The western, the motion picture category most closely associated with America, began capturing moviegoers’ imaginations just as the frontier itself was closing in the early part of the 20th century. Among the issues the film genre deals with are rugged individualism, moral choices and the role of violence in a lawless land. Westerns also have been criticized for how Spanish-speaking and Native American people are depicted.
More than anything else, Westerns are a form of escapism, and even though people across the United States are emerging from isolation as the result of measures to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re still seeking entertainment options while staying at home. To that end, 24/7 Tempo has compiled a list of classic Westerns available to stream from home, according to streaming data site JustWatch, and we picked the best one based on user and critic ratings on the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) and Rotten Tomatoes.
Western feature some of cinema’s most enduring archetypes: the sharply defined roles of heroes and villains in the silent film era, the swaggering gait of John Wayne, the principled upholders of law and order, the taciturn loner as played by Clint Eastwood and the anti-hero characters of “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” in the late ’60s. Many westerns are frequently counted among the greatest movies of all time.
To determine the best classic western currently available for streaming, 24/7 Tempo identified all the movies classified as “Western” by the IMDb that are available for streaming, according to JustWatch. We then created an index based on top western movies according to the Rotten Tomatoes average critic rating, Rotten Tomatoes average audience rating and IMDb average user rating. Movies considered were required to have at least 4,000 user votes on IMDb and have been originally released no later than 2000 to be considered classic.
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We averaged the user ratings from Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb and weighted by the number of votes for each. The combined user rating was then averaged with the Rotten Tomatoes critic rating. Editorial discretion was then applied to include or omit candidates that we felt did not match the classification of a western movie or that deserved inclusion based on other metrics, such as cult status or reputation.
Click here to see the best classic Westerns available to stream from home.
After applying all of the measures, the best western currently available for streaming is “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.” The film was released in 1966 and stars Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach and Lee Van Cleef. It was directed by Sergio Leone and has a runtime of 178 minutes.
The movie currently is available on Apple iTunes, Vudu, Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube, AMC on Demand, DirecTV, Redbox, Microsoft Store, Amazon Prime Video, Netflix and FandangoNOW.
The poster child of the so-called spaghetti western, “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” tells the story of a tenuous alliance of gunslingers, among them the laconic Clint Eastwood, looking for gold. The film’s gripping story, memorable performances and iconic Ennio Morricone score make it a favorite among western fans. The movie has exceptional approval ratings of 97% from both critics and users on Rotten Tomatoes.
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