10 Great Western Movies About Real-Life Cowboys & Outlaws
A lot of great Western movies are fictional, but 10 fantastic films in this iconic genre, including The Harder They Fall, are based on real people.
- Western movies based on true stories immortalize outlaws and cowboys, elevating their fame and turning them into lasting American icons.
- Movies that successfully depict historical figures leave an impression on audiences and make them think more about the figures portrayed.
- Many famous Western films are based on real people and events, but the true circumstances of their deaths or the details of their lives are often debated.
The Western movie genre is known for its depiction of American legends, and there are a number of great movies based on true stories of real-life figures, including cowboys and outlaws. In fact, many of the best movies in the Western genre are based on real people. In some cases, outlaws, cowboys, and other historical figures from the American West are immortalized by their depictions in famous Hollywood films.
Most of these characters were well-known before their portrayal in Western films, but their fame became far greater and much longer-lasting when they appeared in a successful movie. Some of the most timeless Western movies have helped turn moderately well-known cowboys, lawmen, or outlaws into lasting American icons. Typically, when a film manages to elevate the status of a historical figure in such a way, it’s because the movie in question was successful enough to leave an impression on audiences and make them think more about the figures portrayed in the film.
10, Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid (1969)
Robert LeRoy Parker & Harry Longabaugh
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is a Western starring Paul Newman as Robert LeRoy Parker, aka Butch Cassidy, and Robert Redford as Harry Longabaugh, aka the Sundance Kid. Considered among the greatest Western movies ever made, this riotous portrayal of the two titular real-life outlaws focuses on their run from a posse after a string of infamous train robberies. They eventually fled the U.S. in the early 20th century and are believed to have been killed in a shootout with the Bolivian Army in 1908, as is depicted in the movie, but the true circumstances of their deaths are still debated today.
9, Tombstone (1993)
William Brocius, Johnny Ringo, Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday
Tombstone is a 1993 Western that follows the true story of Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday, played by Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer respectively. Earp was a well-known lawman and Holliday was his close friend and associate. The film covers two infamous events involving the lawmen, The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral and the Earp Vendetta Ride. Earp and Holliday have been depicted in various Westerns over the years, helping them become two of the most famous cowboys and lawmen from the so-called “Wild West”. Earp came from a well-known family of lawmen, whereas Holliday was a dentist before joining Earp.
Among their enemies in the movie are two real-life outlaws, William “Curly Bill” Brocius and Johnny Ringo. Brocius and Ringo were two of the most notorious criminals in Arizona during the late 1800s. The former was killed by Wyatt Earp in a shootout, as he was in Tombstone, and Ringo is most commonly thought to have taken his own life rather than being killed by Holliday as he is in the movie. It should be noted that the exact cause of Ringo’s death remains a point of contention among modern researchers, but the most commonly held opinion is that he comitted suicide.
8, The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford (2007)
Jesse James & Robert Ford
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is a classic 2007 Western starring Brad Pitt as Jesse James and Casey Affleck as Robert Ford. This insightful Western tells the story of two of the most well-known outlaws in American history. James is one of the most fabled criminals of the 19th century, and he is well known for leading the James-Younger gang of outlaws.
At the time of his death, he was the most wanted man in America due to a string of high-profile robberies and killings. Robert Ford was a newly recruited member of James’ gang, and he is best known for accepting a pardon and the promise of $5,000 for killing James. Despite the cruel nature of James’ crimes, he held a fair amount of national sympathy, and Ford’s murder of him made him a widely reviled figure. Ford’s betrayal led to more than one attempt on his life, and in 1892, ten years after killing James, he was murdered in a saloon.
7, Chisum (1970)
John Chisum, Lawrence Murphy, Jesse Evans, Billy The Kid
Chisum is a 1970 Western film starring John Wayne as the historical cattle rancher, John Chisum. The story follows the infamous Lincoln County War, which involved several notable outlaws and cowboys, including Lawrence Murphy (Forrest Tucker), Jesse Evans (Richard Jaeckel), and Henry McCarty (Geoffrey Deuel), better known as Billy the Kid. This brutal conflict was fought for the right to dominate the trade of dry goods and cattle in Lincoln County, and both factions involved recruited a variety of outlaws and lawmen to their respective sides.
Wayne’s titular character fought on the side of the Tunstall-McSween faction, which also included Billy the Kid and the rest of the Lincoln County Regulators. Their opposition came in the form of Murphy’s hired gangs, including the Jesse Evans gang. At the end of Chisum, the conflict finishes with a fistfight between Chisum and Murphy, which results in Murphy’s death when the two men fall off a balcony. Notably, the real Murphy died of cancer in 1878, and though he and Chisum were on opposite sides of this conflict, there is no evidence of their fight ever occurring.
6, Young Guns (1988)
Billy The Kid, Doc Scurlock, Jose Chavez Y Chavez, Dick Brewer, & More
Young Guns is a famous Western from 1988, known for being one of the most accurate depictions of Billy the Kid’s (Emilio Estevez) life. Like Chisum, the story focuses on the Lincoln County War, but Young Guns is primarily about Billy the Kid’s involvement via a deputized posse known as the Regulators. Other known outlaws featured in the film include Doc Scurlock (Kiefer Sutherland), Jose Chavez y Chavez (Lou Diamond Phillips), and Dick Brewer (Charlie Sheen), all members of the Regulators. Billy’s involvement in the Lincoln County War included the murder of a sheriff, which led to the manhunt that resulted in his death.
5, The Newton Boys (1998)
The Newton Gang
The Newton Boys tells the true story of the Newton Gang, likely the most successful bank and train robbers of all time. The film focuses on Willis (Matthew McConaughey), Joe (Skeet Ulrich), Jess (Ethan Hawke), and Wylie Netwon (Vincent D’Onofrio), the four brothers who made up the gang. The Newton Gang claimed to have robbed 87 banks in the five years it was active, along with six trains. The Newton brothers were also known for their claim that they never killed anyone during the robberies, which is commonly believed to be true.
The Newton Boys follows the brothers’ rise to prominence as successful criminals, detailing their belief that banks were the biggest thieves of all, and that their robberies were therefore justified. Their success eventually runs out, however, resulting in the Newton brothers’ arrest after a failed train robbery in Illinois. The real brothers were arrested after the same robbery, serving light sentences before returning to civilian life with varying degrees of success.
4, Hidalgo (2004)
Frank Hopkins
Hidalgo is a 2004 Western that stars Viggo Mortensen as Frank Hopkins, a legendary cowboy and long-distance rider. Hidalgo focuses on a race Hopkins claimed to have participated in, which supposedly took place in Arabia between himself and a group of Bedouins. Hopkins claimed to have won the race on his trusty mustang, Hidalgo, but there is no evidence of such an event ever taking place. Hopkins is a controversial figure due to a number of dubious claims about his career as a horse rider, but he is absolutely a real historical figure, and he is credited by his contemporaries with helping to preserve the mustang in North America.
3, The Harder They Fall (2021)
Nat Love, Rufus Buck, Cherokee Bill, Bill Pickett
The Harder They Fall is an outstanding 2021 Western with an original story that includes several historical cowboys and outlaws. The film is notable for being one of the few Westerns with an all-black principal cast. The most recognizable cowboys and outlaws featured in the film are Nat Love (Jonathan Majors), a cowboy and writer from the 19th century; Rufus Buck (Idris Elba), an outlaw and the leader of the notorious Rufus Buck Gang; Cherokee Bill (LaKeith Stanfield), an outlaw known for terrorizing American Indian Territory; and Bill Pickett (Edi Gathegi), a famous cowboy and rodeo performer.
2, Gunfight At The O.K. Corral (1957)
Johnny Ringo, Ike Clanton, Billy Clanton, Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral follows the legendary gunfight from which it takes its name, focusing on Burt Lancaster’s Wyatt Earp and Kirk Douglas’ Doc Holliday. Like Tombstone, Gunfight at the O.K. Corral includes several real-life outlaws who were part of the conflict, including Johnny Ringo (John Ireland), Ike Clanton (Lyle Bettger), and Billy Clanton (Dennis Hopper). These three men were part of an outlaw gang known as the Cochise County Cowboys, and they are best-known for their conflict with Earp and Holliday, who were two of the best-known lawmen and cowboys of their day.
In the film, the Clanton brothers are killed in the titular shootout, and Ringo is shot in the arm by Holliday after the two men fall in love with the same woman. The real Ike Clanton ran from the gunfight and died several years later after being shot by a lawman seeking to arrest him for stealing cattle. The real Billy on the other hand, did die in the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral at the age of 19.
1, Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here (1969)
Willie Boy
Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here is a 1969 Western starring Robert Redford as Deputy Sheriff Cooper. It tells the true story of a Chemehuevi-Paiute man known as Willie Boy (Robert Blake), who fell in love with a woman named Lola (Katharine Ross). In the film, Willie Boy kills Lola’s father in self-defense after he finds out about their romance, forcing the young lovers to flee a manhunt led by Sheriff Cooper. The exact details of the real story are hard to know for certain, but Willie Boy and Lola really did flee from the law after the death of her father.
The character known as Lola in the film was really named Carlota, and she is thought to have been killed by the posse hunting her and Willie, though Willie was blamed for her death. Willie is said to have comitted suicide after ambushing the men chasing him at Ruby Mountain. Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here emphasizes the fact that Willie’s gun was not loaded when he pulled it on Sheriff Cooper just before his death, implying that he was choosing to die.
