The Searchers

John Ford, 1956As recommended by: SueS, Frederic Wright, WritersFrock, Rourke954, PaddyBI and othersJohn Wayne stars as a civil war veteran on a mission to rescue his niece from a Native American tribe. Frequently named one of the best films ever made and voted greatest American western of all time in 2008 by the American Film Institute, its omission from Philip French's list provoked particular protest. Rourke954 sees “the diversity and complexity of its characters” as a reflection on the history of the American psyche

The Outlaw Josey Wales

Clint Eastwood, 1976As recommended by: jno50, ID1359582, chephren and othersPreserved since 1996 in the Library of Congress' National Film Registry, this revisionist western stars Clint Eastwood as Josey Wales, a Missouri farmer who joins a Confederate guerrilla unit and ends up on the run from the pro-Unionist who killed his wife and son. For jno50, its theme of “healing a people divided” deserves to earn it a place in the top 10

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Sergio Leone, 1966As recommended by: captaingorgeous, Eloy Maybank, Yowser, andybbn and othersThis spaghetti western stars Eli Wallach, Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef as three men racing to find buried gold in a cemetery. Eloy Maybank and Yowser both argued its position as one of the top 10 films of any genre, never mind western, with Ennio Morricone's musical score earning well-deserved praise

Shane

George Stevens, 1953As recommended by: josephganthony, panamabob2, Rourke953, bonzo15 and othersBased on Jack Schaefer's 1949 novel of the same name, Shane stars Alan Ladd, Van Heflin and Jean Arthur, in her final role. Loyal Griggs's cinematography scooped an Oscar, while readers also praised the characterisation, actors' performances and, in josephganthony's words, “one of the most subtle love connections” between Ladd and Arthur

The Shootist

Don Siegel, 1976As recommended by tuxedocat, blodeuwedd7, oldramon and othersJohn Wayne took his final bow in this tale of a dying gunfighter, looking to retain human dignity and avoid pain in his last days. tuxedocat considers it the highlight of Wayne's career, and Lauren Bacall's performance was praised by blodeuwedd

Johnny Guitar

Nicholas Ray, 1954As recommended by davidcosta, homard, Tom Weber, evanstim and othersJoan Crawford takes centre stage as a saloon owner wrongly accused of murder and bank robbery after helping a wounded gang member. Tom Weber described it as an “underappreciated classic”, but commenters righted that particular wrong. As davidcosta said: “Perfect in every sense”

The Magnificent Seven

John Sturges, 1960As recommended by Alchemist, Jan86 and othersIn this western remake of Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai, Steven McQueen, Yul Brynner and Eli Wallach star as three of seven gunmen charged with protecting a Mexican village from local bandits. Alchemist complimented its visualisation of the battle of right versus might as well as Elmer Bernstein's score: “challenged, but never surpassed”

Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid

Sam Peckinpah, 1973Recommended by fallentower, lightness2000 and others James Coburn, Kris Kristofferson and Bob Dylan star in this western tale of Pat Garrett, hired as a lawman by New Mexico cattle barons to bring down his old friend, Billy the Kid. Both fallentower and lightness2000 thought Coburn's performance as the ageing Garrett earned it a place in the top 10

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

John Ford, 1962As recommended by MalachiConstant, Dowdy, WritersFrock and othersJames Stewart and John Wayne star in this black-and-white western adapted from Dorothy M Johnson's short story of a senator who returns to tell the truth about the murder that made him famous. MalachiConstant saluted Lee Marvin's performance as the ultimate baddy, and Dowdy commented on its poignant depiction of the blurred line separating history and legend

The Wild Bunch

Sam Peckinpah, 1969Recommended by ID024361, jonniestewpot, GeoffreyIngram and othersPeckinpah strikes again in this epic about an ageing group of outlaws, trying to reconcile themselves with the disappearing traditions of the American west on the Texas-Mexico border. For ID024361, it's a film of groundbreaking and never-equalled quality; for jonniestewpot, the “hardest, craziest and greatest of all westerns”