6 R-Rated Westerns to Stream on Netflix in January 2024

Westerns have always fascinated us with their romantic motifs, the free spirit of the Old West, and stories of righteous lawmen, brave bounty hunters, and vicious outlaws. And, of course, all these stories are especially appealing to children and teens: many of us grew up on the books of Zane Grey, Cormac McCarthy, and Elmore Leonard, as well as the classic films of John Ford and Sergio Leone.

For all its romance, however, the American frontier was an incredibly violent place, where murder, rape, and robbery were commonplace. And many movies, well aware of this, do not hesitate to bloody gunfire, sexual content, or simply moments in the characters' lives that would be difficult to explain to a child.

Want a more serious and darker take on the genre? Here are 6 great R-rated Westerns to binge on Netflix this January.

6. The Highwaymen

Release Date: March 15, 2019

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 58%

Genre: Period drama, crime thriller

The Highwaymen tells the story of a time when the Wild West had long since faded into the sunset, but its spirit and ideals remained just as strong, even as the horse was replaced by its iron rival, the automobile. The Highwaymen is a crime road movie about Bonnie and Clyde, told from the perspective of their adversaries, the law.

5. Legends of the Fall

Release Date: December 23, 1994

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 59%

Genre: Drama

The story, told from the early 20th century through Prohibition, centers on a father (played by Anthony Hopkins) and his two sons (Brad Pitt and Aidan Quinn) who compete for the love of the widow of their brother, who died in World War I.

4. The Ballad of Lefty Brown

Release Date: December 15, 2017

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 80%

Genre: Action, Drama

The Ballad of Lefty Brown is a raw action drama about a cowboy who, after the murder of his best friend, decides to seek justice by taking on not only the underworld but also the corrupt authorities. The movie feels like both a classic and a fresh take on the genre, while not shying away from brutality.

3. Concrete Cowboy

Release Date: April 2, 2021

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 80%

Genre: Drama

This film, starring Idris Elba and Caleb McLaughlin, is a beautiful story of how marginalized people living in poverty find solace in the very spirit of freedom of the Wild West. Told through the lens of a father and his estranged son, Concrete Cowboy is a tale of sorrow and tragedy, but also of the love of horse-riding among African Americans in Philadelphia.

2. The Harder They Fall

Release Date: October 22, 2021

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88%

Genre: Action, Drama

The Harder They Fall follows the infamous feud between two real-life black men and their gangs in the second half of the 19th century, cowboy/writer Nat Love and outlaw Rufus Buck. This is a fascinating and profound story of jealousy and vengeance but be warned that the movie is not appropriate for children and teenagers: bandits kill whole families, human and animal life is worthless, and the concentration of f-words in the movie exceeds all limits.

1. High Plains Drifter

Release Date: April 6, 1973

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%

Genre: Drama, Mystery

Clint Eastwood is one of the finest Western filmmakers, influenced by his longtime collaborations with Sergio Leone and Don Siegel. As a result, in 1973 Eastwood directed one of the genre's most original revisionist films, pushing the established tropes about a lone drifter who wanders into a small town and adding more unexpected supernatural twist. The movie is cynical and full of graphic content.