If you’re imagining a Western, the first face you probably see is Clint Eastwood. For decades, he’s been the taciturn marksman, the loner with a troubled history, and the hard-as-nails outlaw who reinterpreted what it meant to be a cowboy. If you’re a long-time aficionado or just wondering what makes these dusty stories so long-lasting, below are the top ten Clint Eastwood Westerns you should watch—numbered down to maximize drama.
10. Honkytonk Man (1982)
A departure from Eastwood’s gun-slinging days, this bittersweet road movie is about dreams, music, and mortality. Eastwood stars as Red Stovall, a tuberculosis-ridden country musician in pursuit of a final shot at stardom, with his nephew (played by his real-life son Kyle Eastwood) in tow. It’s more heart than holster—Roger Ebert described it as a “low-key, feel-good film,” and it demonstrates’s range extends far beyond gunfights.
9. Two Mules for Sister Sara (1970)
Against the backdrop of the Mexican Revolution, Eastwood is paired with Shirley MacLaine for an unlikely combination of action and humor. As Hogan, a mercenary gunfighter, Clint is forced into a tense alliance with a nun on a clandestine mission. Don Siegel’s direction injects levity and grime with equal amounts, making it one of Eastwood’s most fun teaming efforts.
8. High Plains Drifter (1973)
Eastwood’s second turn behind the camera goes dark with this haunting revenge and justice story. He plays a mysterious drifter brought in to guard a corrupt town—but his true motives are much more chilling. With supernatural undertones and dark moral implications, this is no ordinary Western. StudioBinder describes it as a gritty, action-packed morality play—and they’re not wrong.
7. Pale Rider (1985)
Marking Eastwood’s return to the genre after nearly a decade, Pale Rider introduces the enigmatic Preacher—an almost mythical figure who protects a mining town from greedy developers. Inspired by Shane, the film carries a spiritual tone beneath its rugged exterior. Critics praised its elegance and atmosphere, with Rotten Tomatoes calling it a “spiritual Western” that proved Eastwood could still draw big crowds to the frontier.
6. Hang ‘Em High (1968)
Coming off his Spaghetti Western success, Eastwood debuted his American Western with this story of justice and revenge. Playing Jed Cooper, a wrongly lynched man who gets away and becomes a lawman tracking down those who did it, Eastwood starred in a tense, personal tale of retribution that had a strong supporting cast and was a box office success, further establishing Eastwood as a star in the United States.
5. The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)
In this post-bellum epic, Eastwood stars and directs Josey Wales, a man who becomes an outlaw after Union troops slaughter his family. What starts as a tale of vengeance spirals into something more—a reflection on loss, survival, and redemption. It has been lauded by critics as being heavily emotive and anti-war, and it is one of Eastwood’s favorite roles.
4. For a Few Dollars More (1965)
The second installment of Sergio Leone’s Dollars Trilogy raises the stakes in an exciting partnership between Eastwood’s Man With No Name and Lee Van Cleef’s Colonel Mortimer. Their tense partnership against the merciless El Indio results in explosive showdowns and unforgettable face-offs. Aided by Ennio Morricone’s classic score, it’s a highlight of the genre.
3. A Fistful of Dollars (1964)
The movie that launched Eastwood’s Western heritage. In this adaptation of Kurosawa’s Yojimbo, Eastwood’s nameless outlaw manipulates two feuding groups in a border town with nothing but dust. With its bleak imagery, sparse dialogue, and unforgettable score, it redefined the Western genre and brought the world a new type of cinematic cowboy.
2. Unforgiven (1992)
A violent, introspective take-down of the very myths that Eastwood himself used to help perpetuate. As aging outlaw William Munny, Eastwood delivers a ghostly performance that de-romanticizes frontier justice. Four Oscars and widespread acclaim greeted it, with many calling it one of the greatest Westerns ever produced. StudioBinder summed it up best: “bold, yet eloquent in both substance and style.”
1. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
This is it. The gold standard of Westerns. Eastwood’s Blondie teams up with a trio of treasure seekers in a deadly competition for buried Confederate gold. Every aspect—from Leone’s sweeping direction to Morricone’s legendary score—is in perfect sync. The climactic standoff is a cinema legend. Tarantino referred to it as “the greatest achievement in the history of cinema,” and to be honest, it’s not easy to argue.
From stoic gunfighters to ghostly outlaws, Clint Eastwood has made an unerasable impression on Westerns. These movies work across decades but share the same grit, moral ambiguity, and cinematic heft that made Eastwood a legend. If you’re watching for the action, the tunes, or the moral ambiguities, these ten are the ones that prove why the Old West—and Eastwood—never fade.