The American Film Institute’s 10 Best Westerns, Ranked By Rotten Tomatoes Score

The AFI’s picks for the 10 best Westerns makes for an amazing list, but how do the scores from Rotten Tomatoes rank the same movies?

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Based in Los Angeles, the American Film Institute celebrates the art of film and the practice of filmmaking. It may seem like the be-all-end-all in terms of status and opinion, but that certainly isn’t the case. In 2008, the American Film Institute released a string of lists in which they honored the best of a certain genre. Titled the AFI’s 10 Top 10, the American Film Institute listed the best in animation, comedy, science fiction, and Western, among many others.

However, lists of this type are subjective, and as such, it’s fun to see the disparity in Rotten Tomatoes scores. What the AFI considers the best may not be what the critics think the best.

10 McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971) (#8) – 84%

Released in the summer of 1971, the anti-Western McCabe & Mrs. Miller earned $4 million at the box office, the equivalent of about $25 million today. It wasn’t a huge box office success, which was perhaps indicative of the genre’s waning interest within the general population.

However, the film has received countless accolades from the start. It is ranked the 8th greatest Western of all time by the American Film Institute and was ranked the 16th greatest American movie ever made in a BBC list of The Greatest 100 American Films.

9 Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid (1969) (#7) – 88%

Perhaps the last movie of the Golden Age of Westerns (that being the ’40s to the late ’60s), Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was an enormous success. By the end of 1970, the movie had grossed $36.8 million, the equivalent of $270 million today.

It also took home four Academy Awards (Best Original Song, Original Score, Cinematography, and Original Screenplay), was ranked the 7th greatest Western by the AFI, and its screenplay was ranked the 11th greatest of all time by the Writers Guild of America.

8 Cat Ballou (1965) (#10) – 88%

Cat Ballou is the only comedic Western to appear on the AFI’s list of the 10 greatest Westerns, placing 10th. Despite being adapted from a serious novel, Cat Ballou is darkly comedic and spoofs many dramatic Westerns of the time. It stars Jane Fonda, whose father Henry would star as Frank in Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in the West four years later.

Cat Ballou was the 7th highest grossing movie of 1965 and received five nominations at the 38th Academy Awards, with Lee Marvin winning for Best Actor.

7 The Wild Bunch (1969) (#6) – 90%

The first movie to break 90% on Rotten Tomatoes is The Wild Bunch, which is ranked 6th on the AFI’s list. The movie was released just three months before Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, cementing 1969 as one of the best years for Westerns. The Wild Bunch actually appears on numerous AFI lists.

It was also ranked 69th on the 100 Years…100 Thrills list and the 79th greatest movie of all time on its 100 Years…100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition) list. The Motion Pictures Editors Guild also named The Wild Bunch as the 23rd best edited movie of all time.

6 Unforgiven (1992) (#4) – 96%

The most recent Western on the AFI list, Unforgiven was released in 1992 and is ranked 4th. The movie was an enormous success, earning critical praise for its numerous subversions of the Western genre and grossing $159 million worldwide, the modern equivalent of $300 million.

It was nominated for nine Academy Awards and won four, and it was also ranked the 68th greatest movie of all time by the American Film Institute in 2007. The Writers Guild of America also named its script the 30th greatest screenplay ever written in 2013.

5 The Searchers (1956) (#1) – 96%

Starring Western legend John Wayne as Ethan Edwards, The Searchers is perhaps the most celebrated Western ever made, being ranked #1 on the American Film Institute’s list. It was also ranked the 12th greatest movie of all time on its 100 Years…100 Movies (10th Anniversary) list (a major promotion from its 96th placement on the original list).

However, it “only” holds a 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, placing it 5th in terms of Rotten Tomatoes score. John Wayne Westerns don’t get much better than this.

4 Shane (1953) (#3) – 97%

A box office success in 1953, Shane grossed $8 million in its original theatrical run, the equivalent of $80 million today. It is also one of the most celebrated films ever made. Woody Allen included it on his list of Great American Films, and it’s been ranked the 3rd greatest Western ever made by the American Film Institute.

But that’s not the only AFI list it has appeared on. Shane was also ranked the 16th greatest hero, “Shane. Shane. Come back!” was ranked the 47th greatest quote, it was ranked 53rd on the 100 Cheers list, and was ranked the 45th greatest movie of all time.

3 High Noon (1957) (#2) – 97%

High Noon is easily one of the most popular Westerns ever made, its name having become synonymous with both the Western genre and Western-style showdowns. Only a modest box office success, High Noon is now regarded as a classic.

Various American Presidents have spoken highly of the film (including Dwight Eisenhower, Bill Clinton, and Ronald Reagan), and it was ranked the 2nd greatest Western ever made by the AFI. It was also ranked the 27th greatest movie ever made on its 100 Years…100 Movies (1oth Anniversary Edition) list.

2 Red River (1948) (#5) – 100%

Ranked the 5th greatest Western ever made, Red River was one of many excellent collaborations between John Wayne and producer-director Howard Hawks. It is also one of the two Westerns on the AFI list to hold a perfect 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Roger Ebert included Red River on his Great Movies list, and the so-called “Red River D belt buckles” are some of the most valuable and sought-after John Wayne collector’s items.

1 Stagecoach (1939) (#9) – 100%

Released in 1939, Stagecoach served as John Wayne’s major breakthrough, launching a stellar and timeless career and turning him into the greatest Western icon in movie history. While its depiction of Native Americans has long been criticized, Stagecoach has nevertheless been deemed a classic of American cinema.

It holds a perfect 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, won two Academy Awards, and was ranked the 9th greatest Western ever made by the American Film Institute.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/best-westerns-afi-list-ranked-american-film-institute/