Best Clint Eastwood Western Movies, Ranked

Summary

• Clint Eastwood’s career includes stellar Western films, with classics like Pale Rider and The Outlaw Josey Wales.
• Eastwood’s filmography extends beyond Westerns, with remarkable roles in crime dramas like Gran Torino and The Beguiled.
• Unforgiven showcases Eastwood’s portrayal of a former outlaw, reflecting on redemption, with an all-star cast delivering outstanding performances.

Clint Eastwood’s icy, cold demeanor in the iconic The Man with No Name trilogy captivated audiences and solidified his role as a gun-slinging hero with a complicated past and questionable morals. Over the next few decades, Eastwood would add to his resume a stellar list of Western films that still stand the test of time, and he eventually moved on to producing and directing.

The iconic Hollywood icon has stated he wouldn’t act again after Million Dollar Baby in 2004, but he has returned numerous times when the part was too good to turn down. In 2019, Eastwood directed Richard Jewell, a biographical crime drama about the security guard who foiled a bomb plot at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. In 2021, he directed and starred in Cry Macho, a Western movie in the genre that he helped define.

Updated December 28, 2024, by Kristy Ambrose: Clint Eastwood’s career has spanned over six decades and reached well beyond the Western genre. His movies also include adventure, drama, psychological horror, and science fiction, and these often integrate the Western aesthetic that launched his career. Clint Eastwood will always be known as the man with a dusty poncho and a fast draw, but he’s also a fearless entertainer, dedicated lawman, and ghostly avenger.

22

Star In The Dust

An Early, Uncredited Role

Tom, the humble ranch hand, doesn’t get much screen time in this movie. However, he does have some modest lines, and it’s worth noting that this popular western set the early trend of Eastwood’s career in motion. The movie is an adaptation of a novel by Lee Leighton entitled Law Men, and the story pits Sheriff Bill Jorden against the gunslinger, farmer killer, and cattle thief Sam Hall.

Hall is scheduled to be hanged in the morning, but some of the townsfolk are hoping that he escapes, and some local cowboys are even helping him. The politics of the town emerge as the hanging draws near, with the farmers against the ranchers and the Sheriff trying to keep peace between them.

21

Honkytonk Man

A Musical Collaboration With His Son

A quaint musical seemed out of Eastwood’s wheelhouse by the time the 1980s rolled around. Yet, this film is still a wholesome and fun story about an American folk singer named Red Stovall and his adventures on tour in the backroads of America. Stovall’s nephew and traveling companion, Whit Wagoneer, is played by Eastwood’s real-life son, Kyle.

The narrative has a few tragic cliches that make the story predictable, the main one being the one of a dying musician clawing his way towards a last chance and ending with Stovall’s touring car finally stalling permanently after taking him to his final resting place. Kyle Eastwood grew up to be a jass bassist and film composer in real life, so the talent seen in this movie on his part is authentic.

20

The First Traveling Saleslady

A Classic Western Comedy

Ginger Rogers was a big star in this era, and this movie marked her comeback to the RKO studio after taking a break for several years. Even though this is her movie, with her star power driving the plot and her character Rose Gillray heading up the cast, the handsome young Lieutenant Rice makes a distinct impression.

Her mission is to figure out a way to sell barbed wire to the western cattle ranchers, who are staunchly against the idea. The movie is mainly a comedy that takes a lighthearted look at some real social issues of the time. Rose is a savvy and clever salesperson, but her career keeps getting sidelined by inconvenient events that include police raids, rescuing her friend Molly, played by Carroll Channing, and the general sexist views of the time.

19

Paint Your Wagon

A Young Eastwood Sings

Although Clint Eastwood is most famous for playing intimidating, no-nonsense characters, the actor has also been known to perform in more lighthearted roles. Paint Your Wagon, a Western musical about two prospectors hunting for gold is a famous example of Eastwood showcasing his comedic side.

The film also co-stars Lee Marvin, another actor not exactly known for playing warm and cuddly characters on screen. Putting the two stars together in a film that features plenty of musical numbers certainly doesn’t lack entertainment value. Paint Your Wagon isn’t the most serious Western in existence, but fans of the genre or old Hollywood musicals should get a kick out of it nonetheless.

18

Joe Kidd

The Revisionist Western Genre

Joe Kidd isn’t the most memorable film on Clint Eastwood’s resume, but it has a unique charm. It tells the story of a former bounty hunter, our hero Joe Kidd, who gets mixed up in a violent dispute between peasants and a wealthy landowner. It’s a familiar story often depicted in the Western genre and the film does little to distinguish itself from the rest.

Fans of Clint Eastwood will still enjoy his customary, steely determination in the face of adversity. Robert Duvall also brings his usual A-game playing the film’s main antagonist. Nevertheless, Joe Kidd‘s by-the-numbers approach to the Western genre makes it among some of the weakest of the bunch.

17

Bronco Billy

A Modern Story In A Classic Setting

This is an underrated Clint Eastwood film about a guy called Billy who runs a Wild West show, and it’s all about his efforts to keep it relevant despite declining public interest in it. It risks becoming lost amid Eastwood’s impressive western back catalog, but there’s enough in this film to deserve a look.

It co-stars Sandra Locke who also appeared in several films alongside Eastwood, including The Gauntlet and Every Which Way But Loose. Fans of his other work in the Western genre will enjoy this film, but it doesn’t quite hit the heights of some of his other work.

16

Cry Macho

A Reflective Look At 60 Years Of The Western Genre

Cry Macho is a neo-Western that sees Eastwood portray a former rodeo star who is trying to reconnect a boy with his father in Mexico. It was Eastwood’s last western and acting role. Ever since the turn of the century, Eastwood’s acting roles were reduced and his preference was primarily directing.

Fans must watch this film to complete the Clint Eastwood Western journey. He rolls back the years with a nuanced performance that acts as the perfect send-off to his involvement in the Western genre.

This is a movie that doesn’t have the gun-slinging and heroics of his earlier films in the genre. What it does possess is a reflective look at a character who is coming to the end of his life, and his attempts to make sense of what came before, whilst helping a young boy connect with his estranged father.

15

Hang ‘Em High

A Flawed Hero Seeking Revenge

Hang ‘Em High is a different kind of Western film involving Clint Eastwood. Unlike some of his other movies where he is nigh untouchable, Eastwood’s character in Hang ‘Em High is often quite vulnerable. He makes mistakes and even gets injured on several occasions.

Eastwood plays a new marshal who seeks to track down the gang that tried to lynch him. The movie can sometimes be a slow burn as his character, Jed Cooper, eventually tracks down his assailants one by one. It’s worth watching Eastwood’s portrayal of a very human and fallible gunslinger.

14

Pale Rider

A Modern Western With Occult Vibes

Pale Rider is a fairly unique Eastwood Western due to its religious and even supernatural motifs. The plot centers around the machinations of a greedy mining executive who tries to unscrupulously eliminate all competition. Eastwood plays a mysterious character known only as “The Preacher,” who comes to the rescue.

There is a lot of interesting ambiguity in Pale Rider. The film implies that The Preacher is a ghost or even a guardian angel. The final duel between Marshal Stockburn and this mysterious person suggests that the former had killed the latter at some point, judging by his apparent shock. It’s an underrated Western that doesn’t get enough love.

13

Two Mules For Sister Sara

A Mexican-American Collaboration

Not all of Clint Eastwood’s westerns were entirely gritty. Two Mules for Sister Sara adds periodic dashes of humor in just the right places. As usual, Eastwood plays a taciturn and hard-bitten drifter, who rescues a wayward nun on his travels and allows her to tag along.

The setting of the film is rather unique. It takes place during the French intervention in Mexico, and the subsequent domestic unrest it created. The movie’s lighter tone compared to some of Eastwood’s other films may not appeal to everybody. Nevertheless, the on-screen chemistry between Shirley MacLaine and Clint Eastwood is hard not to enjoy.

12

A Fistful Of Dollars

Eastwood’s First Iconic Cowboy Role

The first entry in The Man with No Name trilogy, A Fistful of Dollars helped put Clint Eastwood on the map. Audiences witnessed for the first time Eastwood’s trademark flick of the poncho before he subsequently guns down his opponents. The self-assured effortlessness he exudes in this film would become a familiar character trait for his future roles.

The plot of A Fistful of Dollars involves a deadly feud between two rival families. As a freelancer, The Man with No Name plays the rivals off against each other for his benefit. The iconic final duel at the end of the film against Ramon Rojo is difficult to forget.

11

Gran Torino

A Modern Western Set In Urban America

Gran Torino isn’t set against the backdrop of the wild frontier like a lot of Eastwood’s previous forays into the Western genre. However, it is considered a contemporary Western, set in an Urban America that has fallen into disrepair under numerous failed governments.

Eastwood plays the grumpy Korean war veteran, Walt Kowalski, who is mourning the loss of his wife and must deal with his prejudices when interacting with his neighbors. He soon strikes up a bond with the family and protects them from a vicious gang in the area.

Eastwood returned to this role after announcing his retirement from acting and put in one of the best performances of his career. Not a typical Western, but one that is well worth a watch, and it adds context to a lot of Eastwood’s other work in the genre.

10

Ambush at Cimarron Pass

A Classic Western Plotline

A vintage Western that checks off all the boxes, which means it includes post-Civil War tension, horse-stealing raids, family feuds, a rifle rustler facing justice, and a damsel in distress. Throughout this gritty drama, Clint Eastwood plays the young and bitter Keith Williams, a former Confederate soldier who isn’t taking the loss very well.

Williams’ attitude puts him at odds with Sargeant Blake, the Union officer in charge of bringing Corbin, the criminal accused of selling guns to the local Apache, to justice at a local fort. The question is, can this motley crew get that far without their internal tensions ripping them apart?

9

The Outlaw Josey Wales

An Action Western Driven By Revenge

The Outlaw Josey Wales is an action-packed revenge tale set after the events of the American Civil War. Eastwood plays the eponymous outlaw in his quest to avenge the murder of his family. Along the way, he puts his twin Colt 1851 Navy revolvers to famous and deadly use.

The film explores how the destructive legacy of the Civil War affected not only the land itself but its people as well. The death of Wales’s family in the first place is fueled by the enmity between North and South. On a more surface level, the amount of satisfying action sequences makes the film highly enjoyable to watch.

8

Coogan’s Bluff

A Crime Thriller With A Cowboy Aesthetic

A story about a grassroots cowboy from Arizona who has to make his way through the big city to crack a big case, Coogan’s Bluff is one of Eastwood’s low-profile starring roles that preceded big hits like Two Mules for Sister Sarah and Escape from Alcatraz. The title isn’t just a reference to the main character’s surname but to a real location in New York City, a natural landmark located in Upper Manhattan.

Wyatt Coogan has left the wilds of Arizona to pursue James Ringerman, an escaped fugitive wanted for murder and played by another familiar face in Hollywood, Don Stroud, who also played opposite Eastwood in Joe Kidd four years later. The cat and mouse game these two characters play out has its share of tense and comedic moments but naturally Coogan gets his man in the end.

7

High Plains Drifter

A Western That’s Also A Ghost Story

Similar to Pale Rider, High Plains Drifter has seemingly supernatural overtones to it. However, whereas The Preacher is a force for good, The Stranger is bent on revenge. Eastwood’s character aims to punish the residents of a small mining town for a past misdeed. It’s only revealed gradually through flashbacks what exactly the townspeople have done.

It’s quite a chilling tale, rich in both symbolism and metaphor. The audience slowly puts the puzzle pieces together in much the same way the townsfolk do on-screen. It would be a disservice to the reader to spoil anything else about the plot. It’s best to experience it first-hand.

6

The Beguiled

A Story Of Psychological Horror In The South

Eastwood aficionados shouldn’t miss out on The Beguiled. Set during the American Civil War, a wounded Union soldier, played by Eastwood, takes shelter inside an all-female boarding school deep behind enemy lines. Mounting jealousy develops between the women as they compete for the affection of their unexpected guests.

The film relies less on traditional Western action, and more on the steadily boiling tension of a thriller. The Beguiled possesses plenty of twists and turns that should keep fans of both genres on the edge of their seats.

5

White Hunter Black Heart

A Modern Twist On An Old Trope

On the surface, this is a drama based on the real-life story of the filming of The African Queen, although the film is called The African Trader in the movie. Certain film locations were considered the last frontier, a place for modern survivalists and cowboys to prove themselves.

Holding the film’s production back is the Director’s obsession with experiencing a “real” African safari, which includes charging his hunting equipment to the studio financing the movie and neglecting his job as a director. The other major issue is the disagreement over the movie’s final scenes.

John Wilson and scriptwriter Pete Verrill clash over the ultimate fate of the main characters while the latter chases a “tusker,” which is a bull elephant and considered a fine trophy. However, when tragedy strikes and the hunter misses his shot, the stubborn director finally capitulates and finishes the movie with Verrill’s recommended ending.

4

For A Few Dollars More

Revenge, Money, And Bounty Hunters

For A Few Dollars More is the second entry in The Man with No Name trilogy. This time around, Eastwood’s mysterious loner is a bounty hunter looking to cash in by eliminating a violent band of outlaws. He faces stiff competition from Douglas Mortimer, played by Lee Van Cleef, a rival bounty hunter after the same gang.

Seeing Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef on the screen together is always great. Van Cleef was a big draw for the Spaghetti Western genre in his own right. It’s a film with few slow moments as the motivations of all the key players are gradually revealed. The explosive finale also dishes out some satisfying payoffs.

3

Space Cowboys

A Western In A Sci-Fi Setting

Eastwood is joined by other classic Hollywood macho men, including Tommy Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland, and James Garner, as a team of former test pilots who go into space to repair an old Soviet satellite. Being in the industry for a long time, they have a history together, so there’s no shortage of drama as a team gets together to keep the archaic IKON communications probe from losing orbit and crashing to Earth.

The team gets more than they bargained for when the decaying relic turns out to be storing a few antique Cold War-era nuclear missiles. Their first plan to send the satellite into deep space goes awry, and they have one other slim chance: to land it on the moon instead, at least making it safe from falling to earth because of a decaying orbit.