Westerns are tried-and-true fan-favorites that Hollywood can’t get enough of, and those featuring a powerful lead heroine are even more impactful. While men have traditionally headlined such flicks, with women often starring as the damsels-in-distress that gunslingers swoop in and rescue, it’s refreshing when the women stand tall all on their own and are the ones doing the shooting and the saving.
Major movie stars like Elizabeth Taylor, Michelle Williams, Jane Fonda, and Salma Hayek have all starred in these female driven films, leaving their marks on the genre that had previously been dominated by men. From revenge-seeking daughters and savvy bank robbers, to nuns of questionable scruples, these are some of the best Western movies with a female lead.
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The Quick and the Dead
Sony Pictures Releasing
Sharon Stone portrays a steadfast woman on a mission for revenge in Sam Raimi’s 1995 revisionist Western The Quick and the Dead, which tells the tale of talented gunslinger Ellen “The Lady” as she sets out to the Old West town known as Redemption in search of the man responsible for her father’s death; on her resilient quest she meets a colorful group of outcasts and outlaws that help her take on the town’s brutal mayor (Gene Hackman).
Screenplay writer Simon Moore set out to make the main protagonist female, commenting in John Muir’s book The Unseen Force: The Films of Sam Raimi, “When you introduce women into that kind of world, something very interesting happens and you have an interesting dynamic straight away.” Despite an initial lukewarm response, it has retrospectively earned praise for its cinematography, performances and the impressive direction by Raimi.
Cat Ballou
Columbia Pictures
Hollywood royalty Jane Fonda headlines the 1965 western comedy Cat Ballou, following the notorious titular outlaw as she teams up with a celebrated gunslinger and charming bandit in order to take on the vicious assassin who murdered her father in hopes of stealing his ranch.
Fonda showed off both her comedic chops and mass appeal as a performer in the box office hit, with many considering it to be the film that demonstrated her bankability as a star; she earned a Golden Globe nomination for her role as the feisty and tenacious Cat. Cat Ballou was one of the highest-grossing pictures of the year and went on to land on the American Film Institute’s Top 10 Western Films, and is regarded as a lauded classic.
Giant
Warner Bros.
The critically-acclaimed 1956 epic Western drama Giant features a star-studded cast led by silver screen siren Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson and James Dean. The classic film centers on the romance between a kind-hearted socialite and Texan rancher as the newlyweds must contend with overbearing family and a dashing ranch hand as they attempt to build their dynasty. Hudson was given the choice of who would appear as his love interest in the sensational picture, choosing Taylor over fellow starlet Grace Kelly as the commanding female lead.
The Oscar-winning Giant proved popular with both audiences and critics, and Taylor’s role was singled out as one of its brightest spots, with The Manchester Guardian calling her portrayal “an astonishing revelation of unsuspected gifts.”
True Grit
Skydance Productions
The Coen brothers directed the Academy Award-nominated 2010 critical hit True Grit, an adaptation of the Charles Portis novel that chronicles the brave efforts of 14-year-old Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) to avenge the tragic murder of her father, with the farm girl turning to the alcohol-loving lawman Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) to help her hunt down the man.
While the original cinema adaptation starring John Wayne focused heavily on the character of Rooster, the Coens wanted to remain more truthful to the subject source and focus on Mattie, expressing, “The book is entirely in the voice of the 14-year-old girl. That sort of tips the feeling of it over a certain way. I think [the book is] much funnier than the movie was so I think, unfortunately, they lost a lot of humor in both the situations and in her voice.”
Bandidas
20th Century Fox
Dazzling duo Salma Hayek and Penélope Cruz are two greatly different woman from opposing backgrounds in 1890s Mexico that team up to rob banks in the 2006 Western action comedy Bandidas, turning to a life of crime in hopes of striking back against a cruel and greedy enforcer stealing from their people.
The talented pair’s winning chemistry is on full display in the exciting picture, as they take back their power from the scheming land baron and protect their community, acting as Robin Hood-esque heroes. The underrated Bandidas is full of action, slapstick humor and feel-good fun and is a delightful take on the buddy comedy genre, with the actresses truly commanding the screen.
Calamity Jane
Warner Bros.
Doris Day delivers a rousing and spirited performance as the titular frontierswoman in the 1953 Western musical Calamity Jane, which recounts the intriguing life of the Wild West historical figure in the Dakota territory and her rumored romance with fellow folk hero Wild Bill Hickock. Day knocks it out of the park as the tough-as-nails sharpshooter Jane, serving up plenty of laughs and impressive musical numbers in the picture, with the performer memorably belting out the Oscar-winning “Secret Love” for the flick. Times UK called Day’s rousing potrayal, “As a pistol-packin’ cowgirl in fringed leather trousers, Day is terrific, an object of athletic awe and irrepressible good cheer.”
Two Mules for Sister Sara
Universal Pictures
Western icon Clint Eastwood appeared opposite the brilliant Shirley MacLaine in the 1970 lauded hit Two Mules for Sister Sara, which follows the duo as they go on the run in Mexico after former soldier Hogan saves the young nun from being assaulted by a group of bandits. On their journey to help the Mexican revolutionaries, Hogan realizes that Sara is an outlaw and not like any nun he’s met before: she knows her way around a gun, is not afraid to swear and has no problem putting down some hooch.
MacLaine is outstanding as the gutsy and headstrong Sara, effortlessly holding her own on-screen opposite tough guy Eastwood and stealing the show with her fearless performance as the mysterious nun.
Meek’s Cutoff
Oscilloscope Laboratories
Acting chameleon Michelle Williams once again showed off her exceptional skills as a performer in the 2010 Western Meeks’s Cutoff, with The Fablemans star appearing as Oregon Trail settler Emily Tetherow as she, famed fur trapper Stephen Meek and other emigrants attempt to navigate the wild and deadly terrain; when Emily protects a Native American from Meek, he offers to guide them on their journey.
The plot is based on the story of the real historical incident on the Oregon High Desert in 1845, and in order to prepare for the grueling role, Williams learned how to knit and fire a gun. The Guardian praised the Western in their glowing review, writing, “It enlivens and illuminates a genre that once dominated the American cinema and still holds a considerable grip on our imagination.”
Gunslinger
American Releasing Corporation
Beverly Garland is a woman who temporarily inherits the title of town marshal after her husband is murdered in 1956’s Gunslinger, depicting the widow’s efforts to take on the dangerous job as she faces off against the devious owner of a saloon (Allison Hayes) who wants to see her dead; after an assassin is hired to eliminate her, the man can’t help but fall for his intended target.
The thrilling picture was lauded for its unique spin on the classic Western and for featuring a female protagonist as the marshal as well as the main villain, and proved to be a hit with both moviegoers and critics; The Hollywood Reporter noted that it is “quite a startling Western” and “Miss Garland and Hayes are good as the feuding ladies from different sides of the tracks.”
