1952 Classic, Which Won 4 Oscars, Named 'Greatest Western Movie' of All Time
In a poll of more than 5,000 participants, High Noon was voted as the greatest Western movie ever.
"It takes a special kind of lawman to outgun John Wayne, Clint Eastwood and the Wild Bunch. But it was all in a morning's work for Gary Cooper. His 1952 film High Noon has been voted the greatest western ever," the Guardian wrote at the time.
"Cooper won a best actor Oscar, although the realism of his portrayal may have been helped by the bleeding ulcer and damaged hip that plagued him during the shoot."
Here's the full top 10:
- High Noon (1952)
- Unforgiven (1992)
- The Wild Bunch (1969)
- The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (1966)
- The Magnificent Seven (1960)
- Pale Rider (1985)
- Dances with Wolves (1990)
- Silverado (1985)
- A Fistful of Dollars (1964)
- The Searchers (1956)
John Wayne Detested 'High Noon'
Legendary actor John Wayne, who starred in his fair share of Westerns lauded as some of the greatest ever, didn't hide his contempt for High Noon, which came during the height of McCarthyism.
"Everybody says High Noon is a great picture because [Dimitri] Tiomkin wrote some great music for it and because Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly were in it," he said. "So it's got everything going for it. In that picture, four guys come in to gun down the sheriff. He goes to the church and asks for help and the guys go, 'Oh well, oh gee.' And the women stand up and say, 'You're rats. You're rats. You're rats.'"
Wayne called it the most "un-American" thing he's ever seen in his life.
"So Cooper goes out alone. It's the most un-American thing I've ever seen in my whole life. The last thing in the picture is ole Coop putting the United States marshal's badge under his foot and stepping on it. I'll never regret having helped run Foreman out of this country," he said.
Cooper went on to win the Academy Award for best actor and the film also won Academy Awards for best film editing, best scoring of a dramatic or comedy picture and best song.
Related: 1954 Classic, Which Broke the Mold, Named 'Greatest Western Movie of All Time'
This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jun 10, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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This story was originally published June 9, 2026 at 5:29 PM.