Every Kevin Costner Western Movie, Ranked From Worst To Best

Kevin Costner keeps making Westerns, and he has a good reason for doing so. The veteran actor feels more at home in the frontier than he does in the city, and waking up to the sight of scenic landscapes inspires his creative choices. Costner is also very good at playing cowboys, and that goes a long way.

At this point, Costner is mostly synonymous with Westerns and baseball movies, making him the ultimate American actor. With that being said, he has only starred in six Western flicks, but his five-season stint on "Yellowstone" played a huge part in helping Taylor Sheridan's neo-Western franchise take over the small screen, so that deserves a mention.

For now, though, let's just focus on the movies. Costner has yet to make a Western that isn't at least watchable, but his best efforts are bona fide masterpieces. So, without further ado, let's rank all of the Western flicks in the cowboy actor's cinematic saddle.

Kevin Costner's "Yellowstone" exit is murky to this day, but his desire to make "Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1" factored into it. No one should ever criticize Costner for pursuing his goals, but it's a shame he gave up a good series to make such an underwhelming Western like this one.

Directed by Costner from a script he co-wrote with John Baird, "Horizon" follows multiple characters as they embark on their own separate journeys through the American West. Costner plays Hayes Ellison, a loner cowboy who just wants to mind his own business — but is that even possible in the wild frontier?

The biggest problem with "Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1" is that it's all set-ups with no payoffs. We meet a bunch of characters, but their stories don't converge and it feels like we are watching different movies within one. In fact, "Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1" might also be the most expensive trailer ever made.

That's not to say the film isn't entertaining, mind you. It boasts an epic sense of grandeur, there is plenty of action and melodrama, and the performances are strong across the board. Western fans will find plenty to enjoy, but it might test your patience.

Be that as it may, the jury is still out on "Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1." It's the first part of a planned four-film series, so it'll probably be more satisfying once the overall story is complete — if that ever happens. Right now, it feels like the introduction to a book, so one can't fault its long-term ambitions.

Kevin Costner has one regret about "Wyatt Earp." He wishes that it wasn't compared to "Tombstone," another film about Earp's life that was released months before this biopic. "Tombstone" is widely regarded as one of the best Westerns ever made, so Costner's flick never stood a chance in this conversation.

"Tombstone" is the more entertaining picture, but "Wyatt Earp" is arguably the most ambitious of the pair. Lawrence Kasdan's feature chronicles Earp (Costner) throughout his life, while "Tombstone" focuses on a specific period. If you want to see a more comprehensive retelling of Earp's story — that's still very entertaining — Costner's flick is the one to go with.

"Wyatt Earp" sees Costner joined by Western royalty in the form of Gene Hackman, who plays the titular family's patriarch, Nicholas Porter Earp. The supporting cast is also stacked, with Dennis Quaid, Jeff Fahey, Mark Harmon, Bill Pullman, Michael Madsen, Adam Baldwin, and Catherine O'Hara all part of the star-studded ensemble. "Wyatt Earp" deserves more respect, even if it isn't one of Costner's best Westerns.

Thomas Bezucha's "Let Him Go" holds the distinction of being the only Western in Kevin Costner's oeuvre that scared the actor. The actor claims he felt unnerved when he first read the script for neo-Western thriller, which is quite the compliment considering that Costner's reputation is that of a stoic man's man.

"Let Him Go" sees Costner play a retired sheriff who sets out with his wife (Diane Lane) to rescue their widowed daughter-in-law and grandson from the clutches of her abusive new husband and his family. This takes the couple on a road trip from Montana to North Dakota, which becomes gradually more unpleasant as it progresses.

Bezucha's movie — an adaptation of Larry Watson's novel of the same name — is relatively small in scope but high on emotion. Some scenes are genuinely unnerving and suspenseful, so it's understandable why it spooked Costner. One sequence, which involves a motel room invasion, is genuinely disturbing and wouldn't feel out of place in a horror flick. "Let Him Go" is a pure dad movie, but that's Costner's audience, and it delivers the goods.

Say what you will about Kevin Costner, but there's no denying his willingness to gamble on himself. After all, he left one of the most popular TV series around to make "Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1," which didn't exactly pay off, but fair play to him for following his heart. However, the actor reaped the rewards with this mentality when he directed and starred in "Dances with Wolves," an epic Western that Costner chose over starring in "The Hunt for Red October."

In "Dances with Wolves," Costner plays a Union soldier who befriends a Sioux tribe after being assigned to a nearby outpost. The film was credited for bringing some positive representation for Indigenous people to mainstream American cinema in the early '90s, and while it's guilty of falling into white knight tropes, its heart is in the right place.

That said, the true beauty of "Dances with Wolves" is its sense of grandeur and scope. This is even more impressive when you remember that it's Costner's directorial debut. The epic also deserves credit for revitalizing Westerns after "Heaven's Gate" bombed and briefly killed the genre in 1980, paving the way for other '90s classics like "Unforgiven" and "Tombstone" to succeed.

Kevin Costner believes that "Silverado" is perfect, and he cites the Western as a major breakthrough moment in his career. Lawrence Kasdan's feature sees him play Jake, one of four heroes who arrive in the eponymous town to fight in the name of justice. You can probably figure out what happens next.

Westerns about heroes banding together to overthrow oppression in dusty ol' towns are a dime a dozen. "Silverado" doesn't break new ground in that regard — in fact, part of the film's charm is how unabashedly old school it is. "Silverado" is energetic, joyous, pulpy, and boasts a cast who are clearly having a ball channeling the spirit of the Westerns they grew up watching. Anyone who's a fan of the genre won't be able to resist its charms.

"Silverado" was released in the wake of '70s Westerns, many of which offer a revisionist take on the genre and depict the dying days of the Old West. By contrast, Kasdan's feature is a celebratory horse opera that romanticizes the old days — the type of movie that made fans fall in love with Westerns in the first place. It's a blast.

You know this deal — a reformed gunslinger is forced back into action to take down some bad guys, and the proverbial poop hits the fan. This is the story of "Open Range," Costner's third directorial effort, in which he stars alongside the legendary Robert Duvall as a pair of cattlemen out for payback against the vicious baron and thugs responsible for hurting one of their own.

Our heroes know violence is inevitable in "Open Range," but it isn't treated as throwaway, as is often the case in Westerns and action flicks. Duvall's character, Boss, tries to avoid bloodshed at all costs, while Costner's Charley has spent years keeping his inner monster at bay. In this world, violence takes its toll, but sometimes it's the only answer to righting a wrong.

When it all kicks off, though, Costner's 2003 Western treats viewers to one of the best gunfights ever. It's an entertaining action sequence, but every bullet is felt and serves to remind viewers that gunshots are something to be feared. Bad guys take them between the eyes and get blasted through buildings. Bodies litter the streets. "Open Range" is a bloody, dirty, and moral examination of violence that just so happens to be exciting and terrifying. Westerns don't come better than this one.