The 10 Most Powerful Western Movies of All Time, Ranked

How do you define a “powerful” movie? Is it simply one that moves you? Is it a film that had a particular impact on the genre? Or is it a film that’s so influential that it still directs modern-day takes on the familiar story? For us, the answer lies with all three, and in meditating on the most powerful Westerns, we’ve come up with a list of features that continue to wow us years later.

Pulling from the Golden Age of the genre to its transition into more neo-Western territory in the 21st century, there are far too many horse operas that one could deem “powerful” to count. In an effort to distill some of the best, we came up with ten in particular that do an exceptional job at influencing and impacting the genre beyond their simple runtime, having moved audiences and filmmakers alike to tell tales that pull on the same dramatic strings. So hop in the saddle, because we’ve got some of the most powerful Westerns for you to revisit.