# The best John Wayne movies

From Stagecoach to True Grit, from John Ford to Howard Hawks: the John Wayne films rated highest on Filmstarts and Moviepilot.

- 58 votes · 13 items
- Oct 23, 2019 · popcorn_frankfurt
- https://even.best/en/l/4348/the-best-john-wayne-movies

## Top 13

1. **The Searchers (1956)** (7 · ▲8 ▼1) — John Ford. Ethan Edwards spends years searching for his kidnapped niece.
2. **Rio Bravo (1959)** (6 · ▲6 ▼0) — Howard Hawks. A sheriff, a drunk and a prisoner, with Dean Martin.
3. **The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)** (5 · ▲6 ▼1) — John Ford. With James Stewart, on legend and truth in the West.
4. **El Dorado (1966)** (5 · ▲5 ▼0) — Howard Hawks. A gunfighter and a drunken sheriff, with Robert Mitchum.
5. **The Shootist (1976)** (4 · ▲5 ▼1) — Don Siegel. A dying gunfighter; his last film.
6. **Stagecoach (1939)** (4 · ▲4 ▼0) — John Ford. A stagecoach through Apache country; his breakthrough.
7. **The Longest Day (1962)** (4 · ▲4 ▼0) — The Normandy landings, with an all-star cast.
8. **True Grit (1969)** (3 · ▲3 ▼0) — Henry Hathaway. Rooster Cogburn; his only Oscar.
9. **Rio Grande (1950)** (2 · ▲3 ▼1) — John Ford. A cavalry officer on the border, with Maureen O'Hara.
10. **The Sons of Katie Elder (1965)** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — Henry Hathaway. Four brothers come home for their mother's funeral.
11. **Red River (1948)** (1 · ▲2 ▼1) — Howard Hawks. A cattle drive to Missouri, with Montgomery Clift.
12. **The Alamo (1960)** (1 · ▲2 ▼1) — Directed by himself: Davy Crockett and the siege of San Antonio.
13. **How the West Was Won (1962)** (0 · ▲1 ▼1) — Three directors, one family and fifty years of the West.

How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.