Western backdrop

Western movies

Tales of the American frontier, outlaws, and lawmen, set against the rugged backdrop of the Wild West.

Subgenres include: Classic Western, Revisionist Western, Spaghetti Western.

Django Unchained

1. Django Unchained

Drama Western Revisionist Western Tragic Drama
8.5

20122h 45min

United States

Director: Quentin Tarantino

Bounty hunter Dr. Schultz buys Django out of slavery so that he can help him track down dangerous criminals with large rewards on their heads. After several successful jobs, Schultz decides to help Django and sets out with him to find his wife.

Themes

Deception under pressure, Racial hierarchy, Wealth and dominance, Violence in the south, Loyalty under power, Freedom versus coercion

Available on

Amazon Video
Google Play Movies
YouTube
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Old Henry

2. Old Henry

Western Action Drama Revisionist Western Epic Action
7.3

20211h 39min

United States

Director: Potsy Ponciroli

A widowed farmer and his son warily take in a mysterious, injured man with a satchel of cash. When a posse of men claiming to be the law come for the money, the farmer must decide who to trust. Defending a siege of his homestead, the farmer reveals a talent for gun-slinging that surprises everyone calling his true identity into question.

Themes

Loyalty under pressure, Trust under threat, Frontier justice and violence, Deception and undercover roles, Legacy vs obsolescence, Family duty under siege

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
fuboTV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Revenant

3. The Revenant

Western Drama Adventure Modern Western Historical Drama
8.0

20152h 37min

Canada, Hong Kong SAR China

Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu

A seasoned frontiersman who knows every rule of the wild is crushed, broken, and left for dead in a wilderness that suddenly obeys none of them. Stripped of his weapons, allies, and power, he must crawl through the frozen frontier as both nature and man hunt him down.

Themes

Trust under duress, Loyalty under pressure, Moral ambiguity, Revenge and violence, Nature as adversary, Survival under betrayal

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Eddington

4. Eddington

Western Comedy Crime Modern Western Satire
6.6

20252h 28min

United States, Finland

Director: Ari Aster

In May of 2020, a standoff between a small-town sheriff and mayor sparks a powder keg as neighbor is pitted against neighbor in Eddington, New Mexico.

Themes

Leadership under pressure, Violence as spectacle, Sheriff vs mayor rivalry, Conspiracy and misinformation, Community fracture under crisis, Neighbor against neighbor, Protest as political theater

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
HBO Max
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Hateful Eight

5. The Hateful Eight

Drama Mystery Western Locked-Room Mystery Revisionist Western
7.8

20153h 8min

United States

Director: Quentin Tarantino

Bounty hunters seek shelter from a raging blizzard and get caught up in a plot of betrayal and deception.

Themes

Betrayal and alliance, Deception under pressure, Class tension and suspicion, Hidden agendas emerge, Frontier power dynamics, Survival vs loyalty

Available on

Netflix
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Bacurau

6. Bacurau

Mystery Western Thriller Revisionist Western Political Thriller
7.3

20192h 11min

Brazil, France

Director: Kleber Mendonça Filho

Bacurau, a small town in the Brazilian sertão, mourns the loss of its matriarch, Carmelita, who lived to be 94. Days later, its inhabitants notice that their community has vanished from most maps.

Themes

Autonomy under pressure, Grassroots resistance, Water-rights conflict, Transsexuality and autonomy, Colonialism and resource control, Backcountry isolation

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Deadwood: The Movie

7. Deadwood: The Movie

Western Drama Modern Western Historical Drama
7.3

20191h 50min

United States

Director: Daniel Minahan

Follow the 10-year reunion of the Deadwood camp to celebrate South Dakota's statehood. Former rivalries are reignited, alliances are tested and old wounds are reopened, as all are left to navigate the inevitable changes that modernity and time have wrought.

Themes

Loyalty under pressure, Deception and influence, Violence as negotiation, Land investment leverage, Frontier authority vs capital, Rivalries reemerge

Available on

Amazon Video
HBO Max
HBO Max Amazon Channel
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Rider

8. The Rider

Drama Western Coming-of-Age Drama Modern Western
7.4

20181h 43min

United Kingdom, United States

Director: Chloé Zhao

Once a rising star of the rodeo circuit, and a gifted horse trainer, young cowboy Brady is warned that his riding days are over after a horse crushed his skull at a rodeo. In an attempt to regain control of his own fate, Brady undertakes a search for a new identity and what it means to be a man in the heartland of the United States.

Themes

Economic hardship, Masculinity under pressure, Family obligation vs independence, Disability and agency, Work and identity, Caregiver strain

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Hell or High Water

9. Hell or High Water

Western Crime Drama Modern Western Heist
7.6

20161h 42min

United States

Director: David Mackenzie

A divorced dad and his ex-con brother resort to a desperate scheme in order to save their family's farm in West Texas.

Themes

Poverty and family duty, Economic risk and crime, Debt foreclosure pressures, Land and livelihood under threat, Protecting dependents under duress, Moral ambiguity of survival

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

First Cow

10. First Cow

Drama Western Historical Drama Revisionist Western
7.1

20202h 2min

United States

Director: Kelly Reichardt

In the 1820s, a taciturn loner and skilled cook travels west to Oregon Territory, where he meets a Chinese immigrant also seeking his fortune. Soon the two team up on a dangerous scheme to steal milk from the wealthy landowner’s prized Jersey cow – the first, and only, in the territory.

Themes

Secrecy and deception, Frontier class tension, Immigrant aspiration and risk, Craft-based livelihood, Mutual reliance under pressure, Wealth and crime dynamics

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.