Westerns have been a staple of cinema since the medium began. Saying the genre’s prevalence in the mid-20th century was akin to superhero movies now would be a vast understatement. There were many films of gunslinging heroes, rambling anti-heroes, and vicious bandits of the American frontier.

With such a rich history, it can be daunting to pick which Westerns to watch. The good news is that you can find most classic Westerns on Tubi, completely free of charge. So, if you want to mosey through the most legendary films of the genre, these are the 10 titles that should be on your most-wanted (watch)list.

10

Red Sun

Red Sun is a Spaghetti Western with an extra helping of Japanese flavor. Set in the 1800s, bandits Link (Charles Bronson) and Gauche (Alain Delon) rob a train with the Japanese delegation. After Link is betrayed, he’s tasked with retrieving a stolen sword, aided by the Japanese warrior Kuroda Jubei (Toshirô Mifune). Thus begins a week-long journey of culture that clashes as much as guns and swords.

The film wasn’t so much a Spaghetti Western as an international Western stew. It was a French-Italian co-production filmed in Spain, directed by Briton Terence Young, and starring Bronson, an American film icon, and Mifune, a Japanese acting legend. The film is worth watching just to see Mifune and Bronson share scenes together, as their acting credits include renowned films Seven Samurai and The Magnificent Seven (respectively), the latter of which was inspired by Seven Samurai.

9

The Unsinkable Molly Brown

If you’re more into musicals than shoot-outs, The Unsinkable Molly Brown might be more of your cup of sarsaparilla. Based on the Broadway musical and the real-life person, the film follows the daring and dirty Molly Brown (Debbie Reynolds), eager to marry her way into wealth. While she thinks she’s struck gold with Johnny Brown (Harve Presnell), a series of unfortunate accidents test the limits of their love and success. Her determination is so strong that even the sinking Titanic can’t stop her.

With musical numbers composed by the legendary Meredith Willson (The Music Man), there’s plenty of energy to lift the script from being a Western melodrama. Though technically more of an American epic, the stunning landscapes of Colorado make for a gorgeous-looking Western setting. The film is worth watching, in particular, for the performances of Presnell and Reynolds, with Reynolds winning an Academy Award for her exuberant portrayal.

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8

Man of the West

Gary Cooper was no stranger to Westerns by the 1950s, but he left a bullseye performance with Man of the West. The film finds him playing an ex-outlaw, Link Jones, teaming up with a singer and a con man. Together, they’ll bust up some bandits led by his uncle, but Link can’t put his history of crime out to pasture just yet.

Directed by another Western legend, Anthony Mann, the film has been compared to William Shakespeare’s King Lear for its themes of redemption, and is notable for Cooper’s intense acting. Although not well-received at the time, Man of the West has gone on to have a cult following, even considering director Jean-Luc Godard (a film critic at the time) seemed to be the only one championing it. Nowadays, it’s easier to look back on this classic with fonder eyes for Cooper’s morally questionable hero than with the weary whiff of Western fatigue in the 1950s.

7

Support Your Local Sheriff

When the gold rush strikes, criminals descend on a Colorado town unprepared and unwilling to enforce law and order. That duty ultimately falls to the gunslinger, Jason McCullough (James Garner), when he wanders into the community. But his skills with a gun will be put to the ultimate test when he’s pitted against the forces of the Danby gang.

Support Your Local Sheriff was a much-needed dose of comedy for the Western genre. In addition to the title mocking a familiar phrase of the 1960s (Support Your Local Police), the film toys with Western tropes, including the standard formula of a rugged stranger coming to town. The comedy was charming, with some fourth-wall-breaking moments, and the word-of-mouth campaign made this film a sleeper hit that earned a sequel, Support Your Local Gunfighter, also available on Tubi.

6

Stagecoach

I was bound to get to a John Wayne film at some point in this list, and Tubi thankfully has the John Ford classic, Stagecoach. Based on a short story by Ernest Haycox, this 1880s Western finds Wayne playing outlaw Ringo Kid, one of a handful of passengers aboard a stagecoach. Kid clashes with the travelers, but ends up working with them amid Apache attacks during their journey along the dangerous route of the Wild West.

Stagecoach was one of Ford’s earlier successes for a Western, and it’s easy to see why. The adventure is written with plenty of colorful characters, and the shooting location of Monument Valley, Arizona, looks so perfect for the setting that it’s no wonder Ford kept returning to shoot here. It also boasts one of Wayne’s earliest performances, which made it clear that he had a future in movies, becoming a staple of Ford’s other notable Westerns, such as The Searchers.

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5

Buck and the Preacher

Sidney Poitier broke the mold of the Western genre with the refreshing Buck and the Preacher. Poitier plays Buck, a former Civil War soldier, trying to help out former slaves. Harry Belafonte plays The Preacher, a con artist who ends up in a rivalry with Buck. That rivalry is put on hold when they need to stop the evil Deshay (Cameron Mitchell) from rounding up slaves.

For being the first film directed by Poitier, Buck and the Preacher shattered the genre’s preference for white heroes. The African-American perspective on the Western setting was exciting, especially in showcasing the complicated relationship between Black people and Native Americans, adding nuance to a dynamic that was far too black-and-white for the genre. It was more than just a Blaxploitation answer to the Western genre, made clear by the incredible performances of Poitier and Belafonte.

4

A Fistful of Dollars

Sergio Leone made spaghetti Westerns explode with the grit and coolness of A Fistful of Dollars. As a remake of Akira Kurosawa’s Yojimbo, the film features Clint Eastwood as a nameless gunslinger who wanders into a lawless town. While the gangs might think they’re hiring him for their own gain, he ends up pitting both sides against each other with deadly and explosive results.

Although borrowing heavily from Kurosawa’s film, to the point that Kurosawa demanded royalties for the duplication, A Fistful of Dollars marked a massive shift in making Westerns more morally questionable and badass. Eastwood made his central role so memorable with few words, speaking more with bullets than monologues. Coupled with an unforgettable score by Ennio Morricone, Eastwood was so striking that this wouldn’t be the last we’d see of the character.

3

For a Few Dollars More

Clint Eastwood’s nameless gunslinger character continued his adventures in the aptly titled For a Few Dollars More. This time, Eastwood has an equal rival with the cold bounty hunter Douglas Mortimer, played with uncompromising intimidation by Lee Van Cleef. The two of them shoot their way towards their goal of stopping the bank robber El Indio (Gian Maria Volonté), but they have different reasons for wanting to bring down this criminal.

The film is notable not only for continuing the Man With No Name saga, but also for escalating the violence and rivalry beyond the previous film. Eastwood and Cleef have such an unforgettable presence in a movie that gives them plenty of room to prove how ruthless they can be in a Western. Volonté makes for a great villain, and the gunfight he has in the church is so uncompromisingly vicious that you won’t forget such a scene.

2

The Magnificent Seven

Living up to its title, The Magnificent Seven is an all-star Western featuring some of the best actors in the genre. Based on Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai, the film finds a collective of hired gunmen being assembled to defend a Mexican village under siege by bandits, led by Eli Wallach’s ruthless Calvera character. The seven assembled are portrayed by legendary actors Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Horst Buchholz, Charles Bronson, Robert Vaughn, Brad Dexter, and James Coburn. Their noble cause culminates in a final battle so brutal that there’s no guarantee any of them will make it out alive.

Armed with one of the most incredible scores by Elmer Bernstein, director John Sturges crafted an epic as revolutionary for Westerns as Seven Samurai was for samurai pictures. There are so many mesmerizing moments, including the tense funeral march to Boot Hill cemetery with Brynner driving the coach and McQueen gunning down anybody who gets in their way. There’s nothing more exciting in a Western than Brynner chomping a cigar and McQueen being quick with a rifle.

1

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

As the trilogy closer to the Man With No Name saga, The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly is the king of Spaghetti Westerns. The film continues the rivalry between Eastwood (the good) and Cleef (the bad), but with the wildcard addition of Eli Wallach (the ugly) as the Mexican bandit, Tuco. The three of them clash in a battle of money and revenge, complete with one of the most masterful Mexican standoffs ever on film.

The film is perhaps the most memorable for Ennio Morricone’s masterpiece of a score, which includes that iconic flute and whistling of the main theme to the thrilling orchestral build of “The Ecstasy of Gold.” Endlessly parodied in pop culture—from cartoons replicating Eastwood’s gunslinger or the music being used in beer commercials—director Sergio Leone’s classic Western features unforgettable performances, cinematography, and music.

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While not all classic Westerns have aged well, they play a vital role in the history of film and still offer genuine thrills and unique perspectives on the American frontier. Although their presence has been significantly diminished in the 21st century, it’s reassuring to know that the classics remain as prominent on Tubi as they were staples of late-night TV in the 20th century. There’s a little something for everybody in this genre, whether you enjoy musicals, comedies, adventure, or the thrill of watching Eastwood rapid-fire his gun with the fanning technique.