This year I’m sharing some of my favorite films in the Western Genre, counting down a new selection each Friday. Periodically throughout the year I’ll be sharing them in batches. First up is my No. 20 to No. 11 selections. They appear in ascending order. You can keep up with the countdown weekly on my blog.

No. 20: Dances With Wolves (1990)
About: We’re coming to a section at the top where I will have quite a few from Kevin Costner. He’s a great performer and has been a big part of the Western genre. This one is a slow build with a beautiful payoff.

No. 19: Hostiles (2017)
About: This one has a talented cast and a moving story. Scott Cooper delivers a beautiful story and I really love Christian Bale in the lead role. The final sequence is tense and memorable.

No. 18: Blazing Saddles (1974)
About: Mel Brooks delivers an entertaining film that’s also a searing look at culture, the genre, and racism. I love Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder in this film. They’re a lot of fun together.

No. 17: The Magnificent Seven (2016)
About: This is a re-make of a film that was, in itself, a Western remake of a Kurosawa film. That being said, Antoine Fuqua does a beautiful job with this film and this story. I loved the cast, particularly Denzel Washington.

No. 16: The Wild Bunch (1969)
About: This one is what you think of when you think of that classic sort of western. Sam Peckinpah does a nice job building the action. There are some great shootouts in this.

No. 15: The Treasure of Sierra Madre (1948)
About: This is a classic Western and a treasure hunt. John Huston delivers a stirring film with a great lead performance from Humphrey Bogart in this one.

No. 14: Open Range (2003)
About: Here we get another entry from Costner, who stars in this film alongside Robert Duvall and directs. This one has some great action sequences and makes the most of a talented cast.

No. 13: Django Unchained (2012)
About: Here Quentin Tarantino jumps into the Western genre with a story that grabs you and takes you on a ride. Jamie Foxx and Christoph Waltz are good as a lead duo, with Leonardo DiCaprio sublime as the antagonist.

No. 12: The Harder They Fall (2021)
About: This is more of a modern Western that comes with a lot of style. That was one of the things I remembered most about the film, which is also well acted and a lot of fun.

No. 11: True Grit (2010)
About: John Wayne made this film and character famous, but the Coen Brothers added their own style in adapting the novel in 2010. Jeff Bridges takes the lead and does a great job with it, while Hailee Steinfeld and Matt Damon are great, too. I love the way this version is put together.

Matthew Fox is a graduate of the Radio, Television and Film program at Biola University, and a giant nerd. He spends his free time watching movies, TV, and obsessing about football. He is a member of the FSWA. You can find him @knighthawk7734 on Twitter and as co-host of the Fantasy Football Roundtable Podcast.