Some of the greatest movies starring John Wayne are available on streaming services to be rewatched or experienced for the first time. Over the years, the Hollywood icon starred in dozens of excellent films, becoming responsible for many of the best Westerns and war movies ever made.

John Wayne’s movie career was littered with classics, some of which being movies that pushed the Western genre forward, like Stagecoach and The Searchers. Plus, there was also all the other quality films that he made year after year, including gems such as Tall in the Saddle and Angel and the Badman.

Of course, not all of John Wayne’s movies can be easily found and watched online, which isn’t surprising considering the sheer breadth of the actor’s filmography, and not just in regards to his hold on the Western genre. That said, several of his movies can be watched on streaming services, and that goes not just for Prime Video, but also free streamers like Tubi and Pluto TV.

Of course, it’s important to note that not all of these are “good” movies. Many of the B-movie Westerns he made prior to becoming a huge star, are in public domain and aren’t hard to find online. Fortunately, the same can be said for a few of his truly great movies too, as six great John Wayne films are streaming on Tubi.

Stagecoach

Stagecoach was far from John Wayne’s first Western, as he made several throughout the 1930s, but it was the one that set the foundation for the fame he ultimately achieved. In 1939, John Wayne landed the lead role of The Ringo Kid in Stagecoach, a black-and-white Western that follows a single stagecoach’s path through treacherous territory.

The Western, which saw John Wayne get second-billing behind his female co-star, Claire Trevor, featured a now-iconic introductory scene for the Ringo Kid as he interrupts its journey. John Wayne’s grand entrance is now viewed as a metaphor for his takeover of the Western movie genre.

Angel And The Badman

In 1947, John Wayne starred in Angel and the Badman, a Western where he starred opposite Gail Russell. In the movie, Wayne plays a rugged outlaw who, after an injury, winds up in the care of a Quaker woman and her family. Despite differing perspectives and backgrounds, the two gradually develop a romantic bond.

Like many of John Wayne’s forgettable 1930s Westerns, Angel and the Badman is in the public domain but it shouldn’t be lumped in with the rest in terms of its quality. The Angel and the Badman offers a memorable love story in a Western setting, but shouldn’t be strictly thought of as a romance. It’s also driven by a great character development arc for Wayne, which culminates in an intense showdown at the end.

McClintock!

Streaming On Tubi

Just like Angel and the Badman, McClintock! is in the public domain. The fourth collaboration between John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara, the 1963 film adapts William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew in the form of a Western film.

In the movie, Wayne plays a disgruntled rancher in the American Wild West who reunites with his wife, who left him behind for a life in the eastern United States as a socialite. Their marital issues humorously remerge as they interact with both each other and their adult children, with the interfering Comanche only making things more complicating and giving Wayne’s McClintock a more physical threat to deal with.

Utilizing the dynamic and chemistry between O’Hara and Wayne that made The Quiet Man an all-time great John Wayne classic, McClintock! delivers another fun romantic comedy outing for the two stars. It may not have the legendary status of The Quiet Man or an unforgettable, fun showdown, but it has enough gags and entertaining John Wayne moments to make it a worthwhile watch.

The Alamo

Streaming On Tubi

As the тιтle implies, The Alamo is one of several retellings of the events that took place at the infamous Battle of the Alamo. The 1960 Western ensemble appropriately puts John Wayne in the role of an American legend, Davy Crockett, with Richard Widmark (another major Western star) co-starring as Jim Bowie.

One of only two movies that John Wayne directed in his career, The Alamo explored Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie’s efforts to combat Santa Anna’s army as it approaches the Alamo. Although there’s little drama as to whether or not they can succeed, The Alamo presents an emotional tale of courage and adversity, and one perfectly befitting a John Wayne Western.

The Cowboys

As one of John Wayne’s final Westerns, The Cowboys leaned into the actor’s advancing age, casting him as an aging cowboy forced to hire a group of rowdy young men to replace the cattlemen who left his land. In a sense, it’s a coming-of-age story, with John Wayne acting as an unlikely mentor figure to the young men he’s forced to take under his wing.

A conflict with a vicious cattle rustler gang led by Bruce Dern’s Asa Watts puts them in a situation where they have to mature fast, with Wayne’s Will Anderson serving as a guiding force. His rivalry with Bruce Dern’s character is responsible for a then-controversial scene and one of the most shocking moments in a John Wayne movie.

Red River

Easily one of the greatest Westerns of all time and a movie often in the same conversation as Stagecoach and The Searchers in terms of where they rank as John Wayne movies, Red River is a must-see film for any fan of the genre.

In the 1948 Western directed by Howard Hawks, John Wayne plays Thomas Dunson, one of three men trying to drive a herd of cattle to Kansas in the aftermath of the Civil War. The film succeeds in instilling significant depth into all three characters, specifically Wayne’s and the young orphan he’s raised as his own son, played by Montgomery Clift.

The intense level of emotion that John Wayne poured into his portrayal of Thomas Dunson and his dynamic with Clift helped it become one of the best roles in his career. How incredible his performance truly is reflected by the fact that the director he worked with the most, credited Red River as the film that proved John Wayne’s acting talent to him.