10 Western movies to stream while kicking up your spurs
10 Western movies to stream while kicking up your spurs
Matt CabralTue, June 2, 2026 at 9:00 PM UTC
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'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly'; 'The Searchers'; '3:10 to Yuma'
Credit: Everett (3)
Thanks in large part to Taylor Sheridan’s ever-growing Yellowstone empire, the Western genre has enjoyed a healthy resurgence on the small screen. In fact, the popularity of the Dutton clan's various prequels, sequels, and spinoffs — including the recently launched Dutton Ranch — has fueled fans' appetites for even more horse operas, shoot-'em-ups, and other rootin' tootin' fare.
Luckily, the streaming space is packed with enough Westerns — from genre-defining classics starring Clint Eastwood to modern masterpieces… also starring Clint Eastwood — to fill Montana’s big sky. Entertainment Weekly has already picked out six Western movies to stream on Netflix, but now we're going off the reservation to wrangle up even more prime picks offered on a variety of streaming platforms.
So before you ride off into the sunset, don't miss the 10 best Western movies streaming now.
3:10 to Yuma (2007)
Christian Bale as Dan Evans and Russell Crowe as Ben Wade in '3:10 to Yuma'
Credit: Richard Foreman/Lionsgate
One of the better Western remakes to hit the big screen, 3:10 to Yuma (based on Elmore Leonard's short story) spins a gripping yarn from a simple premise. It follows strapped family man Dan Evans (Christian Bale) as he takes on the not-so-easy task of escorting ruthless outlaw Ben Wade (Russell Crowe) to his train so he can stand trial for his crimes.
Under the deft direction of James Mangold, this seemingly straightforward set-up delivers a propulsive mix of thrilling action, morally complex characterizations, and an emotional twist that turns the 1957 original's ending on its head. It's all supported by standout performances from both leads, making for a thrilling double-hander.
Where to watch 3:10 to Yuma: Amazon Prime Video (to rent)
Bone Tomahawk (2015)
Richard Jenkins as Chicory and Kurt Russell as Sheriff Franklin Hunt in 'Bone Tomahawk'
Credit: Scott Everett White
Given that Bone Tomahawkstars Kurt Russell as a grizzled, small-town sheriff sporting bushy facial hair in the 19th-century American Frontier, the film could be mistaken for a by-the-numbers Western where the white hats prevail over the black hats.
At least, that's the case until you’re introduced to the latter group: nightmare-conjuring, cave-dwelling cannibals that may hold the title for committing the most disturbing disembowelment the medium's ever seen. It’s the juxtaposition of the film’s familiar premise — which sees Russell's lawman put together a posse of gun-slinging do-gooders (Patrick Wilson, Richard Jenkins, Matthew Fox) for a rescue mission — against its shocking horror elements, that ensures Bone Tomahawk is anything but just another day at the O.K. Corral.
Where to watch Bone Tomahawk: Hulu
Django Unchained (2012)
Christoph Waltz as Dr. King Schultz and Jamie Foxx as Django in 'Django Unchained'
Credit: Andrew Cooper/Weinstein Company
A stylish subversion of spaghetti Westerns, Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained serves up a familiar cocktail of the auteur's signatures, from stomach-churning violence and comedic banter to an expletive-spewing Samuel L. Jackson and several crowd-pleasing references and cameos.
But it is more than just a typical Tarantino joint. Django Unchained's vengeance-fueled tale of an Antebellum-era slave (Jamie Foxx) and German bounty hunter (Christoph Waltz) joining forces to take down a vile plantation owner (Leonardo DiCaprio) delivers a romp even better than the considerable sum of its parts. All that, and the film — which scored Tarantino a writing Oscar and Waltz his second Best Supporting Actor statuette — also spawned a ubiquitous DiCaprio meme.
Where to watch Django Unchained: Paramount+
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
Clint Eastwood as Blondie in 'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly'
Credit: ARTURO GONZALEZ/Ronald Grant Archive/Mary Evans/Everett
Like John Wayne, Clint Eastwood made his mark wielding a six-shooter and wearing a Stetson. Unlike his laconic predecessor, Eastwood had to do so overseas in Italy, where his output was grittier, weirder, and more violent — perhaps the defining characteristics of Sergio Leone's The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.
In Eastwood, Leone found a persona that seemed mythic, and tied him together in an unofficial “Man with No Name” trilogy along with A Fistful of Dollars (1964) and For a Few Dollars More (1965). The filmmaker’s style — stunning wide shots, tension-ratcheting close-ups, and sweeping, operatic scores — has been perpetually imitated but never duplicated. Toss in an engrossing yarn involving a hunt for treasure amid the American Civil War, and this easily earns its rep as an all-time great.
Where to watch The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: MGM+
Hell or High Water (2016)
Ben Foster as Tanner Howard and Chris Pine as Toby Howard in 'Hell or High Water'
Credit: Lorey Sebastian/CBS Films/courtesy Everett Collection
Like so many Westerns, Hell or High Water’s plot finds a down-on-its-luck family desperately fighting to keep their ranch. But that’s where the familiarities end, as the Best Picture nominee refreshingly turns the trope on its head. Written by Taylor Sheridan — a few years before spawning his Dutton empire on TV — the film sees Texas siblings Toby (Chris Pine) and Tanner (Ben Foster) embark on a bank-robbing spree against the very financial institution attempting to foreclose on their land.
Equal parts compelling crime thriller and nuanced neo-Western, it also stars Jeff Bridges — who nabbed a Best Supporting Actor nomination — and future Yellowstone star Gil Birmingham as the wily Texas Rangers tasked with bringing the brothers to justice.
Where to watch Hell or High Water: HBO Max
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No Country for Old Men (2007)
Javier Bardem as Anton Chigurh and Zach Hopkins as a deputy in 'No Country for Old Men'
Credit: Miramax/courtesy Everett
Long before Josh Brolin discovered a mysterious black hole in the sci-fi neo-Western Outer Range, he stumbled upon a briefcase full of Benjamins as Llewelyn Moss in the Coen brothers' instant-classic No Country for Old Men. Of course, the Best Picture winner is best remembered for its villain, Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem), a sinister, stone-faced hitman with a pageboy coif and brutally lethal cattle gun.
While Bardem — who scored a Best Supporting Actor Oscar — has deservedly become the movie's terrifying poster child, its other main players, Brolin and Tommy Lee Jones, are also compelling in this slow-burn thriller about three complex men caught in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse.
Where to watch No Country for Old Men: Paramount+
The Searchers (1956)
Jeffrey Hunter as Martin Pawley, John Wayne as Ethan Edwards, and Ward Bond as Rev. Clayton in 'The Searchers'
Credit: Everett
Long before the likes of Clint Eastwood and Kevin Costner saddled up, Hollywood's quintessential cowboy was John Wayne — besting his contemporary Gary Cooper by about 40 Westerns. Given that The Duke appeared in nearly 100 genre entries across four decades, you'd have better luck panning for gold in a bathtub than picking a favorite.
That said, John Ford's The Searchers isn't just a great Wayne Western, but also a subversive masterpiece — ranked among EW's top 100 of all time — that doesn't rest on the laurels of its accomplished lead. Instead, it allows him to expand his range in a darker, fascinatingly nuanced take on a genre that had begun to spin its wheels by the mid-1950s.
Where to watch The Searchers: Amazon Prime Video (to rent)
Silverado (1985)
Danny Glover as Mal, Kevin Costner as Jake, Scott Glenn as Emmett, and Kevin Kline as Paden in 'Silverado'
Credit: Columbia/courtesy Everett
When you’re talking ensemble Westerns of the ’80s and ’90s, the good (Tombstone, The Quick and the Dead), the bad (Young Guns), and the ugly (Young Guns II) tend to dominate the conversation. But Lawrence Kasdan’s Silverado — arguably the best of the bunch — is often left to the tumbleweeds.
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While its pulpy story of mismatched gunslingers teaming up to take down a corrupt sheriff is as enduring as an old saddle bag, the well-trodden material is elevated by a sprawling cast that includes Kevin Kline, Scott Glenn, Danny Glover, Rosanna Arquette, Brian Dennehy, John Cleese, and a scenery-chewing Jeff Goldblum as an especially slimy secondary villain. Heck, even future genre mainstay Kevin Costner makes his oater debut as a spunky, baby-faced sharpshooter.
Where to watch Silverado: MGM+
Tombstone (1993)
Kurt Russell as Wyatt Earp and Val Kilmer as Doc Holliday in 'Tombstone'
Credit: John Bramley/Buena Vista Pictures/Everett
In the wake of Val Kilmer's 2025 death, there’s been renewed interest in this Western featuring the actor's iconic portrayal of Doc Holliday. But even before fans sought to revisit the tuberculosis-stricken — but still swaggering — gunslinger, Tombstone was a cult favorite that's grown increasingly popular since its original mixed reception. Complemented by a stacked cast, including Kurt Russell as Doc’s bestie Wyatt Earp, the movie plays like a “greatest hits” collection of genre archetypes and tropes.
Rather than feeling forced or stitched together, its familiar elements — such as the O.K. Corral showdown — are seamlessly blended and layered in a way that maybe didn't earn it any artsy awards, but won legions of loyal fans that happily went along for the ride.
Where to watch Tombstone: Amazon Prime Video (to rent)
Unforgiven (1992)
Gene Hackman as Little Bill Daggett in 'Unforgiven'
Credit: Warner Bros/Everett
Nearly 30 years after saddling up for A Fistful of Dollars — and cementing his place as Hollywood's most coveted cowboy — Clint Eastwood earned his first Best Actor nomination as a pulled-from-retirement outlaw in Unforgiven.
Already respected for his work as an actor-director — High Plains Drifter (1973), The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976), and Pale Rider (1985) — Eastwood blew a big, bloody hole through the notion of a romanticized Old West with this dark, violent tale of an aging killer clashing with a ruthless, corrupt small town sheriff (Gene Hackman).
The film earned Hackman his second Oscar and, while Eastwood didn't win for Best Actor, he bagged Best Picture and Best Director trophies for what many consider to be his masterpiece.
Where to watch Unforgiven: Amazon Prime Video (to rent)
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