Films often get recognized by their audience through box office sales and by critics through review scores. However, perhaps the most prestigious recognition a film can receive is winning an Academy Award. The Academy Awards are an excellent opportunity for the movie industry to recognize films that impressed industry insiders. Westerns often have a hard time at the Academy Awards, with only a tiny handful of Westerns even being nominated for these prestigious awards.
Update July 28, 2023: This article has been updated with even more Westerns that won Academy Awards.
In many ways, this is another way where the Western and the Superhero genre overlap. Both are incredibly popular and iconic and won over audiences all over the world, but often had a hard time being taken seriously. Yet as the years went on and the Western became a less dominant genre, filmmakers started to experiment with it, and hence more awards recognition was given to it. Here are the best Western films worth watching that won Academy Awards.
15 High Noon (1952)
When High Noon was first released in theaters in 1952, it was considered something of a departure from Westerns that had come before it. Eschewing action sequences and big gun fights in favor of dialogue-heavy scenes and more emotional beats, not everyone was a fan. However, in the years since it first came out, High Noon has undergone a reevaluation, with many now seeing it for the masterpiece it is.
The narrative centers on a town marshal who is faced with an unenviable decision; either leave town with his new wife, or stay and face the deadly gang of killers that are after him alone. Starring Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly in only her second film appearance, High Noon is told in real-time, something that separated from other Westerns and, indeed, other films of the era. Though audiences were disappointed by it at first, the film gained a total of seven Academy Award Nominations, winning four for; Best Actor (for Gary Cooper), Best Score, Best Song, and Best Editing.
14 Rango (2011)
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Directed by Gore Verbinksi, the man behind the Pirates of the Caribbean films, Rango is the only Western to have won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. Starring Johnny Depp as the voice of the titular character, the movie revolves around an eccentric pet chameleon that accidentally finds himself in the wild west outpost of Dirt, a town that has become lawless due to its lack of a sheriff.
Rango is a fun and creative update on the traditional Western formula. Though is may look different from other films in the genre, the makers were keen to pay homage to classic Westerns from days gone by, with The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly and Once Upon a Time in the West being clear influences. As well as taking home the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, Rango also gained a Bafta, a People's Choice Award, and four Annie Awards.
13 True Grit (1969)
John Wayne is an icon of cinema and the true king of the Western genre, having starred in around eighty Westerns in his long acting career. One of his best known is 1969's True Grit. An adaptation of the novel of the same name by Charles Portis, the movie sees Wayne playing Reuben J. "Rooster" Cogburn, a drunken U.S. Marshal that teams up with a young Texas Ranger (Glenn Campbell) to track down the killer of a teenage girl's father. The title refers to the "true grit" the teenager, Mattie (Kim Darby), believes Cogburn has, meaning she has heard he is someone who possesses determination, resolve, and strength of character.
For his work in the film, Wayne won the Academy Award for Best Actor at the 42nd annual ceremony in 1970. A remake of True Grit, directed by the Coen Brothers, was released in cinemas in 2010. It starred Jeff Bridges as Cogburn, alongside Matt Damon and Hailee Steinfeld, and was nominated for ten Academy Awards, but failed to win a single one.
12 Cimarron (1931)
Cimarron is a Western epic film that was released in 1931. It was directed by Wesley Ruggles and starred Richard Dix and Irene Dunne. The plot centers on a newspaper editor in the 1800s who settles down in an Oklahoma town. He brings his wife along, who is reluctant to move to this boom town. It is an epic film that spans the length of 40 years in the lives of these characters. The movie is based on a novel of the same name and contains an accurate depiction of frontier life during the time. It has an energetic energy and feeling of wanderlust thanks to its character performances. The film is notable for being one of the few Western films in the Academy's history to win.
11 Stage Coach (1939)
Stage Coach is a Western film directed by John Ford that was released in 1939. It was directed by John Ford and starred Claire Trevor, John Wayne, and Andy Devine. This movie was the breakout role for John Wayne that propelled his Western career. It won two Academy Awards and received five other Academy nominations. The film tells the story of a group of strangers who board a stagecoach going from Arizona to New Mexico in the late 1800s. Among these strangers are a prostitute, an alcoholic, a pregnant woman, a whiskey salesman, and a stage driver. Along the way to their destination, the group encounters a band of Apache who seeks to impede their travel. As a result of the hardship, this group of strangers must figure out how to trust each other and learn how to work together.
The film is full of iconic movie shots that became part of the language of Western films. Many people consider it the film that started the Western genre on the path from a B-movie genre into an A-movie sensation. It shares a similar plot structure to a disaster film, which helped make it more exciting. This excitement was further helped by incorporating various stunts that became some of the most famous in film history. Steven Spielberg recreated one of the stunts during his Indiana Jones film series.
10 Dances With Wolves (1990)
Dances With Wolves is a civil war Western film starring Kevin Costner. The movie was directed by Kevin Costner and released in 1990. It also starred Kevin Costner in the role of Lieutenant John Dunbar. John was injured in a civil war battle, and a surgeon was going to amputate his leg to avoid infection. However, John decided he would rather die than lose his leg and decided to ride out and go out in a blaze of glory. However, he is able to turn the tide of battle through his actions, earning a citation for bravery and better medical care that allows him to keep his leg. He is assigned to a remote civil war outpost, where he makes friends with the wolves and the Native Americans living nearby. His friendship with the native tribes present creates some friction with the military that he has sworn to serve.
The film won Academy Awards and was nominated for a total of 12 Academy Awards. Aside from these accolades, it was also a massive box office hit, becoming one of the highest-grossing films in 1990 and the highest-grossing film for Orion Pictures, the studio behind its release. It is also one of the few Western films in cinema history to win an Academy Award for Best Picture. The movie was praised for its simple but effective story that is rich in detail. Each character has a lot of depth for a Western movie and has lots of slow, character-focused scenes.
9 How the West Was Won (1962)
How the West Was Won is Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Western film that was released in 1962. It is considered one of Hollywood's greatest epic Western films, which allowed it to win three Academy Awards and earn eight nominations. The movie follows an ensemble cast featuring 24 different movie stars in a plot that spans several decades in the 1800s. It covers the characters interacting with different historical events like the Civil War, the Gold Rush, and the introduction of railroads.
8 The Revenant (2015)
The Revenant is a Western action film distributed by 20th Century Fox that was released in 2015. It starred Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, and Donnell Gleeson in a story about a man who is left for dead by his companions, that comes back to hunt them all down. The movie was well received, earning two different Academy Awards and being nominated in a total of 12 different film categories. It earned praise for its incredible direction and use of natural lighting to create a beautiful film. It is powerful storytelling that is supported by Leonardo DiCaprio's heart-wrenching performance.
7 The Magnificent Seven (1960)
Though it was remade in 2016 with Denzel Washington and Chris Pratt among the cast, The Magnificent Seven is definitely a case of the original still being the best. Or, at least, it would be if the 1960 version wasn't itself an Old West-style remake of Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai. Whatever the case, The Magnificent Seven is a solid Western film that tells the story of a group of gunfighters that are hired to liberate a Mexican town from a band of oppressive bandits.
With a stellar cast that includes Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, and Eli Wallach, the film was a hit and led to three sequels. Though the initial critical reaction was mixed, the movie has been looked on more favorably over time and is now considered an all-time classic. Its sole Academy Award win came in the form of Best Original Score, which was awarded to legendary film composer Elmer Berstein at the 33rd annual ceremony in 1961.
6 Unforgiven (1992)
Unforgiven is a Western film distributed by Warner Bros. that was released in 1992. It was directed and also starred Clint Eastwood. The film also starred Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman, and Richard Harris. This movie follows Eastwood as a retired gunslinger named William Munny. Despite being retired, he takes on one last gunslinging job after being convinced by his old partner. They join forces with a young man nicknamed "The Schofield Kid." The film took away four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Film Editing, and Best Supporting Actor.
5 Shane (1953)
Based on the 1949 novel of the same name by Jack Schaefer, Shane tells the story of the titular drifter and his encounter with the Starretts, a homestead family based in Wyoming in 1889. Idolized by the family's young son, Bob, Shane begins to enjoy the quiet life away from his mysterious former days as a gunslinger. He is forced to revert to his old ways and come to the family's defense. However, when they start being harassed by a callous cattle baron who is intent on kicking them off their land.
Starring Alan Ladd, an actor who became known for his appearances in Westerns throughout the 1940s and 1950s, Shane is a rich and poignant tale with an intriguing main character at its center. The film would go on to be a critical and commercial success, receiving an impressive six Academy Award nominations at the 26th annual ceremony. Unfortunately, only one of those nominations translated into a win; the award for Best Cinematography, which went to Loyal Griggs. The film's legacy lives on, though, with several directors citing Shane as an influence on their work. Including James Mangold, whose 2017 superhero sequel, Logan was greatly inspired by the 1953 Western.
4 The Power Of The Dog (2021)
Directed by Jane Campion, 2021's The Power of the Dog is the most recent Western to have picked up an Academy Award. The plot follows a rancher named Phil Burbank, played by Benedict Cumberbatch. Phil is a wealthy rancher whose presence commands fear and respect from the people in his life. He is often rude and abrasive to people he meets whom he deems below himself. However, things change when his brother comes home with a wife and child named Peter. Initially, Phil torments them as well before slowly starting to trust them. However, Peter holds a grudge against Phil for causing discord in his family and blames him for his mom's alcoholism. He hatches a plan to infect Phil with a contaminated cowhide as revenge.
Director Jame Campion won an Academy Award for Best Director, and the film is considered one of the best films released in 2021 by making multiple top 10 lists and award nominations. The movie also won five other Oscars that year, as well as several BAFTA awards. It is a beautifully shot film full of complex themes and characters. It's a smart script that takes its time to build up its narrative and likes exploring strangeness where other films would avoid it.
3 Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid (1969)
Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid is a buddy Western film that was released in 1969. It was directed by George Roy Hill and starred Paul Newman, Robert Redford, and Katharine Ross. The film's plot is setting early 1900s Wyoming. It follows the adventures of a pair of outlaws in charge of a bandit gang. While they have a string of successful robberies, a failed train robbery causes the gang to flee the pursuit of a posse and try to escape to Bolivia.
The film was highly praised by critics and viewers upon release, going on to become the highest-grossing box office movie of 1969. Its success extended to the Academy Awards as well, winning four Oscars and being nominated for several more that year. This movie is filled to the brim with spectacular gunfights and beautiful cinematography. Despite its age, it still feels fresh and modern even today.
2 No Country For Old Men (2007)
No Country for Old Men is the next Western film on the list. The movie is a neo-Western crime thriller from Miramax Films that was released in 2007. It stars Tommy Lee Jones as a sheriff that stumbles onto a drug deal that goes bad, leading to a series of criminal acts, including murder. The film won four different Academy Awards as well as two Golden Globes.
1 Django Unchained (2012)
Django Unchained is a revisionist Western by director Quentin Tarantino that was released in 2012. The movie follows the pairing up of a former slave and a German bounty hunter who attempt to get revenge on a plantation owner and save his wife. The film won two Academy Awards on the strength of its spectacular performances and its screenplay. Tarantino won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and a BAFTA award for his screenplay for the film. The film features big gunfights and quippy dialogue typical of Tarantino's style.
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