John Ford's Greatest Westerns
AMC Movie List

John Ford's Greatest Westerns

John Ford and the Western genre are synonymous. Now comes the tough part: how would you rank his top pics?

rank title points votes your vote
1 The Searchers
In one of Ford's greatest, John Wayne plays an ex-Confederate looking for the Comanche who killed his brother- and sister-in-law. 513 753
2 The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Ford examines truth through the story of a friend (John Wayne) who helps another (James Stewart) challenged by a gunman (Lee Marvin). 373 669
3 She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
The only movie in Ford's Cavalry trilogy in Technicolor is about a captain (John Wayne) who must face Arapaho before retirement. 369 587
4 Stagecoach
Ford combines action, comedy, and drama in the story of a motley crew traveling from one New Mexico settlement to another. 348 570
5 Fort Apache
The first movie of the Cavalry trilogy is the politcally incorrect tale of a brash colonel (Henry Fonda) eager to mix it up with Apache. 346 512
6 Rio Grande
Ford's tale of family bonds centers on a colonel (John Wayne) and the son (Claude Jarman Jr.) assigned to his post. 339 519
7 The Horse Soldiers
In this Ford adaptation, a Civil War colonel (John Wayne) is instructed to destroy the railroad bringing supplies to the South. 292 506
8 My Darling Clementine
Ford adds flourishes to the story of Wyatt Earp (Henry Fonda), a man forced by circumstances out of retirement as a gunman. 129 447
9 The Three Godfathers
The Christian symbolism of Ford's story is unmistakable, as thieves agree to rear a motherless child. 94 430
10 Sergeant Rutledge
Ford's is the first big-budget Western to feature a Black hero (Woody Strode), who faces murder charges made by his own cavalry. 57 407