Once upon a time in Hollywood, heroic loners rode their horses into dusty towns and stood tall against black-hatted villains. In these classic Westerns, marshals kept the peace, ranchers vied for land, and cowboys herded cattle (while finding time for the occasional life-altering romance). And modern Westerns? They share the same gun-slinging DNA as their earlier counterparts — but the horizons have expanded.
Movies starring actors like Clint Eastwood and John Wayne helped define the genre. Neo-Westerns and their contemporary cowboys are redefining it. Sure, these present-day wranglers’ stories share the same quintessential themes — like individualism, morality, and frontier justice — but many of them are mixing it up by exploring modern-day masculinity, examining corporate greed, and showcasing Indigenous communities.
The frontiers in these series and movies on Netflix might look a little different from the Wild West of old, but if you’re hankering for succession battles, shoot-outs, and more than a few fun hats, keep reading to learn more.
Hell or High Water
Written by Taylor Sheridan (Yellowstone) and directed by David Mackenzie (Outlaw King), Hell or High Water follows a pair of brothers, Toby (Chris Pine) and Tanner (Ben Foster), who go on a bank heist spree across West Texas in a desperate attempt to save their failing family ranch. They get more than they bargained for when their case is picked up by two determined Texas Rangers (Jeff Bridges and Gil Birmingham), one of whom is on the verge of retirement. This neo-Western crime drama was nominated for four Oscars, including Best Picture, and also stars Marin Ireland (His & Hers), Katy Mixon (Hot Frosty), and Dale Dickey (Unbelievable).
Wind River
Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker) and Elizabeth Olsen (His Three Daughters) co-star in this crime mystery written and directed by Sheridan. While patrolling the Wind River Indian Reservation, US Fish and Wildlife Service agent Cory Lambert (Renner) finds the frozen body of an 18-year-old girl, Natalie Hanson (Kelsey Asbille). He begins investigating the case with FBI agent Jane Banner (Olsen) and the local police chief, Ben Shoyo (Graham Greene). But few people in and around the reservation are willing to talk about the circumstances that led to Natalie’s death, and the investigators find themselves caught in a cover-up that goes deeper than they could have anticipated. Birmingham (Yellowstone) and Jon Bernthal (His & Hers) also star in this movie, which won the Un Certain Regard award for Best Director at Cannes.
Territory
The Lawson family has run Marianne Station, the largest cattle ranch in the world, for generations. So when the heir apparent, Daniel (Jake Ryan), dies in a mysterious accident, patriarch Colin (Robert Taylor) suspects foul play. With the line of succession unclear, the Lawsons are forced to ward off interest from rival cattle barons, desert gangsters, Indigenous elders, and billionaire miners in Australia’s Northern Territory as they fight to keep their family’s legacy alive. Anna Torv (MINDHUNTER), Michael Dorman (Patriot), Sam Corlett (Vikings: Valhalla), Philippa Northeast (Good Cop/Bad Cop), Clarence Ryan (Reckless), Sara Wiseman (High Country), Joe Klocek (Invisible Boys), and Kylah Day (It Will Find You) also star.
Ransom Canyon
This romantic Western series, created by April Blair (All American), follows the intergenerational drama between three ranching dynasties in small-town Texas. Stoic widower Staten Kirkland (Josh Duhamel) is just beginning to heal from a tragic loss when he reconnects with an old friend, Quinn O’Grady (Minka Kelly), who runs the local dance hall. But when Staten digs deeper into the accident that changed his family forever, he uncovers dark secrets hiding in his seemingly idyllic hometown. Meanwhile, a mysterious drifter, Yancy Grey (Jack Schumacher), takes up work at a local ranch — but can he be trusted? This is especially a question when he becomes romantically involved with a Ransom local, Ellie (Marianly Tejada). Eoin Macken (I Used to Be Famous), Lizzy Greene (A Million Little Things), Andrew Liner (Gray Matter), Garrett Wareing (The Long Walk), James Brolin (Sweet Tooth), and Philip Winchester (Chicago Justice) also star.
Hold the Dark
Director Jeremy Saulnier’s (Rebel Ridge) thriller follows Russell Core (Jeffrey Wright), who’s hired by a woman, Medora (Riley Keough), to hunt down a pack of wolves terrorizing her small town in Alaska. When Medora’s husband, Vernon (Alexander Skarsgård), returns home from deployment overseas, Russell is forced to contend with the family’s troubling dynamics as he does battle with the unforgiving Alaskan wilderness. The movie is based on William Giraldi’s 2014 novel and also stars James Badge Dale (Only the Brave), Tantoo Cardinal (Godless), and Julian Black Antelope (Tribal).
Dark Winds
A psychological thriller with Western and film noir roots, Dark Winds is based on Tony Hillerman’s novels that follow a pair of fictional Navajo Nation police officers, Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee. This ’70s-set series sees Lieutenant Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon), FBI Agent Chee (Kiowa Gordon), and Sergeant Bernadette Manuelito (Jessica Matten) solve murders and other mysteries in the Four Corners region of the American Southwest. McClarnon, Graham Roland, George R.R. Martin, and Robert Redford executive produced the series.
Concrete Cowboy
Based on G. Neri’s novel Ghetto Cowboy, this new-age Western follows 15-year-old Cole (Caleb McLaughlin) after he moves in with his estranged dad, Harp (Idris Elba), who works at a horse stable in North Philadelphia. While Cole initially resists the urban cowboy culture his father loves, he soon carves out an unexpected home for himself in the tight-knit community. Jharrel Jerome (When They See Us), Byron Bowers (Honey Boy), Lorraine Toussaint (Nimona), and Method Man (Vampires vs. the Bronx) also star.
Broke
Wyatt Russell (The Woman in the Window) stars in this contemporary Western as True Brandywine, a once-successful bareback bronco rider who’s unable to let go of his rodeo career. When he gets stranded in a freak snowstorm, he’s forced to contend with his waning career, his contentious relationship with his father (Dennis Quaid), and what it means to be a modern cowboy — all while fighting for survival in the bitter cold. Carlyle Eubank wrote and directed this movie that also stars Auden Thornton (Beauty Mark), Mary McDonnell (The Fall of the House of Usher), Johnny Berchtold (Dog Gone), and Tom Skerritt (Alien).
