15 Best Western Movies Released in the Last 10 Years
It's not a golden era for Western anymore, but in the last few years, some surprisingly great Western films quietly dropped in theaters or on streaming platforms.
Western movies have a special way of taking us back to the wild, dusty roads of the old West, where cowboys and outlaws made their own rules; the last 10 years have given us some of the best stories from this genre, filled with thrilling shootouts, dramatic face-offs, and the quiet beauty of vast, open landscapes.
15. The Ballad of Lefty Brown (2017)
Genre: Western
Rotten Tomatoes score: 80%
After the murder of his longtime partner, the loyal and reliable sidekick, Lefty Brown, sets out on a mission through the Montana wilderness to find the killers and avenge his friend's death, confronting betrayal and his own inadequacies along the way.
14. The Sisters Brothers (2018)
Genre: Western/Mystery & Thriller
Rotten Tomatoes score: 87%
In 1850s Oregon, the notorious assassin duo, Eli and Charlie Sisters, are hired to kill a gold prospector who has stolen a valuable formula from their boss, leading them on a dangerous journey that tests their bond and changes their lives forever.
13. News of the World (2020)
Genre: Western/Adventure
Rotten Tomatoes score: 88%
A Civil War veteran, Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd, encounters a young girl taken by the Kiowa people years ago and agrees to escort her across the treacherous landscapes of Texas to her surviving relatives, facing myriad dangers along the way.
12. The Harder They Fall (2021)
Genre: Western/Drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 88%
When outlaw Nat Love discovers that his enemy Rufus Buck is being released from prison, he reunites his gang to track Rufus down and seek vengeance, leading to a brutal showdown between rival outlaws.
11. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)
Genre: Western/Comedy
Rotten Tomatoes score: 89%
An anthology of six short stories set in the post-Civil War West, ranging from the comedic misadventures of a singing cowboy to the poignant tale of a grizzled prospector mining for gold, each exploring the American frontier myth.
10. High Ground (2020)
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Genre: Adventure/Drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 90%
Travis, an ex-sniper back from the First World War, never imagined he would reunite with Gutjuk, an Australian indigenous child he once saved from white men's violence; now, he's recruiting 19-year-old Gutjuk to help track down his uncle, the fearsome leader of an Aboriginal mob haunting the Territory.
9. Bone Tomahawk (2015)
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Genre: Western/Action
Rotten Tomatoes score: 91%
After a brutal encounter with a group of cannibalistic troglodytes who have kidnapped several settlers, including the local doctor, a small posse of men from a fading frontier town embark on a perilous rescue mission into the caves where horror awaits.
8. Slow West (2015)
Genre: Western/Mystery & Thriller
Rotten Tomatoes score: 92%
A 16-year-old Scottish boy travels to the American West in search of the woman he loves, accompanied by a mysterious and protective gunslinger, only to find himself in the crosshairs of bounty hunters and outlaws.
7. The Power of the Dog (2021)
Genre: Western/Drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 94%
In 1925 Montana, a charismatic but menacing rancher Phil Burbank initiates a war of intimidation on his brother's new wife and her son, until he finds himself exposed to the possibility of love, leading to a tense and tragic confrontation.
6. Old Henry (2021)
Genre: Western/Action
Rotten Tomatoes score: 95%
A reclusive farmer with a mysterious past must protect his son and his homestead when a wounded man with a satchel of stolen money arrives at their doorstep, leading to a violent standoff with ruthless outlaws.
5. First Cow (2019)
Genre: Western/Drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 96%
In the early 19th century Pacific Northwest, a skilled cook and a Chinese immigrant collaborate on a successful business venture that relies on the secret use of a wealthy landowner's prized milk cow, testing their friendship and the harsh realities of the frontier.
4. Hell or High Water (2016)
Genre: Crime/Drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 97%
Two brothers in West Texas embark on a series of bank robberies to save their family ranch from foreclosure, putting them on a collision course with a tenacious and soon-to-retire Texas Ranger.
3. The Rider (2017)
Genre: Drama/Western
Rotten Tomatoes score: 97%
After a near-fatal rodeo accident, a young cowboy undertakes a search for a new identity and what it means to be a man in the heartland of America when he is unable to ride again, facing physical and emotional challenges.
2. Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts (2017)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller/Drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 98%
Set on the Indonesian island of Sumba, Marlina, a recently widowed woman, is visited by a gang intent on stealing her livestock, demanding her service, and threatening her life; she poisons and beheads the gang leader, setting off with his head in hand to seek justice.
1. Deadwood: The Movie (2019)
Genre: Western
Rotten Tomatoes score: 98%
The residents of Deadwood reunite to celebrate South Dakota's statehood in 1889, leading to old rivalries and alliances resurfacing when a powerful figure threatens the peace and the characters must band together one last time.