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.

Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1

11. Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1

Western Drama Western Epic Historical Drama
6.6

20243h 2min

United States

Director: Kevin Costner

In 1859, families discover the lure of the Old West as they settle in territories from Wyoming to Kansas. Meanwhile, a gruff cowboy finds himself on the run with a prostitute and a young boy after killing a fellow gunman.

Themes

War profiteering, Frontier expansion, Moral restraint in warfare, Manifest destiny, Indigenous conflict, Coexistence vs raids

Available on

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

The Nightingale

12. The Nightingale

Drama Thriller Western Historical Drama Revenge Thriller
7.3

20182h 16min

Australia, United States

Director: Jennifer Kent

In 1825, Clare, a 21-year-old Irish convict, chases a British soldier through the rugged Tasmanian wilderness, bent on revenge for a terrible act of violence he committed against her family. She enlists the services of an Aboriginal tracker who is also marked by trauma from his own violence-filled past.

Themes

Trauma and resilience, Cross-cultural alliance, Colonial violence, Frontier brutality and survival, Gendered oppression

Available on

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

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

13. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

Western Comedy Drama Music Mystery
7.2

20182h 12min

United States

Director: Joel Coen

Vignettes weaving together the stories of six individuals in the old West at the end of the Civil War. Following the tales of a sharp-shooting songster, a wannabe bank robber, two weary traveling performers, a lone gold prospector, a woman traveling the West to an uncertain future, and a motley crew of strangers undertaking a carriage ride.

Themes

Economic precarity, Frontier precariousness, Loyalty and debt, Spectacle for profit, Mass entertainment ethics, Fate and chance

Available on

Netflix
Netflix Standard with Ads
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Redeeming Love

14. Redeeming Love

Romance Drama Western Bittersweet Romance Historical Drama
6.7

20222h 14min

South Africa, United States

Director: D.J. Caruso

A young couple's relationship clashes with the harsh realities of the California Gold Rush of 1850. Angel, experiencing love for the first time and facing demons unsurmountable, runs from the new life she doesn't believe she deserves. When Michael sets out to find her, Angel discovers that she indeed has the power to choose the life she wants.

Themes

Romance under pressure, Trauma and survival, Female agency under constraint, Public exposure and accountability, Religion and doubt, Exploitation and resilience

Available on

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

The Power of the Dog

15. The Power of the Dog

Drama Western Revisionist Western Tragic Drama
6.8

20212h 7min

Australia, Canada

Director: Jane Campion

A domineering but charismatic rancher wages a war of intimidation on his brother's new wife and her teen son, until long-hidden secrets come to light.

Themes

Toxic masculinity, Gender roles, Mentor protégé dynamics, Repressed sexuality, Long-hidden secrets, Domineering authority

Available on

Netflix
Netflix Standard with Ads
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Hostiles

16. Hostiles

Drama Western History Adventure Historical Drama
7.2

20172h 14min

United States

Director: Scott Cooper

A legendary Native American-hating Army captain nearing retirement in 1892 is given one last assignment: to escort a Cheyenne chief and his family through dangerous territory back to his Montana reservation.

Themes

Loyalty under threat, Duty versus mercy, Old enmities resurfacing, Frontier violence and retaliation, Justice under duress, Settlement and displacement tensions

Available on

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

News of the World

17. News of the World

Drama Western Adventure Classic Western Rescue Mission Adventure
6.8

20201h 58min

United States

Director: Paul Greengrass

A Texan traveling across the wild West bringing the news of the world to local townspeople, agrees to help rescue a young girl who was kidnapped.

Themes

Loyalty under strain, Violence as currency, Propaganda as control, Duty versus independence, Cultural tension and guardianship, Orphaned vulnerability

Available on

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

The Harder They Fall

18. The Harder They Fall

Western Modern Western
6.6

20212h 17min

United States

Director: Jeymes Samuel

Gunning for revenge, outlaw Nat Love saddles up with his gang to take down enemy Rufus Buck, a ruthless crime boss who just got sprung from prison.

Themes

Deception as strategy, Loyalty under threat, Revenge under pressure, Law versus vigilante, Family violence legacy, Power and frontier justice

Available on

Netflix
Netflix Standard with Ads
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Let Him Go

19. Let Him Go

Thriller Crime Western Kidnapping & Captivity Thriller Organized Crime
6.7

20201h 54min

Canada, United States

Director: Thomas Bezucha

Following the loss of their son, a retired sheriff and his wife leave their Montana ranch to rescue their young grandson from the clutches of a dangerous family living off the grid in the Dakotas.

Themes

Loss of loved one, Abusive husband, Grief and protection, Off grid threat, Family loyalty under siege, Duty versus risk

Available on

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

The Sisters Brothers

20. The Sisters Brothers

Western Drama Comedy Revisionist Western Historical Drama
6.9

20182h 1min

France, Spain

Director: Jacques Audiard

Oregon, 1851. Hermann Kermit Warm, a chemist and aspiring gold prospector, keeps a profitable secret that the Commodore wants to know, so he sends the Sisters brothers, two notorious assassins, to capture him on his way to California.

Themes

Loyalty under pressure, Betrayal and deception, Wealth and violence, Power dynamics and alliance, Frontier survival ethics

Available on

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