pantheon of America’s great Western filmmakers, it has seen many of his films endure with a timeless, near-revisionist quality.
9The Coen Brothers
Made distinct by their genre-meshing antics, offbeat use of comedy, and striking implementation of violence, theCoen Brothersare famous for their unique cinematic expression. However, their work in the Western genre is responsible for some of the best cowboy movies of the 21st century. After thriving for nearly two decades with neo-noir thrillers and crime comedies, the writer-director duo stunned many with their 2997 neo-Western masterpieceNo Country for Old Men.
Dark, thrilling, and brilliantly bold with its narrative turns, the film wonthree Academy Awardson its way to being heralded as one of the greatest movies of the 21st century thus far.Their remake ofTrue Gritwas equally sensational, again seeing the directors use Western tropes to explore a more serious story. 2018’s anthologicalThe Ballad of Buster Scruggshas become a cult hit as well, one that saw the filmmakers combine their comedic instincts with Western tropes to rousing effect. It solidified their claim asthe greatest Western directors since the turn of the century.
8Anthony Mann
‘Winchester ‘73’ (1950), ‘The Naked Spur’ (1953) & ‘Man of the West’ (1958)
Like so many of his underrated contemporaries,Anthony Mannwas a filmmaker who seemed to specialize in film noir, period epics, and Western blockbusters.A frequent collaborator withJames Stewartfollowing his pivotal career turn to become an iconic leading man in Western films, Mann’s view of the Old West and life on the frontier was defined bydeeply flawed characters and coarse, rugged visuals, with the stark landscapes intended to reflect the internal struggles of the characters.
These intrinsic focuses gave Mann a particularly arresting quality that was apparent from his earliest Western films, with 1950s’Winchester ’73a breakthrough picture for him in the genre. Among his more famous titles areThe Naked Spur,Bend of the River,The Man from Laramie, andMan of the West. His impact on the genre remains prominent, and his achievements have been praised by such greatmodern directors asMartin Scorsese.
7John Sturges
As true and traditional a Western storyteller to have ever graced Hollywood,John Sturgeswas renowned for his taut and thrilling stories that typically focused onnotions of honor, heroism, and old-world masculinity. This approach was true even of his non-Western movies, withThe Great Escapemarking one of his most iconic and well-known achievements. However, it was always his action-packed Western hits that defined him.
Experiencing immense success with films likeThe Magnificent Seven,Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, andBad Day at Black Rock, among many others, Sturges excelled byimbuing his Westerns with a rollicking sense of action bravado. While his only Oscar nod came in the form of a Best Director nomination forBad Day at Black Rock, Sturges still thrived with his commercial esteem. He creditedthe praise he received fromAkira KurosawaforThe Magnificent Seven(a remake of Kurosawa’s samurai epicSeven Samurai) as the proudest moment of his professional career.
6Sam Peckinpah
‘The Wild Bunch’ (1969), ‘Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid’ (1973) & ‘Ride the High Country’ (1962)
Famous for using violence in a nature that was provocative and controversial,Sam Peckinpahis arguably the single most influential filmmakerin the context of revisionist Western cinema and the contemplative air in which the genre stands today. Whereas many of his contemporaries used bombastic action to entertain, Peckinpah was always eager topresent gritty and confronting violence in unflinching detailto leave viewers questioning the value of such recklessness and death.
His best film in this light is 1969’s polarizing classicThe Wild Bunch, a ruthless and shocking picture for its time that left many disgusted while netting Peckinpah the only Oscar nomination of his career (for Best Original Screenplay). 1973’sPat Garrett and Billy the Kidwas another Peckinpah triumph, whileRide the High CountryandMajor Dundeestand as two extremely underrated Westerns from before Peckinpah’s grand breakout in the late ’60s. Peckinpah was also involved in several Western television series through the ’50s and ’60s.
5Howard Hawks
‘Rio Bravo’ (1959), ‘Red River’ (1948) & ‘El Dorado’ (1966)
One of the most innovative and influential filmmakers of all time,Howard Hawksexperienced immense successin multiple genres throughout his career. He displayed his mastery of screwball comedy withHis Girl Friday, perfected the intrigue of film noir withThe Big Sleep, and thrived in musicals with pictures likeGentlemen Prefer Blondes. It should come as no surprise that Hawks was equally pioneering and exceptional with his forays into Western cinema.
Red Rivermarked his first triumph in the category, becoming an instant classic as a character-driven drama following a demanding cattle drive.Rio Bravowould be his defining achievement in the genre, while he closed out his career withEl DoradoandRio Lobo. Defined by his collaborations withJohn Wayneand his restrained, unflashy approach to cinematic storytelling, Hawks’ commanding subtlety always enabledthe strength of his stories and characters to take center stage, often with marvelous results.
4Clint Eastwood
‘Unforgiven’ (1992), ‘The Outlaw Josey Wales’ (1976) & ‘High Plains Drifter’ (1973)
With the sole exception of John Wayne, Western filmmaking has known no greater icon thanClint Eastwood. Originally making his name in the spaghetti Westerns, Eastwood’s performances were always of sublime grit, assured confidence, and an understated wry wit. His reputation as one of the greatest figures in the genre was only consolidated when he began directing films as well as starring in them.
1973’sHigh Plains Driftermarked Eastwood’s first Western as a directorand immediately established him as a filmmaker with exceptional control over tone and style. Alean and crisp storytelling approach was a feature of his directionthroughout the ’70s and ’80s, evidenced in Westerns asThe Outlaw Josey Wales,Pale Rider, and even comedic spins likeBronco Billy. Eastwood’s defining masterpiece came in the 1992 revisionist WesternUnforgiven, an instant classic that saw him winBest Director and Best Picture at the Oscars.
3Sergio Corbucci
‘The Great Silence’ (1968), ‘Django’ (1966) & ‘Compañeros’ (1970)
Something of a hidden maestro of spaghetti Western cinema, at least to the modern masses,Sergio Corbucciwas famous for hisstark and violent vision of the Old Westand his morecomedic endeavors into the genre. His collaborations with Italian starFranco Neromark many of the director’s career triumphs.Djangoremains a superbly gritty tale of hate, vengeance, and violence, whileCompañerosandThe Mercenaryare delightful marriages of Western grit and buddy comedy.
However, it isThe Great Silencethat remains Corbucci’s masterpiece, one of the most ambitious and striking films the genre has ever seen that subverts narrative tropes in an arresting fashion to deliver a shocking tale of violence. With his tonal juggling and his gritty aesthetic almost always complemented by the work of composerEnnio Morricone, Sergio Corbucci stands as a filmmaker of fantastic style and power whose contributions to Western cinema rank among his greatest achievements.
2John Ford
‘Stagecoach’ (1939), ‘The Searchers’ (1956) & ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’ (1962)
It is not an exaggeration to say that Western cinema as we know it today would never have existed withoutJohn Ford. His 1939 filmStagecoachwas a fantastic Western drama instrumental in dismantling contemporary prejudices against the genre, excelling critically and commercially and remaining a cornerstone of not only Westerns but the film industry at large. It also served asa breakthrough for John Wayne, who would work with Ford a further 13 times.
This ongoing collaboration framed the careers of both men, with Wayne appearing in many of Ford’s greatest pictures, including Western classics likeThe Searchers,The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance,Rio Grande, andFort Apache. Throughout his career,Ford became renowned for his efficient and taut stories and visual grandeur, both of which were never displayed better than in his Westerns. It is one of the great ironies of cinema that none of his four Best Director wins at the Academy Awards came from his Western films.
1Sergio Leone
In the eyes of many, the spaghetti Westerns of the ’60s and early ’70s stand as the most enduring and brilliant offshoots the genre has ever seen. Defined by their coarse grit, tales of adventure and violence, and ruthless antiheroes, their appeal has waned little over the decades. It is safe to say that there wasno greater director of Spaghetti Westerns thanSergio Leone.
The Dollars trilogy ofA Fistful of Dollars,For a Few Dollars More, and the iconicThe Good, the Bad and the Uglyis a defining hallmark of not only the spaghetti Westerns but Western cinema at large. Leone then presented another masterpiece, the operatic epicOnce Upon a Time in the West. From the mesmerizing visuals to Morricone’s spellbinding scores, brutal characters, and sweeping tales of ambition and greed,Leone’s vision of the Old West remains the defining pillar of the Western genrewhen operating at its most captivating, entertaining, and masterful.
