Westerns have always been a hugely popular genre of movies, but they’re often celebrated for their exciting, complex storytelling above all else. However, the Westerns that are still discussed today are those that effortlessly combine these high-stakes narratives with sharp, beautiful cinematography that helps bring the natural backdrop of the American West to life on the screen. These are the films that are still ed as the best Westerns ever made.

Westerns were hugely popular throughout the ‘50s and ‘60s, and this is the era during which directors fully took advantage of the advances in filmmaking technology to give their movies a unique visual flair. Filmmakers like Clint Eastwood and John Ford pioneered this kind of storytelling, essentially monopolizing the Western genre and creating the classics that are still watched today. While modern neo-Westerns are growing in popularity, there will always be a space for those undeniable classics that use gorgeous cinematography to make their stories timeless.

10 The Revenant (2015)

Directed By Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu

While The Revenant isn’t always thought of as a Western, the film fits all the criteria of the genre. It’s an expansive, sprawling adventure that follows a legendary frontiersman who uses his skills to survive in the wild after the rest of his team is killed in a lethal bear attack. It’s one of the most visually stunning Westerns ever made, going so far as to win the Academy Award for Best Cinematography.

9 Shane (1953)

Directed By George Stevens

Another winner of the Best Cinematography Oscar, Shane follows a Wild West bounty hunter who decides to help a family of local farmers being terrorized by local criminals. It’s a very simple story, but the way that Stevens weaves this narrative together with interesting characters and revolutionary visuals is the reason it has so easily survived the test of time.

8 Fort Apache (1949)

Directed By John Ford

Undeniably one of John Ford and John Wayne’s best Westerns, Fort Apache tells the story of a military colonel at the titular outpost in the American West, whose life is turned upside down when he clashes with his ambitious and self-interested deputy. It’s an interesting story about the personal conflicts within the lawlessness of the Wild West, and it perfectly captures the beautiful scenery that drew so many people there in the first place.

7 Wind River (2017)

Directed By Taylor Sheridan

Wind River is one of the most recent Westerns to truly focus on the cinematography and dynamic visuals, painting a stunning portrait of the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming. The story follows a wildlife officer who teams up with an FBI agent to solve a violent crime, hoping it will relieve him of his own unrelated guilt.

6 Hell Or High Water (2016)

Directed By David Mackenzie

Hell or High Water is definitely a Western, but it succeeds primarily thanks to its ability to blend so many other genres together at the same time. It’s a heist movie, it’s a family drama, and it’s a psychological thriller all at once, using the backdrop of the American West as its signature visual style. The story centers around two brothers who resort to robbing banks when they’re unable to provide their mortgage payments.

5 The Searchers (1956)

Directed By John Ford

Another of John Ford’s classic Westerns, The Searchers was famously John Wayne’s favorite Western thanks to its innovative visual style and captivating storytelling. The movie follows a man named Ethan, who s a group of rangers to help find their lost cattle, but this new lifestyle brings its own dangers that Ethan later seeks vengeance for.

4 The Wild Bunch (1969)

Directed By Sam Peckinpah

The Wild Bunch was a fairly controversial movie that never shied away from displaying the truth of the Wild West’s violent style of life, centering around a group of older outlaws who organize an expensive heist on a local railroad office. The film became extremely popular thanks to its advanced cinematography, which helped usher in a whole new generation of visually focused Westerns in the ‘70s.

3 Unforgiven (1992)

Directed By Clint Eastwood

Unforgiven won the Academy Award for Best Picture and was nominated in the Best Cinematography category, making it one of the most critically successful Westerns of the 1990s. It was one of the few films that made Westerns cool again, using a blend of breathtaking visuals and captivating performances to suck audiences into this well-plotted narrative of morality and revenge.

2 She Wore A Yellow Ribbon (1949)

Directed By John Ford

She Wore A Yellow Ribbon was among the very first Westerns to become known for its distinct visual style, helping John Ford create his own image as the father of the genre. The story follows a military Captain whose mission to stop a Native American attack is diverted and he’s instructed to escort two local women to safety instead. It’s a touching and captivating Western that was entirely different from everything else, which helped it stand out from the crowd.

1 Dances With Wolves (1990)

Directed By Kevin Costner

Dances With Wolves is another ‘90s Western that helped revitalize the genre in a period of relatively low audience interest, using sweeping visuals and grandiose locations to help create a distinct sense of scale and magnitude. The story centers around an American officer stationed at a Civil War outpost whose life changes when he meets the Lakota tribe of American Indians.