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.

Hidalgo

1. Hidalgo

Western Adventure Globetrotting Adventure Modern Western
6.7
20042h 16min

Overview

Set in 1890, this is the story of a Pony Express courier who travels to Arabia to compete with his horse, Hidalgo, in a dangerous race for a massive contest prize, in an adventure that sends the pair around the world...

Themes

Trust and betrayal, Guilt over violence, Cultural clash in competition, Endurance as test, Rivalry across cultures, Legacy and belonging

Available on

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

Overview

When rancher and single mother of two Maggie Gilkeson sees her teenage daughter, Lily, kidnapped by Apache rebels, she reluctantly accepts the help of her estranged father, Samuel, in tracking down the kidnappers. Along the way, the two must learn to reconcile the past and work together if they are going to have any hope of getting Lily back before she is taken over the border and forced to become a prostitute.

Themes

Frontier violence and survival, Intergenerational estrangement, Reluctant alliances, Abduction and rescue, Protection of captives, Distant border pressures

Available on

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

Open Range

3. Open Range

Western Drama Action Revisionist Western Epic Action
7.4
20032h 19min

Overview

A former gunslinger is forced to take up arms again when he and his cattle crew are threatened by a corrupt lawman.

Themes

Loyalty under pressure, Frontier justice vs law corruption, Land control and open-range livelihood, War memories shaping choices, Communal defiance and town resistance, Retirement and reinvention after violence

Available on

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

Love Comes Softly

4. Love Comes Softly

Drama Romance Western Family TV Movie
7.3
20031h 28min

Overview

Nineteen year old pioneer woman Marty has recently married. She goes west with her husband Clem, hoping to start a new life. But Clem unexpectedly dies, and Marty finds herself alone, two months pregnant. Widower Clark offers her a marriage of convenience: she needs food and money, and he needs someone to take care of his daughter Missie. She accepts his proposal as a temporary solution.

Themes

Marriage of convenience, Religious faith under strain, Frontier family formation, Economic dependency and support, Maternal influence and bonding, Widowhood and pregnancy

Available on

UP Faith & Family Apple TV Channel
PixL Amazon Channel
UP Faith & Family Amazon Channel
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Shanghai Knights

5. Shanghai Knights

Action Adventure Comedy Western Buddy Action
6.2
20031h 55min

Overview

When a Chinese rebel murders Chon's estranged father and escapes to England, Chon and Roy make their way to London with revenge on their minds.

Themes

Murder distorts trust, Revenge drives loyalty, Imperial seal stirs power, Loyalty under conflicting codes, Emperor shadows ambition, Good versus evil tests loyalties

Available on

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

800 Bullets

6. 800 Bullets

Comedy Action Western
6.3
20022h 4min

Overview

Almería, Tabernas desert, Spain, 2002. Texas Hollywood is a dilapidated and dusty town where Western movies have not been shot for decades. Julián Torralba and his partners, veteran film stuntmen, survive there, recreating pathetic action scenes for the pleasure of the few foreign tourists who visit the isolated region.


Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron

7. Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron

Animation Adventure Family Drama Western
7.2
20021h 23min

Overview

A captured mustang remains determined to return to his herd no matter what.

Themes

Resilience under pressure, Freedom under captivity, Loyalty across bonds, Duty versus nature, Taming vs independence, Rivalry and alliance

Available on

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

Manitou's Shoe

8. Manitou's Shoe

Western Comedy Adventure Modern Western Parody
6.7
20011h 25min

Overview

Abahachi, Chief of the Apache Indians, and his blood brother Ranger maintain peace and justice in the Wild West. One day, Abahachi needs to take up a credit from the Shoshone Indians to finance his tribe's new saloon. Unfortunately Santa Maria, who sold the saloon, betrays Abahachi, takes the money and leaves. Soon, the Shoshones are on the warpath to get their money back, and Abahachi is forced to organize it quickly.

Themes

Deception and betrayal, Loyalty under pressure, Treasure motive, Disguises and misdirection, Alliances and rivalries, Frontier conflict

Available on

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

The Claim

9. The Claim

Drama Romance Western Tragic Drama Passionate Romance
6.3
20002h

Overview

A prospector sells his wife and daughter to another gold miner for the rights to a gold mine. Twenty years later, the prospector is a wealthy man who owns much of the old west town named Kingdom Come. But changes are brewing and his past is coming back to haunt him. A surveyor and his crew scouts the town as a location for a new railroad line and a young woman suddenly appears in the town and is evidently the man's daughter.

Themes

Loyalty under pressure, Deception in deals, Wealth vs community, Family wealth conflict, Progress vs tradition, Displacement and migration

Available on

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

Shanghai Noon

10. Shanghai Noon

Adventure Action Comedy Western Globetrotting Adventure
6.6
20001h 50min

Overview

Chon Wang, a clumsy imperial guard, trails Princess Pei Pei when she's kidnapped from the Forbidden City and transported to America. Wang follows her captors to Nevada, where he teams up with an unlikely partner, outcast outlaw Roy O'Bannon, and tries to spring the princess from her imprisonment.

Themes

Frontier justice, Duty vs desire, Belonging and loyalty, Cross-cultural alliance, Honor among outlaws, Power and autonomy

Available on

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