'Red River' Named Among Greatest Westerns of All Time-and You Can Stream It Free

Besides Clint Eastwood, who else is more synonymous with Westerns than John Wayne? The legendary actor was a staple of the genre, from his first starring role in 1930's The Big Trail to his final film, 1976's The Shootist.

Wayne headlined some of the greatest Western movies of all time throughout his prolific career. There's True Grit (1969), for which he won an Oscar. The Searchers (1956) is considered by many to be his magnum opus. Rio Bravo (1959) is also included on various best-of lists and rankings for Westerns.

Time Out slotted Wayne's 1948 Western epic Red River at No. 17 on its list of "The 50 Greatest Western Movies." Directed by Howard Hawks alongside co-director Arthur Rosson with a screenplay by Borden Chase and Charles Schnee, Red River stars Wayne as Thomas Dunson, a cattle baron who takes his foster son, Matthew "Matt" Garth (Montgomery Clift), across the titular Red River into Texas.

Walter Brennan, Joanne Dru, Harry Carey Sr., Coleen Gray, John Ireland, Noah Beery Jr., Harry Carey Jr., and Paul Fix round out the cast. The film is based on The Chisholm Trail, a serialized Western story that Chase penned for The Saturday Evening Post in 1946.

At the time of its release on Aug. 26, 1948, Red River was well-received by critics. In 1998, Roger Ebert wrote that it was one of the greatest Westerns of all time. The Library of Congress also deemed Red River to be of cultural, historical, and aesthetic significance, selecting it for preservation in the National Film Registry. The Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer for the film boasts an impressive 100% score, and the Popcornmeter sits at 87%.

Time Out lauded director Hawks for delivering "yet another glorious snapshot of unfettered masculinity in action," while noting that it might be challenging for modern viewers "to put aside the fact that cattle barons like Dunson were generally murderous aristocrats making a grab for land."

Do you consider Red River to be one of the best Westerns in history? If you need a refresher or are seeking out this iconic film for the first time, you can watch it for free on Tubi.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jun 18, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

2026 The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.

This story was originally published June 18, 2026 at 2:36 PM.