6 Best Cliff Lyons Movies

By Vlad Zakh · August 11, 2026

Cliff Lyons was one of Hollywood’s most respected stunt coordinators and second-unit directors and also appeared on screen in dozens of major films. Ben-Hur and The Horse Soldiers are the epics, The War Wagon assembles a crew to rob an armoured gold wagon, Chisum defends New Mexico during the Lincoln County War, and Rio Grande and 3 Godfathers round out the list.

Chisum (1970)

TMDB ★ 6.6

Cliff Lyons appears in this John Wayne western about a powerful cattle baron who takes up arms to defend his New Mexico territory during the Lincoln County War.

Directed by Andrew V. McLaglen · 1h 51m · Rated G

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The War Wagon (1967)

TMDB ★ 6.8

Cliff Lyons is in this John Wayne and Kirk Douglas western about a wrongly imprisoned rancher who assembles a crew to rob a heavily armoured gold shipment wagon.

Directed by Burt Kennedy · 1h 41m · Rated PG

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Ben-Hur (1959)

IMDb ★ 8.1 RT 87% Metacritic 90

A betrayed Jewish prince seeks revenge on his childhood friend, now a powerful Roman official.

Directed by William Wyler · 3h 32m · Rated G

Won 11 Oscars29 wins & 13 nominations

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Horse Soldiers (1959)

TMDB ★ 6.9

Cliff Lyons appears in this John Ford film about Union cavalry raiders who undertake a daring mission deep behind Confederate lines during the Civil War.

Directed by John Ford · 1h 55m · Rated PG

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Rio Grande (1950)

TMDB ★ 6.8

A cavalry officer's estranged wife arrives at his frontier post to bring their son home from the army.

Directed by John Ford · 1h 45m

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

3 Godfathers (1948)

TMDB ★ 6.8

Cliff Lyons appears in this western about three outlaws on the run who vow to protect a dying woman's newborn across the unforgiving desert.

Directed by John Ford · 1h 42m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, 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 Cliff Lyons Movies

Chisum (1970)

The War Wagon (1967)

Ben-Hur (1959)

The Horse Soldiers (1959)

Rio Grande (1950)

3 Godfathers (1948)

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