6 Best Cattle Drive Movies

By Vlad Zakh · May 6, 2026

A cattle drive is grueling and dangerous, and the Westerns about it make plenty of that. Open Range has cattlemen clashing with a tyrannical rancher, City Slickers sends three stressed city friends on a drive that changes their lives, and Monte Walsh follows two aging cowboys as the open range closes. Red River, The Cowboys and Broken Lance complete the six.

Open Range (2003)

TMDB ★ 7.3

Free-range cattlemen clash with a tyrannical rancher and his hired guns in a small frontier town.

Directed by Kevin Costner · 2h 19m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: YouTube TV · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Broken Lance (1954)

TMDB ★ 6.9

A powerful cattle baron's sons fight over inheritance and loyalty as his empire begins to crumble.

Directed by Edward Dmytryk · 1h 36m

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

City Slickers (1991)

TMDB ★ 6.8

Three stressed city friends sign up for a cattle-drive holiday that becomes an unexpected life lesson.

Directed by Ron Underwood · 1h 54m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Monte Walsh (1970)

TMDB ★ 6.6

Two ageing cowboys struggle to find purpose as the era of open-range cattle driving comes to an end.

Directed by William A. Fraker · 1h 39m · Rated PG-13

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Cowboys (1972)

TMDB ★ 7.3

An ageing rancher recruits a group of schoolboys to drive his cattle after his hired hands abandon him.

Directed by Mark Rydell · 2h 14m · Rated PG

Where to watch

Stream: Howdy Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Red River (1948)

TMDB ★ 7.7

A stubborn rancher's brutal leadership on a massive cattle drive pushes his adopted son to mutiny.

Directed by Howard Hawks · 2h 13m

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

6 Best Cattle Drive Movies

Open Range (2003)

Broken Lance (1954)

City Slickers (1991)

Monte Walsh (1970)

The Cowboys (1972)

Red River (1948)

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