The Western movie has been around for a long time and was once one of the most popular film genres. Not only does it have a compelling aesthetic comprised of horseback shootouts, cowboy boots, salons, and more, but it also lends itself to rich characters and high-stakes stories. But Westerns aren't a monolith — in recent years, there have been exciting new twists on the classic, beloved formula. Read on to discover the best Westerns streaming on Max.
For more recommendations, check out the best shows and movies on the platform, as well as the best Westerns on Netflix.
Dead Man (1995)
Run Time: 2 hr 1 min | Director: Jim Jarmusch
Cast: Johnny Depp, Gary Farmer, Crispin Glover
A headline title in the niche acid-Western genre, the late-1800s-based Dead Man follows Johnny Depp’s William Blake who, after being rejected for a job he was promised in the frontier community of Machine, ends up on the run for murder. A visual treat filmed in black and white, Dead Man takes the viewer by the hand and pulls them head-first through this trippy adventure. A genre-defying rollercoaster from start to finish, Neil Young’s detailed score further emphasizes the surrealist vision director Jim Jarmusch clearly had. Boasting a strong cast, including the likes of John Hurt, Michael Wincott, and even Iggy Pop, Dead Man is a cult classic for good reason and is often cited as required viewing for fans of the Western genre. - Jake Hodges.
The Gold Rush (1925)
Run Time: 1 hr 35 min | Director: Charlie Chaplin
Cast: Charlie Chaplin, Mack Swain, Tom Murray, Georgia Hale
As the film Charlie Chaplin wanted to be most remembered for, The Gold Rush stands out as one of the great performer’s best works, with his famous Tramp persona working its hilarious on-screen magic yet again. Chaplin plays the Lone Prospector who, after traveling to Klondike, Alaska, in search of gold, instead finds love in the form of Georgia Hale’s Georgia. Inspired by photographs of the real Klondike Gold Rush, the movie indulges in Chaplin’s typical marriage of humor and sensitivity, with slapstick comedy never too far from touching character moments. A masterpiece in silent filmmaking, The Gold Rush is just one of the many reasons why Chaplin’s films are so fondly remembered today, with many great Westerns owing a debt to this wonderful feat of filmmaking. - Jake Hodges.
Stagecoach (1939)
Run Time: 1 hr 36 min | Director: John Ford
Cast: Claire Trevor, John Wayne, Andy Devine
Iconic classic director John Ford directed 1939's Stagecoach, one of the earliest Westerns in cinematic history. Set in the 1880s, the game-changing film follows a group of eclectic strangers riding a stagecoach through Apache territory. Stagecoach is far from perfect. Its depiction of Native Americans is highly problematic, and Ford's approach might be off-putting to some. However, Stagecoach excels as a vivid portrait of the American West thanks to stunning visuals and a collection of ragtag characters that perfectly represent the time's social dynamics in service of a classic story that would shape the Western for years to come. - David Caballero
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
Run Time: 1 hr 50 min | Director: George Roy Hill
Cast: Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Katharine Ross
One of the best aspects of the Western genre is the interesting characters it creates, whether they are completely fictional or, in the case of Butch & Sundance, mythicized versions of actual people. Butch (Paul Newman) and Sundance (Robert Redford) are one of the most iconic on-screen duos in cinema history. After a train robbery goes bad, Butch and Sundance find themselves on the run from the law and must escape America if they ever plan on growing old. The film is full of exciting action sequences, such as the iconic ending, but it's the calmer moments in between that make this such a great movie, showing who Butch and Sundance really are and how their friendship has kept them alive all these years. - Kevin Hohenberger and Ty Weinert
The Missing (2003)
Run Time: 2 hr 17 min | Director: Ron Howard
Cast: Tommy Lee Jones, Cate Blanchett, Evan Rachel Wood
Cate Blanchett is one of the world's premier actresses. Last year's Tár was yet another blunt-force reminder of her formidable talent and boundless range. Her filmography is littered with wide-ranging gems, and she has worked alongside some of the finest directors doing the rounds, appearing in everything from searing period biopics to chilly neo-noirs. Her first and only appearance to date in a Western comes in Ron Howard's 2003 rousingly scored, slickly shot frontier thriller The Missing. An intriguing change of direction for the filmmaker, The Missing is a full-blooded, rough-hewn adventure that pays tribute to the genre's classical period. The Missing also showcases Blanchett at the peak of her powers alongside an equally committed Tommy Lee Jones (playing her estranged father). - Jacob Dunstan
RELATED: Best Westerns on Netflix
The Shooting (1966)
Run Time: 1 hr 22 min | Director: Monte Hellman
Cast: Jack Nicholson, Millie Perkins, Will Hutchins, Warren Oates
Though it might've taken until the 1970s for the public to finally say, "Hey, this Jack Nicholson guy might be one of the best actors of all time," Nicholson himself was already proving himself one of the greats in the 1960s. It took until the end of that decade for him to become truly famous, though, with films like 1966's The Shooting ultimately helping him get there. At just 78 minutes long, it's a fast-paced and action-packed Western that follows two miners who agree to escort a strange young woman to a nearby town. It keeps things moving well consistently and certainly doesn't overstay its welcome, in the process showing that Nicholson was more than capable of being a Western star, had he wanted to appear in more films within that genre. - Jeremy Urquhart
The Long Riders (1980)
Run Time: 1 hr 40 min | Director: Walter Hill
Cast: David Carradine, Keith Carradine, Robert Carradine
The James-Younger Gang as shown in The Long Riders shows a collection of brothers robbing banks and trains throughout Missouri in the late 19th century, and it sets up the themes early. Dennis Quaid’s Ed Miller botches a bank robbery when he unnecessarily shoots a teller, leading to James Keach’s Jesse James being shot and wounded. Clell Miller (Randy Quaid) sticks with the gang over his brother. Much of the rest of the plot is directly driven by slights against the James and Younger families by the Pinkertons hunting them, be it the shooting of a Younger cousin who is not part of the gang or a firebombing that killed Jesse and Frank’s younger half-brother. While these attacks send the gang into hiding, when they resurface it is to take down a bank in Minnesota. - Keith Ford
The Kid (2019)
Run Time: 1 hr 40 min | Director: Vincent D'Onofrio
Cast: Ethan Hawke, Dane DeHaan, Jake Schur, Leila George
Dane DeHaan stars as Billy, with Hawke stepping into the role of Pat Garrett, the renowned lawman who became a legend by killing Billy the Kid. The Kid follows a young boy named Rio (Jake Schur), who finds himself on a mission to save his sister (Leila George) from his villainous uncle (Pratt) and winds up mixed up in Pat Garrett's hunt for the infamous outlaw. Along the way, he gets to know the legendary figures and ultimately has to decide what kind of man he wants to become as Garrett's hunt closes in on his target. - Haleigh Foutch
Deadwood: The Movie (2019)
Run Time: 1 hr 50 min | Director: Daniel Minihan
Cast: Timothy Olyphant, Ian McShane, Molly Parker, Paula Malcomson
A continuation of the popular show by the same name, Deadwood: The Movie follows the arrival of George Hearst (Gerald McRaney) to the town of Deadwood. Full of dark portends, Deadwood: The Movie uses him primarily as a catalyst to unite everyone — Seth Bullock (Timothy Olyphant), Al Swearengen (Ian McShane), Trixie (Paula Malcomson), Alma Ellsworth (Molly Parker), Charlie Utter (Dayton Callie), and more — in common purpose. Hearst is still a wretch, but this isn’t his story. He’s bringing modernity and telephone lines to Deadwood via his own violent, megalomanic brand of progress, but Deadwood’s rogue nature is not easily tamed. - Allison Keene
Slow West (2015)
Run Time: 1 hr 24 min | Director: John Maclean
Cast: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Michael Fassbender, Ben Mendelsohn
A gripping, contemplative drama that is unlike any other Western ever made, Slow West is one of the century’s most underrated movies regardless of genre. Following a naïve Scottish teenager searching for his love and the Irish bounty hunter who accompanies him while harboring a secret, it splits its time between being brutal, sad, mysterious, and even occasionally funny all while being entirely captivating throughout. With hidden motives and cut-throat violence, there is plenty in the film to keep genre purists satisfied. But with a completely unhurried pace, melancholic tone, and a cohort of characters grappling with emotional quarrels, it also serves as a quintessential revisionist Western. - Ryan Heffernan