A Western icon,John Waynerode across the screen for almost 50 years as one of the toughest cowboys, lawmen, and cattle barons the genre has ever seen. A multi-genre star, Wayne starred in his fair share of war films, comedies, romance movies, and more.He was almost always the good guy, occasionally the bad guy, and often fell somewhere in the middle with his ensemble roles.Audiences almost always knew what to expect when watching a John Wayne feature: fast-paced horse chases and cattle drives, exaggeratedfist fights where the Duke (almost) always won, and quick draw shootouts that left Hollywood’s hero the last man standing.
Among his greatest hits andmost rewatchable moviesis a collection of badass John Wayne films that edge out other titles in his extensive filmography.From Oscar-winning roles to famous cinematic collaborations, the best and badass from the Duke include a rollercoaster of roles and usual suspects that solidify Wayne’s legacy as a true cinematic legend.
10’Big Jake' (1971)
Directed by George Sherman
It’sa popcorn John Wayne Western, and that is enough to makeBig Jakeworthy of its praise. He stars as the titular character, Jacob McCandles (befitting of Wayne’s iconic stature), as he ventures out to rescue his grandson, who’s been kidnapped by the ruthless John Fain (Richard Boone).Big Jakefeatures Wayne’s real son,Patrick Wayne, andhis leading lady,Maureen O’Hara,alongside the usual suspects likeBruce CabottandHarry Carey Jr.
There’s entertainment in the simplicity of a Western that showcases stunt-heavy gunfights in which the performers go through the wringer, making the deaths look action-packed.Big Jakewasn’t Wayne’s first rescue feature, and it wouldn’t be his last, but it’s certainly one of his most badass best when it comes to third-act shootouts.
Big Jake follows an aging Texas cattleman who faces a changing world as he embarks on a daring mission to rescue his kidnapped grandson from ruthless outlaws. Set against the backdrop of the Old West, the film explores themes of family, perseverance, and justice as he confronts the challenges of a lawless frontier.
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9’El Dorado' (1966)
Directed by Howard Hawks
While it’s almost a carbon copy repeat of 1959’sRio Bravo,Howard Hawks’El Doradofeatures more strategic shootouts but matches the former with star power. Wayne is Cole Thornton, a hired gunman known for his quick draw and aim. After taking a bullet in the back, Cole suffers from nerve damage and must team up with an old friend, the drunken sheriff, J.P. (Robert Mitchum), a new knife-wielding drifter, Mississippi (James Caan), and an old Indian fighter, Bull (Arthur Hunnicutt), to help stop a rancher war over control of the water supply.
Where this film earns its rightful place in John Wayne’s most badass movies is in its action style of assembling a rag-tag crew of misfits who wouldn’t get on without the other—J.P. struggles with staying sober;Mississippi searches for guidanceafter the death of his mentor; and Bull is always looking for a good fight.El Doradois good fun and pure action-comedy entertainment featuring Hollywood icons.
Veteran gunfighter Cole Thornton teams up with his former ally, Sheriff J.P. Harrah, to defend a small town from a ruthless rancher seeking control. With the help of a brash young gunman and a colorful gambler, they confront the threats head-on.
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8’Chisum' (1970)
Directed by Andrew V. McLaglen
Chisumis a basicgun’s-a-blazing Western for the Duke, but that’s what makes it so badass. It’s Wayne at his most comfortable, a lovable but powerful rancher who uses his network of resources to fight off the bad guys and save the town. Here, he’s the titular John Chisum, a cattle baron in New Mexico who enlists the help of the legendary Billy the Kid (Geoffrey Deuel) and Pat Garrett (Glenn Corbett) to help win a territory war started by the greedy Lawrence Murphy (Forrest Tucker).
While rooted in historical events of the Lincoln County Land War of 1878 and its famous characters,Chisumtakes its obvious creative liberties, checking all the boxes for a standard Western, complete with shootouts, stampedes, and fist fights.The film is among the most badass gunslinging features in Wayne’s extensive career.
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7’True Grit' (1969)
Directed by Henry Hathaway
Rooster Cogburn is truly one of Wayne’s mostbadass characters in one of his best movies, earning him his first and only Best Actor Academy Award.True Gritfeatures Wayne as a drunken U. S. Marshall enlisted to hunt down the man responsible for the murder of a young woman’s father. Along for the ride is a Texas ranger named La Boeuf (Glen Campbell) and the young woman herself, Mattie Ross (Kim Darby). The famous Western also featuresRobert Duvallas one of the outlaws tangled in Cogburn’s path.
Wayne showcases his full range at every moment, flipping Rooster from a lighthearted gambling man to a quick draw shooter to a father figure racing to save Mattie, all of which earned him the Oscar.True Gritfeatures daring horseback chases and shootouts, and in one of many badass moments, Rooster takesthe reins of his horse, Beau, in his mouth so he can fire both pistols.
A determined young girl enlists the help of a tough U.S. Marshal and a Texas Ranger to track down her father’s murderer in Indian Territory. As the unlikely trio ventures into dangerous lands, their quest for justice is complicated by their differing motives and the harsh realities of the Wild West.
6’The Longest Day' (1962)
Directed by Ken Annakin, Andrew Marton, & Gerd Oswald
Wayne was no stranger to large war epics and ensemble casts; however,The Longest Dayholds true to one of the most badassnon-Western films on the Duke’s resume. The nearly three-hour epic details World War II’s D-Day events, told through both the Allied and German perspectives, with Hollywood heavy hitters starring as varying military personnel. Wayne stars alongsideHenry Fonda,Richard Burton, andRobert Ryan.
While modern cinema has elevated the war genre to new heights with special effects, massive sets, and big budgets,The Longest Dayremains one of the foundational films that utilized the tools of the time to create a grandiose war drama that focused less on the graphic violence and more on the perspective, making it not only a badass John Wayne film, but a badassclassic war film.
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5’The Shootist' (1976)
Directed by Don Siegel
The Shootistearns its badass credit for itsimmaculate sendoff in Wayne’s final role, one in which he goes out with a bang. He stars as J. B. Books, an ailing gunfighter who plans to avoid dying a slow, painful, and cancerous death and live out his final days on his terms. Supporting Wayne’s final role areLauren Bacall,Ron Howard, andJames Stewartin one of his most underrated roles.
It’s a film to remember as Wayne dies onscreen in one of the few (and final times) in his career.The Shootistis beautiful in its cast as Wayne shares the screen one last time with Stewart; their friendship onscreen is pivotal in Books' refusal to go quietly into the night.The onscreen cancer diagnosis mirrors Wayne’s real-life diagnosis that led to his death just three years later.The Shootistis a swan song that deservedly withstands the test of time.
The Shootist
A dying gunfighter spends his last days looking for a way to die with a minimum of pain and a maximum of dignity.
4’The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance' (1962)
Directed by John Ford
Featuring a trio of Hollywood royalty,The Man Who Shot Liberty Valanceis one of cinema’s most revered westerns.James Stewart, in one of his best movies, stars as Senator Stoddard as he recounts for a small-town newspaper reporter the story of Stoddard’s unexpected friendship with Tom Doniphon (Wayne) and their search for justice against local criminal Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin).
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valanceis cinematic gold for a number of reasons. It features Wayne, Stewart, and Marvin all at their performance best, while Ford balances the craft of expert storytelling with Western cinema to satisfy audiences hungry for great filmmaking.From every angle, it’s a badass film that highlights the talents of its stars in front of and behind the lens.
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
A senator returns to a Western town for the funeral of an old friend and tells the story of his origins.
3’The Searchers' (1956)
A stark departure from Wayne’s usual jovial, heroic characters,The Searchersis an iconic dark installment. Ethan Edwards (Wayne) is a toughened Civil War veteran who is the only person fit to trek across the treacherous Comanche territory to recover his kidnapped niece, Debbie (Natalie Wood), after his brother’s family was brutally murdered.
In a journey that takes him several years to find a resolution, Ethan never wavers, no matter how gruesome or disappointing the stakes may be.The Searchersnot only ranks as one of the best Wayne movies but one of the most badass.Under the careful eye of directorJohn Ford,The Searchersis a tense and ominous watch that keeps audiences on the edge of their seats, making it a standout in the pair’s shared filmography.
The Searchers
An American Civil War veteran embarks on a years-long journey to rescue his niece from the Comanches after the rest of his brother’s family is massacred in a raid on their Texas farm.
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2’Red River' (1948)
Directed by Howard Hawks & Arthur Rosson
Plain and simple,the Duke playing a villainis all audiences need to know to understand the level of badass this iconic Western achieved.Red Riverfeatures Wayne as Thomas Dunson, a Texas rancher corrupted by greed and circumstance after spending 14 years driving cattle to Missouri alongside his adopted son Matt Garth (Montgomery Clift) and faithful ranch hand Nadine Groot (Walter Brennan).
Wayne’s portrayal of the tyrannical Dunson, paired with the epic visuals, makesRed Riversuch a wildcard to watch in the genre.Witnessing Hollywood’s golden hero become the villain flipped the script and provided audiences with an emotionally complex character in an aesthetically stunning backdrop that earned the film two Oscar nominations for writing and film editing. The finalproduct wasn’t without controversy, butRed Riveris essential to watch when considering Wayne’s most badass movies.
Dunson leads a cattle drive, the culmination of over 14 years of work, to its destination in Missouri. But his tyrannical behavior along the way causes a mutiny, led by his adopted son.
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1’The Cowboys' (1972)
Directed by Mark Rydell
An unforgiving coming-of-age story,The Cowboyscombines all the necessary elements to become the most badass John Wayne movie ever. Wayne is rancher Wil Andersen, coping with the world as the Gold Rush sweeps the honest ranch hands from the land. Needing to drive his cattle to Belle Fourche, South Dakota, Andersen hires a batch of schoolboys to help him, but their inexperience makes the drive all the more dangerous as the posse encounters a group of rustlers, led by the chilling Long Hair (Bruce Dern), whom Andersen refused to hire instead of the boys.
In one of the few movies where Wayne’s heroic cowboy dies,The Cowboysisn’t for the weak. After the brutal fistfight between Andersen and Long Hair, Andersen takes a bullet in the back in one last act of defiance. As if the boys hadn’t endured enough already, they transition into men when they form a plan to take back the cattle and seek revenge againstthe Western genre’s most infamous villain. The final, silent cutaways during Long Hair’s death are chilling.The combination of Wayne’s shocking death, Dern’s immaculate performance, and the assumed responsibility from the boys solidifies this film’s place in Wayne’s legacy and the genre’s history.
The Cowboys
Rancher Wil Andersen is forced to hire inexperienced boys as cowhands in order to get his herd to market on time but the rough drive is full of dangers and a gang of cattle rustlers is trailing them.
