Most Underrated Western Movies

Most Underrated Western Movies - Not the oldest profession, but one of Hollywood's oldest genres, The western was the hottest ticket in town for decades, beginning to wain in favor in the 70s. At their height, Westerns were the most popular and critically acclaimed films; the most celebrated of the '40s, '50s, and '60s were cowboy adventures.

1. Quigley Down Under
2. Shalako
3. Appaloosa
4. The Duel
5. Hostiles
6. Hidalgo
7. Open Range
8. Hombre
9. The Missing
10. The Proposition

[mikeyj]

Cosner in Open Range popping that preening bad guy between the eyes without any qualms which started off one of the best gunfights Ive seen in awhile .

[PeterProctor]

'Open Range' one of the best westerns in a long time. Suffered because of similarities at the start and end to 'My Darling Clementine'. Has one of the best, most realistic gunfight sequences ever put on film towards the end of movie. Duval and Costner give star turns. Highly recommended.

[centexan]

So glad that Open Range made your list. What a fine bit of movie making and casting. Another top shelf undervalued film wasn't a theatrical release, but a mini series movie, Broken Trail. It is one of the finest westerns ever made. It has so much soul. Probably the best role that Thomas Hayden Church has ever had. And of course, Robert Duvall did a spectacular job. The young Chinese women angle added so much to the story. I could go on and on about this movie. Truly wonderful.

[malakai]

I've watched open range several times now and for me it's one of the best western movies, everything about it is so well done.

[jonham]

"Quigley Down Under" and "Open Range" are two of my favorite movies. Glad to see them mentioned. Several others featured in the video are new to me. I plan to watch those, as well.

[michaelm]

Charlton Heston's "Will Penny" is an excellent, largely forgotten western. I've seen about half of your list, and own 1/3 of them on BR or DVD.

[RobbieSongwriter]

Good list. Seen "Quigly Down Under" (1990) dozens of times, and the only modification to the rifle was the site, and his custom ammunition. Both were borrowed from another underated movie, "Valdez Is Coming" (1971), starring Burt Lancaster. The first time he uses the Sharps, you can see the site has the same adjustment as Quigly's, and when asked about his ammo, he answers "my own load", which Quigly also does. Love both films. "Open Range" is definately Top Ten! Another under rated gem is "Ulzana's Raid" starring Lancaster as a scout after an Apache raiding party.

[randallstewart]

Hidalgo is my favorite from the list. It has a complex and colorful story starting at the closing of the old west. Performances are spot on. The photography is spectacular. The hidden value of the film is the sound. If you play this film from DVD, be sure to used a powerful surround sound system and set the sound decoding to the highest quality option. Hint: There is a point in the story where a large number of racing horses are lined up on a starting line, the start being signaled by a gun shot. Hold on to your armchair from build up to the starting shot through the next 60 seconds. The visuals and sonics are spectacular.

[geraldaird]

I was gobsmacked that "Open Range" was in this list, it is one of my favourite films of all time, with two of my favourite actors Robert Duvall and Kevin Costner. What a great film.

[ComedyBros]

Great list, bringing light to a lot great unknown westerns! But I think the one that sits atop them all for most overlooked western is Quigley Down Under. There’s so many iconic scenes, lines, and performances, yet hardly anyone knows of it!

[colinb]

Bad Company with a young Jeff Bridges, brilliant

[nono]

I read the book and then looked for the move. Appaloosa was one of the best of all. Thanks for the list.

[TS-whey]

Nice list. Can't disagree with any of your picks. Open Range and Hombre would be the highlights of your list for me. There's so many early westerns that went underrated that would fill a long list for sure.

[douglaspierce]

I was so glad to see "Appaloosa" and "Open Range" on this list. Two of the best westerns ever made, in my opinion.

[jamesvokral]

Hostiles, Open Range and Appaloosa were all fine Westerns that deserve recognition. The others on your list were also worth seeing. I think the classic western that set the tone was Dodge City from 1939. An early color film, it had a great cast, great action, simple good guy vs bad guy story and probably one of the best saloon fights ever...

[terrykeever]

Interesting films to try and watch. Hilalgo I really liked. I didn't get into Open Range when I first saw it, but the second time, the characters came to life and I've watched several times.

[hlynnkeith]

Have seen Quigley Down Under many times and enjoyed it each time.
Another underrated Western from Oz is The Man from Snowy River. Greatest horse ride ever filmed.
Also, Monte Walsh (2003) with Tom Selleck.

[scottmunson]

What an excellent and often eloquent portrayal of these films. Thanks so much for posting this!

[jlmfoy]

Always loved the western " Bite the Bullet" with Gene Hackman, James Coburn, Ben Johnson and many others. Well worth a watch. Good list.

[braves]

Glad you included Quigley and Open Range, two of my favorites. I second those who recommended Broken Trail. Outstanding two part mini series. I have three you omitted. Lawman, starring Burt Lancaster. Culpepper Cattle Company. And Silverado, with an all star cast including Kevin Costner, Danny Glover, and others.